"Oh. My. God. STEEL?!"
"Yes?! Yes?! What is it?!" Kirk came rushing over to Chloe who was standing and staring at a piece of paper she held in her hands.
She quickly checked a nearby computer, then looked up at him.
"We've found him Steel," her eyes lit up, "we've found him."
"You're joking me. Cath?! Hook me up with the Hanson boys. We're going in."
Cath quickly did as he asked and handed him her head phones as Chloe printed off some directions for him.
Kirk waited for an answer as the call rang through.
Isaac
Isaac paused as he picked up his towel. Was that his phone ringing? Oh, yeah, it was!
He briefly considering letting it ring out and checking it after his swim, but decided against it and snatched it up.
"Hello?"
Kirk & Chloe
Chloe bit her lip as she watched Kirk trying to contain himself.
"Hey Isaac," Kirk grinned, "just letting you know... we found the base. Want to get going?"
Isaac
"You found the base," Isaac said slowly. "Did you actually find it, or are we going to be going on another wild goose chase? I mean, not that I don't trust you or anything, I just wanna know what I'm getting into."
He wished Steel could see the wry smile on his face.
Kirk
"Oh we've found it, trust me," Kirk insisted, looking over the directions in front of him.
"We've even got surveillance and found someone on the inside. Taylor's alive, but he's not in good shape. Which was to be expected I guess. Christian* we'll get to him later. But he's the reason we found them. They're only about five miles away from where you are."
Isaac
"What? Really? There's a might coincidence," Isaac mused. "Okay, I'll just grab Zac. He's in the pool."
Isaac headed out the door, mobile phone in hand, and headed to the pool.
"You're certain Tay's alive?"
Kirk
"I was told by someone who saw him only ten seconds ago. He's alive," Kirk insisted with a nod.
"But they sounded uncertain, so we might want to speed things up a bit. He's breathing, put it that way."
Isaac and Zac
Isaac held the phone away from his mouth long enough to shout:
"Yo Zac! Outta da pool! We're going!"
Then the put the phone back to his year.
"Okay, then," he said. "I hope Zac doesn't want a shower."
His tone was almost malicious.
"What's going on?" Zac asked.
"They found Tay?"
"What? Really? Really and truly?"
"Yes, really and truly."
"All right!" then Zac paused. "I should have a shower..."
"Nope, going right now. Matter of life and death even."
"Awww, Ike... c'mon, we have to pack and check out anyway. I can have a shower that fast..."
"Hmm... okay, but only because arguing about it take up too much time," Isaac replied, waking back hurriedly to the room. "Oh, Steel? Can you call us back in ten? We should be ready by then."
Kirk
"No worries," Kirk smiled, glad they were getting somewhere.
They were getting that much closer to finding out what had happened to Christian to make him leave the building and then* go back.
Ten minutes later, he was directing Isaac and Zac as to which building was the entrance to the laboratories.
Isaac and Zac
"Okay, I see the entrance," Isaac said.
"Time for radio silence... so to speak," Zac nodded.
"Right. Talk to you soon."
Isaac hung up, and the two brothers inspected the entrance way closely.
"There's going to be security galore in there."
"Think freezing the screens will do the trick? Or shall I just blow them up?"
"I don't know... whatever would take the longer before they figure out something's wrong."
"Well, given that we don't know what guards they have wandering around inside..."
"Point. Well, I guess it won't really matter what we do... As long as we disable them somehow so that they don't know who's here and where exactly they are. Well, I suppose they could always follow the trail of dying cameras..."
"But they won't know when we back track."
"True. Well, best get started then."
Zac nodded. They skulked down to the entrance, and Zac put his hand on the wall.
"Disabling camera... now."
There was a little zapping down.
"You could probably kill a few cameras yourself."
"Yeah."
The boys slipped inside, and talk between them ceased.
Kirk, Chloe & Christian
Kirk hesitated after he'd hung up, then crossed his fingers. Chloe just smiled at him.
"We'll get them back, don't worry," she insisted, rubbing his shoulder, "I have faith in Ike and Zac."
"Since when are you calling him `Ike'?"
"Since just then," Chloe chuckled, before leaving Kirk to deal with what was happening.
Meanwhile, Christian looked up curiously from where he was laying - sprawled out on the floor in the middle of his cell.
Some guards had just run past.
He hesitated a moment, figuring that a hostile was loose or something, before more suddenly came charging past. Deciding there was something else going on, he stood and made his way to the door. He opened it slightly and stuck his head out to look down the corridor.
When he couldn't see anything other than the soldiers disappearing around a corner, he cursed the chip in his head for the fact that he couldn't leave the room.
Isaac and Zac
"Soliders," Zac whispered, sensing the change in temperature ahead.
Isaac nodded as Zac considered the matter.
"Go through wall there," he said, pointing.
The brothers used their atom manipulation to walk through the wall and thereby around the pursuing soliders. They used the same trick a couple of times and then they arrived at the section where all the prisoners appeared to be held.
"Which one has Taylor?" Isaac asked softly.
"Goooood question."
Christian
Christian impatiently tapped his fingers against the doorframe.
He wanted to know what the heck was going on, damn it.
And then two familiar people suddenly came around that corner*
"Isaac? Zac?" he murmured to himself with a frown, before slipping back inside his room.
They were here to get Taylor, obviously.
Great. There was no way he could leave. Boy, was he going to get it for this.
Isaac and Zac
"Don't you just love the way they have these glass doors?" Zac asked cynically. "Convienient for us, but slightly sick. I mean, who would want to walk down here every day and see the state of these people?"
"Someone with a very sick personality," Isaac nodded in agreement. "Oh hello... is that... no..."
Zac looked into the room.
"What?"
"Ahh whoever it was, they just went around the corner where I can't see 'em. But they had dark hair, so unless they have beauticians in this place - which I doubt, unless they're experimenting with make up on us instead of animals just so they can have 'not tested on animals' on the label - I don't think it's Taylor."
Zac attempted to see the person to no avail. Isaac kept walking and they continued down the corridor until they got to the very end.
"One last cell. I guess if he's not in here was have to look elsewhere."
They peered inside and Zac swore.
"I hope your kids never hear you say that," Isaac said. "Here, help me get the door off. There's something weird preventing me from taking it down mentally."
"These people, experimenting with us all the time.. probably found a way to block it," Zac muttered. "I can't sense the temperature in there either. And I can't melt the freaking door."
"Ho hum. Fine. Normal human ways of doing things," Isaac looked around and spotted a fire extingusher. "If this doesn't work I bet we can use a more convential method of freezing the door and breaking it."
So depite the door being locked, and something preventing them from using their powers on it, they managed to get the door down. Stepping aside broken glass they, walked into the cell.
"Is that a blindfold?" Zac asked.
"It's a bandage..." Isaac said. "I think we'd better leave it there. Tay? Tay? It's Ike. Can you hear me?"
"I think we should get him to a healer, like, right now."
"Yeah..." Isaac replied slowly, unhappy at the lack of reaction from Taylor.
"Okay, so question... how do we get him down? Your telekinesis still now working?"
"Once we get him into the hallway all should be good."
"We just have to get him into the hallway."
"I always knew you people relied on my telekinesis too much."
Zac poked his tongue out at him and they set about the task of getting their brother of of the restraints that held him to the wall.
Christian
Christian hesitated for a moment, before taking another look down the corridor.
They were gone.
He took a step back so his back was to the adjacent wall, and frowned. If Isaac and Zac were here... after Taylor... then that meant Blakesley still had him here when he'd told Christian he'd let him go.
Right. That was it. Blakesley was getting his nose broken again or something.
Isaac and Zac
"This is ridiculous," Zac muttered. "If we could use our powers we could get him down so much easier. And who's great idea was it to reenact the crucificton?"
"Well, the Romans were experts on torture."
"Torturers should be tortured themselves. See how they like it."
"You'll get no argument from me."
"Argh. I bet Faith's power would work."
"Well, it's a shame that we didn't think to bring a slayer along with us. Now stop wasting your energy with complianing, and put it into getting Taylor down."
It took some time, being "limited to the human way" but they finally got Taylor down. As carefully as they could, trying not to jar or jerk him around, they got their brother out the door, and Isaac took hold of him telekinetically.
"Okay, let's go," Isaac said.
And the brothers headed back down the hallway.
Christian
Christian decided to stay by the door this time in case Isaac and Zac were to come by again.
Tapping his fingers against the glass again, it wasn't long before his hopes were realised.
"Hey!" he waved, attempting to catch their attention.
Isaac and Zac
Isaac and Zac turned to the direction the voice was coming from.
"Is that... Christian?" Zac asked.
"Yep," Isaac nodded. "Hey Chris, want us to let ya out?"
Christian
Christian raised his eyebrows.
"If I could leave this room, I would have already," he pointed out, casting weary eyes on Taylor.
He could tell he was breathing, albeit shallowly, and that was the important thing.
"I need you guys to tell Tanya what's going on," he looked between them, "maybe she'll find a way around it. I have a behavioural chip in my skull that the asshole put there. It makes me do what he says, or my head just gets overcome with pain."
He bit his lip, looking down on Taylor again.
"And there's a tracker somewhere in my body - I don't know where. Blakesley's got me working for him... rounding up aliens and such. Just tell Tanya, because I want out."
Isaac and Zac
"Behavoural chips?" Zac glowered. "Dude... these people... I like to see someone put a behavioural chip in his head and see how he likes it!"
"Calm down Zac," Isaac began.
"And you! Why haven't you gotten angry yet?"
"Because you're being angry enough for the both of us. We'll pass your message along," Isaac assured Christian. "Anything else we can do?"
Christian & Taylor
Christian hesitated thoughtfully.
"Do you know anything about Tanya's baby?" he asked, looking at Isaac.
Taylor's head rolled slightly as he began to come to.
Isaac and Zac
"Well... I don't know how much you know... but I know he was born last May. And his name is Kit, short for Christopher. And last I heard from Oli, he was fine. Oh, and they suspect that he might be either telekinetic or metalkinetic, but they're not sure at this stage," Isaac told him.
Zac, meanwhilst, had noticed Taylor's movement.
"Tay? Taylor? Are you okay?"
Christian & Taylor
Christian could help but smile a little.
"Last I heard she was still pregnant, so* thanks."
He looked down on Taylor.
"You'd better get him out of here."
Taylor's hands and feet had curled, and he'd crossed his arms over his chest - but he didn't make a sound.
Isaac and Zac
Isaac nodded.
"Yeah... lets go."
"Bye Christian. If you see Blakesley, kill him for me," Zac said. "That's assuming I don't find him first."
Isaac shook his head.
"See ya Christian, I'll be sure Tanya gets your message."
They started down the hall again, and it was then that Isaac figured out what striked him as odd about Christian: there was brown in his iris. He wondered why that was briefly, then shrugged it off.
Christian & Taylor
"Find him for me!" Christian called after them.
Then under his breath, he muttered; "if I could kill him I bloody would have already."
He closed the door to his room, then glanced at the camera and went to sit in the corner.
Meanwhile, Taylor was somewhat trying to figure out what was going on. Things had only just seemed to return to reality, he was in a sudden immense amount of agony, but Blakesley - or soldiers, or any authority figure actually - wasn't around.
Isaac and Zac
"Soilders coming," Zac said.
He glanced at Taylor.
"Can we risk it?"
"Going through the walls with Tay in tow?" Isaac asked. "Well... "
"He's not exactly in a particularily good going through walls state right now."
"No..." Isaac glanced up. "Okay... alternative... and I hope I don't have to do this too often."
He lifted Zac up as well as Taylor.
"Whoa!" Zac yelped.
"I can't lift myself telekinetically... I'll wait in the wall," Isaac said.
And good timing too, because it was at the moment that Isaac slid into the wall that the soilders came running past. Then they suddenly stopped.
"I've cryogenically frozen them," Zac said. "So you can get us down now."
Isaac stepped out of the wall, and floated his brothers back down.
"They'll melt soon enough, but have no idea they've missed some time. And it will buy us some time."
Isaac nodded and the boys made for the exit.
Kirk & Chloe
Kirk was impatiently tapping his fingers on one of the computer desks, when Chloe approached him.
"Are they out?!" he demanded straight away.
"We haven't heard anything from them, and there's been no available surveillance," Chloe shook her head.
"But our leak has said the soldiers haven't been able to find them, and Taylor is inf act already missing."
A smile crossed Kirk's face.
Isaac and Zac
At last the brothers made it out.
"You drive," Isaac advised Zac. "Tay'll have to go on the back seat and I should concentrate on keeping him steady while we're driving. No point in him getting any worse."
"Okay," Zac agreed. "Yes, I get to drive your car!"
"Just because you got a van..."
Zac poked his tongue out at him. They arrived where thye had hidden the car and piled in. Once settled, and Zac has started driving, Isaac rang Chloe.
Kirk, Chloe & Taylor
"Is that them?" Kirk demanded as one of the phone lines started beeping.
"Hello?" Chloe asked as she picked up.
Meanwhile, Taylor was having trouble adjusting to his surroundings. He knew something was going on, but he didn't know what. And he wasn't able to recognize who was with him, and if they were a threat or not.
He whined a little as he tried to roll onto his side.
Isaac
"Hey guys," Isaac said. "We have Tay. He's in a bad way, though - someone got it into their heads to crucify him."
He scrowled a little, but kept his eye on Taylor and making sure the ride wasn't bumping him around.
Kirk & Chloe
Chloe gave Kirk a thumbs up, and he immediately went to the nearest computer to pull up surveillance on Isaac's car.
"That's great. We can organize a healer to meet you whenever you get to your first stop. Where's Christian?"
Isaac and Zac
"He's still in there," Isaac said. "We spoke to him - they've put a behavioral chip in his skull, and there's also a tracker on him."
Zac muttered some incoherent about Blakesley. Probably it was something best not repeated anyway.
Kirk, Chloe
If Chloe was holding a phone, she would have clutched it.
"Chris?" she almost cried.
Kirk looked up after she didn't say anything other than that.
"What is it?" he demanded.
Chloe hesitated, pulling herself together.
"Umm* Chris is still in there. They've implanted him with a behavioural chip and tracker."
Kirk swore, still trying to find Isaac's car. He soon found it and brought the window up. Knowing Chloe wasn't going to pay much attention to the Hansons' needs for a while, he took the head set off her.
"Isaac? Are you guys alright for directions, or do you need a guide back?"
Isaac and Zac
"Umm... Zac? You right for directions?" Isaac asked.
"Yeah," Zac replied. "I remember that rock."
Isaac raised an eyebrow.
"Joking! But I do remember how we got here."
"Okay, cool. We're fine, thanks Steel."
"We're gonna have to get more petrol soon, though," Zac said helpfully.
"We're gonna have to get more petrol soon," Isaac repeated. "We could meet your healer at the nearest petrol station..."
Kirk, Chloe & Taylor
"Ok, I'll find one for you. Cath! Can you call up Linda for me? We have to geet her out to* The Nevdeck. Pronto."
"I'm not completely incapable!" Chloe exclaimed, her worry already turning to annoyance.
"Not now Chlo."
Cathy got onto the phone with the resident healer, and arranged for her to be teleported to meet the Hansons.
Taylor was slowly beginning to realise that he was on something that was moving, and whoever was with him wasn't acting as a threat.
Isaac and Zac
"Thanks," Isaac said. "Just a second while I put you in the car kit..."
Isaac took the phone away from his ear and plugged it in.
"They're going to give directions to the nearest petrol station," he informed Zac.
"Cool," Zac nodded.
Isaac looked back at Taylor. He hoped they could get him healed soon.
Kirk & Taylor
Cathy began giving Zac the directions to the station as Chloe organised for Linda to be teleported instead. Kirk sat back and begaan contemplating Christian's situation.
Taylor frowned as he started to read the available pheremones.
That couldn't be... he was sensing... Isaac? They hadn't brought him in, had they?
No... he couldn't sense anything other than concern.
"I-Ike...?" he whispered.
Isaac and Zac
"Tay?" Isaac asked. "Tay, are you okay?"
Then he wondered why he asked that when he knew perfectly well that Taylor was anything but okay.
"He's awake?" Zac asked, amidst following Cathy's instructions.
Taylor
Taylor thought he heard something... Isaac's voice maybe? It was too skewed to figure out.
He rolled onto his side then somewhat dug his head into the car seat. He slowly lifted his hands just so he could feel the bandage still around his head. He idly managed to decipher that there was nothing around his wrists for once.
"Ike?" he tried again.
Isaac
"He's awake," Isaac nodded to Zac.
He then turned his attention back to Taylor.
"I'm here, Tay," He assured him. "We're going to be meeting up with a healer soon. You're going to be okay."
Taylor & Chloe
Taylor gulped and took a deep breath.
"'K," he murmured finally.
"Where are we?"
Chloe thanked the teleporter as she and Linda arrived at the gas station, then looked at her watch.
"Ok, they should be here in five or ten minutes," she informed the healer.
Isaac
Isaac told Taylor what state they were in.
"We're just going to make a quick stop to get some petrol and you healed, and then we're going home," he assured him.
"Not far now," Zac put in, turning onto the final stretch. "I can see the place from here."
Taylor & Chloe
Taylor struggled to take a deep breath, before the nerves began reacting in his feet.
"Did I... suffer enough?" he whispered with a gulp.
"Ok, that's their car," Chloe pointed it out to Linda as she saw it coming down the road.
Isaac and Zac
"You've done enough suffering for a hundred lifetimes," Isaac said firmly. "You should get a refund."
"How do you geta refund on suffering?" Zac couldn't help but muse as they pulled into the station. "Well, here we are."
The boys got out of the car.
Taylor & Chloe
"You don't understand*" Taylor whispered.
"Hey guys, this is Linda," Chloe introduced them.
Linda closed her eyes for a moment, sensing the extent of Taylor's injuries.
"Cool to meet you," she began almost shyly, "well* I should get to work."
Isaac and Zac
"Hi," Zac and Isaac said together.
"He's going to be alright, right?" Zac asked.
"Maybe you should let her see what she can do first," Isaac said to Zac.
Taylor & Chloe
Chloe stood back as Linda opened the back door of the car and looked in on Taylor. Taylor in turn knew what she was going to do, and just concentrated on breathing for the time being.
With a small frown, Linda reached out and curled her hands around his ankles. His feet healed almost immediately, before she began looking worried.
Chloe frowned slightly as Linda went on with her work, before she fell down onto one knee and let go of him.
"Thankyou," Taylor said softly, feeling tired.
"I'm sorry," Linda shook her head, then covered her mouth.
She looked up at Chloe.
"We need to call my cousin. I can't regenerate body parts."
"Which cousin? Oh! Joe? Ok, I'll call Steel and get him to meet us here. Or he can go get him," she nodded to the teleporter before pulling out her phone and dialling.
Taylor rolled onto his back and took a deep breath.
Isaac and Zac
"Regenerate body parts?" Isaac asked, alarmed.
"What they do? What's missing?" Zac demanded, horrified. "If I ever get my hands on that bas-"
"Thanks, Linda, by the way..."
Taylor & Chloe
Chloe was quick on the phone, and soon informed them that Joe would be there in a matter of minutes. The teleporter disappeared from sight before teleporting out to get him.
"They've taken his eyes," Linda said softly, watching Taylor.
Taylor frowned, registering Zac's voice for the first time.
"Zac?" he sounded confused, "what... what are you doing here?"
Isaac and Zac
"His eyes?" Isaac gulped.
"Rescuing you," Zac said to Taylor grimly. "I really, really wish we had seems Blakesley. I would have - "
"Zac, I think being friends with vampire slayers has increased your blood thirstiness."
Taylor & Chloe
Taylor contemplated that for a moment, before attempting to sit up.
"You stay down," Linda ordered, "wait until my cousin gets here. He can fix your eyes for you."
Taylor groaned, but remained laying over the back seat on his back.
It was only a few seconds before the teleporter reappeared with a scruffy looking man.
"Ok, where is he?" he demanded in a rough voice.
Linda stepped back and indicated where Taylor lay. Joe leant in over him putting his hand on Taylor's forehead, and then a moment later ripped the bandage from his head.
Taylor shook his head as his body began to register that he could see again. He looked up at Joe and Linda.
"Thanks," he said quietly, before finally sitting up.
Isaac and Zac
"Yes, thank you," Isaac said to the healers. "Thank you all very much."
"You okay now Tay?" Zac asked.
Taylor & Chloe
Taylor gave Zac a sideways look before nodding.
"Yeah," he replied softly, running his fingers through his hair.
"Are you guys right for directions back to Tulsa, or do you need a guide?" Chloe looked between Isaac and Zac.
"If you don't need a guide, we'll be on our way."
Isaac and Zac
"Good," Zac nodded.
"I think we can manage," Isaac said. "Thanks for all your help."
Taylor & Chloe
"Ok, then we're ready to go," Chloe insisted with a nod.
She, the teleporter and the two healers made their way to a secluded back area of the gas station, and one by one disappeared.
Taylor glanced upwards warily before sitting back into the back seat and closing the door, ready to go.
Isaac and Zac
"Alrighty then," Isaac said. "I'll just fill 'er up."
"Cool. I get munchies. Because munchies are good," Zac nodded.
Not long thereafter, the fuel and food was paid for. Isaac advised Zac to sit in the back with Taylor.
"I'm driving, and I just don't think it would be a good idea to leave Tay too much alone, y'know?"
"Okay," Zac said cheerfully.
The boys got into the car.
"To infinity and beyond!" Zac said, grinning at Tay.
"Okay," Isaac said, starting the car. "I don't think letting you get all the sugar was a good idea."
Taylor
Taylor didn't even look at either of them, just shifted slightly as he settled to looking out of the window.
His arms were folded across his chest almost defensively, and his legs were twisted so they'd fit in the back of the car.
Isaac and Zac
The first few minutes were in silence.
"Okay, so, the quiet is killing me," Zac said.
"Really?" Isaac mused. "You don't look like you're dying to me."
"That's because the new found noise has revived me."
"Oh I see."
"Soooo... I suppose we ought to catch you up on everything that's happened since you've been gone, Tay," Zac said. "Lemme see..."
Taylor
Taylor rolled his eyes and just remained looking out the window, not even glancing in Zac's direction.
It was bad enough Isaac had made them sit together.
His knee started bouncing as he sensed there was bad news already.
Zac
"Actually..." Zac frowned. "Nothing all that spectacular has happen. The last two weeks were spent trying to track you down."
He chuckled.
"Tanya's had her baby. Boy named Christopher. Calling him Kit for short."
Taylor
"Good for Christian," Taylor murmured.
He glanced up at Isaac for a second, before quickly returning his gaze to out the window. There wasn't much to look at, but damn he'd missed it.
Zac and Isaac
Zac frowned, wondering at Taylor's silence. Maybe the whole experience had been so traumatic he didn't want to talk. Oh well, he could do talking enough for both of them.
"Soooo... I heard a joke the other day," he went on. "Why did the plane crash into the mountain?"
Isaac stifled a groan.
"Because the pilot was a piece of toast."
Taylor
Taylor ground his teeth slightly as his knee bounced a little more.
Isaac and Zac
"Don't think it's funny, Tay?" Zac asked, trying to catch his brothers' eyes.
"Well, it is a lame joke," Isaac commented.
Zac continued to search Taylor's face, frowning slightly.
"Something amiss?"
Taylor
"You'll forgive me if I'm acting testy toward someone who slept with my ex fiancé, and then abandoned me when he found out I was having mental problems beyond my control," Taylor said softly, leaning his forehead against the window and keeping his eyes outside.
"I just don't understand why you came. It's like you had to see me bleed to believe it."
Isaac and Zac
Zac stared at Taylor, whilst Isaac tensed up. Well, this was going to be fun.
"Hey, I make mistakes. We all make freaking mistakes, but I didn't abandon you then, and I'm not now."
"Well, you did walk out of the room when we were talking to Tanya -" Isaac pointed out.
"Who's side are you on?" Zac scrowled.
Taylor
"The side that saw you abandon me," Taylor glared, still not looking at him.
"When you damn well knew there was nothing I could do. I didn't even know I'd killed those people and yet you went off at me for it."
He held back a snort.
Isaac and Zac
"Hey! I only wanted what was best for you and for everyone else," Zac replied. "You know, maybe Ike and Tanya are fine with you wandering the streets when you might kill someone again, but I wanted you to get help! I don't like what's happened to you. All this stuff over the past year, it's just... screwing you around and turning you into someone I just don't know any more."
Isaac decided to take this moment to be quiet and let his brothers vent.
Taylor
"More like you wanted to lock me away where you wouldn't have to worry about anything," Taylor frowned.
"And this is the first time you've taken an interest in what's happening with Master Blakesley, apart from the death threats. Animals hear things Zac. They sense emotions. You always just assumed I'd be back again and in good health."
He smirked.
"Guess you never figured he'd do that to me."
Zac and Isaac
"Maybe because assuming that was easier than thinking the worst. Maybe because I had never see what he had done to people first hand," Zac voice got louder with each 'maybe', "Maybe because hearing what someone can do to another person and seeing it are two completely different things! Or how about taking the time to actually consider what he might be doing to you was too much for me to handle?"
Isaac wondered if Zac had noticed that Taylor had referred to Blaksley as 'Master'. Then he renewed his vigour to concentrate on the road, and not start thinking about just how much psychological damage might have been done. Healers couldn't fix that.
"And I wouldn't have just locked you away where I could forget about you. I'm not like that! Has your opinion of me dropped so low as to think I'll," then Zac shook his head. "What am I thinking? Of course you think I'll abandon you. You just told me no five minutes ago."
He slumped down in his seat.
Taylor
"And you think I can handle it?" Taylor glanced across at him for a split second finally.
He glanced at Isaac again before returning his gaze to the window.
"And I don't think you will abandon me. I already think you have. And it just seems like you're trying to make up for it when it's too late."
He gulped slightly, noticing his hands shaking.
Please don't let the agoraphobia come back. Please.
Zac and Isaac
"I haven't freaking abandoned you!" Zac shouted. "I'm too busy being scared of you to abandon you."
In the following silence Isaac raised his eyebrows. Zac? Scared of Taylor?
"Oh crud, did I just say that aloud?" Zac thought to himself.
Taylor
Taylor bit his bottom lip as he couldn't stop his eyes welling up.
"In all the years that I've been reading pheromones subconsciously, I wasn't able to pick that up," he said finally, covering his mouth with his hand.
He closed his eyes.
Isaac and Zac
"It's not.. I'm not..." Zac stammered.
"Hoo boy, how's he gonna talk himself outta this one?" mused Isaac. Then he found it weird he found any amusement at all in the situation. Maybe Taylor wasn't the only one who was screwed up in the head.
"I'm not... afraid for me..." Zac managed to get out. "It's Dee Dee, and Saku and everyone else."
Well, the line was drawn and he already crossed it. May as well compound it: there was nothing else to lose.
"I'm... I'm scared that if we can't help you... someone else... someone I love... is going to die."
Then Zac found he couldn't look at Taylor, or even Isaac any more, and stared out the window.
Taylor
"I know," Taylor murmured, putting his head in his hand.
"And I don't know how I could prove to you that I wouldn't harm any member of this family. Even if I changed. I just know I wouldn't."
Isaac and Zac
There was an awkward silence for a moment.
"Oh, hey," Isaac spoke up. "I'd hate to be the bearer of bad news, by the way, but there's something you should know. About Mouse."
Zac looked over at Isaac, then at Taylor. He had held off saying himself because, well, was this really the time to tell him?
Taylor
Taylor moved his hand down to his chin and just stared across at Isaac.
Maybe they'd found out…
"What?" he asked.
Isaac
Isaac tried to phrase it without sounding blunt or sharp.
"Mouse was... in an accident."
All of a sudden it was so hard to say. Isaac gulped.
"She... I'm sorry... she's dead."
Taylor
Taylor froze, feeling a chill creep up through his chest.
He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to take deep breaths.
"Stop the car."
Isaac and Zac
Isaac glanced at Taylor in the rear view mirror.
"Pulling over now," Isaac agreed.
Zac looked over at Taylor in concern. He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't think what. What possible thing could he say to comfort his brother, after sleeping with hiw now dead fiancé?
Taylor
Taylor waited until the car had rolled to a stop, then flung the door open and got out.
Not bothering to close it again, he began walking back down the road with his arms folded across his chest.
When he got about ten metres, he hesitated, then crouched down and put his head in his hands.
"Why is this still happening?" he asked himself.
Isaac and Zac
Isaac and Zac got out of the car, and looked at each other.
"You'd better talk to him," Zac said. "I'm probably the last person he wants to talk to right now."
Isaac gave Zac a small nod, then wandered over and put his arm across Taylor's shoulders.
"You okay?"
Taylor
Taylor remained silent for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts.
"I know I'm being punished by God for what I did, I worked that out," he said finally.
"I just figured it would eventually end somewhere, you know?"
Isaac
"I don't think God is in the punishing business, rather the forgiving business," Isaac replied. "It's not your fault Mouse died, and it will never be your fault, not matter how you decide to look at it. I know it's hard to see sometimes that God loves you, but he does."
He sighed, knowing that what he was saying probably wasn't helping.
"Don't blame Mouse's death on yourself," he said again, more firmly this time.
Taylor
Taylor shook his head.
"I know that," he insisted, "but the whole… Master Blakesley, Mouse dying, just everything… It's like my punishment for Kat, Ewan and Ronnie."
Taylor took a deep breath and opened his eyes.
"So in that respect, it's like he took the lives of Mouse and her unborn child just… I don't know. I don't know."
Isaac
"Or maybe," Isaac replied softly, "you just believe you need punishment, and that's the light you see everything in. And Satan finds out and goes 'oh goody here's someone who wants me to torment him!' so he does. And thus begins the downward spiral, which only you can stop."
He tried to give him what he hoped was an encouraging smile.
"But you don't have to do it alone. There is still the Taylor we all know and love in there. And there is always hope that we can end this."
Taylor
"I do. I do need to be. I did need to be," Taylor shook his head.
"But I figured I'd just let Master Blakesley do what he wanted and that would be enough. Now I have Zac, Mouse... Lord knows what else. We haven't even gotten home yet."
Isaac
"Zac is... Zac has problems of his own, and I'm sorry that both yours and his have gotten between you. I know he would like to fix things," Isaac said. "Mouse was in a terrible accident that was out of both your and my control."
And then Isaac tilted his head and looked searchingly at Taylor.
"But what's with your calling Blaksley 'Master'?"
Taylor
Taylor shivered.
"Because he is?" he said softly, hanging his head.
"And… it just would have been nice to have known the father of Mouse's baby. I'm guessing Zac doesn't know she was pregnant."
He gulped.
Isaac
"No, I don't think so. If he did, he never told me," Isaac replied. "And he's not your Master. He's not anyone's master."
What had that man done to his brother?
"Everything'll work out. You'll see."
Taylor
"That's what I've thought every time," Taylor frowned, noticeably ignoring Isaac's first statement.
"But life itself is just turning into a broken record. And it just keeps getting worse and worse."
Isaac
"Yeah, well, it has to pick up. In fact, it will pick up. But you can't give up. Once you give up, it's all over. They'll be no going back, and the downward spiral will kill you. You have to stay strong, Tay. For your own sake."
Isaac gave Taylor a searching look. He was not going to lose him.
Taylor
Taylor hesitated for a moment, and then frowned suddenly.
It wasn't so much the topic of the conversation, or even memories of the labs… but knowing now that he could read pheromones he felt like he could feel his brother's earnesty.
He looked up at him for a second, then down again.
"I'm a little freaked out right now," he insisted.
"I think I just need time to get my head around everything that's happened. And I need to see Tanya for a treatment, and… and to get my memories back."
Isaac
Isaac nodded.
"One step at a time," he agreed. "First... you wanna go home?"
Then he paused.
"Or would you rather we detoured by Houston and saw Tanya first?"
Taylor
Taylor looked down at his hands for a moment, before shaking the hair out of his eyes.
"Whatever you think's best," he said finally.
"But I mean I haven't had a treatment since last month."
Isaac
"Sounds like you're due," Isaac teased.
He stood and held out his hand to Taylor.
"Ready?"
Taylor
Taylor stared up at his hand for a moment, before hesitantly reaching up the grab it. He pulled himself up and looked back at the car.
"How…" he shook his head, "how am I going to tell Zac?"
Isaac
"Open your mouth and say it?" Isaac suggested. "Or maybe... don't tell him. What he doesn't know, won't hurt him. And I have a feeling that telling Zac that would really upset him, given that he slept with her too. More for your sake, mind you, than his."
Taylor
"Would it hurt him more to know now or later?"
Taylor ran his fingers through his hair and squeezed his eyes shut again.
"I need to sit down," he said suddenly, starting to walk back to the car.
Isaac and Zac
"Point taken," Isaac nodded. "Why don't you sit and I move ya telekinetically? No one's around to see."
Zac noted they were coming back and started towards the car as well. He had just been sitting on the side of the road.
Taylor
Taylor just shook his head.
"I had some… experience with telekinetics recently. It's nothing personal. I just need to get used to having control of my own body again."
He made it back to the car and glanced at Zac warily before getting in and closing his door.
Isaac and Zac
"Okay," Isaac said and got into the car as well.
Zac followed suite.
"So..." he started, and then had no where to go.
"We're going to pop via Houston," Isaac told him. "See Tanya."
"Okay."
Isaac started the car again and they went back on the road.