Episodes 4-6
by Diane Smith
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Disclaimer: The characters and premise of the following piece of fan fiction do not belong to me. They belong to the people that created the remarkable “Prey” television series. I’ve just borrowed the characters and premise for a while. Explanation: This story is intended to be a companion piece for watching the 13 part series. I’ve tried to fill in gaps and show a possible other side of the story. My version for this background story may differ from the version that many “Prey” fans have developed. However, it is one possible explanation. My sincerest thanks go to Pat and Liz for working so hard on editing my work and making it vastly better. EPISODE 4  Start Episode 4 Watch until Sloan asks Ed to gather firewood. Tom knew that this place was important to his species. He became so obsessed with examining this memory that he appeared catatonic to Sloan. She was worried. She had not yet learned that extremely deep thought for his species required complete exclusion of all surroundings. He was startled when she spoke to him. His memories were sketchy at best. He knew he had been here as a child. The mummy showed him that he was not the only one with a tattoo. He knew this mummy. He had seen it when he received his tattoo. This place where he was kneeling now was special for his species. He had helped to uncover and recover part of the pillar when he had been here before as a boy. The intensity of these memories was getting stronger. Was the pillar forcing him to think harder on them? He knew that some of the things that he did not know were because he was only a young boy when he was here before. Other pieces seemed like empty spaces in his memory. Was all of this a result of Lewis's training or was there more to it? Continue Episode 4 Watch until you first see the airplane. Tom needed to show Sloan his tattoo. He could not bring himself to show it to Ed, it was too personal. He knew that it had been put on him as a replacement for the one on the body which was now a mummy. He knew that he was to take her place in the new species hierarchy. He did not know what place that was. He also knew that the pillar was important to him. Its power was like nourishment to Tom. When the lights came on he knew they were all in danger. He could protect himself but he could not protect Sloan and Ed. He had to get them out of there by providing a diversion. He would let himself be captured. "Don't shoot. I'll come willingly," Tom shouted into the lights after he saw Sloan and Ed leave in the helicopter with Attwood. How did Attwood know to come there? Tom held his hands down and out to the sides in the manner used by his species to denote complete submission. With their arms in this position they were at their weakest. The armed men and women slowly approached him. He was ordered to lie face down with his arms out. He did so. He felt himself being searched for weapons. Then he heard a familiar voice. "Tom, The sky is blue. The earth is black. Tell me your report." Lewis's voice was like no other in the world. Tom had lived for praise from Lewis for many years. Now he was afraid. Lewis had to know that Tom was being hunted by their own species. Did Lewis order it? Was Lewis being hunted too? He could not resist the order to report. "Sloan, Ed, and I came here to try to find the origin of our species. They hypothesized that our species originated here based on samples from Lynch's DNA and my DNA." "Why did you give them a sample of your blood, Tom" Lewis asked calmly. "You said to do whatever it took to get into the Lab. Sloan drew my blood in the Lab after our own species shot me. Did you know about that, Lewis?" Lewis was concerned. When Tom was put under the control of his second level trigger phrase again, he should have remembered their previous session. "Tell me about your injury when you were fighting Lynch," Lewis said. "I was injured?" Tom asked. "I remember falling on the stairs, I remember going to the cave, but I don't remember anything else about Lynch that day. I had a headache for a day or so." "Let us begin fixing your program. "What are your ideas, Tom?" They only held him for a few hours while their doctor questioned him and Lewis adjusted the program to schedule regular reports which Tom would initiate. This would give them an indication if his program slipped again. Tom did not remember any of it. Lewis had been there. So had a woman. She looked familiar. He knew he would see her again soon.
Lewis knew that this was a patch job at best. Tom had probably suffered a severe head trauma. Parts of his memory that should be there were gone. They were too far into this to pull him out now. He had to be there as their Trojan Horse, their sacrificial lamb. He could report what the humans were doing so that the new species could stay one step ahead of them. Lewis had instructed Tom that he was a traitor to his own species. Tom tried to fight him on this regard. Tom insisted the he was still loyal. Lewis had to convince him that he was actually a traitor. Lewis also told him to seek out his childhood home after discussing his childhood with Sloan. Tom did not know where his childhood home was. Lewis gave him an address. Actually, any address would have done. Tom had no idea where he was from. Tom was probably gone from the Chameleon Program as an effective agent. His memory was too unreliable. His self-control was not in balance. This would be his last assignment. Lewis had to start looking for a new right hand man. If only they could have gotten to Tom at his house. Maybe they could have stopped the damage before it had progressed too far. One of the problems with smaller brains was that it took less damage to cause significant results. Continue Episode 4 Watch until Tom says to Sloan, "I told you I'd come back." Tom hid from sight until he was sure that Sloan was alone and that she would not hurt him. He did not want to scare her either. The last time he sneaked up on her in her kitchen, he had tried to kill her. He did not want her thinking about that now. He had brought a peace offering. He brought the mummy for her to study. The more he was around her the stronger his feelings were. He was strongly attached to her. He had images of being attached to someone before -- was it the girl in his memory flashes -- maybe it was his mother? He didn't remember his mother. How could these feelings for Sloan remind him of someone he didn't even remember? Continue Episode 4 Watch until Sloan grabs the binoculars in Ray's car. He finally came to the house they had chosen as the one to represent his childhood home. He found the half-burned picture they had left under the brick to reinforce the image for him. As soon as he had told Sloan enough over the phone to ensure that she would look for him, Tom's mother stepped out into view. Now the dance would begin. She had to make sure that he learned enough from her to make him have a plausible story for how he came to be there. He had to be able to remember this story when he spoke to Sloan and the other humans. He had to believe that he was an outcast among his own people. He had to believe the story himself. Physical violence and torture would reinforce the reality of his outcast status. Offering him a way out though suicide would make him serious about trying to stay with the humans. Mary had to tell Tom the importance of his tattoo. He had forgotten this piece of information. He only remembered that he was not supposed to talk about the tattoo. This was a memory which he should have had. He had been working all his life to develop into the leader he was supposed to be. Now the chances of that appeared to be gone. After a few hours, Mary started wondering if Sloan would ever show up to 'rescue' Tom. In the meantime, his trigger phrases would remain in place so he could continue to file his reports. Finish watching Episode 4. "All right, Lewis, we can play this semantics game with you. Tom did not exactly lead them to the pillar. He merely kneeled down next to it and waited for them to discover it when they looked for him." The Council members were upset. Even as they were speaking, the humans were in Oaxaca digging up the pillar that Tom had led them to. The pillar had been precisely placed for maximum availability. If the humans took it, the ramifications could be catastrophic for their species. The pillar was a beacon. If it was moved, it had to be destroyed. What good was a beacon if it brought the people to the wrong place? The Council had sent a special operations tracking team to Oaxaca to stop the humans or trace the pillar if the humans actually succeeded in removing it from the site. Lewis knew this and he knew that he and his program were in trouble. "Our operative, Tom Daniels, has been hurt. We have repaired what damages we could. He is back under our control now, but this will have to be his last assignment. We've reset his program so that he now only has two program layers. However, some of his memories are permanently gone," Lewis reported. "Will he be able to assume his position on the Council when the time comes?" "Maybe...it's hard to say. He will have to be thoroughly reviewed by a medical team when we release him from this assignment," Lewis reluctantly admitted. Tom was his protege. Lewis had great pride in his development of this young man. Now his protege was suffering. Sadness was an emotion, but Lewis allowed himself to feel it anyway. EPISODE 5 Start Episode 5 Watch until Attwood picks up the folder after shaking Tom's hand. Tom awoke in a soft bed. It smelled like Sloan. He sensed that she was nearby and worried. He heard her move as if to leave. "Don't go." It was a simple request, but it opened a floodgate of emotions, both Tom's and Sloan's. He ached all over from being suspended from the ropes and from being beaten. They had been in his mind when they talked to him. His mother! That was some family he was from. His own mother would have killed him. He felt embarrassed. He couldn't let Sloan know about that. Not only was he a killer, but his own mother was willing to kill her child. The warm feelings from Sloan were like an oasis to a thirsty man. Tom wanted to feel more of those emotions. If he could touch her, the feelings would be clearer and stronger. Sloan offered to help him don a tee shirt to replace his soaked shirt until he could get showered and dressed in his own clothes. She seemed to know intuitively that he did not like to show his tattoo. He couldn't talk about it. She let the issue of the tattoo slide. When Ed called they headed over to the warehouse. Neither one had any idea why they were going there. Ed had asked, so they went. Both of them felt a requirement to stay near each other. When they entered the warehouse, their commonality of thought ended. Sloan was furious that Ed had let her bring Tom anywhere near Attwood. She did not trust Attwood. Tom did not even see Attwood. His mind, eyes, and body were drawn solely to the pillar. He knew that he had never seen this much of it before. When he finally touched the section of the pillar that had so strongly pulled him forward, he saw a kaleidoscope of images. The pillar was speaking to him; he just didn't understand the language. Then, Sloan was at his side asking her unending questions. The mental images faded. Suddenly, Attwood was there! Tom retreated behind Sloan. He sensed possible danger from Attwood. Attwood's threat was aimed solely at Tom. Attwood was imitating Tom's hand motions. He was saying something about knowing about Tom, but all the while he was keeping his left hand in his pocket as if he was holding a weapon. Tom knew that Attwood had used a surreptitious means to fool Lynch so he could get Lynch into his temporary laboratory at the prison. Tom did not want to end up the same way. Only Lynch's escape freed him from Attwood's makeshift lab. It didn't help that Sloan and Ed did not trust Attwood either. As Attwood approached, Tom's muscles tensed, ready to fight or flee. Then Attwood extended his hand in greeting. Tom sensed an easing of the tensions in Attwood. After a moment's hesitation he shook Attwood's hand. As Attwood turned away, Tom realized that Attwood had passed a mental image of friendship to him through the handshake. Attwood was definitely human, but he had a small amount of psychic abilities. Attwood may not even have been aware of his abilities. Through direct contact, Tom could read Attwood's feelings more precisely than he had ever read another human's feelings.
Continue Episode 5 Watch until Ray's boss tells him to take the rest of the day off. Tom watched Sloan leave him at the warehouse. He knew she would not leave him if it wasn't safe for him. This was the closest he had gotten yet to actually working with the doctor’s. He knew his future lay with with them, at the Lab. He could not go back to his own people. He had to make a place for himself here. He knew that so far he was only valuable as a specimen. He had to show them he could help in many other ways. He had to prove his value. He could be a bodyguard; he could be an advisor. Meanwhile, he threw himself into deciphering the pillar with Ed and Attwood.
As Sloan and Ray left the police station, Ray's boss, Lt. Quinn, looked at him with disapproval. Quinn had been an operative for the new species for years. Over his time on the force he had managed to squash many investigations which could have led to the uncovering of the new species’ existence. Now here was Ray Peterson, one of his best detectives, going full speed ahead to reveal their secrets. He had to call this in. "You know who this is?" Quinn asked into the phone. "Yes, what do you have to report?" "Peterson and Parker are headed over to East L.A. They’re trying to track down leads to people who used to live in Mexico and who might know something about your species." "That's most unfortunate. You have a photographer take pictures of them there. Use the photos to discipline Peterson. Maybe a good chastising and job threat will make him stop cooperating with Dr. Parker. I'll discourage the people from speaking to the pair." "How will you do that?" Quinn asked. "It's best if you don't know the answer to that."
When Sloan walked in, Tom was back at the pillar trying to make sense out of the images it was giving him. He was exhausted, not only from his ordeal yesterday, but also from the constant barrage of flashbacks. It was difficult and tiring to wade through the images. Sloan said that the woman she had met was scared to speak to them. Tom understood the feeling. His species often killed humans even if they suspected the humans had only the slightest hint of their existence. He had even participated in some of the raids to take care of situations like that. He knew all this, but all he said was that the woman was scared of what would happen to her now.
Sloan called Peterson and excused herself from the warehouse again. She only said that she and Peterson wanted to follow-up on another lead.
The new species’ operatives who had been following Sloan and Peterson suspected that the old lady who slammed the door in Sloan's face probably knew something valuable about their species. They reported this in to their boss who was overseeing police operation reviews. He directed that they go after the old Lady. He did not know that Sloan and Ray had any significance in any other new species' projects. He only knew that his assignment was to safeguard their species from discovery by the human police forces. He did not know Lewis. He soon would.
Continue Episode 5Watch until Ed and Tom finish dinner. Tom saw the patterns repeating on the pillar’s engravings on the computer screen. No matter how he analyzed them or rearranged them in his head, he could not make any sense of them. He decided to point out the repeating patterns to Ed. Maybe the computer could see something he could not.
It was way past dinner time. Both men were hungry. Tom could not remember ever sitting with a human man alone at a dinner where he was not trying to set the man up for a capture or a kill. All Ed wanted to talk about was Tom and his relationship with Sloan. Ed loved Sloan more than he would ever admit. However, Tom knew that as he and Sloan grew closer, their relationship would intrude more and more upon the friendship that existed between her and Ed. Tom knew he had to ease the situation if they all were going to work together. Tom used his best seduction techniques -- soft voice, direct looks, apologies, and self-effacement. Surprisingly, the same technique could work on men as long as you didn't carry it too far. Ed was easy to manipulate. Tom would keep that in mind.
Continue episode 5Watch until Ed says "Sure" after the regression therapy session. Tom knew there was a risk involved in regression therapy. He was trained not to try to remember his past. The drugs might help him get past the blocks in his memory. He did not know if it would work. Any testing which had occurred on Attwood's drugs probably only involved humans. Tom was not human. There was a risk his physiology might reject the drugs. Tom wanted to remember so badly. He hated having huge gaps in his life. Knowledge of his personal history might increase his value to Sloan and her work. Sloan and Ed were solidly against the risk. Tom did not want to debate it. He wanted it and he wanted it now. He had to convince Attwood to go ahead with the therapy.
As the drug took affect Tom could feel barriers slipping. He felt light-headed. He knew he was here in the warehouse, but he also knew he was himself as a younger person. His younger self was hearing a pleasant voice asking him simple questions about inconsequential things. Then, suddenly, the questions changed. Now they were demanding to know more about his younger self, about the tattoo, and about the pillar. He had to guard that information. Even if it meant dying, he could not share that information with humans. He stopped breathing.
He felt like he was swimming up from the bottom of a deep lake. Older Tom had to come back. If he did not reach the surface he would die. Sloan was on the surface. She was the light; she was the future. He had to reach her. Suddenly he was coughing as if trying to clear the lake's water from his lungs. He was back and Sloan was there. They now knew regression therapy would not help Tom to recover any of his important memories.
The special operations team had been searching the streets in the warehouse districts around central L.A. If the humans were smart enough to move it somewhere else they might never find it. But the team that had been tracking the pillar to the Mexican border was fairly certain the humans had moved it to L.A. Recovery was not an issue. The pillar had to be destroyed now. It was sending the wrong signals.
Continue Episode 5 Watch to the end of Episode 5. Tom was surprised when Sloan asked him to show his tattoo to the others. He didn't want to, but she asked. He would do whatever it took to stay with her. So he showed them his tattoo and stood still while they discussed it and scanned it like he was just an object. He felt that he was beginning to get a taste of what it would be like if he ended up as a lab specimen in their research. He had to make sure he could help in other ways. He had to prove his value to them as a free agent. As the scanned tattoo came up on the screen Tom started to sense danger. Suddenly, he knew the new species’ operatives were there. Tom could sense their single mindedness. The pillar was their only goal. He knew this. Although he knew he had to protect himself and the humans, he was surprised when Attwood actually tossed him a gun. The operatives would destroy the pillar even if it meant killing every living creature around. The pillar was already gone as far as Tom was concerned.
"Tom are you all right? Did they hurt you?" Lewis asked as Tom made his report. "No, I'm fine. I will never let them give me regression therapy drugs again though. I don't really think they would try to do that now anyway." "Have you been invited to join the team yet?" Lewis asked. "Yes, Attwood was the key. I may be just a bodyguard for Sloan or an advisor to the team, but I have free access to the Lab now." "Very good, Tom. Keep up the good work and report to me on our new schedule when you can. I'll call if I need a special report. In the mean time, make sure you watch the news later this morning about Joppy's Bar. You must recognize it as an act committed by our species." "How will I know it as such?" "The news report will mention the smell of benzene. Do you remember your chemistry, Tom?" "Yes, benzene is used in one of our new explosives, one that the humans do not know about. Why are we trying to draw their attention to this place?" Tom asked Lewis smiled, "I want you to investigate it with Dr. Parker. Use your FBI cover to get in. Impress her with your ability to cut right through to the heart of the issue. You may encounter a blond, female chameleon while you are investigating. If you need to do so in order to keep your cover, shoot at her. However, do not hit her. Do you understand these instructions?" "Yes," was Tom's simple response. "Release. What are your ideas, Tom. Release. The sky is blue." Lewis hung up the phone and turned to Lisa. "You see, Tom succeeded even though he was injured and nearly killed by our own people. He is even reporting in on a regular schedule so we can keep close tabs on him." Lisa gave Lewis a cold stare and said, "I'll reserve judgment on his success until he actually tells us something that is going on in that Lab. So far he has only gotten into the facility. He hasn't done anything there yet. And why did you tell him to investigate my mission? What if he fails on the step where he is not supposed to hit me when he shoots?" Lewis hated to admit that he found Lisa irritating beyond words. He wasn't supposed to have emotions. She pushed him to the limits. He hoped she would be pulled for the breeding program soon so he could get her out of his. Instead, all he said was, "I have confidence in Tom. And, Lisa, if you have to shoot back at him, make sure you miss, too." EPISODE 6
Start Episode 6 Watch until Roger is finished being questioned in the Lab. Tom knew the explosion site seemed odd. It was almost as if he knew exactly what he was looking for. How did he know that? Sloan ran off after a homeless man just as he was ready to show her the list of victims. She seemed to be the only unpredictable element here. When she returned from the homeless man she had part of a license plate number for a car which had been seen speeding away from the scene. Sloan immediately contacted Detective Peterson at the police station. She insisted they go there. Tom had never liked police stations. He remembered being arrested on an assignment he had done once. He had been locked inside a cage. He did not like it. Worse than the memory that the police station provided him, was the feeling that he sensed at least one other member of his species there. It may not have been hostile intent, but it was certainly not friendly intentions that he felt from the other one.
When they arrived at Roger's hotel room, Tom was confused by all the clutter. How could one person, in such a short time, accumulate so much stuff in one small room? Suddenly he sensed someone at the door. He also sensed danger, but the danger wasn't coming from the person at the door. He opened the door and sensing danger to his left; he turned and pointed his gun that way. A blond female of his species, probably a chameleon, was pointing a gun his way. He fired. He had never missed such easy shots before. Why was he missing now? He had to get Sloan and Roger out of there. He covered them until they got to his car. Luckily, Sloan had a set of keys to his car. He had just given them to her this morning since her car had been damaged in the explosion at the warehouse. He didn't know why the woman didn't shoot him as he ran to his car. He was an easy target. Maybe it was just his lucky day.
As they started to interrogate Roger, Tom began using some of his best skills. He had always been good at getting information from humans. Sometimes he had to use force, but usually he could simply manipulate them until they wanted to tell him what he wanted to hear. He knew force was not an option here. Tom was shocked when this puny human man, Roger, tried to claim that he had picked up the blond woman. No woman of Tom's species would allow herself to be picked up by a puny little specimen like him. He was being used; he just didn't know it. Tom needed to know why.
Continue Episode 6Watch until the end of the episode. This section occurs simultaneously. After they finished with Roger, Tom took Sloan to her apartment. He had to borrow a car from Attwood to do that because hers was in the shop and his now had the back window shot out. They would drop Tom's car off for repairs when they picked up Sloan's in the morning. Attwood joked about needing to set up a motor pool. Attwood was surprised when Tom said that might be a good idea. Sloan invited him for dinner. Tom was happy to accept. He didn't want to be alone. He spent most of the ride to Sloan's apartment in deep thought. He kept coming back to the same conclusion. They needed to use Roger as bait. Tom knew that Sloan would need to be convinced of that. Tom could protect Roger. He could always sense his own kind.
Tom continued his report to Lewis, "Yes, we will be setting Roger up right in front of Joppy's bar so he can hold a press conference. We are trying to flush out the woman who tried to kill Roger." "Thank you for the report, Tom. Tomorrow, when you go there you will not be able to sense people of our species. Oh, you may have a little flicker, but nothing will be clear. One of our people will kill Roger. Are you all right with that." Lewis asked. "Roger will be killed. I have no problem with Roger being killed, but Sloan will be very disappointed in me. She and the others from the Lab will think that I lied about my abilities or my loyalties. They may even think I purposely set him up to be killed." "You may be right. You will need to convince them that we have developed a reliable way to block your ability to sense us. This should shift the blame to us. Try to shout a warning but make sure you are too late to prevent the killing. Act offended or hurt if they accuse you of planning to kill Roger. Release. The sky is blue." Tom hung up the phone and continued to read his newspaper. He did not remember the phone call. He was thinking about tomorrow when he and the people from the Lab would hold the press conference for Roger to draw the killer out. He knew he could prove his value to Sloan tomorrow.
"So, Lewis, have you been doing any follow-up on the women Lynch did not kill when he had them?" the Councilman asked. "Should I be? Is there something you would like to share with me?" Lewis had to be on guard when he talked to the Council. They had eyes everywhere. They expected all of their subordinates to know what they knew even if there was no way for them to know it. "One of the two girls he had up to the cave the night he died just tried to throw herself off a building. She asked for Dr. Ed Tate by name to help her. Could Lynch have been experimenting again?" Lewis hesitated a moment and then said, "Possibly. We have no indication that he was, but he had ample opportunity for growing the medium while he was in his cell. Just as we trained him, he became a genius in the lab. I just wish he had had some discipline, some control, some common purpose. So far, none of his test subjects have lived through his experiments. He just likes to feel their pain. I'm not sure if he ever intended for his experiment to accomplish its 'stated' purpose." "If the Whitney Lab is involved in investigating this, they may think we are trying to convert their whole species over to ours." "Is that such a bad thing?" Lewis retorted before he could think his response through. Lack of sleep was making him careless. "The thought of genocide through genetic engineering might inspire them to start a counter program of their own." "But aren't the humans years behind us in that kind of research?" "They were until Parker, Tate, and Attwood teamed up. The knowledge gap is getting smaller. The synergy of that team is amazing. Attwood's background coupled with the intuition of Parker and brilliance of Tate creates a formidable team." "So much for our being superior in every way. Right, Councilman?" Lewis quipped. "Focus their attention elsewhere, Lewis. Maybe if you distract them, they won't concentrate on the genetic implications of the girl from the cave." "And how do you propose I do that? You seem to already have something in mind" "We will have Detective Peterson fired so they lose their legal help. Tate will be involved in caring for the girl from the cave. Tom and Sloan will try to find you by locating where you are staying. Let them. They will succeed in capturing either you or Lisa. They will then have one of you to concentrate on for questioning." "Interesting plan. Divide and conquer. It's been done before. Did you have a personal preference whether Lisa or I be the one they capture? How long will we stay captured?" Lewis asked. This was a dangerous plan, but it could work. "We have a little inside help. She doesn't know it is us that she is helping. Eventually, whichever one of you is captured will be freed. If the interest in the girl from the cave has not died down, we may need to take follow-up actions to disrupt the cohesiveness of their team. It might be better if Lisa is the one who is captured first." "Why do you think that," Lewis asked. "You may not have an opportunity to talk to Tom alone if you were the captive. You might have to adjust his program and he only takes commands from you. They will concentrate on questioning her to get to you. Also, if it looks too easy to get to you, Tom might get suspicious."
Lewis called Tom and Lisa to give them their new instructions. Lisa was unhappy with the plan as it put her in a position of significant risk. |
