Episodes 7-9
by Diane Smith
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PREAMBLE TO EPISODE 7 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. ~~~ Tom was confused. In his past, when he had been a Chameleon, he had experienced several episodes where time inexplicably got away from him. He knew Lewis had probably been resetting his program or removing memories that could confuse him or make him stray from the goal of the Chameleon Program. He had always accepted this as part of his life. Lewis assured him that one day he would regain all the necessary memories. They were merely suppressed. However, Tom was confused by the occasional lapses in his memory that kept happening now. Tom had left his people. He was free. He was allied to the humans. Lewis was not supposed to be able to reset his program now. Yet Tom could not account for the last hour of his time. He knew he had not dozed off. This had happened before over the last few weeks. Maybe he needed to talk to Sloan about it. But what if there was some way in which Lewis was still manipulating him? Would Sloan force him away? Or, worse, would she have Attwood imprison him? Tom knew he could not tell her yet. He had to deal with this himself. He had to find a way to use his Chameleon skills to track himself and his own actions. Maybe he could do it if he put multiple recorders in locked boxes at various locations and phone sites he might use. The devices would have to be triggered by sound. He would have to periodically check them to see what was on them, if anything. ~~~ The plan to have Lisa captured by Tom went almost as planned. Tom had attacked both Lisa and Lewis. He was only supposed to fight playfully with Lewis, lose to him, but recover enough to capture Lisa after Lewis escaped. However, when Lisa entered the house, followed closely by Sloan, Lewis and Tom could both sense Lisa's anger and Sloan's determination. This anger and perceived danger incited Tom to fight for real. When they all sensed Sloan's approach, Tom became defensive of her, just as his programming directed. The layers of Tom's programming did not cover his actions when Sloan did not do as expected or directed. This caused a program conflict for Tom. He nearly killed Lisa. Only Sloan's begging stopped him. ~~~ After his escape, Lewis called his contact on the Council and told him not to worry about Tom Daniels. Lewis was not really sure if he was fully in control anymore. Unless he counted when Tom was injured fighting Lynch, Tom had never defied Lewis's instructions. Even then, Tom's 'defiance' had been limited to saying he needed to rest. But, this time Tom had hit Lewis so hard, Lewis had a big welt below his left ear. Maybe Tom was suffering confusion from multiple program layers. Perhaps his excellent insight ability had detected some of the memory lapses from his reporting times. Tom's upper level program might make him try to unravel the deeper programs as if they were an enemy attack. Any of these were possible. Lewis did not dare tell the Council. He was sure he could get Tom back under control, but only if he used a shock technique. He had to incite Tom's defensive mechanisms. The Council would never approve the risky method Lewis was planning. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Start Episode 7 Watch until Tom and Sloan leave the Lab. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tom knew Lisa would never crack under the simple questioning from the interrogators at the Lab. He, himself, had withstood harder interrogations when he had been a child. Sloan would not let him try more effective methods. The potentially successful methods were considered inhumane by humans. He helped Sloan with the useless questioning. However, when Lisa asked him if it was good with Sloan, he was bothered by the question. Perhaps, she had just put her finger on the feelings Tom had been trying to figure out. He knew he had strong affections for Sloan, maybe he was actually feeling a sexual attraction to her. An interspecies relationship was something he had never previously considered except as a control tool when he was working as a Chameleon. But he did not want to manipulate Sloan into a relationship. Especially since he was not sure he could even accept an interspecies relationship himself. As Tom and Sloan left Attwood’s office, they met Attwood's boss. Tom had only sensed this amount of danger from one other person. Only Lewis had ever had the powerful presence of this woman. She was dangerous and she was planning something he would not like. Tom could sense that she viewed him with as much respect as she might view a lab rat. He knew immediately that his position could be changed quickly by her if not for Sloan, Attwood, and Ed Tate running interference. Tom also sensed Attwood's boss was hiding something concerning Lisa. Every time she referred to Lisa, an emotional spike went out. Tom knew they had to follow to find out what she was planning. Even though Tom did not like Lisa, he did not want to see her end up as a lab specimen. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Continue Episode 7 Watch until the team decides to leave Lewis's house. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Sloannnnn..." Tom had never been so upset. If he lost Sloan he lost everything; she was the only anchor he had in his new life. Lewis had let his shields down just enough to let Tom know he was the one who had Sloan. Lewis was letting Tom know that he was back in control. Tom could only wait for Lewis to purposely leave clues to draw him back. Tom returned to the Lab to wait for Lewis to contact him about Sloan. ~~~ While Tom was pacing in Attwood’s office, waiting for a call or a clue from Lewis, he knew he had to check the time frequently to make sure he had not had any more memory lapses. If Lewis was behind these lapses, Tom might inadvertently be helping to kill Sloan. Attwood thought Tom's pacing was caused solely by his guilt about losing Sloan. Attwood was partially right, but there was a lot more to it. Tom had noticed some more time losses. A secret check of the recorders he had planted, showed he had been speaking to Lewis. He heard the playbacks of his side of the conversations, but he did not remember the calls at all. Now that he knew, he could start working to try to defeat Lewis's programming. He wasn't sure if it would work. There was no one he could ask for help. He knew that if he could record both parts of the conversation he could learn the trigger phrases. The problem lay in the fact that if he were the one to hear them during playback, he risked becoming programmed by the recorder. He had to have someone else listen to the trigger phrases and use them to break the program. Sloan was the only one he could trust and now she was gone. He had to get her back. He needed her help. No, he needed her! ~~~ Ray Peterson was the human with the best contacts to try to help the team in finding Sloan. Tom knew his best chance to find Sloan rested on his being able to stay close to Peterson. This was doubly hard. If Lewis's programming caused him to try to call Lewis, Tom knew he would be trying to get away on his own at certain times. Also, Peterson hated Tom and the species Tom represented. Peterson's prejudice emanated from him in waves so strong that it was like a constant beating for Tom to stay in close contact with him. Tom had felt hatred before but only for short periods. Peterson's rage was relentless, but, at least, he did not try to hide the fact that he did not want to work with Tom. Finally, while riding in the car, Tom decided to bring the feelings he sensed from Ray out into the open. He hoped speaking about them might make Peterson less vehement, even if only for a little while. It worked, but it also made Tom think about something Peterson said. If Tom's species was supposed to be better and smarter, why couldn't they intellectually accept coexistence? ~~~ Now that she had successfully escaped from the humans, Lewis did not trust Lisa anymore than he did before. In fact, he trusted her less. He knew Tom. He knew Tom was an excellent interrogator. Lisa insisted she told them nothing and Tom was useless. Had Tom programmed her to say that? Lewis and the Oversight Council committee had never really thought about that possibility when they set Lisa up to be captured. She had always been expendable, as they all were. Lewis could not take any chances. She had to be removed from this project at least until security could be assured. Lewis needed to harass Sloan. He needed to get her in a state of confusion and fear so Tom would become sufficiently upset when he arrived here. That Tom would find them was never in doubt. Lewis and Lisa had left a trail of breadcrumbs that even a human could follow...eventually. Lewis touched Sloan physically and mentally to incite her to think about the maleness of the new species. By sensually touching her while talking about Tom, he made her focus on Tom while her physical reaction to Lewis would cause her to become confused. Tom would be immediately aware of the change when he arrived. Lewis needed Tom to be upset, to be shocked, to be off balance. This was the only way he could determine if Tom’s programming was still in place. If strong shocks or emotions had altered Tom’s programming, then they could be used to reset it. He could resolve two problems at once by setting the plan he had in mind into motion. ~~~ Tom was immediately drawn to Lewis as soon as he heard his mentor's voice. It was hard to resist, but Tom tried. While standing in front of the house, Tom sensed Lewis did not mean to harm him. He also sensed Lewis no longer trusted him. Lewis should not trust him. Tom's feelings about Lewis were surprisingly similar to those he had experienced earlier coming from Ray Peterson. He had to fight to control them if he was going to deal with Lewis on an even playing field. Lewis might respond to Tom's feelings instead of dealing with the release of Sloan. He also had to make sure Sloan did not send out feelings to Lewis that would incite Lewis to make an angry response. Tom felt confused from the moment he first saw Lewis at the front of the house until Lewis disappeared. He had to fight to stay in control of himself and to not let Lewis take him over. He also had to deal with trying to keep Sloan calm. Tom thought he had lost his battle against Lewis when Lewis raised his gun toward him. The shooting of Lisa came as a complete surprise to Tom. ~~~ Lewis knew his plan to shock Tom had worked as soon as he shot Lisa. Sure, Tom had spoken all the platitudes expected at his top level of programming to prove he was aligned with the humans, but Tom docilely turned as commanded to await his own fate when Lewis made as if to shoot Tom and Sloan. Lewis was sure he had the old Tom back. He had only to put Tom through some familiar escape and evasion maneuvers and to contact the chemist to get the reinforcement drugs he needed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Continue Episode 7 Watch until the end. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the restaurant, Tom knew Sloan was more upset than she let on. Her fragile inner self was scared. He tried to calm her, but almost lost himself to her feelings when she kissed his hand. He wanted more from her, but more of what? He could not be one with a human female, but when Sloan kissed his hand all he could think was that he wanted more. He had to stop these feelings. He needed to protect her, he needed to stay separate, and he needed her help. Meanwhile, Lewis had set his plan in motion. He 'interviewed' with a new species’ news show host to let the local authorities and the general public know that Tom and Sloan were criminals to be pursued. He needed Tom to practice familiar evasion moves. Once he incorporated Sloan into those actions, Tom would simply think of her as a part of his normal world. Lewis was sure he could track Tom and manipulate him back into the fold. He never counted on the attraction building between Tom and Sloan. ~~~ Tom had a difficult time convincing Sloan of the seriousness of the situation, of the necessity to run and hide. She wanted to believe it was all a bad dream. She insisted on returning to her apartment. The reality of running and hiding was beyond her comprehension. She was an expert in the laboratory, but this was Tom's world. Tom knew this world as well as he knew the back of his hand. But he had always inhabited this world alone. Now he had Sloan. He tried to tell her about his past; about the past Lewis had referred to in his television interview. Tom had not killed 26 people. He knew Lewis had made up that story for television. But, when he tried to tell Sloan in her apartment, she would not listen to him. She ran to answer the knock at the door as if she was happy to escape. How could Tom tell her about the phone calls to Lewis if she wouldn't even listen to him about his background? After they left the apartment, they ran until they were on the brink of exhaustion. Tom found a motel. He knew the Annex Motel was the kind of motel that asked few questions. They planned to stay only until they were rested...maybe a day or two. Sloan collapsed on the bed. Tom wanted to stay awake and think, 'What game is Lewis playing this time? Am I cooperating on some level? I have to talk to Sloan or risk endangering both of us.' Toward morning, Tom finally lost his battle to stay awake. He slept only briefly before Sloan woke him. EPISODE 8 ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Start Episode 8 Watch until Tom finishes saying, "Then a week later, I met you." ~~~~~~~~~~~~ While Sloan went to get a newspaper, Tom sat in the motel room contemplating how he would tell her about all that had happened to lead them to be together in this place. This was about Lewis and him. She was just along as a tool. Intellectually, Tom knew this. He knew he was being used by both sides, but he did not want to be left alone. When Sloan returned, she wanted answers from him. It was difficult to tell her about his past. His programmed training made it physically hard for him to confess. Sloan made no overt judgments on his past actions as a Chameleon. She had known for some time that he had been a killer, maybe that knowledge made it easier for her to accept. When Tom told her about the boy and his mother, and then about meeting her one week later, he knew he had to tell her everything...no matter what the cost. He went on, "Sloan...there's more. I-I'm not sure how to tell you. I'm not even certain if I'm right. I told you about my programming. Lewis programmed me to kill those people. I broke from his programming once when I experienced the strong emotions from the boy's mother and then again when I...tried to...to kill you. I'm not sure if I am still under it or not." "I want to believe the work you do -- the work we do -- is the right thing...and the work I did as a Chameleon was wrong. But I may still be under Lewis's control. It is very risky, but it is possible to build layers of programming where the person does not even know he is doing work that is contradictory to his first level programming. Lewis may have done this to me." "There are pieces of my time, bits here and bits there which do not add up. I've lost minutes, sometimes as much as an hour that I can not account for. I’ve set recorders up to monitor myself." Tom had to stop. He was overstressed from trying to tell Sloan what had happened. If he did not stop for a few minutes he would pass out. He wasn't sure if he could go on. Sloan looked at him with understanding and silently encouraged him to continue when he was able. She was not looking at him with the horrified look that he had feared. Tom slowly continued, "I listened to the playback of my part of conversations. I heard myself telling Lewis all about the things we were doing at the Lab. I placed some of the phone calls. He must have programmed me to call him at certain times. I don't remember making any of those calls. How many other calls have I made? Anything you and the others in the Lab have told me is suspect. I may have passed it on to Lewis. You can't trust me Sloan." Tom nearly broke down at this point. He had wanted to ask for her help, but telling Sloan this story was the hardest thing he could ever remember doing. As he heard himself telling his story out loud, he became more horrified by what he had done and more sure that no one could ever forgive his betrayal. First, he had betrayed his own species, now he was betraying the humans. Tom was busy staring at the floor. He expected her to call Attwood or the police to have them come and arrest him any minute. He would not blame her if she did. Sloan let Tom gather himself back together for a few minutes before she asked, "Is there anything we can do to break this cycle, Tom? How can I help?" Tom's head jerked up. Had he heard her correctly? Was she willing to help him? "If you could monitor both sides of any telephone conversations I have or never leave my side, you might be able to hear the trigger phrases Lewis uses to program me. I think I normally call him. However, if I don't call in after a reasonable time, Lewis might call me. If he does, he would use a trigger phrase and a release code. If I hear them played back, then the recordings themselves would reprogram me. I need someone else to listen to the calls or the tapes of the calls. If you knew those codes, you could use them to release me permanently from their control." Sloan nodded and said, "When we are free of all this, I could have Attwood set up a 24-hour guard and phone monitor on you..." "No! Sloan, if you do that, Attwood or his boss could control me just as Lewis did! I trust only you. Please, don't tell anyone else about this. I want to be free of Lewis's programming for good, but I don't want to be someone else's pawn. I need YOU to help me be free -- only you. I trust you, Sloan. Please." "Okay, Tom," Sloan said as a full understanding of the importance of Tom's request finally hit her. "I'll do what ever you need to help you free yourself from Lewis. How do we start?" Tom explained how the phrases and the multiple layers of programming worked. He needed her to watch him continuously and record his phone conversations so she could learn how to trigger his responses. He warned her that personal contact between him and Lewis before she was able to do this could be dangerous because Lewis could reset Tom's program. When Tom was finished, he was exhausted. He had never before exposed so much of himself to anyone other than Lewis. It had been very difficult for him to open up to Sloan. Yet he could not help but wonder if his opening up to her was a result of instructions received on some level from Lewis. If she released him from his trigger phrase, would there be anything left between him and Sloan? Would he return to what he was before he met Sloan? He knew she had strong feelings for him. He thought he had feelings for her, too, but he did not know if those feelings were real. He didn't want to lose Sloan. She had come to represent the closest thing to companionship and personal freedom that Tom had ever experienced. He spent the afternoon sleeping the sleep of the exhausted with Sloan standing guard over him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Continue Episode 8 Watch until Tom escapes out the window. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lewis continued to monitor Tom's activities. He knew Tom and Sloan were in the motel room. When it came closer to nighttime, he planned to enlist the help of the human police. If Tom and Sloan were arrested, they would remain suspects, even if they were released. And he felt sure he could use Tom's fear of confinement to ensure Tom returned to familiar territory, to the life for which he had been trained. While waiting until it was time to call 9-1-1, Lewis gave some thought to the plan to keep Dr. Parker’s team from working together cohesively. Now that the girl from the cave had died from Lynch's experiment, as expected, he needed to think of something to occupy Drs. Tate and Attwood’s time. Since the girl was not fully converted to the 1.6 differential, an autopsy could occupy them for a while and reveal little about the new species. ~~~ Sloan wanted Tom to sleep in the bed with her that night. Tom did not want to be too close to her. He knew from experience, she was safe if he kept a distance between them. What if his programming caused him to hurt her if they were in close proximity? He could not take that chance. But she was so persistent; he had to give in. He would do anything for her. Once he was in the bed with Sloan, he tried his best to maintain a cool distance between them. Ultimately, he lost the battle. If the police had not come when they did, he would have been closer to her than he had ever imagined. When the police came, she demanded that he abandon her. He knew she could not do what was needed to escape the police. She was not fast enough. He also knew that by leaving her behind, he was ending any chance of having her monitor future phone calls for his programming cues. Worse, she was at greater risk because he was susceptible to Lewis's manipulations. What if he lost her forever? He was alone again until he could find his way back to her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Continue Episode 8 Watch until Tom leaves Sloan's apartment. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ When Tom first took the phone from her, Sloan momentarily forgot she was supposed to actively listen to both sides of the phone conversation between him and Lewis. By the time she did remember, it was too late. In the blink of an eye, Tom was under Lewis's control again. Later, Lewis would use the drugs he had gotten from the chemist to make Tom more susceptible to his guidance. He had to make Tom believe he had killed his own mother, and that Sloan had been there to help him. Tom accepted Lewis's commands and answered Lewis's questions. Tom offered no resistance when he was returned to the Lab, ostensibly to kill Sloan, Ed, and Attwood. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Finish Episode 8 ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lewis was pleased with himself. He had Tom back in the fold. As soon as Tom completed his mission, Lewis could make his long overdue report to the Council. He would tell them how Tom's top-level program allowed him to believe he was trying to kill Sloan, Ed, and Attwood, but his deep level program guaranteed he would fail when Sloan came near him. At first Tom would resist her influence, but eventually, he would appear to cave into her demands. Ultimately, he would make a conscious choice not to kill them. Lewis would then assure the Council that Tom’s failing in his mission would regain the trust of the Lab personnel. He would be able to continue spying on them. Lewis, however, did not know two things. First, he did not know that Attwood would knock Tom out with an electrical charge before he could get near Sloan. Second, he did not know Sloan had betrayed part of the trust Tom had placed in her when he told her about his programming during their stay at the motel. Earlier that day, without going into detail, she had told Attwood she might be able to help Tom if she could hear his phone conversations from her apartment. Sloan asked Walter outright if the government had bugged her phone. Attwood made some phone calls and had the uncut digital transcripts from the phone in Sloan's apartment brought to her. The government had been bugging the home phones of the Lab personnel long before Lisa's monitoring equipment had been put in place. They only stopped listening to the digital recordings when Attwood made his position in the government known, but the taps had never been removed. Attwood wondered what information she had. He also knew asking her would destroy any trust that she might be developing for him. Giving her the freedom to act without interference was the best course of action. After listening to the recordings, Sloan found what she believed were Tom's trigger phrases and release codes for the deep programming. However, she did not know the release code for the command Lewis used when he had called Tom away this time. Before releasing Tom from the shackles, Sloan gave him his deep trigger phrases and release codes. As Tom had told her to do when they had been in the motel room, she instructed him to not consider those phrases to be commands anymore; that after he heard the release code this one last time, the phrases would have no meaning for him ever again. She could only hope the strong emotions of this night would be enough to break his top- level program and finally free him. ~~~ Tom wanted to kill Lewis while he had the chance; however, Sloan had been so upset when he had almost killed Lisa. He needed to please her. Somehow he had to capture Lewis. He had unexpected help when Walter Attwood's guards appeared and apprehended Lewis. This assistance...this teamwork was unexpected. Then he sensed the source of this coordinated effort. Sloan was standing there waiting for him. PREAMBLE TO EPISODE 9 As they walked off arm in arm, Tom and Sloan felt the bonding that comes from sharing intense experiences. Tom quietly whispered into Sloan's ear, "Thank you. Let's go home." Sloan was surprised. Tom had always acted as if duty came first, "Are you sure? Attwood's going to have lots of questions for you." "He can wait until morning. I want to enjoy one night without programs...without duty. Besides, I think Lewis will keep him busy. With Lewis in custody, I feel free -- maybe for the first time in my life -- to make my own decisions." "Okay," Sloan quipped. "How about deciding to go to my place and have some take-out pizza?" Tom laughed. He could always count on Sloan to lighten the mood when needed, "Yeah, I think I can make that decision. You drive. I don't seem to have a car here tonight." As they arrived at Sloan's apartment, Tom finally asked the question that had been preying on his mind since they left the Lab, "Sloan, how did you get my trigger phrases and release codes? We weren't together." Before answering, Sloan hesitated and looked down at her feet. Finally, she looked directly at Tom and quietly said, "I told Walter I might have a way to get you back. He was spying on us in the Lab for two years before he told us he worked for the government. It stood to reason he might have bugged our phones. I asked him outright whether he could get me the tapes from my apartment. I never told him what I was looking for and he did not pry. I'm sorry Tom, it was the only thing I could think of to get you back." Tom nodded, "Obviously, you did the right thing under the circumstances. How many layers of programming did you find?" "Your top-level program that you knew about and two other levels. I couldn't find the release code for the top-level program. I had to trust that your being shackled while I talked to you and kissed you would be stressful enough to break that top level. You said you thought that was what happened before when you didn’t kill the teenage boy or me. I tried one other thing, too. I realized the release commands were structured the same way for the two deep layers so I used that same structure with your top-level program. I don't know if it helped release you, but I'm hoping it worked" As he opened the refrigerator to get drinks and Sloan removed the slices of pizza from the box, Tom said, "What you did was very risky, Sloan." They ate silently for several minutes, each mulling over their private thoughts about what would happen next. Finally, Tom said, "We don't know for certain whether Lewis added another trigger phrase while he held me this time or if your release of my top-level program worked. To be safe, I should not be left alone." "But Lewis is in custody, what can he do?" "Anything! He could have programmed anything. He could have programmed me to free him if he was captured. He could have given the trigger phrases to others to make me do whatever my species wants." Tom hesitated before continuing, "Could I stay here...with you...on the couch until we are sure?" "Calling it a couch is kind of overstating it. It’s really just an overstuffed, slightly oversized chair. Tom, you can sleep in my bed with me. It's more comfortable. We don't have to do anything if you don't want to," Sloan offered. At first, Tom gazed wistfully in the direction of Sloan's bedroom, but then he turned, looked directly into Sloan's eyes, and said, "No, I don't know what feelings are mine and what feelings come from Lewis's programming. I need distance to try to stay balanced, at least, until I'm sure of who I am." ~~~ As predicted, Attwood did spend the entire night dealing with Lewis. That, however, did not stop him from wanting a lengthy interview with Tom the next day. Tom resigned himself to spending most of the day experiencing the severe pain he always felt when he tried to answer questions. He was surprised when he realized the pain was no longer present. Unfortunately, he remembered little more than he could recall before Sloan released him from his programming. Tom tried to answer every question Attwood posed pertaining to his being held or trained by Lewis. His memory was spotty, but if he knew the answer he gave it willingly. On the other hand, Tom had to decide whether he wanted to answer Attwood’s questions regarding other aspects of life among the members of his species. He wanted to help the humans, but not if it cost the lives of his people. The question of Tom seeing or interviewing Lewis never came up. They knew it would not be safe for him to talk to Lewis. Besides, Lewis's location was on a need-to-know basis. Even Walter Attwood did not know where Lewis was being kept. When the interview with Attwood was over Tom returned to Sloan’s office. Tom spent the two weeks following his return from being held by Lewis in the almost constant company of Sloan. Occasionally, he spent short periods of time with others from the Lab. Attwood, of course, had some follow-up questions for him. Ed wanted some more blood. Sloan was always nearby. Tom knew he was being watched to ensure he was truly free of Lewis's influence. It was not unpleasant. But, if he had been confused about feelings before, that was simple when compared to how he felt now. He and Sloan both knew he had to determine what was real and what had been a belief caused by his programming. He liked spending all his free time at Sloan's. He continued to sleep on the overstuffed chair. He moved his few belongings from the trunk of his car to her apartment. He needed to stay close to Sloan so she could monitor him to make sure she had cancelled all of Lewis's programming. While it was comfortable to be near Sloan, he was afraid to be too close to her until he could sort through his feelings. Besides, he remembered all the lessons he had received during his training. While human women and men from his species could physically mate, no viable issue would come from it. ‘Inter- species mating can be used as a tool, but it serves no other purpose. It is undesirable.’ Tom was finding this oft-repeated lesson difficult to believe anymore. Tom wanted Sloan as he had never wanted another woman. This feeling both fascinated and horrified him. Being intimate with a human woman was one of the strongest taboos of his people yet he wanted to stay with her always. At the same time, he knew his mere presence could be a danger to her. There was little he could do about it. He could not leave her. They had had a few minutes in the motel room when their guards were down. But afterwards, when he had made his way back to her apartment, she had obviously been embarrassed by the experience of their kissing in the motel. He would not risk her rejection of him by touching her again. ~~~ Attwood knew something was happening between Sloan and Tom. Tom seemed different when he came back to the team after helping them capture Lewis. In some ways, Tom seemed more self-assured; in others, he appeared more hesitant. His complete devotion to Sloan was obvious. Walter knew he had to use Tom's loyalty to the team to help him find out what his boss, the so-called 'Limo Lady' was planning. She was always up to something. She was one of the most powerful and ruthless people that Walter knew. Now she had possession of Lewis, the most powerful and ruthless 1.6er that Tom had said he knew. This could be a dangerous combination. Attwood had to make Tom want to investigate his boss. He thought he now might have the perfect way to discover what she was plotting. From experience Walter knew, if his boss was breathing, she was plotting something. He needed to be ready for the next one. EPISODE 9 ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Start Episode 9 Watch until Tom and the Limo Lady finish their discussion in her office ~~~~~~~~~~~~ While Walter briefed them on the situation at Bardsdale, Tom knew Walter was using phrases and emotions which were intended to make him feel uncomfortable...separate...not human. Ever since their initial introduction at the pillar, Walter had always tried to make him feel like one of the team. Today was definitely different. Tom had to find out why. He also had to find out if the information being given to the team was genuine. Sloan was surprised when Tom said he was not going with her to the school. She had gotten used to having him near her all the time. From his Chameleon days while he was tracking Ann Coulter and the rest of the team, Tom knew roughly where Walter Attwood's boss's office was located. He had never met her or been in close enough proximity to sense her emotions until that day in the Lab when she removed Lisa. That action had allowed Lewis to kidnap Sloan later that same day. Tom was sure the Limo Lady was the source of Walter's information about the school children. Perhaps it was someone from his own species. If so, he had to be sure about whether the actual source was another 1.6er who felt like him. If not, the source could be someone whose mission was to expose the team to a dangerous situation. He knew he could find the Limo Lady, that sort of tracking had been his job for many years. The danger would come when he found her and when he met the true source of the information. He knew she would be well guarded. But, he needed to know if the source was an ally, someone trying to break Lewis out, or someone trying to replace Tom as a spy. ~~~ They had been questioning Lewis for two weeks straight. So far, all they had learned was that his name was Lewis. The Limo Lady had been to see him several times for personal interviews. She preferred to interview him alone. They were formidable opponents. "So, Lewis, have you decided to cooperate with us today? If you prefer, we can continue the drug treatments. Eventually, your mind will be turned to mush if you continue your resistance. That would be such a waste," she said as she gently stroked the underside of his chin. Lewis was looking a little frayed around the edges, but his arrogant stare at the Limo Lady did not break, "Do what you feel you must, but it will do you no good. Unlike Tom, I'll die before I betray my people." Continuing to touch Lewis's face and neck, she smiled, "This may come as a surprise, but I admire the arrogance of your attitude. Breaking your resistance is a challenge that I am enjoying. Eventually, you'll give me what I want." Lewis could feel the dangerous, sexual undertones of her challenge. While he recognized it for the tool it was, he found her curiously difficult to resist. She was the first human he had ever met who even approached the primal attraction of the women of his species. "Never. I won't give you anything," he stated flatly as he stared into her eyes. As she ceased her stroking of his face, she turned away and said, "As you wish, I'll have them bring in the drugs and we can begin again, the hard way." Lewis nodded and steeled himself for the next session. The session went on for several hours before the Limo Lady decided to turn the interrogation over to the regular team. She returned to her office to prepare for the meeting with Tom and her new source. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Continue Episode 9 Watch until Ed finishes the initial blood test from the children ~~~~~~~~~~~~ The voice on the phone reported, "Two doctors from the State Department of Health visited the school today. They were asking about increased violence and absenteeism." "What were their names," was the response. "Dr. Parker and Dr. Tate," "I assure you, they are not from the Health Department. Make sure they do not have access again," the voice directed as the phone connection was broken. ~~~ Tom waited with trepidation for the arrival of 'Attwood's boss's source.' He had no way of knowing if the source would be genuine. Attwood's boss seemed to think so, but Tom was not sure if he could trust her. She had had strong shields and little emotion when she had spoken of her source earlier. Tom had been required to arrive without a weapon for protection. He was vulnerable, but he had to be sure of the veracity of the new source. He could reinforce his value to the team by verifying this source. Tom recognized that he also had some degree of self-serving need for this meeting. He needed to be sure he was not about to be supplanted on the team at the Lab. He was still proving his own value to the team. Tom was taken aback by the youth of the new source. He had expected someone of his own age. The initiative and defiance to split away from family and culture was rare among the adults, but virtually unheard of among the youth of his species. The young man, Shane, did not yet have the skills required to shield his thoughts and his statement 'he had seen enough, he did not want to see anymore' tore at Tom's heart strings. This young man embodied the few memories Tom retained from his own youth. Tom needed to help Shane escape from his own species and to protect him from being used by the humans. ~~~ The disembodied voice on the phone said, "Dr. Tate will probably be looking for help and advice on the samples. We'll have to make sure he gets all the help he needs to find the desired answers." The Oversight Council committee head nodded, and replied, "See that his research appears to find all that he is looking for. It is unfortunate they discovered this experiment at all. However, now that they have, we can make them look in the directions we want." ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Continue Episode 9 Watch until Tom looks over the fence by the oil derricks ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ed met with his mentor, Dr. Ian Copeland at the Los Angeles Memorial Hospital. Dr. Copeland offered to become as intimately involved in the research as possible. How else could he ensure the thoroughness of the human's work on the new species. He knew more about the immune system than anyone on the North American continent. ~~~ In a conference room near the office of Attwood’s boss, Tom and Shane discussed the challenges Shane would face when he broke away from the new species society. Tom was furious that the Limo Lady showed so little regard for Shane’s safety. True to form, she cared about little other than her own goals. First, she endangered Sloan and the rest of humanity by letting Lisa go free. Then, she allowed Lisa to kill her own men so Lisa's escape would look real. Now, she was putting precious, defenseless children at risk to serve her own goals. Tom may have forsaken his species beliefs, but he had never forsaken their continued existence. The Limo Lady showed less humanity then Lewis. When he spoke to her during a break with Shane, he expressed his anger. It was difficult to accept, but she was correct about one thing. Tom could not go back to his people to get the information she needed now. He negotiated a deal that he fervently hoped she would honor. Tom tried to give Shane as much training as he could in the limited time available. Shane needed to be able to protect himself until he could be safely freed from his species. Shane needed to provide one vital piece of information. It had to be valuable enough to convince the Limo Lady that Shane’s escape was the only option for his survival. When they met again at the oil derrick, Tom briefly went over the tips he had previously given Shane to help him avoid discovery. Tom liked this young man and he wanted to make sure he was able to take care of himself until he could be safely freed. This desire to protect Shane was quickly put to the test when they simultaneously noted the approach of someone from their own species. Tom could sense the goal of the intruder was merely the retrieval of Shane. He quickly acted to delay the intruder long enough to allow Shane to escape. The mental images passed between Tom and the intruder showed their continued battle was not logical or desired. A truce was struck, allowing each to leave without the unnecessary death of a member of their species. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Continue Episode 9 Watch until Tom talks to Shane again ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tom returned to Sloan's empty apartment to wait for her arrival. While he waited, he missed her cheerful demeanor. When he finally sensed her approach, he was as happy as he had ever felt before. Now he could share his elation about Shane with the one person whose opinion he valued. Instead, Tom was stunned by her strong fears regarding the fact that he would trust someone from his species. She had so easily trusted him. Why was it so hard for her to believe he could make a similar judgment? Then, he realized Shane could be the trigger they had been guarding against. Sloan’s quick mind had surmised this possibility much faster than Tom’s. Sloan might be correct in thinking he could be in danger. The first time they had been separated since the night of Lewis's capture was the day he met Shane. Coincidence? Maybe. ~~~ In the Lab, Ed was running tests of the samples from Bardsdale while Dr. Copeland was off taking care of his many responsibilities at the hospital. Dr. Copeland had set aside time from an extremely demanding schedule to help Ed, so any time he could provide was a bonus to Ed. Dr. Copeland appeared to be surprised when Ed quickly showed him that the nanites could be so easily defeated, although he had known Ed would eventually find any weaknesses in the nanites. Ed had always been one of his top students. However, the speed with which Ed discovered the weakness was amazing. ~~~ Tom sensed Ray's approach to the apartment and backed off from the entrance. Although he tried to avoid hating Tom, Ray continued to emanate strong negative feelings whenever he was near Tom. The onslaught was uncomfortable for Tom, but he usually needed the information Ray provided. As expected, Ray had discovered the managerial and financial backing for the juice boxes. When Tom offered to use his Chameleon skills to investigate the principal, he wanted to do so in a manner that would eventually let her know he was from the new species. He projected the concerned look of any parent until the end of the interview. At that point, he chose his words to convey his origin to anyone who knew people from the new species. She knew. Riding in Sloan's car after the interview, Tom needed to think deeply on the interview so he could analyze each feeling he had sensed. He knew she was human, but her motives were clouded. Had she gone over to his people, just as he had gone over to Sloan's? Why would she do that? Talking with Shane had reinforced his belief that he had done the right thing when he left the Chameleon program to work with Sloan. Now, once again, he wasn't sure. As he told Sloan of his concerns about the principal, he felt unsure of his own actions. He sensed strong feelings of sadness from Sloan also, so when he had an excuse to drape his arm around her in a reassuring manner, he did. It was the first time they had touched each other since the night Lewis had been captured. When they arrived at Sloan's door, Tom realized he had to leave to find Shane. Logically, he knew his need to find Shane was based on receiving Shane's report on the experiments at Bardsdale. On the other hand, this separating himself from Sloan at a time like this was exactly the kind of action he would take if he were programmed to make a report. Sloan recognized this too. He stood at the doorway unsure of what to do. Finally, he decided that he had to trust his feelings and go find Shane. Sloan was upset, but she gave him a quick supportive kiss before she closed the door between them. Tom was not sure of what to make of the turmoil of her feelings during that kiss. These mixed emotions were hard to deal with and even harder to understand. She was angry, but she kissed him. He had always thought those two things were mutually exclusive. As he walked down the stairs Tom thought about how he could protect Shane if Shane survived getting the information for Walter Attwood's Boss. Tom did not believe she could be trusted to release Shane from spying for her. Staying where he was, with as little training as he had, could only result in Shane's death. Tom could not stand by and accept the responsibility for a death he could prevent. He had to make a phone call to arrange for Shane's future. However, as he walked outside, he detected Shane. Shane should not have been there. They were supposed to meet near the oil derricks later. Shane's presence here could only mean trouble. The feelings emanating from Shane indicated uncontrolled fear. Once he explained what he had discovered, the source of the fear was obvious. Tom and Shane had to get to Sloan quickly. The phone call would have to wait. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Continue Episode 9 Watch until the end ~~~~~~~~~~~~ "He discovered the nanites and found the way to defeat them faster than I thought humanly possible. He always was one of my brightest pupils," reported Dr. Copeland. "You said he would probably be occupied for weeks looking for the source of the problems at the school. Now, you say he not only found them, but he also discovered the way to defeat them," stated the Councilman on the phone. “Yes, but I thought he might find all of this eventually," commented Dr. Copeland. "Can we program him to work for our side? Would he be a help to your research?" asked the Councilman. "Yes, he would be a tremendous asset to our work if we can turn him...he loves science and research for the pure joy of the work. We may be able to use that as our primary approach when we program him," Dr. Copeland was responded. The Councilman said, "Erase his research there and bring him in. One way or another we need to break up that team." "Erasing his research should be easy, but capturing humans is not my specialty. How do you recommend I do it?" Dr. Copeland asked. "Knock him out with one of the drugs they have for their research animals. Then signal from the window in his office. We’ll have monitors available who will help you carry him out," was the response as the telephone conversation ended. ~~~ As Ed returned from picking up dinner for himself and his former mentor, he discovered Dr. Copeland was methodically erasing files from the Lab computers. Ed was frantic; months of research were being erased right before his eyes. He hadn’t backed up his files for a long time. His only thought, his last thought before he became unconscious, was to retrieve his data. ~~~ Tom and Sloan rushed to the Lab to stop Dr. Copeland from destroying the Lab and hurting or killing Ed. As he drove, Tom turned to Sloan and said, "Sloan, no matter what we find at the Lab, I've got to protect Shane." "What if he is part of a larger plan from your species? He could be a trigger for further programming of you. Neither one of you would even have to know about it for it to work. He could be spying for both sides." responded Sloan with a worried look "That's just it. I don't know if it is safe for any of us if he is near me. But, if he is genuine, he is in danger from retaliation for what he told us tonight. He can't go back home. I don't trust Attwood's boss to protect him or to release him from working for her. I've got to provide protection for him that doesn’t involve me keeping close tabs on him," Tom said this with a look of total frustration. "How? How can you do that?" asked Sloan. "I've got only one idea. It might work. It's risky and it relies on someone who has no reason to trust me," Tom lamented. "Do you remember me telling you about not killing the woman and her son a week before I met you?" Sloan was perplexed by where Tom's thoughts were headed, "Yes, but what do they have to do with Shane?" "When I failed to kill them, I knew someone else would be sent to finish the job. I didn't want to see that happen, so I set them up in a safe house. I want to ask her to look after Shane." Tom exhaled as he said the last sentence. Clearly, he was dubious about the willingness of this woman to trust him enough to take care of someone he sent to her. Tom continued, "I don't know if she would do it. She has a good heart. I now know that the tremendously strong feelings she projected were feelings that you would call love. Maybe she has enough room in her heart for one troubled boy who is trying to discover himself. She may be able to guide him as he deals with his feelings." "Do you know if she is still there at the safe house where you sent her?" Sloan asked. "I've driven by there twice. I've seen her, but I have never stopped. I provide them money through a drop box. They accept the money, so I know they are aware that I am still protecting them. Shane could help them by being able to detect if someone from my species comes near the safe house. As far as I know, no one from my species is aware of the fact that they are still alive." "How did you keep it from Lewis?" asked Sloan. "I was assigned to work the project at your Lab before Lewis had a chance to debrief me on my previous assignment. The project at your Lab took priority over all other projects. I don't think I reported it even at my deepest programming level...I can't be absolutely positive of that though." answered Tom. "Can you call her? Do you have her phone number? You know, if you take Shane there yourself, you might jeopardize everyone." offered Sloan. "I have a number. I will take care of this as soon as we finish dealing with Copeland at the Lab tonight," Tom vowed as they pulled up to the front of the Whitney University Labs. ~~~ "Hello." "Hello. Do you know who this is?" Tom asked over the phone. "Yes, what do you want from us? You said you would leave us alone and you wouldn't hurt us," was the fearful reply from the woman on the phone. "And I won't hurt you, I promise. You know I continue to support and protect you both. Trust me," Tom said as evenly as possible. He knew this would not be easy to explain. "I need a favor from you. It's not a condition. If you say no, it will not change my support of you. I need your help," Tom continued. "Why would I do anything to help you? We’re alive, but you've ruined my life. My son and I had to leave everything we knew. Now what do you want?" she replied. "It's not for me. It's for a young boy. He's about the same age as your son. He's in danger. If he goes home, he'll be killed. I need a safe place for him where someone like you can provide nurturing. He's a child and he needs your help," Tom pleaded. "You think you know how to push all the right buttons, don't you? Why is he in danger? Did you put him there?" she snapped. "No, not exactly. Have you been following the news about the new species?" Tom asked. She was very dubious of his motives. She answered, "I heard about it. I saw you in the background during the news broadcasts. Have you slipped yourself in there to disrupt their research or are you planning to kill them?" "No, I'm helping Dr. Parker at the Lab. I'm one of the new species; so is the boy. You and Sloan Parker convinced me that what I was doing was wrong. I betrayed my species to help the Lab. I can't go back...I won’t go back...to what I was. The boy I'm asking you to help wants to join me in defending humans against the new species. But he's not ready yet for this kind of danger. You could make sure he grows up before he starts his adult life. Please, help him, he's just a child." Tom pleaded. She relented, "Okay, maybe we can work out the details. Can we start with a trial basis?" Tom exhaled a breath he did not know he was holding, "Thank you." "How will you bring him here?" she asked. "I can't risk being seen near you. I might put you in danger. I can put Shane on the last bus to your town tonight. You could meet him and take him to your house. I'll provide him with money to cover expenses. He is wearing a running suit jacket and has short blond hair. He will be bringing nothing with him.” Tom paused a moment before adding, “I would like you to do whatever you can to help him deal with his feelings. We have been taught to deny or suppress them. Shane has strong emotions, but does not understand them." "I'll be there. Even though you turned our lives upside down, I guess we owe you our lives. I should be grateful," replied the woman. "Thank you, again," Tom replied as he hung up the pay phone and turned to his car to go pick up Shane. ~~~ After dropping off Shane, Tom drove to the appointed place to deal with Attwood's boss. The hatred emanating from her when she realized her young spy was gone was a palpable thing. Tom had previously thought Ray Peterson projected the strongest feelings of hatred possible. Attwood's boss was a least one level higher on the hate scale. Tom realized his support of Shane may have jeopardized the security of his position at the lab. While Tom succeeded in protecting Shane by telling her he had found the information, he also realized she did not believe him. Shane was safe, Tom was not. She would never trust him again. ~~~ As Tom returned to the Lab to pick up Sloan, he recognized her sadness as the kind humans normally experienced when grieving over the death of a loved one. He did not understand the feeling, but he knew it was important. He offered what comfort he could. It may not have been all she wanted, but it was all that he had to give. |
