PART 2
Friday, June 6
8 PM
Sunshine streams through the window and hits Tom's face. The warmth is refreshing,
and he moves slowly. The sun seems so bright as he opens his eyes. His head pounds, and his
vision is blurred. 'Where am I?' he thinks. He attempts to get up, but the intense pain in his back
forces him to remain on the hard floor. The hard floor! How did he end up on the floor? He
looks to his left and then his right, and he sees the bars.
He looks above him, and sees that the warm sunshine is actually a spotlight hanging
above him. He fights the pain in his body and sits up. He wipes his eyes and looks around the
room. He suddenly remembers where he is, and defeat creeps into his soul. 'How long can this
go on?' he thinks. 'How long will they keep me here? What do they want from me? Why
haven't they killed me yet?'
As the questions flood his mind, a young woman enters the room, and exchanges his
glass of water with a cup of colored liquid. She then replaces a tray of food left near his cage
earlier that afternoon with a bowl of fresh fruit. In a hushed voice she says, "Mr. Daniels, you
must eat. You have to build your strength. Sloan depends on you to be strong."
At the sound of her name, he looks at the girl and says, "Sloan, what do you...know about
her?"
"Why, everything, Mr. Daniels. Don't you?" She walks out of the room as quietly as she
entered. Then suddenly the door slams open causing a loud echo in the near empty room. A
man enters and stares at Tom for a brief moment.
"Well, I see our guest is awake. Tom, did you enjoy your rest?" Lewis walks toward his
cage, and a small glimmer of fear takes hold of Tom.
"Lewis," he whispers as he struggles to move. "Why are you...doing this to me? What
purpose...can I possibly...serve you...this way?"
Lewis responds in anger. "You left the program, Tom, for a human woman. How much
more disgrace can you bring to our people? What you're experiencing is the punishment you
deserve for your defiance of our laws. When you have served your penance, you will be freed.
But, you will be required to prove your loyalty to our cause."
"And what do I...have to do, Lewis?" Tom asks in a gruff voice.
"You must complete your original assignment, Tom. You were sent to kill Dr. Parker.
Now, you will kill her and the people she works with. Fortunately, I know where they are
despite their efforts to hide from us." Lewis begins to walk around the cage.
"Lewis...if you've hurt her...in any way...I'll..." Tom says as he struggles to sit up.
"You'll do what, Tom?" Lewis interrupts. "Kill me? No, I don't think so. You will
follow orders this time or pay the consequences."
Tom stares at him, as Lewis answers his subliminal thought. "I, myself, will slowly and
painfully kill her and the men she works with if you fail me again. I have them under
surveillance, and I won't hesitate to eliminate the humans you call your friends." Lewis leaves
the room slamming the door behind him. The blinding light over Tom's cage is abruptly shut off
leaving him in total darkness to ponder his fate.
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Friday, June 6
8:15 PM
Sloan leans against the window near Ed's bed and looks out at the stars in the dark sky.
Suddenly she feels the hair on her arms stand on end and a tremendous sense of fear sends a
shiver down her spine. As she stares into the night, she drops her cup of tea on the floor.
"What the..." Ed reacts and looks at her. "Sloan, are you okay?"
She continues to stare out the window, then glances down to see the tan-colored liquid
sliding on the floorboards. "Ed, what just happened?"
"I don't know, Sloan, you tell me. You're the one who dropped the tea on the floor.
What's wrong?"
She grabs a towel sitting on the stand beside Ed's bed and lays it on the mess. She
attempts, with little success, to wipe the floor clean.
"Sloan, are you going to tell me what just happened?" Ed says with concern building in
each word.
She looks up at him, then shakes her head. "I'm not really sure, Ed." Thinking about her
morning she says, "Before I woke up in the hospital, I heard Tom's voice. I heard him say my
name...that's what woke me up. And now...I just felt his...fear. As if something terrible is going
to happen. I don't know how to explain it."
"Maybe you need to talk to Mark." Ed glances over to the table to see Walter and Mark
talking quietly. They appear not to have heard their conversation nor noticed Sloan's accident.
"There's still a lot about them we don't know." He hesitates for a moment then continues.
"I've...I've noticed how close you two have become. Maybe Tom is trying to reach you
somehow."
She shakes her head hesitantly then answers, "I don't know about that Ed. I mean...yes,
we have become close, and...he has unbelievable abilities, but to be able to communicate with me
telepathically. We never discovered that capability in any of them before...especially not with
humans."
"Maybe this is something new we can add to the list."
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Saturday, June 7
Midnight
At the stroke of midnight, Lewis drives into downtown Burbank . As he watches the
activity of the humans, he thinks about Tom. "He left the program for this?" He notices several
teenagers walking near the mall complex and feels disgust at their antics. "That will change soon
enough." He concentrates for a moment on his plans for reprogramming Tom.
His previous efforts to re-integrate Tom had not gone well. The direct approach was
obviously flawed. The new plan, however, would be successful because it would slowly
disorient Tom, and once his system was weakened, the medication would eliminate the human
emotions he had succumbed under Dr. Parker's influence. The drugs his technicians created
recently had been successful in programming his new chameleons in under a day with
remarkable results. This new breed of soldier was unstoppable, and soon, Tom would be one of
them again. With this thought, Lewis smiles as he reaches his destination.
He exits his car, then senses a familiar shadowy image nearby. The image has been with
him for several months, but only when he meets with the human woman. It never approaches or
appears to threaten...it just hovers nearby. Reaching out with his sense, he tries once again to
determine whether the image is human or dominant but without success. He senses nothing
but...unease. How strange! All his years of training and programming have prepared him for
any situation, but this presence is something new and strange, and one that he cannot identify.
The image suddenly disappears, and he begins to think about the human woman. She has
been learning more about his people than possible. How? Does she have informants within his
ranks as he does within hers? That would be unthinkable. No human could mask their emotions,
and none of his chameleons would turn their backs on their struggle for survival.
Tom Daniels was the exception to the rule. And, if Lewis discovers any of his
chameleons are beginning to think like Tom, he will eliminate them -- immediately. Tom's fate
was different simply because he is one of the Chosen. Without that rank, Tom would have been
dead months ago. Tom was assigned to eliminate Dr. Parker and the men she worked with, and
eliminate them he would. It would only be a matter of time.
He walks along the hall outside the human woman's office on the third floor of the
building. He finds her office door ajar and enters. She is sitting at her desk reviewing a folder.
She looks up at him and says angrily, "You're early."
With a stern look, he sits down and says, "I work on my own terms. I don't take orders
from you."
She stares at him, then walks around to the front of her desk. "You've had him for a day.
Have you started the procedure, or do you intend to renege on our deal?"
Their conversation lasts for a few minutes, and Lewis provides her with just enough
details to please her without exposing his plans. He thinks to himself, 'She has no idea what she's
doing. It will be enjoyable getting rid of her when the time is right.'
"When can I expect results?" she asks as Lewis prepares to leave.
"You will be contacted." His sardonic smile is not lost on her.
As she walks to her office door, she tells him defiantly, "You will come through for me,
or you will be sorry." He does not respond as the elevator door slams shut.
From out of a darkened doorway, a young woman appears. She walks to the stairwell
and hurries down the steps. She reaches the bottom level, and peers out the exit door as Lewis
begins to enter his vehicle. For a moment he stops, and stares back towards the building. The
young woman knows he can sense the image she is reflecting. She has mastered the masking
skill he taught her even beyond his wildest imagination. As Lewis drives out of the parking lot,
she calls her contact. The time is soon and the team needs to be apprised of Lewis's actions.
----------------------------------------
Saturday, June 7
12:30 AM
A cry from the next room awakens Tom, and his senses react. He feels her near. Could it
be possible she is here? No, it can't be, but the sense of her being near lingers. Despite the drugs
in his system, his mind seems clear on that fact. Sloan is nearby and she just cried out for him.
Several minutes pass as he lies still on the cold floor of his cage. The light hanging above
him is bright once again, and he stares into it intently. He forces himself to concentrate on her;
he must focus on Sloan. He is certain she's in the building. His mind begins to race, and he
struggles to keep pace. Was it Sloan or the programming? Is Lewis testing him to see if he is
becoming one of them again?
A loud clap from beyond the cage jars him out of his stupor. The laughter that follows
tells him Lewis is there. "Lewis," he says softly.
"Tom. I see you've finally decided to eat." As Lewis picks up the empty bowl of fruit, he
begins to circle the cage. "You really should take better care of yourself. After all Sloan would
not want to see you like this."
Tom looks at Lewis through anger-filled eyes. "Why did you bring her here? If you've
hurt her, I'll..."
"You'll what, Tom, kill me? No, you are to dispose of Sloan and the humans she works
with. Don't you remember your orders? Sloan and all the humans are our enemy. They want to
destroy us. You must take your rightful place as our leader and continue our plans for
domination. Remember your training, Tom. Remember your training."
Lewis's voice begins to echo in his mind as he drifts back into unconsciousness. As he
slowly comes back around, he sees the young woman standing before his cage. She looks like
Sloan, and for a moment he is startled. "Sloan," he gasps, but the image disappears. He realizes
he has been alone in the room all along.
The programming has begun.
He reaches for the fruit that was left behind. He takes a large bite out of the apple, and
leans against the bars with a strange gleam in his eyes.
----------------------------------------
Saturday, June 7
1:30 AM
As night settles over the cabin Mark, Ray and Sloan continue to discuss various plans for
finding Tom. Because few discernible clues exist, their choices are limited. Sloan glances into
the room to discover Ed sleeping peacefully in bed while Walter rests on the recliner. Matt is
snuggled in the arms of his mother on the couch. They fell asleep there hours ago after serving
the team dinner. 'I envy them,' she thinks to herself, then looks back to Mark and Ray.
"So, Mark, what can we do now?" she asks quietly. "We've been going over the same
facts for hours and we still have nothing. We know Ray's contacts found the van. But it was
abandoned and, of course, there were no leads." She looks to him through weary eyes.
Ray then interjects. "And we know the van was wiped clean like all the other cases I've
seen. I don't like the looks of this at all. At least when Ed was taken, Walter was able to track
down those fax numbers on Copeland's computer. We don't have anything but the empty van.
How can we possibly hope to find him? And given our circumstances with Walter's boss and
your...people what more can we do?"
Mark looks at Ray sternly and tilts his head. "I am one of them, Mr. Peterson. Let my
team search the van. Perhaps we will find something your people missed." Hearing the
inflection in his voice, Sloan looks to Mark in surprise.
"How is that possible?" she questions as she steps away from the table to get a glass of
water from the kitchen. "Ray's contacts went over the van twice for clues. If they couldn't find
anything, how do you expect us to believe your people will...."
Before she ends her sentence, she stands rigid at the sink. Another shiver runs up her
spine causing her to nearly lose hold of the glass. Ray looks at her in concern and says, "Sloan
are you all right?"
Mark stands up and moves away from the table. He walks to her side slowly and brushes
his hand before her face. "Dr. Parker? What are you sensing?"
She shakes her head, then looks at him with a dazed expression on her face. "What...?"
Sloan looks around the room in confusion. "It happened again, didn't it?"
"What happened again, Sloan?" Ray questions.
Marks interrupts before Sloan can answer. "You're sensing Mr. Daniels, aren't you Dr.
Parker? You have a connection with him, don't you?"
"I...yes, I think so. I can't really explain it, but there are times when I feel him. I can
almost sense what he's enduring. How is that possible?"
Mark returns to the table and Ray stares at him. "Well, Ward, are you going to explain
this to us?"
"It's not something that can be explained easily, Mr. Peterson. My people have many
abilities. As I'm sure you are aware, our senses are heightened compared to humans. But, Dr.
Parker, with her exposure to Mr. Daniels, is able to tap into that somehow. I've only seen this in
very rare cases, but usually under specialized drugs." Mark glances at Sloan for a moment then
continues. "That certainly isn't the case here so I cannot resolve this situation with mere words."
Walter stands up from the recliner and says, "Perhaps it is just nerves, tiredness or the
medication you are required to take, Sloan. I think we've all been pushing ourselves too hard
today. Maybe we need to get some rest and consider your...premonitions and Tom's situation
clearly in the morning. I think we are all too tired to look at any of this rationally." He hesitates
for a moment as he sees the look on Sloan's face. "Please?" he asks sheepishly.
Reluctantly Sloan answers. "Okay, Walter. I have to admit I'm beat." She raises her
hands up and flexes her fingers. "And my hands are throbbing."
She turns to Mark and says, "I want to talk with you some more in the morning about
these feelings. Okay?" Mark nods his head in agreement. Before she goes to the bedroom
Grace prepared for her, she walks over to Ed's bed to check on him. He seems fine albeit a little
warm. She pulls the covers over his shoulders, then walks to the bedroom door. "Good night,
everyone," she says softly as she closes the door.
Walter and Ray mumble "Good night" in return while Mark stands quietly at the kitchen
table. After tenderly waking Grace up and asking her to take Matt to their room, Ray escorts
Mark to the door.
"I will be back tomorrow morning with my team. In the meantime, can you make
arrangements with your contacts for the van to be transported to this location tonight?" Mark
hands Ray a sheet of paper with directions to a warehouse near Sherman Way.
With a quick glance Ray asks, "Isn't it too dangerous to go to that area again, Ward?
Your leader was killed near there."
Mark stares at him for a long moment. "Please make the arrangements, Mr. Peterson."
Mark then walks out the door, gets into his car, and disappears into the night.
----------------------------------------
Saturday, June 7
9 AM
Loud clapping echoes in Tom's mind as faces swirl before him. Sloan - Lewis - his
mother - Lisa - Ray - Ed - Walter - Lynch. Sloan! Her face is beaming with love; her smile
breathtaking. He reaches for her, but she is gone. As he awakens in a small, stark room he
discovers a young woman standing beside the bed. She is handing him a bowl of food and
talking softly. "Please, Mr. Daniels, you must eat. It is important you keep your strength up."
He looks at her in confusion, then says automatically, "Yes, Sloan depends on me to be
strong." He takes the proffered bowl, and consumes the meal voraciously.
The woman turns to the window in the door and smiles at Lewis, who peers inside. He
nods his head, and she moves to sit beside him. "Tom," she whispers in his ear. "You are doing
so well. Sloan will be very proud of you."
He looks up at her in eager anticipation. "Will I be able to see her soon?"
"Yes, very soon. But you must prepare yourself first. You are one of us, Tom. Never
forget that." He shakes his head in response, and continues to eat.
The girl exits the door, and is greeted by Lewis. "You're doing a wonderful job,
Cassandra. He seems to respond well to you. He will be ready to see Sloan very soon."
He looks to his young protegee, and she stares at him solemnly. "I will do all I can to
ensure our survival, Lewis. No matter what it takes." He directs her to complete her duties
before she proceeds down the hall.
She is very young, but with great potential. She reminds Lewis of Tom when he was
young and in training. Cassandra is not one of the Chosen, but she is one of his top chameleons.
Because of her resemblance to Dr. Parker, he hand-picked her to be Tom's catalyst. The one who
would bring Tom back to them; back to power.
She would also be the perfect mate for Tom, he reflects. The survival of their people will
depend on Tom and his offspring. Once Tom has been reprogrammed, he will complete his
mission and lead them to victory over the humans.
Glancing back into the room, Lewis watches as Tom stares at the wall. Lewis can
envision what Tom is seeing in his mind -- his assignments as a chameleon -- and the eventual
death of Sloan and the humans. Tom turns to the window and stares blankly at Lewis, who
smiles and walks away.
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Saturday, June 7
9:05 AM
Sloan wakes up suddenly as if a chill breeze sweeps through the room and pulls her
covers. "Tom," she mumbles. A sense of loss overcomes her emotions as she looks out the
window at the sunshine streaming through the curtains. She stumbles from her bed and opens
the door of her room. She walks groggily out into the cabin and rushes to Ed's side.
She notices Walter fell asleep on the recliner last night, so she tries to speak softly. Her
voices rasps as she says his name. "Ed...are you awake?"
He stirs and blinks his eyes rapidly, then opens them to see her tear-stained face. "Sloan.
What's wrong?" Clumsily he pushes his body up higher on his pillow and takes her in his arms.
She cries on his shoulder for a moment, then answers weakly between sobs. "I felt him
again, Ed. I don't know...how to explain, but it's such a terrible...feeling. He's in pain...I just
know it. I don't know what...to do, Ed."
"Sh..Sh..It's gonna be okay, Sloan. Come on, calm down and tell me what happened."
She explains to him what happened last night before Mark left and the sense of
foreboding she felt when she woke up.
"So, what does Mark think it is, Sloan?"
Sloan hesitates for a moment then touches her nose with her index finger. "Before he
could really say much, Walter suggested we get some sleep and look at the situation this
morning. I just hope we can get some answers because these feelings are really starting to scare
me." She looks at Ed and he brushes some wayward curls from her face.
Sloan then feels his forehead and decides the slight fever he had last night is gone. "Well
the good news out of all this is that you don't feel warm any more. How do you feel by the
way?"
"Better. I feel much better. In fact, I feel good enough to have breakfast at the table with
everyone else. Can you help me out here, Sloan?" As he begins to sit up and attempts to pull out
the IV tubes, Sloan reacts.
"Oh no you don't, Ed. You still need to stay in bed. Doctor's orders. I'll make you
breakfast. Maybe that will get my mind off Tom temporarily. But promise me you'll stay put."
He begins to protest, but she gives him a determined look. "If I have to be patient for answers,
you can be patient about getting out of that bed."
"Ok, ok. I'll stay in bed, Mom. Just don't make my eggs too runny?" he says with a wink
as she swivels around and walks to the kitchen where she discovers Matt climbing down from
the counter.
"Where's your mom and dad, Matt?"
The young boy turns with a start. "What...Oh...they're still sleeping. I was hungry. Can
you help me reach the cereal? It's on the top of the refrigerator."
Sloan reaches for the familiar box and hands it to him saying, "I see you like these, too."
Matt looks at her sheepishly and says, "Yeah, I do. But my parents don't let me eat them.
You won't tell them, will you?"
Sloan looks at him with a smile and laughs a little. "I think I can do that. But...I have a
feeling they may figure out who got into the box."
She points behind him, and he finds his mom and dad standing in the doorway. "Oh, oh,"
the boy chimes and quickly tries to explain.
"Matt, it's okay. Go ahead and finish your breakfast. Consider this a special treat while
we're on vacation." Ray says the last word with some trepidation. He glances down at his wife,
who removes her arms from around his waist, and walks to the stove to prepare breakfast.
"Sloan, can I speak to you for a minute?" Ray asks.
"Sure. Just a minute. Grace, would you mind making breakfast for Ed while I talk to
Ray? Oh, by the way, he asked for his eggs not to be runny." Grace laughs and tells Sloan she
can handle it.
She joins Ray in the bedroom his family shared last night. "Mark asked me to have the
van moved to a warehouse near Sherman Way last night. My contacts didn't like that too much,
but I had them do it any way."
"Why Sherman Way? Isn't that close to where Mark and Walter said the peace faction
leader was killed? Isn't it dangerous for them to even be near that spot?" Sloan looks to Ray
with worry in her eyes.
"Well, he obviously doesn't think so. He told me he would be here sometime this
morning with his team to go over what they find." As the noise of several vehicles sounds on the
cobblestones outside, Ray grabs his gun from the dresser and rushes to the window. As he peeks
through the curtains, he sees Mark Ward and two soldiers exit one of the vehicles while several
other men exit the second car.
"They're here, Sloan. You'd better go get Walter." Sloan quickly rushes out of the room
to discover Walter greeting Mark at the door and Ed sitting on the edge of his bed.
Walter and Mark talk quietly then Walter's expression turns grave. Sloan rushes to their
sides and interrupts. "What's wrong?"
Mark turns to look at her, and his eyes are emotionless. Walter looks at her somberly,
and explains. "Mark and his people detected someone watching the cabin."
"When we entered the driveway, I sensed someone watching us. I had two of my men
check the perimeter. They just reported to me they discovered footprints about one hundred
yards from the cabin door." Mark says bluntly.
"You mean someone knows we're here?" Sloan gasps in shock.
"Yes, Dr. Parker. And, I'm sorry to tell you it's definitely Lewis. He wanted us to know
he was here. He left this behind." Mark hands her a watch; the same watch Tom always wore.
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Saturday, June 7
9:05 AM
"Tom has been at the compound for almost a day and a half," whispers the woman.
"Lewis plans to move him soon." She pauses for a moment, then answers, "I'm not sure yet. He
hasn't told me the exact details. Yes, yes. I understand." There is another long pause. "Should I
attempt the move on my own, or will you be sending reinforcements?" Cassandra listens as she
receives her instructions. She is masking herself from Lewis and the guards, just as she has done
every time she has followed Lewis when he meets with the human woman. After several
minutes, she answers. "Understood." Cassandra then hides the phone in a secret compartment in
the laboratory and walks down the hall to Tom's room.
As she looks through the window, she sees that Tom is clean and dressed appropriately;
the examiners saw to that. Tom sits up slowly, and walks to the chair in the corner of the room.
She enters the door and says, "Good morning, Tom. How are you feeling?" He sits down
in the chair and answers.
"Fine." His face is devoid of emotion, his actions are robotic. "I feel fine. Thank you for
helping me." With a pleasant expression on her face, she reaches for his hand.
"Tom, you must take this and follow me." She holds a revolver before him. He takes it
in his hand expertly and checks the chamber. They walk out of his room, and down the hall to
the firing range. "Wait here for a moment, Tom. I will be right back."
He stands still and stares into the dark room. Lights come on suddenly reflecting a figure
leaning against the wall. He squints his eyes for a moment, then recognizes the face. The young
woman's voice echoes in his mind. "You will see Sloan soon." The words linger in his thoughts
as the figure approaches.
Her smile is radiant. She is moving closer to him, then he hears a voice. "Sloan, I don't
think we should be here." Tom recognizes Ed's voice, but does not see him in the room.
"Ed, it's all right. It's Tom. He's come back to us." Tom sees Sloan speak, but her image
changes slightly. Then he hears Ed's voice grow stronger. "No, Sloan. Something is wrong.
Get out of there."
As Sloan continues to walk toward Tom, he slowly raises his gun and presses the trigger.
He empties the magazine of bullets into Sloan's chest. He watches her body crash violently to
the floor. Suddenly, rather than the young woman, Lewis is standing beside him saying, "You've
done well, Tom."
The dream ends abruptly, and Tom awakens to see the young woman sitting next to his
bed. "Tom, we have to get out of here." The voice he heard in his dream wasn't Ed, it was the
young woman.
He looks at her in confusion. "What?" Tom stares at her for a moment. "Sloan?"
"No Tom, my name is Cassandra. I look like Sloan, but I'm not her." She pauses for a
minute as he continues to stare at her. "You must listen to me, Tom. I'm here to help you." She
takes a firm grip of his hands as he sits up in bed. He begins to struggle, and she speaks sternly.
"Tom, do you remember what Lewis told you in the cage?" He is reprogramming you to kill
Sloan and your friends." Tom nods his head slightly, and looks at her with a blank expression.
"You have to fight it, Tom. For Sloan's sake." Gripping his shoulders, she shakes him.
"Please, Tom. Listen to me carefully. You must fight the programming. I'm going to give you
an injection, and I need you to hold very still."
He continues to stare at her as she raises his sleeve, slaps his arm hard several times, and
drives the needle into one of his veins. He remains still as the last drop enters his blood stream.
"That's good, Tom. Lie down. This formula will help counteract the medication Lewis has
given you. It will take hours before you are strong enough..."
She quickly stands to attention in front of the bed as the door to Tom's room swings open,
and Lewis walks in. "Cassandra, what are you doing here?"
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