Fortune's Tide: Freedom Fighters, #3

By JA Carlton

THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY HANGS IN THE BALANCE

 

Struggling to maintain their grip on the citizens of the United States, the U.C. unleashes a doomsday weapon onto the populous. 

 

Once again, it's up to Jade McKay and Delta squad to save the nation from the psychotic ravages of a living weapon with its own agenda; and bring the country back from the brink of destruction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JA Carlton
• Release date: Mar 5, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224240890

Book preview

Gratitude

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To all those who’ve held onto half done works, storing ‘em for me just in case something happens and I lose something... well Carol, Kyurra, Kat... thanks  to all of you, especially for dealing with the rough drafts.

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And no gratitude would be complete without a deep, heart-felt thanks to Eric Kripke, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Jim Beaver and all the Kast and Krew of the most awesome show Supernatural. Providing inspiration is a rare ability and you all have it in abundance! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it till the day I die... without Supernatural... it’s entirely probable that everything I’ve ever written in this universe would never have been written.

I love and Thank you for that, I think.

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Now... on with the end...

WASHINGTON D.C. December 24th, 2055

A shadowy figure moved stealthily through the side corridor of the sub-basement, it was heading for a door at the far end of the darkened hall.  In the previous weeks daily life had been so hectic thanks to that freak Jade McKay, that he’d been able to sneak down only twice, each time laden with all the supplies necessary to keep things under control until the winter hiatus; and by ‘things’ he meant the weapon waiting patiently to be activated.

But now that the hiatus was here, there was no one in the city to question his whereabouts, no one demanding he deal with the aftermath of some arrogant messianic mission that damned un-killable rogue decided to gum up the works with. With his free hand he keyed in the security code and pushed the door open. A rush of partially used air puffed past his face. It smelled of exhalation, life giving essence used, unnecessary by-products expelled, and yet it wasn’t a bad smell, just the scent of something caged and living.

Something about this place seemed almost sacred. All animosity, in fact, all emotion based sentiment about anything, seemed to dissipate when he entered. It seemed, that once he stepped inside, some part of him seemed to embrace the idea that everything would, one day, be as it was meant to be. And his trust in that idea, for a time, was absolute.

Once inside he closed the door and un-slung the bag over his shoulder.  Smiling wide and taking in the contents of the room he sighed softly, Merry Christmas, and began unpacking the bag.

Merry Christmas to you too, a polite and light timbered voice greeted with a smile from behind the two-inch steel reinforced bars of his cell.  Do you think I could go outside for a while today? He asked.

Ignoring his charge’s question he began to unpack his parcels and lay out the contents before the young man.

I didn’t get to wrap any of this stuff. Usually presents come wrapped on Christmas, or well, they used to, he explained casting the occasional glance at the man in the cell.

What is all that? He asked.

It’s for you, he answered simply and passed a military issue olive-green sweater and pair of fatigue pants through the bars. 

Put them on, he instructed absently then pulled up a chair and watched him dress.  Tag in the back with the sweater and button in the front for the pants, he added.

I have worn clothes before, the man in the cell smiled gently and began to dress.  Why do I get these now?

Because it’s cold outside, the handler responded admiring the long, lean lines of his charge’s legs and the muscles that rippled perfectly beneath his boxer shorts.  He was envious of the young weapon’s physique, after all, he was an old man in comparison, but he’d had his heyday once.  It was going to be unusual to not have to come down here anymore, it was going to be terrifying to know this, being, was about to be set loose on the world. But, it was a change that had to happen. Events had been set in motion that would require this living weapon to be able to move freely on the outside.

Boots and socks?

Absently the handler passed them through the bars and sat back down, his gaze continuing to roam over the young man’s body while his mind ruminated on the things that lay, for the moment, cohesive within. 

Antoine’s capture, the catalyst for what was to come, had accelerated the plan.  There wasn’t much time before everything locked within the microchip implanted in Jade McKay’s brain was decoded, and all the advantages they’d worked so hard to keep under cover, were exposed. 

It was time to move decisively, and ensure that directives across the globe were followed before their allies were discovered, their parts in the plan made public. 

The man before him wasn’t going to be the only agent in the field, he had two-dozen deep-sleeper agents to call upon, but this one, this one was the diametric opposite to Jade McKay, and as such, he was everything none of the others could ever be.  

The others would be called upon for whatever task was necessary and would not resist. It was, however, up to the man before him to ensure that directives were carried out, and to ‘handle’ it if one of the others did balk.  The first order of business was to ensure that the only people who were a threat to the plan be otherwise occupied.  He was not allowed to permit, or order anything to happen to the one person who would be able to single handedly stop all that was coming, but he could order that she be kept busy and distracted until it was too late. 

In his present state he personally didn’t care if she lived or died, but his orders were explicit; should any harm come to her, his life would be forfeit, and one thing that never wavered was his own desire to survive.

What’s that? His charge asked interrupting his thoughts and pointing to a large manila envelope sitting on the bench beside his guardian.

This is who you are.  Learn it backwards and forwards, never forget a word that’s in here, he ordered passing the package through the bars.

Aye sir, he nodded taking the bundle and glancing through the contents.  It contained everything he thought it would: service record, medical history, two topside addresses; one the family home, and the other his personal residence. There were lists and profiles of squads he was supposed to have been in and teammate biographies as well as Commanding Officers and their histories.

Sir, this says I transferred to the Central North NUMA branch two years ago?

Yes.  No one will remember one way or the other but there will be those who will vouch for you if necessary.

And I became a crossover in November after the strike? He confirmed.

His guardian nodded, Yes.  It won’t be difficult to slip your file in with the others.

Understood Sir, he nodded feeling his heartbeat accelerate in anticipation of his liberation. All his life he’d heard stories and been kept abreast of what went was happening up there, and the idea that he would finally get his chance to use the knowledge he’d accumulated, filled him with possibilities. 

He knew his keeper was operating on a predetermined program and that this was a delicate time.  He would have to blend in quickly and be as unobtrusive as possible, a skill he had in abundance.

You will live and work with your team just like everyone else. You’ll follow your instructions and nothing else.  Remember, you are not programmed to think for yourself nor to act on your own, you are not there for any reason other than to act on the orders that come from this office, is that clear?  The guardian asked.

Aye sir, he nodded grim faced, knowing full well both the extent and nature of his programming.  

The handler nodded wordlessly, rising to his feet as if it were a difficult task, and with an old fashioned key in hand; one he’d seen only on those few other occasions he’d been called to duty, opened the cell.

Is this real? Everything he wanted lay splayed before him and he found to his own consternation that he was uncertain about taking that first step that would unleash him on the world.  He stood on the threshold of his cell, part of him waiting for his handler to inject the failsafe ampule into his forearm. It was made of a high density protein that would dissolve in a matter of hours unless it was removed. If the protein dissolved, the neurotoxin inside would kill him in seconds. No matter where or when they sent him, or for what, if he wanted to live, he had to return.

Today, there was no syringe, and no ampule.

The injection sir?

The older man shook his head.

He took a long last look at the only home he’d ever known; his cot, his shower, sink and toilet in the left corner of the room, the tiny desk he’d long ago outgrown, and to the far right his personal gym with all the equipment, treadmill, weights, rowing machine, heavy bag, everything that gave him comfort when he felt as if he’d never have the chance to venture on his own into the world, all in one fairly small space.

This was going to be interesting. He knew physical limitations, he knew others had them and as much as he’d tried, he was never able to define his own.  He wondered if he’d have an opportunity to do so while he worked and waited for orders, then decided he would make his own opportunity.  The books and CD’s were what he’d miss the most.  They taught him almost everything he knew and had shown him glimpses of the world that awaited his arrival.  The makers of them, he owed a great debt of thanks. 

Help me take this place down, the handler instructed.

Aye sir.

He knew every trace of human habitation had to be removed; his home must appear to be no more than a storage area before he’d be allowed to leave.  He worked quickly and efficiently smiling with joyous abandon.

Once everything was done and the two men stood face to face in the underground parking structure, the handler smiled clapping the young man he’d watched grow up, on the shoulder before handing over a set of keys, I suggest you practice a bit on your way to the headquarters. A theoretical understanding is one thing, actual experience is another.

The young man smiled and ran his hands through his freshly and perfectly buzzed espresso-brown hair, Aye sir, thank you sir, for everything.

It’s been a pleasure Major DeMarco.

DeMarco, the living weapon said and shrugged, I’ll get used to it.

It’s the only name you’ll ever know.

Is it true names have power? He asked.

That depends on who you ask, the old man shrugged before tossing the newly minted Major’s bag, stuffed with everything he’d need to start, into the back of an old Jeep Cherokee.

DeMarco smiled climbing into the drivers’ seat and bringing the engine to life. Then as if he’d been doing it the entirety of his fifteen years, pulled easily out of the parking space and made his way to the garage exit. Taking a moment to glance left, then right, then into the rear view mirror he grinned, I think they do. He looked deep into his own eyes in the mirror, Major DeMarco, a cold smile crept up his mouth, Jade McKay.

He turned right, onto the street, more than ready to be born upon the world.

Later that night, in his office, the handler reached over to his beeping pal and pressed a button to open the line on the incoming call. 

Sleep now, a faceless voice intoned from within an odd stream of background noise before the line was dropped, and the guardian lowered his head to his desk, deeply asleep.

CHRISTMAS. UNDERGROUND.

The crowd of friends descended on Jade and Stone, some cheering, others laughing and a few crying after the minister introduced the newlyweds as husband and wife.

After a delicious ham and turkey dinner (supplied by the New United Military Alliance or NUMA) they’d stripped off their Santa and Mrs. Claus suits and donned their very finest, Stone in a tux that Todd gave him, and Jade in a wedding dress of cream colored satin that Laura had either stolen or made, depending on what mood she was in when asked.

Jade was pretty sure Laura made it, especially since for the last week she’d been holed up in her quarters with a mysterious ‘buzz-thwack-thwacking’ coming from behind the door.  Jade’s only experience with sewing had to do with a needle and thread, and she wouldn’t have known what a sewing machine sounded like if she was hit with it; but Laura was creative and it wouldn’t surprise her if the young woman made it.

Thinking how lucky she was to have the family and friends she did, and now to find herself married to a man she would never have suspected could exist, tears welled up in her eyes threatening to ruin her makeup if they were allowed to spill over.

She felt Stone’s arms around her shoulders squeezing her gently to him as his lips brushed her ear, I love you, he whispered nipping her earlobe.

She leaned into him, pressing their bodies together before her lips touched his, I love you too.

Their eyes met and tears of happiness escaped down Jade’s cheeks until Stone’s thumb gently stroked them away.

For what seemed the better portion of the evening they thanked their friends for all they’d done to make this a day to cherish, and finally, when everyone started drifting off to their own tables, the newlyweds found their own little corner to inhabit.

Toasting themselves with bottles of beer and grinning, Jade cocked her head to the side and gazed deep into Stone’s eyes until he smiled, What? 

What do we do now?

He chuckled, squeezing her hands, Don’t worry I’ve got plenty of ideas as soon as we can slip out of here quiet-like, then jiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

You didn’t get enough this morning? She asked incredulous.

No way.

Me neither, she confessed leaning forward, Let’s just hope we don’t turn into one of those old married couples that only has sex once a year.

You couldn’t last that long, he remarked snidely.

Yeah, you did kinda create a monster.

Yeah, he drawled, me likey.

In just a couple hours, most attendees were sufficiently drunk to miss the couple’s departure toward the living quarters.

Yours or mine? He asked as they approached the side-by-side rooms.

We could probably find your bed easier than mine, she whispered mischievously as they bypassed her room in favor of his.

Wait a minute, he said kicking the door open then scooping her into his arms to carry her across the threshold. He nudged the door closed with his weaker leg and set her back on her feet.

Did I tell you how incredibly handsome you look? She asked pressing her palms to his warm chest before sliding them around his slender waist beneath his jacket.

Uh uh, he gulped with a quick head-shake.

My bad, she sighed resting her head against his chest listening to his heartbeat while he rested his lips on the top of her head.  They stood for a long moment leaning on one another before giving in to their cravings, slowly undressing each other, making the moment last as long as possible before their passions took charge and swept them away.

When Jade awoke the next morning, Stone’s side of the bed was empty but the scent of fresh coffee filled the room.  Luiz had found and repaired an old coffee machine, presenting it to Stone as a wedding gift, after all, he knew how Jade could get when she didn’t have her dose of caffeine to start the day. 

Slowly stretching her way out of bed she smiled reading the note on the machine; Be back w/breakfast.  Love you.

Sipping a cup of creamer-tan brew she turned on the radio wondering how Ian and his morning broadcast was going. She chuckled as he blamed her and Stone for the worst hangover he’d ever had, then proceeded to spin some of Mozart’s mellowest for everyone to wake up to.

A sense of strangeness awakened inside her as she sat cross-legged on the bed ruminating over a dream. For once it was neither frightening nor frustrating.  There was no doubt she slept much better when she was with Stone.  In the dream she ran into a young woman she’d gone to Community Dorm with, one whose name she could not currently remember, and they began talking as if they were old friends.  The thing that was so strange about it was the girl in question was several years older than Jade and when you’re that young a single years’ difference in age makes a huge difference in who your friends are. Needless to say, she and the girl had never been friends, they’d never been enemies either but, there was no reason for Jade to think of her at all, let alone have a dream that centered on her.

Not so much the content of the dream as the lack of horrific content was what struck her the funniest.  She was so accustomed to being accosted by her own mind that when she wasn’t, it was as if something were missing.

That’s sick, she smiled aloud to herself as Stone returned with a tray full of ham, powdered eggs and left over yellow cake.

Mornin’ sleepyhead, he grinned setting the tray down and leaning over for a kiss.

That’s Missus sleepyhead, she corrected with her smile pressed to his.

Oh yeah! Aren’t you supposed to be bringing the breakfast to me? He teased.

What’s going on out there? She asked ignoring the taunt and rolling a wad of eggs into a slice of ham.

Nothing really.  If it weren’t for all the snoring you’d think it was a morgue though.  Everyone just seems to be sleeping it off wherever they fell.

S’about right, she nodded, what time is it?

Time to think about where you wanna go on our honeymoon, Florida maybe? Arizona? Corpus?

Feeling the need for heat huh? She cocked an eyebrow.

Heat of the solar kind.  I know where to go to get warm, he winked. And I wanna see some sunshine y’know?

She did indeed know. The month of December had been particularly hard on the mid-west, dumping almost two feet of snow just a week before Christmas.  Since then the sky had been steel gray albeit bright.  They both missed the golden glow of sunshine and the warmth it suffused them with.

We are photo-sympathetic creatures, she sighed leaning into him, then asked around a mouthful of breakfast, did Todd say when he was heading back?

Jade had known Admiral Todd Peterson since she was ten years old and though he’d only been a pilot at the time, an enemy pilot nonetheless, once he joined NUMA a lifelong friendship began.  Either of them would easily lay down their life for the other. He was more than just a friend though; he was a supporter of the work she did between the NUMA and the Underground.  He’d helped to make sure she made it to her current position, and most importantly he’d had a hand in saving the life of her last living blood relative, her brother Cullen. Over two decades ago he’d been artificially aged using both accelerants and surgical means, then when he was finished growing he’d been altered to appear to be Mexican and was brought in as a young Major, Ethan Hawk Delgado. Eventually he earned the rank of General.

Stone shrugged, He said he’d probably go back after New Years.

Did he tell you about any kind of timetable for when they’re going to let the cat out of the bag?

Stone sighed, You’re not supposed to be thinking about this stuff, you’re supposed to be thinking about how we’re going to spend our time on vacation, then gingerly placed a piece of ham between her lips, which wrapped not only around the meat but around his fingers as well.

Woman... he growled nuzzling his lips against her neck.

You started it, she chirped before capturing his lips with hers.

I’ll make you a deal, he offered, I’ll do everything in my power to keep you from thinking about work if you try with all your might not to think about it.

Sounds like an offer I’d be a fool to refuse.

Yes you would, he nodded as she grinned and placed the tray on the floor then urged him deep onto the bed.

Heat already building between them, Jade straddled her husband, kissing her way down his neck while her hands stole up his sweatshirt, fingers running through the dark, heavenly curls of his chest.  Stone groaned with pleasure and struggled to control himself. He knew she loved to torment him, to see how far she could push before he had to take her and he loved it.  He looked at it as if they were almost trying to practice tantric sex, emphasis on almost.

She pulled his shirt over his head and levered off his sweatpants, making love to every inch she exposed as he scooted back until he was leaning against the wall, watching her undress him.

Every glimpse of leg or hip as she moved over him brought his breath a little quicker, and sent another volley of thrill to his loins. When her shirt opened low on the chest, enabling him to watch her breath quicken in anticipation of the adventure to come, he grinned feeling his rod fill.  He swallowed hard as she finally slid his boxers off and sat back on her haunches, her gaze caressing him almost tangibly.

His hand reached toward her and fell back to the bed while he watched her watch him.  Her fingertips swept light as a feather up his legs, while her eyes watched his chest and firm belly rise and jump in time with his breathing.  Slowly she leaned forward, the pressure of her hands on his legs deepening the further she stretched toward him. 

Just to taunt him, her hands slid up his thighs and over his hips, her fingers lightly stroking the crease of his body and leg, staying frustratingly clear of his proud erection.  She continued to lean forward, the cotton of her button down shirt brushing him, teasing him, pulling groans and quick grunts from the back of his throat.  In a heartbeat her lips were there, lingering at that pocket just below his Adams apple, then suddenly they were under his ear, her body pressed gently to his.  He kept his hands still though it was driving him crazy not to touch her.  This was one of her favorite ways of beginning lovemaking.  She liked to see how long he could wait before the beast came out to override his senses with lusty need.  Today she was pushing all the buttons she could, and when it was his turn to see how long she could hold out, he’d do the same.

Her lips puckered gently around his hardened nipple breaking his control.  With a happy growl he pulled her tight rolling her to the mattress, now it was her turn.

He straddled her legs, anchoring them beneath him. If she opened them too soon he’d have no choice but to concede. He grinned, his chest heaving in time with hers. Their smiles and laughing eyes played off one another as a light sheen of perspiration covered him. It’d taken most of his control to keep from blowing his stack when she started on his neck, but the one place that drove him completely insane was his chest. 

My turn, he smiled devilishly, turning the tables on her.  His finger stroked the opening of her shirt and the fine line of flesh between her breasts as he opened the garment button by button, barely brushing her skin at all.

Jade threw her hands over her head, clutching the pillow to keep from giving in to the temptation of touching him.  The sight of his nude body never ceased to enthrall her, from his getting shaggy dark hair, to his enigmatic eyes. From his sleekly muscled arms and chest, with all those soft, warm, dark curls, to the gentle V they made that pointed the way to his proud erect manhood nestled between those hips that fit hers so perfectly; there wasn’t a part of him that didn’t make her mad with desire. Then there were his legs...

Jade? He said softly, grinning at the naked wanting on her face as she visually took him in.

Mmmmm? She questioned.

You okay? He asked.

You are the most gorgeous man in creation, she muttered through a sappy grin, and you’re all mine.

He leaned forward drawing her lips between his and caressing her now exposed breasts with the curls she so admired on his chest.

Oh that’s not fair, she moaned trying to get her legs free so she could open them to him.

Sure it is, he assured her raising his good leg enough to let one of hers go, giving her leave to wrap it around him.

He lavished her with kisses from the base of her ear, down around her jaw and neck, to her breasts which he took turns suckling. All the while he felt her straining to not touch him.

Grinning, he slid his hands over her body, starting from her arms down along the sides of her rib cage, around to her belly and slowly back up to her breasts.

Her hips writhed beneath him, her free leg roaming up and down his backside, her breath coming in tight little pants. 

He raised himself up and laid his palms on her hips. His fingers curled around but his thumbs tracing a trail along the outer edges of her haven to the insides of her thighs.  With one of her legs free she spread open for him, begging him silently to touch her, to stroke her until she couldn’t take another second and thought she would die with anticipation.

His first few strokes were tentative, teasing in their feathery lightness sending shock waves through his wife. She whimpered with delight, arching her back toward him and cried, I can’t take it!

With anguish and laughter in her voice she threw the pillow across the room clamping her legs around her husband, You win, she grinned drawing his slick body to hers. When their lips touched Stone gave in to his own need, sliding like silk into his woman.

As their breakfast grew cold sitting on the floor, the young newlyweds spent the morning in the throes of a passion so complete it threatened to consume their entire beings, leaving them empty of any thought but each other. 

Eventually exhaustion overtook them and they slept.  Neither of them could recall a time when their lives were this easy, and neither of them knew what would happen next to try and destroy it all. But, yesterday they made a vow, in particular to love and cherish one another so long as they both would live, and they had every intention of keeping it.

Reality imprinted itself on their dreams as it often does.  Jade draped by her husbands’ warm body dreamed she was in a cocoon, not awaiting some kind of physical transformation but instead awaiting something different, perhaps some kind of awakening.  An image came to her mind; she was looking into a mirror, her face dripping with water, pale and ashen, her skin taut over the bones of her skull, her eyes hollow and empty as the glass eyes of a doll.  The water lent the illusion that her skin was melting off like some wax figurine, and from somewhere behind her, she heard a familiar voice assure, No matter how hard you try my dear you will never be able to cause me harm.  You’ve already proved it when you didn’t let General Delgado kill me in the training room.

Antoine, she thought as another voice sounded. The scene hadn’t changed, she was still looking into the lifeless eyes of her waxy double, and she seemed incapable of looking away, of looking for the owner of the second voice even though she knew exactly to whom it belonged.

What are you afraid of Jade?  Why won’t you let me scan you?  I could just take it you know.

No! She gasped bolting half up from the bed, literally tossing her husband’s gently restraining limb from her torso.

Stone peeked out with sleepy eyes, his soft smile fading quickly when he saw the distress on her features.

Bad dreams? He asked sleepily.

Weird, she nodded. After everything she’d been through, to be frightened by a half-hearted threat was ridiculous, especially one from a dream. She shivered but let Stone coax her back to bed with the promise of his warm embrace. After all, it wasn’t the first time she’d awoken them both with her nightmares.

When he was soundly sleeping again, she tossed on a pair of sweats and headed for the gym.

Several people stumbled by while she pummeled the heavy bag, though few of them paid her any mind as she alternated between kicks, punches, leg sweeps and elbows trying to work off the gray feeling left by the dream. Is it possible? She asked herself for the umpteenth time since she’d heard Antoine brag to Pamela that she’d been programmed to be incapable of hurting him. Sure Jade had wrapped her arm around his neck in order to get the information she wanted, she’d even given him a little torque to make him think she could kill him if she wanted, and she’d told him as much, but could she really?

Ever since Antoine’s mass drop late last October, Jade couldn’t seem to find the blinding rage that had once defined her. Actually it went back even further, it went all the way back to the beginning of October when Stone and Dana busted her out of the U.C. compound. Sure she’d gotten angry at times, especially when Stone tried to brief her and bring her back to reality. She even tried to kill him, but she hadn’t obtained that level of being literally blind with rage, it’d all been cold, impassionate. Not the hot quaking fury she’d always known.

She knew Dr. Lehrman, the psychologist who’d been working with her since she was eight years old and a resident of Community Dorm, was very concerned with what they’d done to try and break her.  He knew they used a combination of hallucinogenic drugs and virtual reality hooked into the microchip implanted into her brain, but she refused to tell him about it and the more she refused, the more curious he got, and the more he pushed for her to tell him.  She hadn’t even trusted him enough to give him the disk that really had the information on it when he was programming the infiltrator they’d sent to take down Antoine.

Instead she gave him a blank disk with which to make the choice of whether or not to watch what they’d done.  She was sure the only reason he’d showed her how to program it herself was because Stone and Todd managed to persuade him to do so.

He’s too curious for my own good, she thought then threw a vicious whip kick at the bag.  But the thought that they could have done something to her while in captivity nagged relentlessly at the back of her brain.  Was she the same person she’d always been?  She had to find a way to figure it out for sure, one that didn’t involve the good doctor unless absolutely necessary.

God almighty! Can’t you give it a rest? You’re supposed to be going on your honeymoon with the man you love! Why do you have to make everything such a project?  Do you just love misery that much? Another side of her mind argued surprising her with its vehemence, enough so that she missed the bag as it came back from a punch and jammed her wrist with the force of its swing.

Where’s your trust? It asked a little smaller this time as an image of Stone forcing her down onto her back in the woods came to her. There was the violent promise of his hands gripping her upper arms without care, then the sound of zipper teeth grating as he sought to free himself and take what she hadn’t been ready to give at the time.

No, that was Tyrell, she reminded herself wrapping her arms around the bag, her breath tight and heavy. She could feel his weight on her, his leg between hers, his knee grinding sadistically against her center while one hand held both of hers captive and his other ripped open her fatigue top, popping buttons in his haste, as if it was happening now.

A numb but somehow sparkly feeling started in her brains’ recesses then exploded as she felt herself thrown across the gym, off the heavy bag. She lay on the mat trading her warmth for its cold. The ribs she’d broken after ditching the chopper ached almost through to her spine. Tears leaked from her eyes as her body trembled and swirls of digitally enhanced amorphous color seemed to envelope everything in her mind, like an amoeba.

Please no, she shook her head. Layers upon layers of images stormed through her, dragging the accompanying physical sensations right along with them, seeming to feed the hungry shapeless thing that had burst awake.

It focused on moments of pain and uncertainty; Stone trying to rape her, General Quang using her as a punching bag before drawing out his steel whip, Elija Tyrell on top of her in the kitchen of his quarters, hauntingly beautiful masks made of plastic explosive, tracers from automatic weapons fire, the face of a dying young boy through a containment suit as she blew his head to pieces.  Around and around the debris swirled like the tornado scene in the Wizard of Oz until she almost couldn’t tell one image from another.

Stop, she whispered desperately, curling onto her side, clutching her head and rocking back and forth.  Just stop...

Jade? Shit! It was Hawk. 

He knelt next to her on the floor scooping her into an upright position and bracing her against him.

Hey, what’s wrong? Jade? Talk t’me... he asked wondering only for a split second if she’d re-injured herself. A bare instant after the thought crossed his mind he realized it wasn’t her body that was torturing her, Jade? It’s okay, you’re okay... he soothed stroking her hair.  In time she settled down and her breathing evened out again, giving her leave to come back to the world outside her own mind.

When she did, he turned her face toward his, the haunted look in her eyes was enough to send queasy waves through his stomach. Considering his hangover he was lucky he didn’t blow chunks right then and there.

Swallowing it down he asked, What happened?

She shook her head pushing up, everything from her motions to her expression betraying her weariness. It just came, all of it. All at once, the bodies, the killings, the explosions, Stone and Elija and, my God what have I done? There’s too much, she clutched her head, it’s not stopping. Please make it stop, she pleaded as the visions finally started to wane, and the tornado allowed itself to be put into a box for the time being.

I’m gonna go get Mike, he can give you a sedative.

No! No sedatives, I’ll be alright, she said quickly righting herself. 

Hawk sighed, Are you sure?

She nodded unwilling to let him know just how much the idea of being trapped in her own mind by sedatives frightened her.

You guys are headed out for your honeymoon today right? He asked.

Again, she nodded.

Good.  What you need is some quality R&R girl.  You’ve had a couple very rough months.  A little downtime will do you a world of good, it sounded like he was trying to convince himself. 

He didn’t like the way she looked; he didn’t like to see her tormented so thoroughly, and more importantly, he didn’t like the idea that she didn’t know what happened. 

He didn’t like the desperation he saw in her eyes, it was too close to the way she’d held him after they busted her out of the U.C. facility. That night she’d held him and wouldn’t or couldn’t let go until he had a sense of the intensity of what she’d experienced. She hadn’t talked about it to anyone as far as he knew, and she’d been going along pretty steadily. But with the sudden cessation of hostilities, and the prospect of being able to finally rebuild the country, maybe her mind was now bringing the last few months of horrors to the fore so she could deal with them.

Do you want to talk to someone? Dr. Lehrman maybe? He asked sighing when she shook her head.

No, I’ll be fine. It’s probably just mental backwash, she explained knowing somehow that that