ANOTHER DISCLAIMER!!!!!!! Does anyone get tired of writing these things? If it's really familar, it's HB's. If it's January and February, it's mine. Now you know as much as I do.

casting Shadows ch 5

Two days. It had been two days since January had said she wouldn't leave their kids. And they hadn't seen her since. Good thing Race had thought to put a tracker on her. He smiled and turned the trace on, following her as she made her way across the field and into the old building. He didn't know how she figured his kids were there, or how she even knew the building was there, but he was willing to trust her as long as the police didn't turn anything else up.

A knock on the van window drew his attention and he pulled out his gun. It was the middle of the night and no one but Benton knew he was here. And Benton was in the back.

"Hey, Race. You tracker works great. Anyway, if you really want to help get your kids, you need to take this intercom. I'm going in to scope out the place, I'll tell you where they're keeping them and you go in after them. Okay?" January smiled at him.

He looked at his tracer. It was blank. She smiled wider. "Deal." He said at last. "How did you do that?"

"Ah ah! Trade secret! I'll tell you someday, grasshopper." And she disappeared.

***

Jonny cracked his eyes, then closed them again. Looking at January in that tube was too depressing. They had gotten her just after Jonny and the other's had woken up. Her eyes were dull, and she did just what they said. She didn't react to them or any other outside stimuli. Jonny didn't know what was wrong with her. He shook his head and moved closer to Jessie and Hadji, using their warmth. He felt a slim body shiver, Jessie. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tucked his head. He prayed that someone would find them soon.

***

January snuck through the ventilation shafts, silent as a cat in shadows. She was dressed in black from head to foot, a whip at her side with a few other gadgets in her belt. She heard someone in the hall two floors below her, sniffed, smelled gun powder as an armed guard walked by, then the air conditioning unit started, circulating the atmosphere in the building. Thinly, on a tiny shred of wind, the smell of Jonny came to her. She knew it was him because it smelled the same as that bathrobe she'd worn. Quickly she shadow-ported into the next room, knowing it was empty from the smell.

Black. Dark. Swallowing her body/mind/person. She was dying! Her mind apart from her body she had no more contact and oh God she was being swallowed whole--and then she was out. She took a deep breath, her super senses overloaded by the sudden impact of her own body, the floor beneath her, smells, sounds, everything. It was great.

She blinked and looked around. She was in the storage room. Two doors led off, one into a hallway and the other into the main lab and holding cells. That was where she had been given these powers. And where February had died.

Striding to the door she sniffed the crack, smelling powerful toxins and anti-toxins and people and blood--wait. Back up. Locate the people smells. J, J, and H had to be in there. She smelled again, carefully. There. They had been carried through this door a few days ago. She could smell them inside now. Asleep, from the way they were breathing.

January turned away and pressed the small radio in her ear.

"This is Shadow. I've found them. Start your tracker and come get 'em, guys." She quickly took it off and left it on the floor, allowing Race's tracker to hold onto the signal and lead them in. Hopefully they would come soon.

***

"What's going on?" Jessie asked. For the first time January got up and moved, walking to one of the doors. Raising a fist she clicked on her stun ray and blew the door off it's hinges.

January stood behind the door.

Jonny blinked. This wasn't right. This was very wrong. January stood in front of them, and again on the other side of the door. He rubbed his eyes. Nope. Still there. Both of them.

***

January looked at February, speechless. Her twin's blue eyes were dead, and she looked pale. But she was alive.

And working for them.

"Feb? Little sister, are you okay?"

February didn't answer. She just raised her arm gun again and fired. January leapt out of the way, feeling it singe her leg. It healed. She reached out with her mind, trying to find her sister. A sharp static was the only thing she could get, and it occurred to her that they would've put protective psi-blanks around February so that January couldn't do the same things she'd done before. Mentally she hammered at the blocks, but nothing happened. They were too strong.

"February, listen to me! Think for yourself, don't just do what they say!" She was almost in tears when her sister shot at her again. It hit her in the chest and she flew back, shadowporting as she passed through a dark spot. She reappeared on the other side of Feb, her momentum angled at her sister. She landed hard on the twin, knocking her to the ground. Again she 'ported, back between the cell her friends were in and her sister.

"I don't want to hurt you. I really don't. But I can't let you kill my friends." January's voice was level, though both she and her sister knew it was a bluff. February spun, fired and hit January all at the same time. Pain exploded through her eyes and brain as synapse's went off, bursting blood vessels all over. She crumpled, hit the hard stone floor and felt a rib break. Within minutes she stood up, whole again, and looked around. Five men were coming in, her sister on the other side. This was how it started. Now they would take her back, and do tests, and try to brainwash her, all because she couldn't fight Feb . . .

***

Jonny watched closely as January stood up, looked at the other girl, looked around, and started to smile. A wild look entered her eyes and she giggled. The three men closest to him hesitated, and looked back at the others.

"She's sick." Jessie murmured quietly.

"That girl?" Jonny asked.

Slowly Jess shook her head. "January. Her mind's taken too much. She's really sick."

Jonny's face paled. "We have to get out of here."

January erupted into full blown laughter, cackling so hard she could barely stand. A man startled and shot her, sending a bullet through her shoulder and she crashed into the bars where the hostages stood. Jonny leaped back, watching as she sucked in air with great difficulty, then stood and looked at her arm. It was completely healed.

"That wasn't nice." She looked up at the gunman with wide eyes, a smile playing at her lips. "That wasn't very nice at all." She took two running steps and leaped for him, into a beam of light and onto a platform. He jumped back, shouting out, and someone threw a switch. Jessie watched in horror as thousands of volts of electricity shot through the young woman's body, flashing through her hair and eyes like lightening. Her skin seared and she fell to the floor, still smoking. Jessie leaned back against Hadji, stifling a sob.

"Look." Hadji breathed.

On the floor, January twitched once, and then started to stand. Laughter echoed hollowly through the building, and someone started the electricity again.

Jessie looked away, tears forming in her eyes. By the door the other twin stood, dead to all around her. Behind her Jessie saw a shadow move, and blinked. When her eyes opened it was gone.

On the floor January lay still, breathing raspily. Two men picked her up and she moved. Quickly they loaded her with enough tranquilizers to kill an elephant, and she fell asleep.

"February, guard the kids." Came a terse order.

Quickly February walked to the cell, her movements as dead as her eyes. Jessie shuddered.

"Feb . . ." January whimpered, feeling herself put in a cell. With all the power she had she hammered at her sister, ignoring the static. If only she could get through . . .

***

"Easy, Benton. Remember, they hold all the cards. Don't move fast, or loudly. Just take it easy." Race breathed softly into the mike.

"I've got it, Race." Benton whispered back. He could see that young girl, the January look-a-like, standing right where they needed to be. If only there was a distraction . . .

***

Two hours. Two hours her mind had been tormented. Ever since those people had come. And those men in the corners . . . they wanted the kids she kept here. And still her mind was tormented. Thoughts that weren't hers, coming to her as though through a storm . . . memories . . . but she had none. She only listened to her Master. Didn't she?

***

Hadji watched the sentry. for the first time emotions had begun to flicker across her face. No one else had noticed, but he had. For two hours she had done nothing, and then within the past hour it had started. He watched closely, trying to see what she was feeling. January had stopped moving long ago. She just sat there with her head bowed, almost thoughtful.

***

"Race, it's been three hours. How long do we have to wait?!" After tracking the signal here they had finally stopped outside the main room, waiting.

"Until it's time, Benton." Came Race's tinny voice over the comm.

Benton grit his teeth and settled down to wait longer.

***

There. She was alive. February blinked, her gaze sharpened, her shoulders straightened and her jaw clenched. She was working under her own power again.

***

January smiled and picked up her head. In the blink of an eye she and Feb had concocted a plan. They would get everyone out of here, and make sure no one ever chased them again. All they had to do was get a surprise. And February could easily provide that.

***

February turned slowly, looked at the Quest kids, and winked. Carefully she reached up, dissolving the lock with a mere touch.

"Don't go until I say." She whispered, her mouth unmoving.

Walking away she strode up to the computers, gaining curious looks. Everyone assumed that she had other orders now though, and no one stopped her. Reaching the computer she punched the panic button, sending sirens and sprinklers whirling.

Jonny slammed through the door, saw Race coming toward him and ran over. Jessie leaped into her fathers arms, then jumped down as he told her to get out. He knew what had happened. The self destruct mode had been set.

Meeting Benton at the other door they took off, Race shouting explanations as they ran. They met very little interference, as everyone else was also trying to get out, and made the outside within about four minutes. Race and Benton dragged the kids to the van, slamming them to the ground. The building registered on his scanner as empty, except for two people.

"January! February! Get out of there now!" He shouted into the comm link.

It crackled and came to life. "Is everyone out, Race?" A female voice asked.

"Yes! Now get out here!"

"No. Feb and I, we want to be together. We don't want to be hassled anymore. Are J, J, and H there?" She asked.

"We're here." Jonny said.

"Hey, J. Thanks for the comfort, y'know about your mom? And Jessie, thanks for the lift home. And Hadj, thanks for the wisdom. I'll carry it with me--to my grave. Guys? Everything's gonna be all right. I'm staying here, I'm gonna be with my sister." The link broke, and static was all that was heard.

"January? JANUARY?! I'm going after her!" Race stood up, stopped by the blast that flew from the building suddenly. As the rubble settled Jess looked up, tears in her eyes.

"They're dead. Oh dad, they're dead." She sank back against her father, her face white in shock. Jonny felt like his stomach had been left inside. The suddenness seemed odd, as if it hadn't really happened, it'd been too fast. He looked at his father, then at Hadji. The night was quiet, and warm. The stars twinkled, stars that had died long ago. Somewhere people started to talk, and a dog howled. The crackle of fire in the building, and Jessie's sobs were heard dimly, through the silence of the dark. And, oblivious to the pain and shock around it, the night went on.

Back to the CS page
Back to the Hangar
Back to the living room