Irresistible Force

By EJKatz

Summary: This is an AU set in the future a few years in a similar yet different world to the one we know. On this Earth, Off-worlders have lived among the Worlders for over a century. They live and work in harmony. There are two divisions of law enforcement, Elite Intergalactic for ‘Off-worlders’ and National & International agencies for all others. The Police Departments in each city/county all work for one central National Police Coalition although each department maintains a form of autonomy. Cases involving ‘Off-worlders’ are to be directed to Elite but all agencies work together. Supposedly <g>

NOTES: Dayne Ryder is a special Character for me, too long a story to go into but she has been with me, and a part of me, since I was 6. She had protected me and at times even kept me sane. I can take it if you don’t like her and feel she is a Mary-Sue but this story is only a portion of the world and life she lives. To read more and to get a better understanding of her, please feel free to read the first three chapters of my first book in a trilogy telling her life story. It will be found on my website under Original Fiction (Not there yet but coming soon) All I ask is be nice. Please feel free to send feedback, I can take it, honest. <g> Words in { } are spoken mind to mind.

I would also like to give a huge thanks to my beta DoggyJ who worked intensely with this to make it the incredible story it has become. Thanks, D. I never could have done this without you. You ROCK! And Mom for her final touches. Thanks,

http://members.shaw.ca/ejkatz

ab

Jim Ellison, Detective for the Major Crimes Division of the Cascade Police Department and unofficial Sentinel, rapped sharply on the door of Captain Simon Banks, his superior officer.

“Come.” The voice from within was terse, not a good sign.

Jim opened the door and stuck his head in without fully entering the office. Simon looked up from the stack of paperwork in front of him, frowning.

“I’m back, Simon,” Ellison said.

The captain just grunted, then asked, “Any luck?”

“No, nothing,” Jim grimaced. “Body was beaten fairly badly, but all evidence was cleaned up. Very neat, very professional.”

“Glad its homicide’s headache and not ours.” Simon returned his attention to the papers in front of him.

“Me, too,” Jim agreed, then, closing the door, returned to his own desk. He looked up and smiled as his partner, Blair Sandburg, anthropology student, police consultant, and equally unofficial Guide, returned from the break room with a much needed cup of fresh coffee.

ab

Elite Corporation Headquarters - Vegas, Nevada

September 21 – 8:45 pm

“What the…” The expletive was stopped before it emerged from the woman behind the desk as she read the file she’d just been handed. “Great. It’s not enough that Bailik had to disrupt Simon’s life once, that foolish excuse for an Emissary had to go and do it again. Wayne, when?”

“Not sure, Dayne. A few days ago. Hank Walters is missing, too.”

She stared at him for a brief moment, her violet eyes reflecting only the light. “Comtech, Biopulse trace.”

“Dai, Diaiwn[1]. Biopulse origin?”

“Hank Walters, agent verification status. Authorization 1alpha01.”

“Processing.” There was a momentary pause while the computer did the requested search. “Negative.”

“Damn!” Wayne Westmore, second in command at Elite Investigations, swore. Hank was a good friend. “Dayne, I want this.”

“I know, but I will deal with it. The Emissary is a pompous, arrogant, egotistical so-and-so. If I send anyone but myself he will think I do not consider him worthy of my time.”

“Dayne, he isn’t worthy.”

“Wayne, come on. His world is not part of the Council. He does not fall under the Council’s authority; therefore, any member of the Council is beneath him. Far be it for me to contradict him. Find out where he is now, I will go and talk to him.”

“Sure, no problem.” Wayne gave her his version of the sad puppy dog eyes, but had to laugh when she merely rolled her eyes at him. It had never worked anyway. Five minutes later he returned with the name and address of the hotel the Emissary was staying at in Washington, D.C.

“He’s booked on the next transport out. 10 tomorrow morning.” Wayne told her.

“Fine. I guess I’ll be heading back into the lion’s den.” She seemed to vanish into her own thoughts as she glanced over at a framed photo of a large bouquet of white roses. The picture was a reminder that while most other law enforcement agencies resented Elite and its work, there were still some out there who knew, understood, and were thankful. “I just hope Captain Banks can forgive me.”

She stood and made her way to the office door. “Sheryl, contact Tiano and get the jet ready. I’m leaving for DC. Have him file the flight plans for there and then on to Cascade, Washington.”

Sheryl picked up the phone. Dayne didn’t wait to make sure her instructions were carried out, she knew they would be. Instead she retrieved her briefcase and files then made her way down the elevators to the garage where her car was parked.

The drive to the airport took about forty-five minutes. The plane was waiting at the private hanger, the back lowered to allow her to drive the car into the back where the wheel locks engaged automatically. She took her case into the main cabin. Dropping them onto the side table, she called for her pilot.

The pilot was a strange looking man with bluish tinted skin and a high flat forehead. His eyes were a vivid blue dramatically framed by thick black lashes. He smiled happily to see her. His voice had an accent that was hard to place. “Kyhema[2], a pleasure to have you aboard. We are seventh in line; when you are ready we can proceed.”

“Excellent. Let’s go then.” She made her way back to the main cabin, buckled in and took the files from her briefcase. She stored the case in the cupboard built-in in front of her seat then began to peruse the files once more. She wanted to be prepared for this meeting, one she was not looking forward to at all.

She couldn’t help but think back to the first time she’d had dealings with the Emissary. Not a pleasant meeting then, either. His people subjugated women and had little to no respect for them. Only her own Off-world position forced him to be civil. Facing him now would be no easier, maybe even worse.

“Hank, what happened?” she asked the file, ignoring the noise of the engines revving for take-off. Twenty minutes later they were well on their way east.

ab

Cascade, Washington

Major Crimes – 6^th Floor

September 22 – 11:00am

From where he stood, Jim had a perfect view of the elevator as the doors opened and it’s single occupant exited. She moved without hesitation as she headed straight for the bullpen. He watched the elegant play of her body, the way her hips swayed the tiniest bit, just enough to be provocative. She wore a knee length skirt in a rich royal blue with a matching jacket with short sleeves and a bold yellow collar. The outfit screamed power; but the way she moved and the way she filled out the suit intimated she was all woman. Or all snake, viper most likely, depending on your point of view.

Her blond hair enhanced the richness of her tan and was tied in an intricate knot at the back of her head. For jewellery, she wore only solid gold hoops in her ears, a simple gold chain with a tiny green stone around her neck and a set of rings on her left ring finger.

She looked rich; she looked incredible; and Jim wanted her to look at him with her breath-taking, soul-stealing eyes. She has beautiful eyes, he told himself, willing her to look at him. Eyes of a basilisk. After all, he told himself, one should always look one’s fate in the eyes.

Jim became aware of two things. First, every man and every woman in the room had stopped breathing and was also staring at her as she passed. The men’s faces were filled with undisguised longing and a sort of fascinated horror. The women’s looks were more complicated, a type of jealously combined with a certain wistfulness. She continued on, oblivious. Second thing Jim realized was that he had forgotten how to breathe.

“Hey, Jim, man. What’s up?” The voice of Jim’s partner and friend broke through his stupor and allowed him to pull in a broken, ragged breath.

Jim turned to face Blair for a moment but it was long enough for him to realise that Blair had caught sight of the newcomer. He stared transfixed. Jim turned back in time to see her bend towards Rafe and say something. Her skirt rose just slightly, giving an even better view of her long supple legs. Rafe didn’t answer, or maybe he just couldn’t. He simply stared at her while pointing in Jim’s direction.

Jim drew himself upright as she approached, steeling himself for the meeting. But she continued past without acknowledging him or Blair. She stopped outside Captain Banks’ office and knocked, staring straight ahead at the door.

“Come in,” came the gruff reply. The woman opened the door and stepped inside. Jim caught the greeting before the door closed. Then it was like a blanket fell over him and he could hear nothing more from the other room.

“Well, she’s still gorgeous,” he heard Blair comment. Jim glanced at him in surprise.

“You know her, Chief?” he asked.

“I took a course she taught last year.” Blair laughed. “The History of the Criminal Mind. Fascinating course. She was an excellent instructor. One of the best I’ve heard in a long time.”

“Does she know you?” Jim pressed.

“I doubt it. We didn’t exactly get introduced. But I would like to have met her. She’s married you know,” Blair added.

Jim grunted, not surprised in the least by the two things Sandburg had managed to learn about this woman, her teaching ability and her marital status. The kid knew his priorities. There was a lot Jim knew about her, or thought he did.

“The infamous Dayne Ryder,” Taggart said from behind them. “I wonder what she wants now. Simon isn’t going to like this.”

“Why not?” Blair asked.

“Two years ago we got a case that we were forced to turn over to Elite. She and Banks had a falling out that I doubt has ever truly healed. It was understandable that Elite would get it since it involved off-worlders, but Simon was personally involved and it tore him up not to be allowed to work on it. I don’t know what happened with it though. Real hush-hush job.”

“She’s got quite the reputation, that’s for sure,” Jim mused. “Tough, not easily fooled, and not one to mess with if you’re of the criminal persuasion. Never seen her up close before, though.” He still couldn’t get the mental image of that incredibly sexy woman out of his mind. Something about her had struck him deep and hard, and he hadn’t even exchanged one word with her yet. That scared him. Especially after the last woman who had been able to get to him that easily.

“Gorgeous but deadly. Rumour has it that she’s ex-military; no one’s sure which branch of service. I even heard tell she used to be some kind of Commander-in-Chief. It is known that she is Off-worlder and some kind of leader but no one knows for certain, it is all just speculation. She’s a cold fish, the original Ice Queen if I ever met one, very emotionally distant but watch out for her and never get on her bad side. She’d make you look like a pussy cat that has been de-clawed and fixed!” Taggart warned Jim.

Blair stifled a giggle. Jim knew that he had a reputation for being dangerous himself. He was almost proud of the fact that his temper was something people tended to avoid if at all possible. He glared at Blair, forcing his roommate to cover his laughter again.

ab

Dayne took a seat opposite Simon Banks, Captain of the Major Crimes Unit of the Cascade Police. “Hello Simon,” she said softly. Her voice was slightly accented with faint musical undertones. “Long time.”

“Too long. How’ve you been?” His voice also softened with a fondness he rarely showed to anyone. His eyes lit from within as memories both good and bad resurfaced.

“Fine. I take it you are no longer mad at me?” She leaned back and crossed her legs. Simon reluctantly drew his gaze away from them bringing his eyes up to meet hers.

“No. I had a long time to think about what happened. I never got the opportunity to properly thank you,” Simon replied.

“I received twelve dozen white roses from you. My favourites. I figure that should be thanks enough.” A faint smile touched her lips.

“You saved my life and my sanity. There cannot be thanks enough. I know at the time I didn’t understand nor did I approve, but as I said, I’ve had time to think about it,” Simon said candidly.

“Simon, I did what I had to do. I knew from the moment I took the case over from you that there was going to be major trouble. Directed mainly towards you. Especially after I learned how your son and family were involved. That was why I tried so hard to discourage you from pursuing it. You were stubborn.” Dayne met his candour with honesty.

“Still am. These guys aren’t going to like your presence though,” Simon warned. “They only know half the story.”

“You never told them what happened.” Her eyes reflected the light from his desk but nothing else as she nodded her understanding. One of the things that had amazed him so much was her ability to hide everything she felt. She could give Ellison lessons in stoicism.

“No. Didn’t feel like talking about it again. I got over it and then I moved on. I left it at that.”

Simon paused to catch his breath as he choked back the unpleasant thoughts. It had been a while, but every now and then the memories would come back to haunt him and he had to fight the fear that rose with them. The woman across the desk from him waited patiently. A look of understanding flickered across her features, gone almost as soon as it had appeared.

Simon took a deep breath as he considered the woman sitting across from him. He knew well Dayne Ryder’s reputation. He had studied every piece of information he could dredge up on her, which was not a lot. Of the information Simon had found on her, not much was subject to verification. He knew for sure that she had a knack for coming into a situation, sizing it up and dealing with it before anyone had a chance to do or say anything to the contrary. She ran Elite Corporation, consisting of Elite Investigations and Elite Intergalactic. Elite’s arrest and conviction ratio was the highest in the country; their cases always rode on only the most solid of evidence.

The few files Simon had managed to find only indicated that, while a very private person, Dayne Ryder was well known for both her charitable contributions and her honest, moral police work. Her history was somewhat clouded, but when he had learned that she was an Off-Worlder he had ceased to ask what she was and how she did what she did. That one fact alone answered many of his questions. That fact had been the hardest to find but yet, the most comforting.

“They are going to think I am usurping your authority by putting this request out,” she said thoughtfully when she felt he was ready to continue.

“Is that what this is? A request? Not official?” Simon asked cautiously.

“Not yet, and I hope it won’t become official. It is somewhat connected with our last encounter,” she said carefully, watching Simon for his reaction.

“How?”

Simon hid his reaction well. To anyone else, he would seem calm and controlled. But Dayne could hear the trace of fear that entered Simon’s voice. Her empathic abilities were her weakest talent but she could sense strong emotion easily, and the alarm that was creeping into Simon was strong and growing stronger by the second. To counteract it, she used her limited empathy to send out calming waves towards him. It alleviated most of the on setting panic that he wasn’t even aware had taken hold of him.

“Easy, Simon. It is nothing like you are thinking. It’s the Emissary.” Dayne rose and moved to look out the window.

“Great. Is he back in town? Why the *hell* wasn’t I told?” Simon’s voice rose and Dayne knew the men in the other room heard it.

“Please, Simon. Not so loud.” The retort was softly said but it held enough power for Simon to nod his acknowledgement as Dayne returned to her seat. “He is gone now but not before the crown jewels were stolen. They disappeared from his luggage at the airport. We’re not so much concerned with how as with recovering the stolen property and returning it to the Emissary as soon as possible.”

“This isn’t usually our type of case. Why would Elite hand this over to us? It is intergalactic,” Simon pointed out.

“I know.” She paused as if unsure how to proceed and for a brief moment Simon thought she looked almost vulnerable. But then she spoke again and he could only see the strength of her character. “It started a week ago when the Emissary decided he wanted to come to the Pacific Northwest in person to retrieve the crown jewels from the exhibit at the Cascade Museum. He booked into the Majestic and requested guards from Elite. He wanted low key so that was what he got.

“I went to see him in D.C. early this morning and got the basic run down. He arrived here five days ago. He didn’t stay long, just long enough to pick up the jewels and do a little shopping. He told me that his guards vanished for several hours while he was shopping, though that is not the story my agents tell me. Apparently he dumped them in one of the larger malls. They found him easily enough at the front door but my impression is he wanted to make Elite look bad. He has never liked me or the fact that I run Elite. According to Bailik, the Emissary, he stayed in the hotel one more night, to ‘recover’, then booked the first flight out to DC the next morning. I caught up to him just before his flight to the London Off-world launch site.”

“How did the jewels get taken? Were they not guarded?” Simon asked, frowning.

“The jewels were actually stolen before the flight to D.C. They were locked in a Trilinium case and one of my men stood guard at the airport. The Emissary went into the men’s room with the other guard.” She paused, and when she continued, Simon thought he could hear a slight break in her voice. “My man, Hank vanished along with the case of jewels.” She gave him a wry smile before continuing. “See why I need your help?”

“Yeah. This doesn’t look good for Elite,” Simon sympathised. “Not that it looks much better for Cascade, having the jewels stolen here, and, from all accounts, from someone standing in plain sight. No one saw anything?”

“Not that we could determine. I was away during all this but my Second, Wayne Westmore, sent out a couple of investigators who were unable to learn much. Someone thought they might have seen Hank leaving but there was nothing definite. Now Elite is in a bit of a jam and your men will think it’s the perfect opportunity to get back at me for my previous interference.” The wry smile almost bloomed into something more cheerful, but she restrained herself just in time.

“They won’t because I will tell them otherwise,” Simon declared. After a moment, he continued. “We’ll help. You still think the thieves are in the area?”

“Yes, I do. The only lead we have to work on is a Hubert Thorgusen, but I have another issue that prevents me from taking a more public role in the investigation. One thing I should tell you is that the thieves won’t be able to get inside the case without the key. They’ll have to hold onto the case until they can get it. His Highness has scheduled a return trip to retrieve his case this week. I encouraged it since his being here will provoke the thieves into taking another stab at getting the key.”

“That could be dangerous. Are you guarding him again?” Simon was thoughtful.

“Do you think he would let us?” she asked, disdain clear in her voice. “I barely managed to prevent him from spreading word of what has happened. I’ll have him under covert surveillance.”

“So how can we help?” Simon sat forward at his desk, still wondering what his department could do that Elite could not.

“First, I need to know if you have had any John Does matching this description.” Dayne pulled a picture from her bag and handed it across the desk to the handsome black man. He took it and studied it carefully.

“You think he is dead?”

“I know it. My computer system tracks the biopulses of all my agents. Hank’s disappeared the day of the theft,” Dayne replied, allowing a hint of sorrow to peak through the tight rein she had on her emotions.

“Biopulse?” Simon frowned at the unfamiliar phrase.

“Sorry, everyone has a biopulse, like an electronic field of energy, a signature if you will. It is unique to each individual and we use it to track our people. It is also something I can see, like a physical presence.” She studied Simon for a moment. “Yours is almost golden, a dark amber in fact.”

“Sounds like an aura. So, what’s the second thing?” Simon queried.

“I need help with the investigation.” She paused briefly before continuing. “You know who and what I am, Simon, I know you do. There are few others who do, but that, along with my position, earns me my fair share of enemies. Right now I’m dealing with a particularly nasty one, a man by the name of Krakov. He’s hard to find and impossible to catch, but he will go through anyone and anything to get to me. I think I’ve lost him for now, but if I take too active a role or if the press gets wind of my being here, he will find me. I’m warning all agencies to be on the lookout for him. I don’t want anyone who helps me to get in his way, either, but I need your help, Simon.”

Simon knew that of all things, Dayne Ryder was not a woman to whom asking for help came easily. “I understand. I know exactly who to get to help.”

“Thanks, Simon.”

Simon opened his office door and bellowed, “ELLISON! SANDBURG! My office, now.”

Dayne studied the two men who entered. The taller was military in his bearing. Six feet, maybe a little more. Sharp features and a strong face. He was used to commanding men, she realized. There was an interesting dynamic here. One that would bear further scrutiny. Something… she put the thought one side to study the younger man. He was shorter, perhaps by a full head. At least five-seven or five-eight. Long curly hair, definitely not a cop but still, something about him fit. That dynamic again, she mused.

The tall one, Ellison, she guessed, took a seat at the long board table. His partner, Sandburg sauntered over, his eyes tracking immediately to her face.

“Close the door, Sandburg. This isn’t a peepshow,” Simon growled.

The younger man looked sheepish as he turned and closed the door. When both men were seated Simon spoke.

“This is Dayne Ryder from Elite Investigations. I am assigning you to assist her with whatever she needs.” Ellison looked like he was about to protest but seemed to change his mind as Simon shifted his eyes to glare at him. “I mean anything.”

“What is this about, Captain?” Jim asked. His voice was resigned but carefully controlled to hide the uneasiness she sensed he felt.

“I’ll tell you what, Captain. I need to check into my hotel and I have some work to do. I’ll let you explain things to these - officers.” She rose with a cat-like grace that none of the men could help but admire. “Talk to you later. And Simon,” she paused, turning the brilliance of her gaze directly on the captain, “thank you.”

She headed out the door, closing it behind her. She hadn’t taken two steps when she heard Ellison ask, “Simon after what she did to you, why should we help her?”

His voice was angry and Dayne didn’t blame him. She departed aware of the trail of aroused but hostile looks she left behind.

ab

“Jim, settle down. It’s a long story and I don’t want to have to repeat any part of it.” Simon took his own seat, his shoulders slumped and a look of weary defeat on his face. “I guess Taggart told you what happened?” Jim knew it would be bad.

“He told us enough to know that she doesn’t need our help.” It was Blair who answered.

“No, he didn’t tell you anything. There is a lot more to the story that no one knows.” Simon paused as the memories took shape in his mind and he began to speak, telling the whole story for the first time.

ab

Two Years Earlier…

Nearing Midnight

“Captain. Got a call from the Luxus Hotel. There’s been a murder. Brown and Rafe are on their way. Victim is one Honourable Serigi Volo. He is the Chief Undersecretary for the Emissary of Terna 3. Stabbed three times in the chest, any of which could have been fatal blows. His Emissary is royalty and he is threatening a major scandal.”

“Damn.” Simon swore as he rose, grabbing his jacket and racing out the door. He made it to the hotel in record time with the traffic being lighter than usual.

The Imperial Suite was on the top floor. The three rooms looked as if they had been hit by a cyclone. The furniture was overturned; chairs and lamps lay shattered on the floor. Clothing and all the other miscellaneous items common to travel had been strewn haphazardly around the suite. Someone had done a thorough job of searching the place. The only people in the suite were half a dozen cops, four CSI and one very loud, very angry Diplomat.

“Why are you not out there finding the men who did this?” The Emissary was demanding. The young patrolman who stood there trying to take his statement was obviously out of his depth, unsure of how to handle the high-ranking and highly volatile dignitary.

“It’s all right, Jameson, I’ll take it from here,” Banks told the young man who handed him the notebook and escaped gratefully into the other room. “Your Eminence. I am Captain Banks, of the Major Crimes department. Can you tell me what happened here?”

“Of course, Captain.” The man answered in scathing tones. “My man was murdered here, in your city, under your supposed protection. What I want to know is why you have your entire department in here rather than out looking for the men who did this? I want this matter resolved and I want it done now.”

“I assure you, sir, so do we, but we need some information. We have men already looking for the perpetrators of this crime and I promise you we will find them.” Banks took his pen from his shirt pocket and looked towards the man. “Do you have any idea who might have done this?”

“Of course, I do. I have many enemies.” The Emissary seemed almost pleased by that statement. “But I am sure it was the Radinas.”

“The Radinas?” Banks asked. The diplomat shook his head in disbelief.

“Yes, Captain. A rebellious faction on my homeworld. We have a minor problem with them.” The man waved his hand almost negligibly toward the ruins of the suite, including the bloodstained carpet where the body had been removed just moments before. “We,” he emphasized the word, “have dealt severely with them in the past. Now that they have found their way here, they are your problem now. If you will excuse me, Captain, I have other things to do. I want a report tomorrow telling me that you have caught these men.” Without looking back the Emissary walked out of the suite.

Simon stared after him in confusion. The man was insufferable. His entire tone had been hostile and patronizing.

“Captain, you might want to see this,” an officer called and Simon put the Emissary out of his mind for a moment.

ab

The next morning Simon sat at his desk reviewing the file from the forensics team. There was little actual evidence to go on. He’d had Joel Taggart do trace on these Radinas but there was not much to find and nothing that would help with the investigation. He was now just waiting for the other shoe to drop. The Emissary had already called wanting to know the progress on the case. He had ranted for several minutes at Simon then hung up without another word.

Simon was about to call Brown and Rafe to join him when the buzzer on his phone sounded. “Yes?” he inquired.

“Sire, you have a call on line two,” Rhonda, his secretary, announced.

“Thank you, Rhonda.” Simon picked up the phone. “Banks.”

“Captain. My name is Rajis of the Radinas. Stay off this case or you and yours will be in danger.” There was a brief pause before the voice came back. “In five minutes you will receive a small reminder of how serious we are about this.”

“What… “ Simon began but stopped as he recognized the dial tone. With a curse he slammed the phone down. Exactly five minutes later a small envelope arrived by special courier. The courier was questioned but knew little of value. The location had been called in and he found the package left on the street with an envelope containing the payment in cash. Simon took the envelope and vanished into his office to open it. Silently he wished his best detective was there to help with this but he and his partner were taking a well-deserved vacation.

He opened the envelope and withdrew two 5 x 7 pictures. Oh, Daryl. The first showed the boy standing in front of his school, the second outside his home with his mother. The meaning of the threat was very clear. Simon burned with anger. They had thought to scare him, but the results of their threat were not quite what they had expected. Simon silently made a promise to his son that for his safety he would catch the SOB who was threatening him.

For three days Simon worked with his men to try and track down this group, the Radinas. He learned nothing much about them except that they were a faction who was opposed to the Emissary and his alliance with Earth. They preferred to remain distant from the planet and self sufficient in their own right. The only other thing he learned was that their name meant Serious and that they were very serious indeed about what they believed.

On the fourth day his world collapsed. The phone rang and he answered it in a sharp tone. “Banks.”

“Simon. It’s Daryl.” It was Joan, his ex-wife. Her voice was trembling, and he could tell she was extremely upset.

“Calm down, Joan. What happened?” A chill of fear crept down Simon’s spine. He knew what she was going to say.

“Two men. They beat him up and left a message for you. What have you got him into now? DAMN YOU, SIMON!” She screamed at him. “Damn you and that job of yours.”

She was sobbing almost hysterically but Simon managed to learn that Daryl was mostly fine except for some bruising and that he was frightened. He finally got Joan calmed down with a promise that he would go out there at lunchtime and they would talk about this.

It was personal now and Simon was determined to find these guys. He rose and pulled open the desk drawer, removing his gun and jamming it in his shoulder holster. He was grabbing his jacket when a knock sounded on his door.

“Come,” he barked. The door opened to reveal Dayne Ryder. He recognized her from a lecture he had attended some time ago. She hadn’t changed at all, still as beautiful, and as deadly, as she’d seemed all those years ago. Simon was struck once again by her stunning appearance and the sense of fear she seemed to invoke almost subconsciously in those around her.

“Simon Banks?” She asked; but he knew that it was not a question.

“Yes, may I help you?”

“I am here about the case you are working on involving the Emissary. My office received a call this morning about the lack of progress in a case that should have been turned over to Elite immediately. Why was it not been reported to us?” Ryder remained standing, staring almost eye-to-eye with the tall black Captain who was six feet four inches in height. Simon found her scrutiny unnerving. Very few women could match him in height, and while that usually didn’t bother him, with her he found himself feeling intimidated.

“We are talking about a murder investigation here. That makes it our case,” he asserted.

“No, Captain. We are talking about an Intergalactic case with wide reaching repercussions. This is out of your jurisdiction. You will hand over all your case files immediately.” There was no hint of any anger or tension in the young woman but Simon was aware of a great deal of authority in her voice and something more… Something which still left a twinge of fear in his gut. ‘Like a predator about to take her prey,’ he thought.

Even while Simon knew she was right, it didn’t make it any easier to hand over the files. He was glad he’d copied the files earlier. He wasn’t going to let go of this one that easily. He slammed his fist down on his desk then decided to continue with his plan to see Daryl; then he would go and talk to Ryder about letting him help with the case.

ab

The rest of the afternoon was spent tracing Dayne Ryder to the Elite office in Seattle. Once he arrived, unannounced, he was surprised when the secretary informed him that Dayne was expecting him. He was ushered into a beautifully appointed office with a large oak desk and two very comfortable leather chairs. He settled himself into one across the desk from Dayne, who ignored him for several moments while she finished typing something into the computer.

“Captain Banks. How may I help you?” Dayne regarded him with clear but empty violet eyes. Her gaze was steady and without emotion, not even curiosity.

“I want to work with you on this case,” Simon stated boldly.

“There’s nothing you can do, Captain. I have two specially trained men already working on the details. This is frankly beyond your jurisdiction and expertise, and I won’t have you walking into such a potentially dangerous situation,” she stated with finality.

Banks bristled. “I am a professionally trained police officer and I was in the Army. I think I can handle a little danger, Mrs. Ryder.”

“I am sure you can, Captain. But under the circumstance I don’t want you on this case.” Her tone of voice said quite clearly that the issue was closed. Or should have been.

“You don’t want me on this case? Who are you to order me off a case? What gives you the right to prevent me from protecting my city and my family?” Simon was standing and his already dark face darkened even more with anger.

She rose to meet him on his level, her voice still even but betraying the slightest hint of irritation. “Captain, believe me when I tell you, you do NOT want the Radinas for enemies. My people will finish the investigation. I suggest you go home to your family and forget everything that has happened.”

“It will be very hard to forget that these people have threatened my son. I take that very personally, I assure you.”

“I am sure you do, but there is nothing more you can do to help. Good-bye, Captain. I will send you my findings when this has been resolved so you may clear your files.” She turned away from him and resumed typing at the computer, totally ignoring him.

Simon was livid. He stormed out of her office, making sure that her door slammed behind him. He headed back to the precinct.

“Hey, Simon? What’d she say?” Taggart asked when the captain had returned to Major Crimes.

“She doesn’t need or want me or us on this case. I cannot believe the nerve of that woman. She wouldn’t even give me the time of day.” Taggart followed Simon into his office and listened while Simon raged on about the way Dayne Ryder had treated him. Brown and Rafe entered a few minutes later.

“What’s up, Simon?” Simon barely glanced their way as he began from the beginning again. It made him feel much better, this ranting and raging.

ab

Present Day

Simon opened his eyes again, looking around his office as the memory, and the anger, faded. Ellison was sitting in the armchair before him with Sandburg perched in his usual place, on the board table.

“I was furious with her response, came back here and for three days let my men know what I thought of her.”

“The bitch.” Jim spat.

“No, Jim. It wasn’t like that. At the time none of us knew how big this really was. Apparently I had become a target when I took the case originally. The Radinas took it personally that I was helping the Emissary find out who killed his man.

“Anyway, to make a long story short, this faction grabbed me when I went off investigating on my own. Apparently, Dayne had her people watching me. She seemed to know I would follow up despite her efforts to warn me off. Smart lady,” he observed. After a pause, Simon continued. “She and her team came busting in to where I was being held. If she hadn’t,” Simon swallowed. In a much quieter voice, he said, “If she hadn’t, I would be worse than dead.”

A chill crept down Blair’s spine at the captain’s tone of voice. “How can you be worse than dead?” he inquired, clearly puzzled by the concept that Simon might be afraid of anything. “What did they do?”

Simon shuddered visibly at the questions. His mind replayed the scene vividly once more

ab

Two Years Ago

“So, you are the pig who is helping the traitor. Well, I hope it was worth it.” The man laughed harshly. His voice was hard and the thick accent made it difficult to understand him. Though there was no misunderstanding his tone. “I am Rajis, Captain. I would welcome you to our humble home but… I think it’s not much of a welcome for you, no?”

He held a strange device in front of Simon’s face. “Do you know what this is?”

Simon tried to shake his head but it wouldn’t move. He couldn’t feel his body. Fear began to build deep inside though it had yet to reach his face. His eyes followed the unfamiliar metal object that floated before him.

“This is what will turn you to nothing. Do you understand the concept of Morson’s Theory of Disconnectivism? No? Well, let me enlighten you.” The man grinned down at his captive. He did so enjoy his work and it showed. “Morson was one of your scientists. He believed that with enough pain and abuse the mind would separate from the physical body and the whole would become two parts. The thing of it is, he was right. Radinas have been proving this for centuries.” The man stopped in front of Simon and stared into his eyes. Simon couldn’t look away. The strange hazel orbs glowed with an unholy light, as the man seemed to hypnotize the captain.

“You see, the traitor – the Emissary-,” he said with a sneer, “refused to acknowledge us as a people. We are not of their standing, we are inferior, Soluase, waste you would say, yes? He must die. But ‘why’ you want to know. Of course, you would not be a good policeman if you did not. I have read your… jacket, yes? Very good police detective who moved quickly up the ranks to captain. You would be curious and that is good. But you must know when to step back… “ The man seemed to pull himself back to the topic he’d started.

“Yes, the traitor. You see, he promised to help us and then betrayed us. Hundreds of my people died because of that man. Now all we have is our revenge, so we put to practice everything we have learned from the Ternas about pain. For every torture they put us through, we return it back, ten fold. You should have stayed out of this; you’d have been safe. We warned you, but like the traitor you didn’t listen. So be that on your head.” The man stepped back and signalled to someone behind him.

Another man stepped forward and began speaking, explaining the device’s purpose as he took the metal contraption and slipped it over Simon’s head. Inside he struggled to get away but his body didn’t seemed to hear the screams of warning and remained immobile. His heart raced in his chest and he came to a sudden understanding of what Dayne Ryder had been talking about. Beads of sweat appeared on his brow, dripping into his eyes until he couldn’t see clearly.

The next few minutes, or eternity, was a blur. He heard a door fly open and then cries of pain. Smoke filled the room, causing Simon’s eyes to blur further. A soft hand touched him gently and the fear and pain dissipated so fast he almost thought it hadn’t been there at all.

ab

Present Day

“The next thing I knew I was in the hospital recovering from dehydration and shock. Nothing more serious. She had brought a team of Elite agents in to rescue me and for that I owe her my life and my sanity. So, I’m asking you to do this. For me.” Simon stopped, waiting for their reaction.

“What do you want us to do?” Jim answered solemnly. His tone said it all and Simon breathed a sigh of relief.

He explained what Dayne had told him. Then he passed over the picture to Jim who studied it and passed it to Blair.

“Why us, Simon? We don’t handle robbery.” Jim stated, rising to pace the floor. Something about the picture nagged at his memory, but he couldn’t pin it down. He had seen that face recently, but slightly altered, different.

“I know, but this guy was an Elite agent and it looks like it was an inside job. Dayne needs to find the jewels and return them to the Emissary and prove that Elite was not involved. She also said something about a Hubert Thorgusen. Find out what you can about him.”

“Where do we start?” Blair asked.

“Morgue records.” Jim answered as he rose to leave. He stopped by the door, his hand on the handle. “Simon, I understand what she did and why… but I don’t like her methods. I just want you to know that.”

“Tell her that when you go see her at the hotel. She’ll get a kick out of it.” Simon smiled in fondness as the two men left.

“Well, what happened?” Taggart asked, catching the partners at the door.

“Long story and we were apparently wrong. Ask Simon yourself. It’s his story.” Jim answered as the elevator closed. Down in the morgue, he found that his memory had been correct. The picture that looked so familiar was that of the man whose body he had been called to examine earlier. Dayne Ryder’s operative.

ab

Dayne lay down on the hard hotel bed. She’d had a shower when she first got in and put on the lightweight silk robe she had brought with her. Her mind was spinning with possible options but she was still upset over the loss of one of her best men. His wife was a friend who helped a lot with Elite functions and Hank was due for retirement in less than six months. The whole thing hurt. She didn’t even have her husband, Nick to turn to since he was off with her brother on their annual Off-world trip to his home world. It would be weeks before they got back. She would just have to deal with this herself.

She curled onto her side, desperate to hold back the pain as she felt the first tears slid down her cheeks. She remembered the tearful scene with Eleanor Walters, Hank’s wife, when she had told her the bad news this very morning. The woman had been inconsolable though she had insisted she did not blame Dayne at all. Hank had been with Elite for twenty years, one of the last of the old timers. He had been a good agent and a good friend. His death had hurt and she had not yet allowed that fact to hit her until now.

Dayne let the tears come, she allowed the strong emotion to crush her as she tried to deal with this the best way she knew how. The emotion was overwhelming and she let it grow until there was nothing but that. In fact, so encompassing was the emotional onslaught that she almost missed the sharp knock at the door. She sat quickly and grabbed a tissue to dry her eyes. A quick glance in the mirror told her that her face was presentable with no visible signs of her crying. It was one of the fortunate side effects of her non-human blood, no red puffy eyes. She forced her mask back into place, the emotionless façade she showed to everyone but the closest of friends and family. It was one that had long protected her and one she no longer knew how not to use. It took a second only to replace it, and then she was ready to face whomever was at her door.

She pulled open the door to reveal Detective James Ellison and his partner, Blair Sandburg. She couldn’t help staring as the strange dynamic she’d noticed earlier returned, stronger. The two men were matched, their biopulses connected. She could feel the movement of the biopulse as it arced like electricity between the two men. Then she knew exactly what she was looking at, a sentinel and guide pairing.

“May we come in?” Ellison asked.

“Of course.” She stepped back to allow them entrance. They entered the simple room and turned to face her. She studied them openly for a long moment. Long enough for them to feel like they were being checked over thoroughly. Both men were surprised to find that it didn’t bother either of them in the least.

Dayne once more noted the tall detective was good looking with a short military style hair cut. His face was chiselled with a jaw that clenched tightly under her scrutiny. His blue eyes were cold as ice. They didn’t flinch from her gaze; in fact if anything they seemed to warm slightly. But she also saw the distrust and anger he felt towards her. She understood it and continued her perusal. His clothes were neatly pressed and casual. The khaki pants and light blue shirt were spotless. He reminded her of the first time she had met Nick except where Nick was dark and exotic, Ellison was light and all-American.

His partner looked oddly out of place beside him. He was several inches shorter, maybe even ten years younger. His brunette hair was shoulder length and curly. He wore a black leather jacket over a green tee shirt and black jeans. He had darker blue eyes that twinkled with a friendly intelligence and Dayne recognized the genius quality in them. His face was gentle and open with his thoughts, while his partner hid his much more closely.

“I assume Simon has told you about the case?” she said, walking to the balcony and opening the doors slightly.

“Yes.” The detective’s voice was hard as he answered. “We stopped at the morgue before coming here. I am sorry but it appears you were right. Your man is dead.”

Steeling herself inwardly, Dayne opened the file Ellison handed her and was faced with the harsh reality of Hank’s death. It had been as brutal as she had thought. Clinically, she studied the details. His throat had been slit from ear to ear and there were bruises over his upper torso. He had been badly beaten before they killed him. His body appeared to have been washed clean of any evidence that might identify his killers.

She noticed that his ever-present chain with the gold medallion his wife had given him on their twentieth anniversary was gone. She felt a deep sickening feeling in her gut but she forced it away with a brutality that would have shocked her guests. It never reached her face, which remained as impassive as ever.

ab

Jim watched the tall woman’s intense violet eyes as she read the file. The elegant lines of her face changed so subtly he doubted it would have been noticeable to anyone else. As he watched, her countenance hardened from relaxed to looking like it was carved from stone. She displayed no other reaction, whereas most men would have been sickened by the wanton cruelty. He had hoped to shock her with the graphic pictures but she seemed to accept what she saw as simply as if it were a family portrait. Jim wondered what kind of woman –what kind of human- could stare at such a brutal and violent death and feel nothing? Especially if this were, as reported, one of her own men?

After a moment, she closed the file and handed it back to him. “If you will excuse me, I will go get dressed.” She grabbed a garment bag from the closet and slipped into the bathroom.

“What the…? Jim did she even see what was in those pictures? I mean you wouldn’t even let me look so I know they had to be pretty bad and she didn’t blink?”

Jim raised an eyebrow but said nothing as he studied the room with his eyes, looking for anything out of place. There was nothing to indicate who or what Mrs. Ryder was all about. A leather case sat on the table on it side with two files underneath it but nothing else. The closet door was half closed so he could only make out a couple of plastic garment bags but not their contents. There was nothing else, nothing at all. The bathroom door opened and Dayne emerged.

She now wore a pair of black leather pants and a red velvet jacket over a black shirt. When they’d first arrived, her hair had been up in a simpler knot but now it was braided and fastened with a gold barrette. Her feet were clad in black leather boots not too unlike army boots with thick rubber soles. “Let’s go down to the café. I need some coffee.”

Jim nodded, remaining silent but opened the door and motioned for her to go ahead. She lead the way out the door, her strides long but not hurried. Quietly the two men followed.

The café was a cosy little shop with comfortable tables surrounded by plush armchairs. The décor was dark but warm and inviting. Jim noticed that she chose a quiet table towards the back. She deliberately sat with her back to the door, leaving him to take the chair opposite with a clear view of the room. It made him rather curious but he didn’t feel it was his place to question the action. He knew she was ex-military and normal behavioural patterns would have suggested that she take the most strategic place for monitoring the traffic flow so it surprised him a little.

Well if she wouldn’t he would. Study their surroundings he meant. The front entrance was bathed in a gentle light preparing patrons for either the harsher glare of the lobby lights or the dimmer view inside the café, depending on which direction the party headed. There were no pillars to block any of the view and Jim could easily see that most tables were still empty at this hour. The lunch crowd would be gone and the afternoon tea and coffee drinkers had yet to arrive.

He turned back to his companions. Blair had settled into his chair comfortably while Dayne seemed almost one with her seat. Her calmness seemed to flow over the table, soaking him in the essence of it. Her face was incredibly easy to look at with strong features that were somehow very feminine, extremely beautiful in an exotic way. He found the many facets of that face enjoyable to try and figure out. He caught Blair’s intense study of their companion and stifled a grin.

ab

The waiter approached and took their order.

“Oh umm, cool. Yeah, the French Vanilla latte, please.” Blair ordered.

“Regular, black.” Jim requested.

“Double perked, Arabic, please.” They remained in silence while they wait for their coffee. Dayne seemed lost in though so Blair took the time to study the mysterious Dayne Ryder, much as he had done that first day of her course.

She was still beautiful. Her hair was shorter than he remembered but it was the same silken gold and spun silver. The dim lights of the café couldn’t hide the subtleties of the shades. Her eyes were dark violet, purple in some lights and almost black in others. They seemed to have a golden ring surrounding the irises. He noticed she wore no make up but her dark, tanned skin needed nothing to enhance its perfection. Her bone structure was model material and he knew she could easily grace the covers of half the fashion magazines if she so chose.

He also remembered how many students in her class, particularly the male students, had developed crushes on her. Until the last day of class when her husband had come to pick her up. Blair knew many hearts had been broken that day, but not his. He had been more interested in trying to find out when she would be back to teach. He had enjoyed her lectures so much he had wanted to take more. While not officially a member of the police force, he had discovered that she had instilled a desire to know more. For the first time since he had been partnered with Jim he found himself with a desire to become more than just an observer.

Now, while he watched her drink the coffee the waiter put in front of her, he marvelled at her calmness. That was one of the things that had struck him the first time he had seen her. She was in a dangerous line of work, talking about how the criminal mind had changed in the last four hundred years and yet none of it seemed to affect her. He wanted to know how she did it. Every time he stumbled into a crime scene he was still sickened by it.

“You are staring,” she told him without looking at him. He was startled, her faintly accented voice pulling him away from his thoughts.

“I guess I was, sorry.” He grinned at her, then was a little put off when she didn’t return it.

“You did that a lot in class too, if I recall.” She put her cup down and leaned against the table as if trying to hold herself together. Blair felt a twinge of understanding though was not able to discern why. He was stunned to think that she had even known he was there.

“Perfectly, it would seem. I didn’t even think you knew who I was.” Blair actually felt the pleasure of her comment heating his face.

“If I had been grading the course you would have been the only student with 100%.” She put her coffee cup down. “I remember you asked some of the most intriguing questions.”

“Well, I must admit your course fascinated me. I could never understand how someone like you would get involved in police work. I mean you don’t exactly seem the type.” He leaned forward, eager to have some of his questions answered at last. Jim sipped his coffee, content to let Blair lead the opening gambit in this game. The café was relatively quiet with a background lull of other conversations, the soft clinking of silverware and the occasional ringing of the phone up near the front counter. If not for their case, it might have been a nice afternoon coffee break.

“Neither do you. I did not realise you were a police officer.” She stated her words rather than asked Blair. It was an effective means to avoid answering his unspoken questions.

“I’m not. Well, not officially.” Blair found himself responding. “I am actually a part time professor at Rainer and a full time consultant with the department.”

“I see.” She picked up her coffee cup and took a long swallow of the piping hot drink. Blair was surprised that she didn’t ask why he was partnered with one of Cascade’s finest. It was the usual response but maybe she wasn’t aware of what he actually was, an anthropologist.

“Someone just entered the café. Can you see him?” Dayne asked, breaking through Blair’s continued study of her. Her eyes were downcast to the table but the question was sharp, aware.

Blair looked toward Jim as the older man glanced towards the doorway. “Yup. Tall, white hair, blue eyes. Hat in hand and he’s wearing a dark suit.”

“Dark blue, actually. That is Hubert Thorgusen. He is our main suspect. My sources tell me that he heads a team of young but brilliant thieves. He has been known to arrange for the theft of very rare and difficult to obtain treasures. The Ambassador’s jewels would fit right into his known MO.”

“How did you know he would be here? And how did you know he had entered the café?” Jim asked. Blair heard the astonishment in his voice. She had not once glanced in the direction of the doorway.

“How did you know his eyes were blue?” Dayne countered. She glanced towards the door where the light from the hotel lobby made it difficult to see details in the darker entrance of the cafe. Her point was made very clear. Blair cleared his throat in warning. Something told him that this woman was dangerous and no matter how much he respected her, she could easily find out Jim’s secret and that was too big a threat to ignore.

ab

Dayne ignored the younger man. Her thoughts were focused inwards, remembering past cases in which Thorgusen was a suspect. All the nasty little pies he had his fingers in and how the man had been careful not to involve Dayne or Elite in anyway. Now was different.

For the first time since Thorgusen had come to Dayne’s attention, he had overstepped that fine line between Dayne leaving him alone or taking him down. Too many terrible situations and too much ugliness have left her not unprepared to do whatever was necessary to get the job done and be squeamish about it.

There was only one way to deal with the sort of man Thorgusen was. She could and would throw the book at him. Legally, of course. She had been forced to kill only once in her life, but the effects that had on her psyche had left telltale scars even to this day. For that reason she refused to carry a gun. Not that she wasn’t lethal all by herself but she could control herself better without a weapon. No, Thorgusen would live if it were up to her. If he allowed her that choice.

She couldn’t vouch for Ellison. He seemed the type who wouldn’t hesitate to shoot to kill if necessary. Something told her, though, that he would not be trigger-happy and for that she was glad. Finally, realizing a few seconds had slipped by during her reminiscence, she began to speak again, answering Jim’s question about Thorgusen.

“Until now, our paths have never crossed and he has stayed out of my jurisdiction. If he is indeed involved in the theft and Hank’s murder he will be brought to justice. I will deal with him.” The coldness of her voice brought both Jim and Blair’s attention to her. Her face and eyes were completely empty and Jim shuddered in spite himself and realised that Taggart’s comment earlier had been right on the money. “He killed or had someone else kill a very good man and I will see that he pays for it.”

Dayne stopped and seemed to realise that they were still sitting there. Her eyes rose from her cup to latch onto Jim’s face, boring into his own blue orbs. He felt himself slipping into them. It was like she really could see into the very depths of his soul and he saw himself deep within the magnificent violet irises. He couldn’t stop it even when he began to feel the zone-out. He wanted to lose himself in their depths.

“Jim. Come on, man. Don’t do this. Not here.” Blair’s gentle voice, just loud enough for a Sentinel to hear, broke through at the same time Dayne turned her head to gaze at Blair, almost as if she heard his words. Jim shook his head slightly to clear it and glanced back towards their quarry.

Dayne took one last swallow of her coffee, staring into the empty cup. “When he is seated, let us leave. I’d rather not be seen by him just yet. You go first and I’ll follow in a moment.”

“They are taking him to his seat now. On the other side of the restaurant,” Jim informed them, his voice still tight from his near zone-out.

“Okay, go ahead. I will meet you at the front doors in a just a moment. I have to use the ladies room.” She gave a faint smile and rose, heading for the back of the restaurant.

ab

“So what do you think of this Mrs. Ryder?” Blair asked casually. He was watching for his partner’s reaction.

“Not quite sure what I make of her. Yet. But she does bear closer watching and I think she suspects something about me.” Jim’s jaw clenched as he thought back to how he had almost zoned when she had looked directly into his eyes. There had been something there that had called to him, prompted him to abandon thought of all else except surrendering himself to the dark liquid depths of her eyes.

“I got the same impression. I also think she has some sort of heightened senses herself. I think she heard me whisper to you.” Blair paused for a brief moment before asking the one question that had been on his mind for a while now. “What do we do about it?”

“Nothing we can do but hope we are wrong. You know, I couldn’t get anything from her. Did you know she has no heartbeat?” Jim commented, puzzled.

“Actually I do, Detective. Just not like yours.” Dayne announced from behind the two men. They both jumped at her sudden appearance. She ignored their surprise and went straight back to business, her tone slightly mocking, now. “I want to get a line on Mr. Thorgusen. I want to know where his base is, who are the members of his team and what their plans are. I think you can find out that much for me. I have some other leads I want to check out first.”

“Mrs. Ryder, how do you know he is involved? Who exactly is he?” Jim demanded. Blair heard the faint touch of anger that slipped into Jim’s tone. He had heard it often enough to recognized it and was glad it wasn’t directed at himself.

“That is what I need you to find out. I know what I do because it is my job to keep on top of these things. However, at this time I am missing some information that may prove critical… “ She paused suddenly, listening. Jim stretched out his hearing in an effort to listen also. He heard nothing unusual. “I have to go. Please, find what you can and I will meet you at your apartment in a couple of hours.”

Jim and Blair stared after her as she turned and made her way down the street away from the downtown core.

“Nope, I don’t think I trust her just yet.” Jim muttered. His gaze just followed, watching the sway of her black leather clad hips beneath the red jacket, trailing after her like he was some lost little puppy.

“Jeez, Jim. You gotta stop that. Come on, what’d you hear?” Blair asked, pulling him abruptly back from the red haze he’d slipped into. “She was listening for something. Did you pick up on it?”

For the second time in as many minutes he found himself shaking his head to clear it. “No. There was nothing but street noises. A siren four blocks over and some kids in the park.”

“Strange.”

“Yup. Come on. Let’s find out what we can on Mr. Thorgusen. And Mrs. Ryder.” Jim cast a smile towards his friend and Guide. “Maybe things aren’t as bad as they seem.”

ab

Dayne was more than six blocks away by the time the dark blue sedan pulled up in front of the café. Jim Ellison and Blair Sandburg had collected their truck and had left also. The four men who piled out were visibly disappointed that they had lost their prey. The driver swore loudly causing a pedestrian to glance sharply at him and swing wide in avoidance.

The four men piled back in the car and took off heading north. All kept their eyes peeled for the woman with long silver/gold hair.

ab

Dayne spent the remainder of her day at her hotel doing some follow up on Hubert Thorgusen. After retrieving her laptop from her car, she’d spent the afternoon in research. By the time her watch beeped five she had compiled an impressive collection of information concerning his legitimate businesses and almost as much regarding his less than legal enterprises. When she had enough, she picked up her phone and called home to retrieve her messages. Then she called Wayne Westmore, her second in command at Elite.

“Hey, doll. What’s up?” The hearty voice boomed in her ear. They talked for several minutes discussing various cases that Elite was working on but finally she knew she had to hang up.

“Heard from Nick yet?” she asked softly.

“Nope. He was going to check in tonight though. Do you want me to have him call?” He knew the question was stupid. Nick would call anyway even if Wayne said nothing.

“No. I’m sure he’ll call when he has time. Thanks, Wayne.”

“Anytime. Take care of yourself. Remember, Krakov is still around and I heard through the grapevine that the contract is up another quarter mil.”

“Damn, he is getting desperate.” Dayne allowed herself a tiny grin. She had long since come to accept that her abilities made her a target, but she still found them more an asset than detriment. She wasn’t concerned about Anton Krakov and his crazy ideas; let him try something, and the sooner the better. Anything that she could take action against was better than this not-so-subtle backdoor approach utilizing outside assistance.

“Keep an eye on him yourself,” Dayne told him. “Do me a favour, if he leaves Vegas, let me know.”

“You got it. Anything else?”

“No, not for now. I have all I need on this case. I’m going to head over to met Ellison and Sandburg. Hopefully between the three of us we can wrap this. I need to get home.”

Wayne nodded his understanding then disconnected the vidphone. She sighed heavily, rolling her head, trying to relieve the tension in her neck. She raised her arms to stretch out tight shoulders then rose, making a quick decision. She still had a couple of hours to kill before meeting up with Ellison and Sandburg. Grabbing her suit, she decided a brisk workout in the hotel’s pool and weight room was exactly what she needed. As much as she enjoyed playing the game and moving all her pieces into position, waiting for results was always tedious and draining.

ab

“Jim, we just got a call.” Simon called from his office. Jim rose with a glance at Sandburg, working his way through another set of folders on the case, he headed for Simon’s office.

“What’s up, Simon?”

“Dispatch got a call about a disturbance at a warehouse out near Pier 16.” Simon handed his best detective the slip with the address on it. “The owner of the warehouse is none other than Hubert Thorgusen.”

“Damn it.” Ellison swore. “Is the site secure?”

“Yes. As soon as I heard the address I told the uniforms to stand-by until you arrived. The said everything looked quiet.”

“Thanks, Captain.” Jim called as he raced from Banks’ office. “Come on, Chief, let’s go.” Blair grabbed his jacket and pack; he followed his partner to the elevator. He waited until Jim told him what was going down.

ab

Jim pulled the Ford into a parking lot where two squad cars waited near the warehouse. One of the older uniforms got out and headed for him. Jim met him halfway.

“Hey Ellison. Hear this might be connected to one of yours?” Kyle Markham called as he sauntered up. The uniform was a veteran of the streets with almost 20 years of experience. He had refused to take the Lieutenant’s exam, claiming he preferred to walk the beat so he could be close to the people. A good man and a honest cop. One of the best by Jim’s reckoning.

“Yeah. What’s up, Markham?”

“Not sure. Pretty quiet right now. If there was anything going on it was over by the time we arrived. Mitch and Benny just pulled up a couple of minutes before you but I was going to send them off.”

“Let’s do a quick sweep of the grounds. Just to make sure. If you find anything, let me know.”

“Sure thing, Jim.” Kyle headed back to his cruiser while Jim turned back to his partner, bouncing lightly beside him.

“So Chief. If I tell you to stay here you’ll…”

“… laugh in your face. Come on, Jim. You need me to use your senses here.”

“Chief, we don’t even know if anything happened here.”

“So use your senses to find out.” Blair shrugged and grinned. Jim merely rolled his eyes but did as bid, letting his senses wander as he felt Blair put his hand on his shoulder, knowing what Jim was doing.

“Let one sense out at a time. Try your hearing first. What do you hear?”

“Nothing. No sounds other than your voice and the uniforms.”

“Try your smell. Relax, Jim. Listen to my voice and reach out and tell me what you smell.”

Jim closed his eyes and followed Blair’s instructions. At first there was nothing. Then without warning he could smell everything. Stronger than ever before. The scent of blood was overpowering and he gagged, fought back the almost overwhelming sickness that rose. He sank to his knees, nausea overcoming everything else.

Blair was there in an instant, his hand on Jim’s back anchoring him, comforting him. “Easy, Jim. Dial it back down.” Blair soothed, his hand rubbing in light traces across his shoulder. The nausea receded as the smell dissipated. “You okay? Going to be sick?”

“I don’t think so.” Jim leaned back on his heels. “God, that was bad.”

“What happened?”

“Blood. A lot of it. Death.” Jim leaned back further as he felt Blair’s arm supporting him. “I feel awful.”

“Can you still smell it?”

“Yeah, but not as strongly now. I turned down the dial.” Blair helped his friend rise to his feet. He pulled a bottle of water from his pack and passed it to Jim who took a swig. He washed his mouth and spit the water to the ground.

“Better?”

“Yeah, thanks.” He stood steadily now but the smell of blood was still making him queasy. It had been a long time since he had smelled so much blood in one place. His mind shied away from the memory as he focused on the current situation. “There are bodies here. Several I think from the smell.”

“Are you up to searching for them?” Blair asked, hoping Jim would say no.

“I think we need to get some back up on this. Let’s call Simon, Chief. Get a full CSI team out here and some more uniforms. We need to secure the scene and we’re going to need body bags. At least three, possibly more. Plus, we need to call Dayne and let her know we will be late getting home.”

“I’ll do that while you call Simon.” Blair offered grabbing his cell phone from his pack. Ellison nodded and removed his own from the dash of his truck.

ab

They didn’t get back to the loft until long after midnight. They had discovered the first body outside the warehouse, obviously a lookout who had not done his job properly. He had been shot in the back of the head. At that discovery, Jim had seen the sickened look in his partner’s eyes and demanded that he wait in the truck. For once, Blair obeyed without argument.

Upon entering the warehouse, they found the remaining five bodies. The victims had all been shot multiple times, in locations that would be invariable painful but not necessarily fatal. Jim knew from experience that the human body could tolerate an amazing amount of damage and still continue to function. However, each also bore a fatal shot to the back of the head. It was as if the killer or killers had wanted to inflict the maximum amount of terror and pain on the victims before allowing them the final mercy of death.

To make matters worse, he immediately recognized the last body that was found; he had just seen the man a few hours ago. Hank Thorgusen. Jim’s mind leaped to the image of the Elite commander sitting across from him in a café, knowing without looking that Thorgusen had entered the room. What was her connection to the master thief, and where had she been during the past two hours? He would be willing to bet any amount of money that the remaining victims were all partners in crime. An object sitting in the dim warehouse near Thorgusen’s head caught his attention.

Jim stared at the silver case; identical to the picture Ryder had left with Simon earlier that day. It was still locked, and bore the initials of the Emissary. Presumably the missing jewels. However, if Dayne’s people were behind the deaths, why had they not taken the case with them? As it was, this appeared to be some bizarre gift laid out for her. But if so, by whom?

Right now both men were asleep on their feet. The quiet and emptiness of the loft was a welcome respite from the controlled chaos of the crime scene. A red light flashed indicating a message on the answering machine. But they were both too tired to check it. They had updated Simon, so they knew it wouldn’t have been him. Anything less important could wait until they’d gotten some sleep. And if it was important, well, they’d call back. Jim sighed and watched as Blair stumbled towards his room

“Go get some sleep, Chief.” Blair nodded. Jim could hear his heartbeat, a little fast but steady. “Chief?”

“Yeah?” Blair stopped and looked back at his Sentinel.

“You okay?”

“I will be in the morning.” He grinned tiredly at Jim. “Sleep well.”

“Yeah.” Jim prowled around downstairs, make sure the doors were locked and the windows secure until he heard Blair had changed and climbed into his bed. Only when the deep rhythmic breathing indicated his Guide was asleep did he make his way upstairs to his own welcoming bed.

ab

#307 - 852 Prospect

September 23 - 12:35am

Dayne pulled into the parking lot outside the loft just as the light went off upstairs. The black sports car idled softly in the darkness. She really wanted to check in with Ellison and Sandburg to discover what they’d learned. To compare notes. But she couldn’t bring herself to go up, not yet. Turning off the ignition, she reviewed her evening.

She had gotten their call about discovering a crime scene and that they wouldn’t get home until very late, but she knew she still had to see them – or rather him - now. She had gone to the crime scene but remained out of sight, watching, unobserved herself, as the police personnel finished up their investigation, watching Ellison and Sandburg leave, wondering about their odd friendship again then doing her own investigation. She’d done a very thorough examination but found little. Other than the fact that the hit was exactly the same as the one from New York.

New York. It seemed so long ago, a lifetime perhaps, but in fact only a year. She remembered discovering that crime scene, seeing the bodies laid out like an offering or sacrifice. The victims all suspects in a drug case she’d been working on at the time. They’d been small time hoods who’d managed to get their hands on an Off-world drug that had become a big hit on the streets. Unfortunately that particular drug while helpful to non-humans was deadly to humans and the buzz definitely not worth the price.

Dayne had been close to an arrest when the bodies had been discovered. She’d known then that someone had been following her case and that they’d gotten to them before her. She still wasn’t sure it was payback for something she’d done to someone or someone had felt doing this would be helping her. Either way, she hadn’t appreciated the gesture. She’d been certain that there’d been someone at the top of this group but after the killings the leads had dried up and there’d been nothing to go on. The case remained open.

Now, this second seemingly random group of killings was too coincidental, too familiar. Briefly she wondered what Ellison would think of the connection and she knew she’d have to tell him. He needed to know if they were to close this case. But first she needed details. Dayne hadn’t had a chance to get them from the men when Blair had called her earlier. And her own investigations told her that there was only one person who could have done this.

This was done as a deterrent, a sign to get her off the case… to let her know that they were after her and would get her eventually.

She felt her pursuers getting closer and the sooner she dealt with this the sooner she could deal with the problem of her stalkers. Her brain had been working on that one since she had gotten off the phone with Wayne only two hours ago. She knew of only one person willing to do what had been done.

Dayne’s unique abilities allowed her to sense the occupants of the building. She searched until she found what she was looking for. Blair seemed to be deep into a dreamless sleep but Jim was restless, not sleeping but not fully awake. Knowing from her scan that he was exhausted, she debated about whether or not to disturb him. But her own curiosity about his strange abilities bothered her, and she knew even if she was quiet he might still hear her. And, after all, she might be able to help him sleep better. After she got the information she needed, of course.

“Ghost, surveillance mode.”

“Dai, Dayne.” The door closed silently and the car faded from sight as the surveillance mode came on. She waited until she was sure no one was around before entering the quiet apartment building. She skipped the elevator and chose to take the stairs to the third floor.

She knocked gently on the door and was rewarded by a sudden shift upstairs where she had seen the light go out only moments before. She knocked once more to make sure the big man knew he had indeed heard the door.

“I am sorry to bother you so late,” she said when he pulled the door open. “Can we talk?”

ab

Irritably, Ellison glared at the woman before him but she didn’t flinch or look away. In fact she seemed completely unaffected by the glare that had frozen bigger men. She was dressed as she’d been when they’d parted hours earlier but she still looked impeccable, every hair still in place. Heaving a heavy sigh, he pulled the door open further and stepped back to allow her entrance. He wasn’t sure he was up to this right now after the evening he’d had but she didn’t appear to be going anywhere soon. He could give in as ungraciously as the next person.

“I realize it is late but I saw your light on when I arrived and hoped I might catch you still awake,” she lied smoothly. Moving into the living room, she sat casually on the edge of the couch.

“What do you want?” Ellison growled. He sat on the edge of the coffee table with his elbow on his knees.

“I was hoping I could get some details. Can you tell me what you found?”

“The warehouse appeared to be abandoned, but we traced its ownership to one of Thorgusen’s legitimate companies. One body outside, dead from a single gunshot wound to the back of the head. The others, of course, were Thorgusen and the rest of his people.” Jim narrowed his eyes. “But you know that already, don’t you?” he challenged. He immediately regretted his harsh tone when he saw the fleeting look that passed over the woman’s face. (A combination of what? sadness, regret, triumph, relief, fear???) She rose and moved to the balcony door.

“Six? Bullets to the body and lots of them, the remains hardly recognizable. Lots of blood?” She sounded like she knew what his answer was going to be.

“Yes. And yes, lots of blood.”

“I am sorry about that. Are you all right?” His head jerked up at the question as she turned back to face him. Her impenetrable mask was back in place, softened by something that almost might be concern.

“I am fine. Why do you ask?” He felt confused by the almost tender note in her voice. What right had she to care how he was or felt?

“No reason. Did you manage to get the information on Thorgusen?”

“I am not sure. Maybe. Although it seems moot at this point.”

“Why?”

“We recovered the jewel case. Captain Banks has it for now.” Jim waited but when it appeared she would say nothing more he continued. “There was nothing at the scene but the bodies. All the shell casings had been retrieved and we found no fingerprints or footprints. Nothing. It was professionally done. Whoever did this must have been a group of people, to be able to hold that many for as long as it took to kill them all. It looked like the area had been swept clean of all traces.”

“I see…” Jim watched, struck suddenly by the feeling of uncertainty that seemed to settle over the Elite agent. He didn’t want to like her. It didn’t matter how beautiful or how rich she was. Her methods were dangerous and could get people killed. Her lack of disclosure was as bad if not worse, and there was no way he would ever trust her. But this hesitance was uncharacteristic of everything else she had shown or rather not shown over the last day working together.

In fact she’d seemed to hide behind a cloak of surety, of domination and self-confidence. Her lack of emotional display was disconcerting to say the least. And for some reason he wanted to know why she hid so much. But he wouldn’t ask. It would be too much like accepting her and approving.

Jim moved to the hall table and grabbed a file. He passed it to Dayne. “If you still want it, here.”

ab

Dayne wasn’t sure she entirely hid the flinch at his harsh tone. She knew that she was not well liked by the detective and that he was only helping her because Simon Banks had asked it of him, but the outright hostility stunned her. Trying to ignore it, she opened the file and scanned the seven pages quickly.

“Thank you. I will be going now.” Dayne turned to leave but she just couldn’t go like this. Not when she sensed a tenseness that bore so deep into his being that it was almost palpable. The biopulse she had felt at the hotel was disturbed and she knew that he would have trouble getting to sleep. He would not be so easily able to cast off the lingering shadows of the nightmare he had seen as she had once done. She also knew that she had it within her ability to help him. If he would allow it. She stopped suddenly and turned to face the detective. He stopped only inches from her, as if desperate to get her to leave.

“Will you be able to sleep?”

“I will be fine.” He told her. She shook her head, unable to let it go at that.

“May I?” She asked, reaching her hand to rest it gently on his chest.

ab

Before he could say no she was touching his chest through the thin white t-shirt he wore with his old sweat pants. The touch was gentle and seemingly innocent. He seemed frozen, unable to move, for the scant second of contact. Her warm hand on his shirt felt like she was touching bare skin. A tingling sensation spread quickly throughout his body as a wave of dizziness swept over him. Before he could react, the impression was gone and he felt suddenly clear and untroubled. He didn’t know what she had done, only that his senses were suddenly working right again, and his headache had disappeared.

“Sleep well.” Then she was gone.

ab

Cascade PD

September 23 – 8:15am

Dayne was already at the Precinct when Jim and Blair entered. Blair had the strange feeling that she looked out of place sitting in a chair beside Jim’s desk. He glanced at Jim, who waved Blair on to greet her while he stopped to talk to Brown. For reasons that he was unable to explain even to himself, Blair found that he liked her. Something about Dayne made him feel safe and secure, like Jim, his Blessed Protector. He was a little unsettled by the instant trust he felt for this strange woman, but he would do nothing to change it. Unless circumstances proved differently.

“Good morning.” Dayne said rising to greet him. She was holding a folder in her left hand as she extended the other for him to shake. He gripped her hand gently feeling a warmth flow through him.

They spoke softly for a few minutes. Blair watched Jim surreptitiously, waiting for his partner to join them. He could tell that Dayne had news, but she was holding back, not willing to tell him until Jim arrived.

As they waited, there was a commotion in the hallway as Rafe and Taggart entered leading a man dressed in the black and yellow of one of the local gangs. He wasn’t cuffed and Blair dismissed him as a witness rather than an arrest. He turned back to Dayne. She had risen to her feet and was watching the three men closely. However, there was no incident as they passed the bullpen and headed for one of the interview rooms.

Before Blair could question Dayne on her odd behaviour, Jim passed by. “Dayne, I have to go and talk to the Captain. I won’t be long, just a minute or two. Blair, you keep Dayne company,” Jim said with a slight smirk in Blair’s direction. He didn’t wait for a reply but headed for Simon’s office.

“Are you okay, Dayne?” Blair asked, turning his attention back to her. He noticed that Dayne hadn’t taken her seat. She seemed to be listening rather intently to something.

“Yes, I am fine. Sorry.” She sat again and they continued talking. After a few minutes Blair excused himself and headed out of the bullpen to the bathroom.

ab

Dayne was looking through the reports on Jim’s desk when Jim returned. She hid a tiny grin as he heaved a huge sigh then took them from her, placing them facedown on his desk with just a little more force than necessary. She glanced up at him, hooked an eyebrow higher but said nothing. He didn’t acknowledge the accusing glance but instead queried, “where’s Sandburg?”

“Washroom, I suppose. He hasn’t returned yet.” Dayne glanced up at the detective who was standing with his head tilted slightly as if trying to hear something in the distance. Instantly she tuned into the corridor. She’d felt this coming the moment she’d seen the gang colours, known there would be trouble and she’d let herself lose track of them. On her feet immediately, cursing herself even as she raced out into the hall, Ellison on her heels.

The passage way was in chaos. It was obvious what was happening, too obvious. The police had brought a couple of members from two opposing gangs into the precinct for whatever reason and now they were experiencing the fallout in the form of a violent confrontation between the two sides, with civilians caught in the middle.

She recognized the colours only vaguely. Gangs were not an area she dealt with but the yellow and black were known colours of the Hornets, local Hispanic gang with ties to several west coast cities.

The other young man, obviously from the opposite side, was dressed in black with a bright green bandana wrapped around his head. She wasn’t sure whether this man was a member of the 10/20’s or the Razors. Both gangs were known for the green bandana. It didn’t matter, both gangs were known enemies of the Hornets and either would spell trouble.

The two men were trading insults back and forth. The first gang member charged the second; a knife came into view as the two men went down. How he’d gotten it past security Dayne couldn’t begin to fathom, Cascade PD would have to investigate that one themselves.

Someone screamed as officers and plainclothed detectives converged on the area, guns drawn and aimed at the two men, scuffling violently on the floor, oblivious to anything but trying to kill each other. There were still too many civilians scrambling to get out of the way for anyone to interfere or to even attempt to stop the fight. And with the knife, it was too dangerous. Then matters got worse. From seemingly out of no where more gang members appeared and Dayne knew that the uneasiness she had felt earlier was now fully upon them, as all hell broke loose.

Dayne felt Ellison standing just to her left with his own weapon trained on the group of fighting men. His heart was racing and there was a bead of sweat forming on his brow. She glanced at him to confirm what she sensed. Frustration was pouring off the officers, but especially from Ellison himself. Jim started forward but he was stopped by Dayne’s hand on his arm. {wait Watchman, and learn.}

Dayne, quiet and composed, faded into the confusion taking the gang members down almost without notice. She took two steps into the melee and allowed one of the gang members to grab her. She folded out of his grasp and with a strange movement she had the knife in her hands and the gang member was lying on the floor cuffed with a pair of stun cuffs. Two seconds later a second man was similarly dealt with. The other officers moved in and managed to take down several more until there were only three men left, two holding sharp knives, one held a gun, all wearing the same black and yellow.

Just then Blair came out of the bathroom. Dayne watched as the young man glanced around. Confusion turned to shock as he was grabbed and twisted him until his back was against the gunman’s chest. The muzzle of the weapon pressed painfully into the soft underside of his neck. Dayne felt Jim tense as she stepped forward again.

Blair struggled but the grip tightened. The three men faced the threat from the cops who all held guns trained on the men. It was obvious that they were scared but the two with knives merely stepped behind the man holding the gun on Blair. They seemed to trust him and Dayne pegged him instantly as the leader.

Dayne stepped forward once more bringing the gun in her direction. “Step away,” she called to the officers who wisely moved away from behind her. Where one moment she had been emotionless and relatively harmless, now she was something completely different. There was an air of strength, authority and even power about her that wove out and entrapped the watchers. It was fearsome and fascinating to watch, like a predator taking her prey, or a snake mesmerizing her victim.

She stepped forward one more step, almost close enough to touch the man.

“Stay back! I have a hostage,” the leader of the Hornets told her with a snarl. He jabbed the gun once more into Blair, who winced with the pain of the action but had stopped struggling. The gunman moved his arm until it was around Blair’s neck rather than his chest. The gun moved from his neck to his temple and Blair tensed again.

The gunman backed up a step and turned the gun to aim at Dayne. There was a shuffling of feet as people behind her got out of the line of fire. Dayne ignored them. “You have a choice here. You can try and shoot me but I guarantee that you would miss, or you can surrender now. I will take you down, one way or the other.”

“Hector, man. Come on less get oudda here,” hissed one of the knifemen at the leader.

“And how do you plan to do that? You have, what, thirty cops here. All with guns pointed at you. You think you can take those odds?” Dayne pressed, watching as the leader, Hector, broke into sweat. She could see his arm tighten around Sandburg’s neck and the gun shook as the gang leader’s nervousness became more visible. It was time to end this… now!

Dayne didn’t seem to move for a moment as she studied the scene. No one spoke, nor did they try to interfere.

ab

Blair had heard the first cry and knew with a sinking feeling that there was a problem. He finished washing his hands before wiping them dry. He debated whether or not to go out and see what was happening. ‘Knowing me,’ he thought, ‘I will just get caught in the middle. If it’s all the same to you, I think I will wait right here.’

For several minutes it sounded like world war three then it got quiet. Thinking the storm was over, Blair stepped outside. His first thought was that things were not over as much as he’d thought. There were still three armed men and he was way too close for comfort. But before he had a chance to get out of the way, a young man, not much younger than himself grabbed him. Off balance he was unable to resist as the thug pulled him tight against his chest and jabbed a gun under his chin.

He barely heard the words being spoken, his eyes immediately seeking his sentinel’s. Jim stood behind and to the left of Dayne who had moved forward and was confronting the armed men. She seemed so calm and contained, as if this were a walk in the park. Her face was… was blank and stoic. So much so that he briefly thought Jim should take lessons from her.

As terrified as he was he took note of this, his curious mind getting the better of the fear. His eyes locked on hers and everything seemed to slow to a crawl. His terror seemed to drain away as a curious calm descended over him. There was a flicker in her eyes and then a blur of movement. He was surprised when two seconds later he was lying facedown on the floor, the gunman with stun cuffs on his wrists beside him. Dayne was still moving. She turned to face the other two who also had no idea what had just happened.

“Are you feeling lucky also?” Both knives dropped and hands rose simultaneously. The police moved in and Dayne stepped to Blair’s side.

“Are you alright?” She asked, softly. He nodded, rubbing his neck lightly. Sitting up, he took a deep breath and accepted her hand to his feet.

“Thanks, I’m fine.” He stepped back taking deep, shaky breathes.

“I can help,” she said. She reached out to touch him but Jim’s hand stopped her.

“Leave him alone.” The Sentinel growled fiercely at her. Blair reached to Jim.

“It’s okay, Big Guy. I’m okay,” Blair told the still growling detective. Neither noticed that Dayne had left them.

ab

Dayne backed off and watched as the officers took away the remaining suspects, leading the witnesses to another room to begin taking their statement.

“Excuse me, I don’t suppose you can removed these fancy bracelets so we can take these three downstairs to booking?” a scathing voice asked. Dyane turned to face the speaker. A heavyset man with a handsome black face and gentle eyes reflecting anger faced her.

“Of course.” She moved to help with the removal of her stun cuffs while the other officers replaced them with regulation cuffs.

“Who the hell is she?” she heard one officer say when he thought she was out of earshot.

“No idea, Mac. But we don’t need players like her. Could have gotten us all killed.” The female partner replied. Dayne closed her eyes. Some of the officers were watching her carefully, wondering who she was to come into their situation without so much as a by your leave and subdue the gang members. She caught the glares sent her way by the others, heard the scathing comments about her ‘outside’ interference. Those comments did not bother her. She’d heard them before. She only hoped that Ellison and Sandburg recognised the lesson.

Dayne continued to watch the corridor clear out until only the Watchman and his Guide remained. She didn’t think they were aware she was still there. She watched only a few minutes, confirming that they were indeed alright then turned to finish her own work.

ab

Jim reached for Blair. “Are you okay?” He asked, the tension and anxiety he had felt for those long minutes only now starting to dissipate as he held Blair to him. He felt the smaller man’s arms encircle his own waist and felt the light breath of Blair’s chuckle float across his throat.

“Yeah, man. I am fine. Did you see any of that? What she did, I mean? She moved so fast that I missed it all. Damn.”

“She did my job. I am supposed to protect you,” Jim murmured, looking down at his Guide. Blair looked up at him as he pushed gently but firmly out of Jim’s embrace. Satisfied that Blair was, indeed, unharmed, Jim frowned. “She was showing me something but what, and why?”

“Jim…” Blair started but Jim’s merely shook his head, and then smiled.

“I guess I should thank her.” He let his arm fall loosely over Blair’s shoulders. He turned to do just that, puzzled when he didn’t immediately see her. He could have sworn she was waiting in the corridor behind them. Leading Blair back into the bullpen, he found her by his desk again.

Before Jim could utter a word, she looked straight at him, the imperturbable mask firmly back in place. It was as if the past few minutes, and her actions, had never happened. The words died on Jim’s lips as she spoke.

“I have some good news,” she told them, her voice still soft with its faint accent but now completely void of tone or texture.

“Great. What’s that?” Blair took the seat right behind the desk until Ellison grabbed the scruff of his collar and hauled him up again to take the seat himself. Jim knew if he looked he would see Blair rolling his eyes at that little manoeuvre.

He realized he needed to thank Dayne; somehow he needed to express his appreciation. She’d saved his partner’s life. That meant something regardless of the problems he had with her and her methods; she deserved at least his thanks.

He caught her gaze and told her the only way he knew how.

ab

Dayne caught the whisper of thanks in Jim’s eyes. She knew the words would be difficult for him, not that she would allow him to say them anyway. But she understood his look. He was grateful for her role in rescuing Blair unharmed, and for the gift of sleep the night before. She also knew he was puzzled by her concern for the two of them, but she wasn’t ready to explain her interest just yet.

“I will be leaving today. Thanks to you, Detective the jewel case has been returned and I have learned the fate of my agent. I appreciate that. The Emissary will be arriving this afternoon and I’m glad to be able to end this.” She paused, gathered her printed report, then said, “there is one last thing however, a warning if you will.”

“A warning?” Jim asked, but before Dayne was able to speak, Simon called from his office.

“Dayne, may I see you before you leave?” Simon called her.

She held Jim’s gaze for a moment longer, then nodded and followed Simon into his office. He didn’t close the door. “Thank you for your help there. I don’t know what they were thinking bringing both gangs in at the same time.”

“No problem. Glad I was here to help.”

Simon recognized the cold emotionless tones that were still prevalent in her voice. “Are they still giving you trouble?”

“Nothing I can not handle, Simon. I doubt I’ll have much contact with your staff after I leave today. Besides is isn’t anything I haven’t faced before.”

“True but that doesn’t mean you should have to. It is unprofessional. I heard what they were saying.”

Dayne nodded but didn’t speak for a long moment. “I hoped to use that to show Ellison what I was but I am not sure he understood. Do you still have that file on me?”

“File?” Simon asked, a small squeak to his voice. Dayne gave him a tiny grin.

“Come on, Simon. I know you. I know you had me checked out and I know what you found. You wouldn’t be a very good detective let alone captain if you hadn’t. Beside, I made sure you found the info you needed. I figured it would give you a little peace of mind.”

Dayne watched the rush of emotion cross the normally stoic features then he nodded.

“It did. Immensely. I knew that being in your position with Elite you had to be pretty powerful in your own right but I didn’t know…”

“Not many do, Simon. I hope you realize that,” she told him.

“I do,” he responded, honestly.

“Good. Then show them both the file.”

“Both of them?”

“Yes, they deserve to know. They might understand better. Maybe build a little of that interdepartmental trust you like so much.” They both grinned and for Dayne it wasn’t quite as forced as normal.

“Wouldn’t that put you in more danger?” Simon asked, and Dayne sensed his concern.

“Perhaps, but better me than them. Besides, I’m a one thousand year old Inhuman. I think I can handle a little danger.”

“Yeah, I guess you can at that.” Simon huffed a laugh. “You will keep in touch, right?”

“Of course, maybe next time won’t be fraught with trouble like this time.”

“That would be nice. And you take care, Krakov is still out there and I don’t want to worry.”

“Thanks, Simon. He is next on my list.” Dayne nodded at Simon before leaving his office. She found Jim alone waiting for her.

“Can I speak to you for a moment before you rush off?” he asked.

“Of course.” Dayne followed him into one of the interrogation rooms. She stepped inside and turned to face him as he closed the door. She drew her shields tightly around the room to prevent any sound from escaping.

“I wanted to thank you for what you did today. I… Blair…”

ab

He couldn’t say it; he just couldn’t give her that sort of hold over him. It was hard enough that he had to fight this draw he felt towards her. He didn’t trust her and yet… there was just something so compelling about her. She was just… he didn’t know. There was nothing to put his finger on he just knew that she had helped and he needed to say this. Regardless of his feelings for her. “Just thank you.”

“Detective, Jim.” Dayne held her hand up to stop him. “I understand, really I do and you are welcome. I could no more stand by than you could. I just knew in that scenario, I could do something while others could not. At least not without significant blood loss.”

“Well. Thanks. I also… also wanted… “ Jim was grateful that Dayne was willing to wait while Jim struggled with his feelings, willing to give him his time. Finally, he asked a question that had been bothering him. “What did you do to me last night?”

“Helped where I could.”

“How did you know?” He was disturbed that anyone else, especially her, would realize how deeply the crime scene had affected him.

There was a long pause while she seemed to make up her mind. “Detective. Last year there was a similar situation. A case I was working on where a gang was involved. They were all executed in exactly the same manner. I had nightmares for a week. I knew you weren’t sleeping. I sensed that you were restless and troubled so I merely aided you. You slept well, I trust.”

“You know damn well I did.” He saw her flinch at the tone but he refused to apologize. Then he asked, “This might be that same person then? Someone against you?”

“Not exactly. My warning, as I mentioned, is this. There is a man after me for my abilities. Not the same as yours but similar enough that he may decide to come for you.” Jim tried to deny it, but Dayne continued to speak, not giving him a chance to say anything. “We know very little about him, but his name is Krakov. Keep a low profile. My people are searching for him even now and when we get him, I’ll let you know.”

“That’s it?” Jim said incredulously. “Why don’t we…”

“No!” Her voice was sharp and the command was not to be ignored. He stepped back as if pushed by the strength of her persona. It was powerful, dangerous and he’d never felt anything like it before. He almost missed her next words.

“I know you do not like me or my methods but let me tell you this. Krakov has men who work for him who are stronger and far more deadly than you could ever hope to be. They are on this planet illegally and they know that when I catch them they are headed for the Mol Sector and the prison world. There is nothing they won’t do to prevent that. Including killing you and your partner.

“I know what you are, Watchman. You and your Guardian are safe and protected, by me and my people,” she assured him. “But there are others out there who would use you and your abilities, if they could. Krakov is one of those. He is rich and powerful, and he studies people with special talents. He is most interested in Off-worlders, but that does not mean you would be safe from him. Just be on your guard. Since we are already investigating him, let Elite do their job.

“I know you do not like me, Detective but I am on your side. I am not the ogre I’m made out to be.”

“I know. You are one formidable woman,” he admitted grudgingly.

“Does that mean I am not to be trusted?”

“I don’t know. Are you?” She didn’t answer. She merely stood there and watched him with empty, emotionless eyes. Then she nodded and abruptly turned. It took him several seconds to realize she had gone and by the time he caught up with her she was already in the elevator and the doors were closing.

“Jim, hey, man, where’d she go so fast?” Blair asked as he caught up to them.

“I screwed up, Sandburg,” Jim told him, grabbing his arm and pulling him into the next elevator and punching the button for the ground floor.

His elevator made it to the ground floor just scant seconds after hers and he rushed out to catch her. He caught her arm as she was getting into her car.

“Dayne. For what is it worth, I was out of line back there. I am sorry.” He waited for her reaction but was surprised by it.

She gazed over him for a long moment. He felt a light caress on his mind then it was gone. “Yes, you were.” She got in and drove away. {Just remember my warning, Detective. It may save your life.}

To Be Continued

Note:

1. “Dai” Means, “yes”
2. “Diaiwn” is Dayne’s Offworld name
3. “Kyhema” means “Lady” (A title used for a specific purpose to be revealed later)

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[1] Dai means, “Yes”. Diaiwn is Dayne’s name from here homeworld, only used by other Off-worlders

[2] Kyhema – “Lady”