Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

 

They practiced for an hour before Jared pleaded with her to stop due to his aching arms.  He wasn’t used to this kind of training, and his body was going to be very angry with him in the morning.  She glanced at her watch and saw it was dinnertime.  As if on cue, her stomach growled, making her decision for her.

 

“Alright, alright, quit your whining,” she laughed at Jared, and they made their way out of the ring.  She rifled through her bag, looking for her towel and water bottle.  “So you’re not that bad,” she joked while wiping the back of her neck. 

 

“Oh please, I suck,” he moaned, trying to stretch out his already aching muscles. 

 

“Well, I wasn’t actually going to say it,” she chuckled.  “Truthfully, though, I’ve seen worse, so you’re not that bad off.”

 

He wasn’t sure he believed her, but he appreciated it nonetheless.  “Thanks,” he grinned. 

 

She grabbed her bag and placed her sword back inside, letting her towel rest over her shoulder.  “I’m going to head back to my room for a shower and then go down to dinner.  Want to meet me down there?” she asked as they began walking toward the door. 

 

“Actually, I think I’m going to call it a night.  I’m pretty sure that if I make it through my hot shower, I’m not going to be able to move for the rest of the evening.”  He was only half joking. 

 

“Yeah, I’d take it easy if I were you.  You should probably rub something on your muscles to help keep you from being terribly sore tomorrow,” she advised, speaking from experience.   

 

“I will,” he promised, and he reached out to open the gym door for her.

 

 She thanked him as she walked through and they headed for the elevator.  “Let me give you my number,” she said, holding out her hand for his cell.  “That way you can let me know when you want me to kick your a*s again,” she joked. 

 

“Because that’s exactly what I want to do,” he replied sarcastically but handed her the phone anyway. 

 

She rapidly punched a few buttons and then her bag started vibrating as the elevator doors opened.  “There, now I can call you when I want to get bored to death with more ancient architecture lessons.”

 

“Sounds like a plan,” he chuckled as they got in and punch the third and fourth floor buttons. 

 

She waved him off with a “See you later!” when she exited at the third floor and then waited the few seconds for the doors to seal shut again, taking him up a floor.  She made her way into her room, and she was pulling out her hair band as she walked across the room when a voice called out to her.

 

“Hey, how was your first day back?” 

 

Irin turned to see Nikki lounging on her bed in pajama pants already.  “It was really good.  I got to go back in the field finally,” she told her, dropping her bag next to the closet and kicking off her shoes and socks.  “How about you?”

 

“Same old, same old,” Nikki replied nonchalantly, “Looking forward to Friday tomorrow.” 

 

“Any fun plans for this weekend?”

 

Nikki’s face immediately brightened.  “Brian and I have concert tickets for Saturday night.  I’m so excited!” she fairly squealed. 

 

“That’s awesome,” Irin replied, pleased to see her roommate so happy.  “I’m just going to jump in the shower and then head down to dinner if you want to join,” she offered while pulling clean clothes out of her dresser. 

 

“No, thank you, I’m heading over to Brian’s room in a little bit so we can watch a movie.”

 

“Have fun,” Irin wished as she took her clothes and walked toward the bathroom.

 

“Thanks, you too!” Nikki smiled as Irin shut the bathroom door behind her and started up the shower nice and hot. 

 

Later that night she was lying in bed, willing sleep to take her, but while her body was tired, her mind was still rushing.  Memories of Rhys standing in her room flashed in her mind, and one question plagued her worse than anything else.  She knew no one would believe her if she said he’d been in her room, but that wasn’t the only reason she didn’t say anything.  The question was why didn’t she want to?

 

The next morning Irin woke with a start and whipped her head toward her bookshelf.  All last night she had relived her encounter with Rhys, and it was so vivid, she thought he might actually be there again.  Slowly, her breathing returned to normal as she took in the empty space between her bookshelf and the table.  When she finally looked at her clock, she saw she was three minutes ahead of her usual 7:30 alarm, so she swung her legs over the side of the bed and reached out to reset it.  Then she padded quietly into the bathroom for a shower, being careful not to wake Nikki and get her Friday off to a bad start. 

 

It wasn’t long before she was walking into the cafeteria with her brothers, whom she had met by the elevator.  They all piled plates with their favorite breakfast foods and headed for the back corner where they met Chris and Tom.  Chatter was mostly flowing between those two as the siblings were not what anyone would consider chipper morning people. 

 

Halfway into the meal, they heard a sound that they had been waiting to hear for two weeks.  Simultaneously, their alarms went off, causing various pairs of eyes to turn in their direction. 

 

Chris laughed at the looks of pure delight that crossed their faces.  “Guess you’ve got to go, huh?” 

 

“Yep!” Irin smiled, practically showing all of her teeth as she hastily gathered her tray from the table. 

 

“We’ll catch up with you later,” Jace told him as he and Lance followed Irin out.

 

In less than five minutes they were back at the elevator, dressed and armed for the mission ahead.  Lance reached out to push the button for the top floor, and the elevator took off, filled with an excitement very different from the one they had felt the day before.  Yesterday, there was only the possibility of a mission.  Today, they were guaranteed to be back at the job they loved best.  When the doors opened, they headed straight for the War Room and arranged themselves on one side of the long table. 

 

The Commander arrived a moment later, folder in hand.  “Glad to see your time off hasn’t hampered your ability to take forever to answer an alert,” he ground out brusquely. 

 

“The way I see it, we were here before you,” Irin was quick to point out smugly. 

 

The Commander huffed and flipped the file open, glaring at her.  “I see your attitude hasn’t been affected either.  14 September 1778, France.  You guys are lucky, since this is an easy one.  We’ve got about an hour’s advance notice, and the rift was small: expect two hostiles.  It’d be best for you to put boots on the ground now and get a good feel for the area than to wait.  These guys are getting smarter, and we’re having to work twice as hard to keep ahead.  We lost two ripples in as many weeks, and that is unacceptable.  I’m counting on you guys to get the job done.  Look me in the eye and tell me you aren’t going to screw this up like the last two times,” he ordered them point blank, leaning forward and eying them squarely. 

 

They looked back evenly.  “No, sir,” they chorused. 

 

“You damn well better be right,” he threatened.  “Go on, get out of here.  Scotty’s waiting with your coordinates.” 

 

“Yes, sir.”  They left the War Room quickly to scan into the Weave Bay.

 

“Well, well, if it isn’t the Three Musketeers back together saving the world,” Scotty teased as he watched them file in and take positions on the platform. 

 

“Have you missed us?” Lance simpered, pinching his lips in a mockery of a concerned pout. 

 

Scotty let out a full laugh.  “It’s safe to say things aren’t nearly as exciting when you guys aren’t around.”

 

“You hear that, Jace?  We’re the life of the party!” Lance crowed. 

 

“As if there were any doubt,” Irin boasted with a wink. 

 

“As modest as ever.  Not even probation could rob you of that,” Scotty chuckled.  “It’s a good thing you’re headed to France then.  Your sense of modesty will fit right in.”

 

“Anything special to look forward to on arrival?” Jace asked, always the practical one of the group. 

 

“Nothing in particular, but you know France.  There’s always some shenanigan or another going on,” Scotty quipped, and they chuckled in response.  “You guys are actually headed to village in the south along the sea, so it will probably be pretty calm as far as locals go.  Coordinates are up on the screen.  Any other questions before you go?”

 

Lance looked at both his siblings.  “Nope, I think that’s it.” 

 

“Then good luck, guys.  I’ll see you when you get back,” Scotty wished them.

 

“See you,” they intoned before turning to one another. 

 

Irin and her brothers turned, exchanging their traditional parting words.  Before Jace let go of her arm, he continued, “please don’t run off without us, ok?”  His words were teasing, but she could hear the serious edge. 

 

She nodded and then turned to begin her Weave.  A few seconds later she flashed out of existence. 

-.-

“Xandra, have you got the coordinates for the Sahara mission yet?” Scotty asked the other technician in the Bay Operating Room distractedly.

 

“Yes, coordinates and location information are already loaded into the servers,” she replied from across the room, turning to look at him.  She noticed his single-minded focus on his screen.  “What crazy project are you working on now?”

 

“I’m still trying to analyze the energy signatures from the rogue Weaver the Cavaleris found.  The data are fascinating and quite distinct.” 

 

“Any luck with that?” she asked, trying to sound interested.  She was employed up here because her specialty was the Bay.  She knew how to operate and maintain it better than any of the other technicians.  Scotty, however, was up here because he was the master at analyzing Weaving.  He could plot courses, analyze energy, lock web destinations and pretty much tell people whatever they wanted to know.  He had designed a ton of the equipment that the Company used nowadays, and he was allowed virtually free reign because of it. 

 

“Unfortunately, no,” he frowned.  “I’ve never seen anything like this before and I haven’t got much to work with, which is the true problem.  I can attempt to characterize the Weave, but without more data, I could be missing the important elements.  What I wouldn’t give to be able to see him in action!” he exclaimed wistfully.

 

Xandra frowned.  “You sound like you admire him,” she accused.  “Don’t forget he’s a huge threat to the Company and a possible enemy.” 

 

“I haven’t forgotten anything, especially the fact we know practically nothing about him,” he countered, peeved that people could be so biased against something they didn’t understand.  “I’m just saying I’d like more data to work with, because what I have so far is truly fascinating.”

 

She rolled her eyes.  He would always be more interested in the science of Weaving than anything else.  About to comment on that, she glanced at her screen and noticed a window flashing.  “Incoming Weave,” she alerted him instead. 

 

“I’ll take this one,” he told her, preparing to check the agents back in. 

 

Seconds later they could hear the muted thunderclap from the Bay that announced the arrival of Jace, who moved off the platform to make room for Lance and Irin to come in with hostiles in tow. 

 

“Looks like you guys had a productive morning.  Want me to call up some techs to haul those guys off?” Scotty asked, motioning to the hostiles. 

 

“Please do,” Irin said, rolling her guy’s prone body onto his back before standing up and dusting herself off. 

 

“Good job, guys,” Jace complimented his team as they dragged the bodies off of the platform.  

 

“0031359,” Irin called up so Scotty could key it in for the scanner.  She placed her hand on the gel-filled pad and heard the beep as the door began to open.  She walked out, leaving her hostage inside for the techs.  Jace and Lance soon followed her, and they made their way to the elevator.  There was silent contentment for the short ride down and as the doors opened to let them into the hall. 

 

“I’ll catch you guys later,” Irin wished with a wave as she left her brothers at their door and continued to hers.  She let herself into her room and prepared to jump into the shower. 

 

Twenty minutes later she was dressed in a pair of black cotton shorts and a white tank top as she wrung excess water out of her hair.  She hummed quietly to herself as she used a wide toothed comb to get out the loose knots, but she paused when she heard a faint noise come from the main room.  “Nikki?” she called out, wondering if her roommate had come back on her lunch break.   When no one answered, she peered around the door to see what, if anything, was going on. 

 

The sight that greeted her really shouldn’t have surprised her that much anymore.  It was the back of a tall, black haired man, who could have only been one person. 

 

“What are you doing here?” she hissed angrily.

 

Rhys whipped around, obviously startled, with one of her books in his hands.  “I wanted to speak with you,” he stated as if it were the most natural desire in the world. 

 

“I told you, we can’t talk here.  Do you have any idea how much trouble I would be in if they found you here?”  She kept her voice to a stern whisper on the slim chance someone was listening at the door. 

 

“No?” he replied as he set her book on the table, confused by her anger.

 

She threw her hands up in despair.  “Loads!  They’d probably kick me out forever!” she cried, alarming him. 

 

“I see,” he responded, his eyebrows drawing together as he pondered her predicament. 

 

She had no idea what he was contemplating, but she didn’t spend much time considering it.  She was too busy trying to figure out what to do now.  On the one hand, she really wanted him gone before he was caught and she was in a mountain of trouble.  On the other hand, she was really curious about why he wanted to talk to her so badly.  Her train of thought was interrupted as he started to walk toward her. 

 

“What are you doing?” she snapped suspiciously, immediately tensing. 

 

“Relax.”  His voice was soothing as he stopped less than foot from her, not touching her, but well within her personal bubble. 

 

She found herself doing the exact opposite of relaxing as he brought his hands up between them.  “Wha�"” she began to ask, not realizing what he was doing.  She understood a half second too late as he brought them together forcefully, and in the bright flash of light, she felt the irresistible pull of the Weave remove her from that time and place. 

 

They cracked back into existence almost immediately, and Irin’s feet landed on a surface that wasn’t entirely stable.  That, coupled with her special landing skills, caused her balance to fail her, and her arms shot out as she prepared for a fall that never came.  Rhys reached out quickly to grasp her arm to steady her. 

 

“Are you alright?” he asked, his blue eyes wide with concern. 

 

She ignored his question as she yanked out of his grasp.  “WHAT THE F**K?” she yelled, and his concerned look immediately changed to one of wary confusion.  “Where the f**k are we?”  All she could tell was they were on a deserted beach somewhere with clear, blue-green water and a warm breeze.  It would have been very pleasant under any other circumstances. 

 

“I think I do not understand your use of that word,” he finally said, confusion evident in his voice.

 

Her eyes whipped back to his.  “What?” 

 

“That word you used: f**k,” he clarified, and she finally realized what he meant. 

 

“It’s �" it’s just an expression.”  She couldn’t believe she was being asked for a colloquialism lesson. 

 

“I see,” he replied slowly, his wary gaze never leaving her.

 

She exhaled forcefully in an effort to calm down and be rational.  “Can you just tell me where we are?” she finally asked. 

 

“I believe it is called Australia,” he responded, his tone lightening a little when he saw she wasn’t freaking out as much anymore. 

 

She closed her eyes to maintain her Zen attitude.  “And when are we?” she asked resignedly. 

 

“Mid nineteenth century.” 

 

She gave a small nod and then opened her eyes to look at him squarely.  “And why exactly are we here?” she ground out. 

 

He looked slightly taken aback at that.  “You said it was not possible for us to speak where you were.” 

 

Her eyes widened in shock.  “So you just thought you should kidnap me?” she shrieked.  Well, so much for a Zen attitude. 

 

“I have not kidnapped you!” he backpedaled quickly.  “You are free to go at any time.  I just wanted to go somewhere we could speak unhindered.”

 

His logic, however, wasn’t softening her.  “That does not mean you can whisk people off whenever you feel like it!”

 

“I apologize,” he said sincerely, “I did not realize you would not want to come.” 

 

“How in the world would you know what I want?” she continued yelling.  “You didn’t even bother to ask!”  He didn’t say anything as he looked at her apologetically.  She tried to hang onto her irate feeling, but somewhere in the back of her brain, her rational side was telling her that yelling and being angry wasn’t getting her anywhere, so she let out a frustrated groan and ran her hands through her hair.  “Ok, alright, I get that you’re sorry.  You just �" you can’t whisk me off like that just because you want to,” she explained. 

 

“I understand.  I will not do it again.” 

 

“Good, thank you,” she replied, glad for her small victory.  She finally took that moment to look at him, really look at him.  He looked the same as she remembered: tall, fair skin, black hair and blue eyes.  She noticed the way his eyes were so honest, revealing his emotions to her.  With them so sincerely apologetic right now, it was hard to believe she’d ever found him to be dangerous.  Their silence stretched on as they examined each other, and she began to feel self-conscious.  “So,” she began slowly, “what did you want to talk about?”

 

Rather than answering her question, instead he asked, “Will you walk with me?”  He even offered her his arm. 

 

She eyed him suspiciously, but didn’t move.  “Why?  Where are we going?”

 

“There are some rocks over there, and I thought we could sit,” he explained, pointing behind her and down the beach. 

 

“And we’re just going to talk, right?” she continued cautiously, still not sure how much she trusted him.  Even golden retrievers could bite. 

 

“Of course,” he answered immediately, and his eyes didn’t betray anything other than honesty.  

 

Deciding that this walk was worth the answers she wanted, she pivoted back on her left foot and swept an arm out to indicate he should go first.  “Lead the way,” she told him resignedly.

 

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