Madi sighed as she went to answer the call; talking to her father was like being on an emotional roller coaster these days. He rarely called anymore, he knew she had nothing to say to him. Today he jumped in before she could cut him off.

"Madi, I know you told me you didn't want to hear from me again but I have something important you need to see." Gibson held a manila envelope up the video screen. "My new lab assistant found this yesterday; it's been here for months --you know how I am about opening mail." Madi felt a pang of homesickness for her father's office and the lab. A slight smile touched her mouth. She knew. Eight months of unopened mail was nothing when her father was working. His next words wiped the smile away.

"It's from an old associate of mine, I helped him out once with some gambling debts. He was murdered several months ago, apparently right after he mailed this to me. I think he was trying to leave a trail in case something happened to him. Madi, you must see these papers. You and Lt. Hawkes. I would mail them to you but I'm afraid to with the postal system as unstable as it is."

"Why Cooper, Dad?"

"I can't say here but you asked me on the Saratoga to help you with a puzzle concerning Hawkes. His genetic makeup? You won't believe it when you see it Madi. It's all in here." Gibson held up the package. "If anyone finds out that I have this I'm a dead man and that's another reason I won't mail them to you."

Madi felt a jolt of alarm at her father's words, something was definitely wrong and Madi had an idea this was related to Cooper's getting shot. Thursday was positive the bullet had been meant for him, not Hayden. She had even discussed a rather shocking idea about Hayden with her. Madi's blood ran cold when she thought of her father in the middle of something that could get very bloody. Her father would be helpless in a situation like this, he'd only been a naive pawn before. Madi had wondered several times at the small dosage her father had given Cooper. A unit more and he would have been dead. It wasn't like her father to make mistakes like that and while Madi still blamed him for doing something so wrong to an innocent person she didn't think he could actually kill anyone.

Madi kicked into her other mode. She was put out with her father right now but she'd never forgive herself if something happened to him. She was suddenly sorry she hadn't tried to make amends with him before. If her suspicions were correct and someone found out Bernard had the information in that package she might never get another chance.

"Dad, where are you calling me from?" She prayed it wasn't the Aerotech lab, all phone lines there were monitored and he'd be dead before he got to the parking lot.

"I'm in a phone booth, dear, downtown."

"Okay, now listen to me. Do exactly as I tell you. Call Lucas at this address." Madi punched in her private code for a secured line. "Do it as soon as I disconnect. Tell him I said to pick you up at the phone booth, then I want you find a doorway or a something to stand behind where you can watch the booth -- but don't come out until you actually see Lucas. Give him the envelope; he'll know what to do with it. I want you to stay with Lucas, Dad. Don't go home until he tells you it's okay, not even for clothes or your notes. And for God's sake stay away from the lab. Any questions?"

"Madi, you're not just a school teacher are you?" Bernard Gibson looked so confused at this discovery that Madi actually laughed a little. Sometimes she wondered that he even remembered her name.

"No, Daddy, I'm not just a teacher. Now, get off this line and call. Remember, if you don't see Lucas, lose yourself in the crowd for a distance of thirty minutes and then call me back from another phone booth. Don't go anywhere familiar. He'll let me know when he picks you up. Dad…I love you. Be careful."

"So what was that all about?"

Madi whirled around to see Cooper standing behind her. For one second she thought about keeping the truth from him, protecting him, but then she remembered the web they'd just untangled and decided she would never lie to him again if she could help it.

"How much did you hear?"

"I just heard your father say you didn't want to him calling here any more. Why's that?"

Madi was relieved he hadn't heard the rest, she would talk with Lucas first after he had the file. He and Thursday would know what to do with the information.

"I haven't been able to talk to him since he hurt you Cooper. I didn't think I'd ever be able to forgive him but he's in trouble. I feel like such a traitor to you but I have to help my father." Because she looked so lost and miserable he gathered her to him. She nestled into him so he guessed he was doing this comforting thing right.

"McQueen said he was threatened - or I guess I should say you were threatened. It's okay to give the guy a break, Madi. I don't know much about human behavior but it seems to me he was just doing what anyone that loved you would do." Cooper was overwhelmed that she would choose him over her father. He couldn't even begin to describe what he felt, honored was the closest word he could think of. However, he couldn't let Madi make a choice between them. Cooper revered family too much to let someone throw one away over one mistake.

"Maybe, Cooper, but it was my job to protect you and I failed. You'll never know what I felt when I saw you on the floor and while I waited to see if you would ever regain consciousness. The fact that my father did that to you…"

"Madi, that's just it. He did it to me and I'm not saying it was right - I can't thank him for these voices I hear - but I might do the same to protect you or the kids. You have to let that be between me and him, Madi. I don't want you to lose your father over me."

"Cooper, I can't just forget what he did."

"I know and you can be outraged all you want but I can take care of myself, Mad. I don't need a mother and I don't want you to hate your father. When I'm back on the Saratoga I'll feel better knowing that you have him to turn to if you need him. You have a father, Madi, don't ever take him for granted."

"He was wrong though, Cooper. No matter how you look at it he was wrong."

"It's shades of grey, Madi." Cooper looked so guilty when he said it that Madi knew.

"You can talk to Lucas can't you?" She placed her fingers on his temple. "Here." It explained why he had so many of Lucas's mannerisms when they had spent so little time together.

"Madi we were talking about your father."

"Lucas is always telling me I can't see shades of grey - he said that to you about me didn't he?"

Cooper tried to gauge her expression and since she didn't look mad he decided this might be a good time to work on the problem. "He mentioned it, Madi, but I brought it up. I wanted Lucas's advice on how to get you and McQueen to be friends. That's when he said it might be tough, that you and McQueen fought all the time because neither of you could see shades of grey - only black and white - right and wrong. Please don't be angry at Lucas, Mad. He was just trying to explain it to me."

"I'm not angry. Maybe he's right and I have realized that my father had sort of good intentions. If he wanted you dead you probably would be" She avoided mentioning McQueen, that man just rubbed her the wrong way.

"Madi, I meant what I said about McQueen. I told him this morning that I wanted you two to get along. If you want to make me happy then you'll try to forget what he said. He only wanted what was best for me. Okay?"

"I'll try Cooper, if you can overlook my father's trying to hurt you I'll try to overlook McQueen." Madi pulled back a little to smile at Cooper and then hugged him tighter.

"Look at you, when did you get so smart about people?"

Cooper rubbed his face against her curls and enjoyed the sensation of holding Madi. "I'm not smart about most people, Madi, just the ones I care about I guess."

Madi thought about the envelope her father had. She would have to trust Lucas to know what to do with it. It was key she knew to solving this puzzle as to why someone wanted Cooper dead; she didn't even know if Lucas knew all the details.

Madi pulled Cooper into the bedroom, housework forgotten. Their time was running short and Madi wasn't just thinking of his leave. It was starting again.

She wrapped her arms tight around his waist, covering his face with desperate kisses. She felt him smile against her mouth as he ran his hands through her hair and down her back to hold her closer as his tongue dipped into her mouth. They exchanged hungry kisses for a while, their ardour building until she realised that he wasn't just shivering with desire.

"Cold, huh?" she grinned at him. He nodded, slightly put out that she wanted to talk. "I could build the fires up a little?" she suggested. He frowned at her, a little more put out that she insisted on using her mouth for talking. And then his face relaxed and he grinned at her.

"You could concentrate on the other fires that you're building," he said suggestively. She looked at him amazed for a second, and then burst out laughing. The pout he greeted that outburst with made her laugh even harder, before she kissed him, hard, again.

"I've got another idea," she suggested, still kissing his pout away. "Why don't we build up the fires somewhere else? We've got all day." He looked at her confused. She moved closer to him again, looking deep into his eyes and running her fingers slowly up his chest. "You know," she said, "Thursday has a sauna in the rear of the house."

"Sauna?"

"Yes, not a big one of course, just one of those small, do it yourself constructions that you can put indoors. She's quite good with her hands, is our Tee." Cooper was still looking confused. "What is it, honey?"

Cooper hesitated. He knew Madi would never treat him as though he was stupid, unlike a lot of other people he'd met in his short life, but sometimes he was very ashamed about how little he actually knew. But he'd never know if he didn't ask. "Madi, what's sauna."

"A sauna is.... well, it's like a room where you sit and it's hot and steamy."

"Why?"

That one stumped her. "It's supposed to be healthy and it relaxes you and ... it feels good." She wrapped her arms around him again, rubbing her cheek along his arm, feeling the goose bumps as she did so. "And it warms you up."

What she'd forgot to mention was that it was also small. And cramped. And not very well lit. So while she stretched herself out on one of the benches that ran around the inside, he sat himself gingerly down in one corner and tried desperately not to freak out. It was smaller even than the pantry. He hadn't felt claustrophobic there. It was small, certainly, but it was a walk in pantry and well lit, so he hadn't felt closed in. Here he did.

He glanced at her, stretched out with a alight smile on her face, enjoying the heat. He wondered how long they'd have to stay in here. He wondered if he could stand it that long.

It didn't take her long to realise that he was unnaturally quiet. At first she thought that he was just enjoying the heat, just like she was, but when he didn't join her on the bench she glanced over at him and saw him sitting there, his eyes clenched tightly shut. The sweat on his skin, she realised, wasn't just from the heat. For a terrible moment she thought that he was ill again.

In a panic, she scooted over to him, running her hands over his forehead, to see if he was running a temperature, before she realised that in a sauna that wouldn't tell her anything. He opened agonised blue eyes and looked at her.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

"Madi, can we get out of here, please," he whispered.

"Of course, baby. Are you okay?"

"I just don't like small spaces very much," he replied in a small voice. "They.... they remind me of being in the tank. I know that we're not supposed to remember, but I do."

"How do you cope with being in your plane?" she wanted to know. He seemed to have calmed down a little now that they were talking. It was taking his mind of it.

"That doesn't bother me," he answered. "It's not the same. I can see around me. And flying... it's the best thing in the world. I used to watch the birds, and wonder what it would be like." There was a wistful tone in his voice as he remembered. "It's difficult some other times, though. Like in the tunnels...." His voice tailed off.

"Hasn't anybody tried to help you with this?" she asked. "Haven't you seen... a psychiatrist or counsellor or someone?" His eyes narrowed.

"I'm not crazy!" he snapped.

"No, baby, I know, but sometimes they can help you with things like that."

"Like they'd bother with a tank!" He had a point she realised. Maybe it was up to her. He couldn't go on like this for the rest of his life.

"Coop, baby," she whispered in his ear, running her finger down his sweat slicked chest towards the towel around his waist. "What you need is a little occupational therapy and a little TLC."

"TLC?"

"Tender... Loving... Care..." she whispered, punctuating each word with a kiss on the tender skin beneath his ear. She gently pushed him back down onto the bench, sliding her hands over his skin, and then began to kiss her way down his body, taking her time. The heat was making her languorous and she wanted to take it easy. He was spooked enough already without her rushing him. He seemed to have relaxed a little, but she kept one eye on him just in case.

"And I know just who to provide that particular therapy," she whispered. Her fingers sliding over his skin made him sigh. "What you need to do, baby, is think about this whenever you're scared." She placed gentle kisses on his chest, before placing her hand in the centre and raising her head to look at him. "Whenever you're somewhere small, I want you to remember what I'm doing now." She kissed his chest again, lightly nipping at his nipple. "I want you to remember that something good once happened to you in a small place."

Now her fingers were starting to move downwards, leaving a trail of heat in their wake which had nothing to do with the temperature of the sauna. He watched her, enrapt.

"I want you to remember how good I made you feel." She started to place kisses down the length of his flat stomach, listening with pleasure to his sighs. "I want you to remember this and not the tank." She eased her fingers underneath his towel and loosened it. "I want you to remember how much I love you." She removed the towel from his waist, smiling slightly when she saw his arousal.

"I want you to remember the good times, and not the bad."

She lightly kissed the tip of his penis. He closed his eyes and arched his back slightly, his breathing now a little more ragged.

She continued to take her time, teasing him with gentle kisses along his thighs and stomach, running gentle hands over his skin, sensitising every nerve ending in his body. He couldn't be scared now if he tried. He was too busy concentrating on what she was doing him. Finally, after an agonising wait, she slid her mouth gently over his length.

She brought him to the edge and then released him. She ignored his groan of protest, and moved herself over him, kissing him hard on the mouth. She raised herself on her knees above him, and then lowered herself over his slick erection, her sighs and his mingling.

The room was getting hotter, although Madi wasn't sure if this was all due to the steam. She thought that they were generating enough heat between them. It made their moves slow and steady. She rocked her hips in a rhythm older than time, loving the feel of him inside her, sliding in and out, bringing her closer to orgasm.

Finally she couldn't stand it any more, and tensed as the feelings flooded her, before collapsing over him. He wrapped his arms around her and continued to thrust into her until he too climaxed.

For several minutes, they lay entwined, before he could stand it no longer. "Madi," he asked hesitantly. "Can we get out of here now?" Well, she supposed that there was no such thing as an instant cure, but perhaps it would help a little.

"Did it help?" she asked.

"Well," he replied. "There's just one small problem with this... therapy."

"What's that?"

"Well, if I think about this every time I'm in tight quarters all I'm going to get is a raging hard-on."

She looked a little disappointed. He kissed her reassuringly. "It helped," he said. "A little."

"Well," she sighed, "I suppose that that is something. Lets get out of here."

She'd lit the fire in the bedroom while they were waiting for the sauna to heat up, and so it was nice and warm in there now. Not that they needed the heat now, still hot and sweating after the heat of the sauna.

"Shower," she said. His eyes lit up. "Cold shower," she clarified.

He looked bitterly disappointed. "Why?" he wanted to know. "Why do I need to take a cold shower when you're here? Aren't you going to... Don't you want..."

She laughed at him. "Oh Cooper," she said through giggles. "That's what you do after a sauna. A cold shower to cool you down and get rid of the sweat." He glowered at her and she felt a little guilty. She hadn't meant to make him feel stupid.

"Then what?" he asked.

"Then you work up a sweat again."

"Another sauna?" he asked in trepidation. She gave him an evil grin.

"Oh," she murmured throatily, running her finger down his chest. "I'm quite sure we could come up with a more... interesting way to work up a sweat." He got her meaning instantaneously, and grabbed for her. She deftly avoided his grasp and ran for the shower, directing the very cold spray at him when he followed, squealing with delight. Things were definitely looking up.

They were in the process of working up a sweat when the phone rang again. They both froze before Cooper pulled her back down onto the bed. "Let it ring," he whispered in her ear. "If its important, they'll ring back." She didn't take much persuading. Lucas had already called to say her father was with him, anyone else could wait a while.

However, the next time the phone rang, Madi did answer it. It was Blaine, and one look at her face convinced Madi that something was wrong.

"Madi, dear. Is Reece there?" Madi counted slowly to ten. He'd done it again. Every time something in his life didn't go exactly the way he wanted it to, he solved the problem by refusing to face it. Well this time he wasn't going to get his own way. He may have won the battle over the twins, but she'd be damned if she was going to give up Cooper because Reece was jealous and didn't want to share her with anyone he hadn't vetted and approved.

"No," she replied. "I take it that he's not there with you."

Blaine's face crumpled. "No. I'd hoped he'd gone home and just not told anyone. Madi, that's the second time he's done this since he's been here. Is it school? Does he hate it that much?"

"No, Blaine, it's not school. Reece figures that if he runs away, when he comes back I'll do anything he wants just out of relief. And I must admit that up til now he's been right. Don't worry. He'll stay out overnight and then come back tomorrow morning ready to accept my surrender."

Madi thought hard. "Blaine, have you phoned the police yet?"

"No, I thought I'd phone you first. Do you think I should?"

"No, I'll do that. Do me a favour though, and look around the school. Especially places out of the way, but warm. Like the boiler room. Reece isn't stupid. He knows it's cold outside and he doesn't really want to run away. He just wants to scare me. He might be hiding in the school, it's a logical place to hide. Close enough to home so he can march in triumphant tomorrow or the day after."

"All right, Madi. I'm sorry, Madi, I should have guessed he was up to something. He's been quiet all day."

"It's not your fault, Blaine. If anyone should have seen that he was going to pull a stunt like this it was me. I thought we'd sorted this out after the last time though. I'll tell you something for free though. I'll be damned if I give in this time."

"What do you think triggered it?" Madi just looked at her. "Oh, Cooper?"

"Reece is jealous," Madi explained. "He wants some kind of assurance that I'm not going to have anybody in my life that takes precedence over him. Or anybody not of his choosing," she added, thinking of the twins. Reece certainly had no problem sharing her with them. As long as it was on his terms. "I'm not giving Cooper up. Not even for Reece. And if I did, I'd never be able to have any sort of a life. You do understand, don't you Blaine," Madi pleaded, terribly afraid that she was just being selfish, like those mothers who dumped their kids for any man who came along. Those mothers she despised. Blaine's face broke into a reassuring smile.

"Oh, of course you're not being selfish Madi. Reece is. I don't think I've ever seen you looking this happy, and all I can say is that it's about time. Don't worry. You're right about Reece. He'll come home when he's hungry or cold, or when he's convinced you've been sufficiently softened up."

"Thanks, Blaine. You're a real friend," said Madi, breaking the connection.

Then she phoned the small local police station, and had to deal with the amusement of the sergeant on duty, who was only too familiar with what he termed 'young Gibson's shenanigans'. He promised to put out an APB on Reece, and to keep his eyes peeled and those of the officers in his charge. They'd look in all the usual places, he reassured her. Like her and Blaine, he thought that Reece would be back eventually. Now all she had to do was break the news to Cooper.

He was as distressed as she expected. He was also feeling guilty, which she had expected. He realised that the reason Reece had run away was his presence in the house for an additional seven days. He was also feeling guilty about dissuading Madi from answering the phone earlier. He seemed to think that if he'd let her answer it, Reece wouldn't have run away.

"Honey, it was just Blaine to tell us."

"Aren't you worried?"

"Of course I'm worried," Maid was offended slightly by the suggestion, but she couldn't stay mad at Cooper when he looked so worried. "But you've got to understand that this isn't the first time that Reece has pulled a stunt like this. If it hadn't been about you, then it would have been the next thing in my life he didn't like."

"Maybe if I go..."

"No. He's just got to get used to the idea of us, because I don't know about you, but I plan for this to be a long time situation." It was the first time that she'd mentioned this being permanent, or almost. Even through his worry about Reece, he felt the warmth of that thought trickle through him. But then all he could think about was Reece's bruised face the day of the fight, and gangs of older boys and what they might do to him this time. And he went cold.

"He's so little," he said. Madi's face saddened, and he kicked himself for upsetting her further.

"I know, baby," she said. "But he's tough. And he won't have gone far. You'll see. He'll be back tomorrow, or at the latest the day after tomorrow. He just wants to make us sweat."

Madi was very wrong about that.

Reece scrunched himself down in his hiding place. He'd already avoided two police cars. Mom had the cops out looking for him early this time. He wondered if she'd got rid of the tank yet. Although he was having to admit to a grudging liking for the lieutenant, he was damned if he was going to share his mom with him. He didn't see why he should. He didn't admit to himself that Cooper made his mom happy. That would just have made him feel guilty. And he was already feeling cold. Too much soft living.

He was too busy shivering to notice the shadows on the wall of the alley way he was sheltering in. If he had, he might have been able to run, but that was doubtful. The first thing he knew about it was when strong arms grabbed him. Reece found himself pulled against a body that stank of stale sweat, and struggled desperately. Another cold hand pushed back his sleeve and he felt a needle slide in. As his kicks weakened, he realised that running away had not been a very good idea.

~*~

Madi sat at the kitchen table drinking hot tea and waiting for the phone to ring; her usual routine for one of Reece's decampments. It was late and the house was quiet. She'd finally convinced Cooper to get some rest and the girls had been down for several hours. Madi was racking her brain for possible solutions to Reece's problem. Something had to be done before he ran once too often and really got into trouble. It was times like these that Madi wished for her mother. It would be so nice to call and ask 'What should I do? Am I doing this mothering thing right? Is it always going to be this hard?', but Madi didn't have that luxury so she just did what felt right and prayed she wasn't warping the children.

She was considering counseling for him again. They'd tried it when Reece was smaller but he'd been totally unresponsive to anything the woman had done. He needed a catalyst she'd informed Madi, something to break through the barriers that Reece had built due to five years of neglect and abuse during his most formative ages and affect a change in his ability to trust. Madi had made great progress but he still bore the scars of his stay with that crazy woman and her incessant ranting. She had hoped the adoption would be that catalyst and Reece had seemed pleased, but she'd seen no noticeable improvement in his actions. She knew that Reece would have to consciously choose to change his behavior but she was running out of strategies to get him to do so. Somehow he had to learn that you couldn't run away from your problems.

She heard a whisper of a sound and looked up to see one of the twins standing by her, sleepily rubbing her eyes. She automatically glanced at the child's fingernails. Though she'd rolled her eyes at Cooper's question about color-coding, Reece's polish system had worked better than anything they'd tried so far to identify them before they spoke. Blue. Kelsey. "Mommy?" Madi's heart melted at the word. The girls had picked it up from Reece and she hoped it wasn't bad luck as far as the adoption went.

"Hi, baby. What's the matter?" Madi scooped her up onto her lap, inhaling her sweet, sleepy smell and enjoying the way Kelsey melted into her arms. Reece had been right about the twins enjoying cuddling.

"I had a bad dream and I wanted to sleep with Reece but he's gone again. I want him to come home." Madi pulled her closer and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I know, sweet pea, I want him to come home, too. Let's get you back to bed though, it's really late. How about you bunk with Avery, hmm? That'll keep those bad dreams away." Kelsey yawned and nodded, already half gone.

Madi had just got them both tucked in, curled together like peas in a pod, when the phone rang. She rushed downstairs, nearly careening into Cooper who was already there. Madi hit the receive button expecting to see a police officer holding a pouting Reece. Instead she saw an attractive, smiling man wearing dark glasses. Madi was wondering why a blind person would be using a video phone when he spoke.

"Ms. Gibson I presume? Allow me to introduce myself. Samuel, at your service. I'm so sorry to be bothering you at such an inopportune time, but I believe I've stumbled across an article you might be interested in retrieving. Let me see…..it was right here just a moment ago. Pardon me, please, love, while I fetch it back."

His voice sent chills down her spine and Madi moved closer to Cooper who put a comforting arm around her shoulder. She looked worriedly at him and noticed he was wearing the oddest expression. Glancing back to the man on the phone she wondered if he was picking up something from the caller.

"Ahhh, here we go. A little street urchin that I believe belongs to you?" He roughly pulled Reece up to him so that Madi could see his face. They had his hands taped behind his back and what looked like duct tape over his mouth. His eyes were glazed and he was barely struggling. They'd drugged him. These monsters had given her baby God knows what drug when a common aspirin might kill him. Madi almost passed out. Cooper pulled her swaying form to him, sharply digging his fingers into her side. He recognized the sadistic bastard for what he was and he'd be damned before he let Madi give this slime the satisfaction of watching her fold; she'd never forgive herself when she woke up. Cooper stepped in to turn Samuel's smug attention away from Madi's chalk-white face.

"What is it you want? Money?" He didn't have any but he'd bet Lucas did and he knew his friend would give it to him for the asking.

Samuel's smug smile turned into a predatory grin of satisfaction when he saw Cooper. "Well, well, Lt. Hawkes. Fancy meeting you here." Samuel was practically purring with complacency. Diane was going to be thrilled - and very grateful.

"No, no, it's not money we're after, Cooper, not from you anyway. I hope you don't mind if I call you Cooper. I've heard so much about you that I feel as if we're old friends, and I'm positively giddy over the thought of our meeting in person. But I'm getting ahead of myself." Samuel playfully slapped his own face as if to bring himself back to the point. "No, we're interested in you, dear boy. Very interested. In fact, we're going to make a little exchange. You for the youngster." Samuel placed his face next to Reece's and smiled engagingly. "Sounds like a game show doesn't it?"

Madi pushed back into the screen and snarled at the kidnapper. "If you hurt that child I'll cut your heart out with a spoon, you son of a bitch!"

Samuel's smiled widened in delight. "Well, aren't you just the scrappiest little thing. I can see where Reece here picked up his colorful vocabulary; I had to put the tape over his mouth because his language was melting my circuits. Maybe I'll take you up on your challenge later. Hold the thought, Red." Samuel held up his palm and blew her a kiss.

Cooper pushed Madi over and put his furious face near the monitor. "There won't be any later because I'm gonna tear you apart when I find your sorry, AI ass. Component by component."

Madi looked at the receiver then Cooper in horror. AI's? She couldn't tell with the glasses but that must have been what Cooper was picking up and there had been the reference to circuits. She and Shane Vansen had two other things in common besides their love for Cooper. Their loss of a parent to Artificial Intelligences and their total and complete apprehension of these soulless creatures.

"Now, now, Cooper, calm down and listen, there's a good boy. There will be no need for violence. We only want to ask you a few questions and Joe here would like your autograph. You're quite the news item around town. Hometown tank makes good and all. Anyway, I digress. Enough chatter, let's get down to business."

Samuel sobered and rattled off an address. Madi scrambled to get it down on paper for herself, she knew Cooper would never forget it once he'd heard it. Though she wasn't very familiar with the street names she thought the address was near the docks. She took a deep breath and tried to think like a criminal. Docks, warehouses. Lots of dark, deserted space. Lots and lots of rats so they'd fit right in.

Slowly but surely she felt herself slipping into her old role, it just came back naturally like riding a bike. It was comforting, even, to be distanced from the fear and pain. They were probably holding Reece in one of the export warehouses that were closed for the winter. If it was clean there would be shadows big enough to hide in and big enough to hide others, but little cover. They'd have Reece in the middle, out in the open. Cooper could handle three to five men and she could hold off two. It would be easier if they weren't all AIs but as long as they took them out before they transmitted their coordinates they'd make it. Madi was doing a mental check of what weapons they had between them as Samuel finished speaking. Cooper thoughts were almost identical to Madi's except that she was not included in the picture.

"Meet me there in an hour, Cooper, and come alone. Let's let Red sit this one out. I'm sure I don't have to go into that spiel about the police and all, boys and girls. If I see anyone who looks even slightly suspicious Reece here gets a bullet or two in the head--and I'll make sure he sees them coming. Go to the front and knock twice. You'll be escorted in and we'll send the boy home to mom. Any questions? Good. See you soon, Cooper. Bye-bye, Red." Samuel waved cheerfully before disconnecting.

As soon as the screen was dark, Madi was on the phone to Thursday, praying that Lucas had made it back. He was scheduled to have arrived earlier that night. Cooper had disappeared, going back to the small spare room where he'd stowed his gear. Thursday finally answered, fully awake despite the lateness of the hour. She took one look at Madi's face and said, 'Tell me."

~*~

They met at the front door; Madi slipping her handgun into the holster at the small of her back and Cooper securing his K-bar in the small of his under the waistband of his jeans. She was already psyched to get her child back and so angry she didn't notice Cooper until he caught her by the shoulders. She looked up, startled, and Cooper watched her struggle to focus on his face. She was already in the zone where he would soon have to be to get out of this mess alive.

He didn't look forward to what he had to tell her. He'd let Madi guide their relationship until now. He'd followed, thinking she knew best and having no problem whatsoever with her making the decisions for them. He admired and respected her strength just as he liked those same qualities in Shane; but this, this was what he'd been bred for. Now he just had to find the words to convince her.

"Madi, …you can't go with me." Judging by her expression and the way she tried to shove him to one side those weren't the right words.

"Get out of my way, Cooper. If you think I'm going to let you face these bastards alone, you're crazier than they are and I'm going to get Reece." She jerked away from him and managed to get the door open a few inches before Cooper slammed it shut with his palm. They stood close together, both breathing raggedly, both torn by raging emotions. Cooper lowered his head until their foreheads touched, leaning into Madi, drawing strength from her, feeling her pain.

"Madi, please… you have to listen to me. I know you can do this and I know you want it so bad, but you have to stay here with the girls."

"It's not going to happen, cowboy. Blaine's on her way; we'll just wait till she gets here. I can handle myself, Cooper. "

Cooper took a deep breath and kept trying to reach her. "Ability is not the issue here; you can handle anything thrown at you -- but Madi, you're the glue that holds us together." He trailed his fingers down her cheek, wiping off a stray tear of anger and lifting her chin up with a crooked finger so he could look into her eyes. "You and the kids can keep going without me, but Mad, think. Who's gonna take care of the twins and Reece if something happens to you? I'll have to report back to duty but even if I could stay they wouldn't give 'em to me and they won't keep 'em together. You want some strangers raising our kids? Some orphanage where you're not there to watch over 'em? Reece'll be back on the streets in an hour."

Madi closed her eyes with a sigh. Damn him. Damn him for being right. And damn this war and these fucking AIs. No one should have to make these kinds of decisions. She regrouped her thoughts. She couldn't let him leave this upset, he needed a clear head, and maybe it was important for her to show him that she trusted him as well as loved him. She focused on his other words. Madi opened her eyes and looked deep into his troubled, blue ones. "Our kids?"

Cooper started to apologize for being so presumptuous, for thinking that she'd ever want a dumb tank involved with her children, then he remembered that she loved him and he decided that he might as well give her a preview of the things he'd like to see come true. Just to test the waters a little, he thought.

"Well hell, Madi, it's not like we don't have kids runnin' out our ears around here. I think there's enough to go around." His heart skipped a beat when she smiled tremulously and he closed he eyes in relief as she smoothed her hand over his cheek and into his hair.

"You want them to be ours? You never said."

"Yeah, well, there's gonna be a lot of times I don't say things, you'll have to remind me. But I'm saying this now. I want you to stay here, Mad. I need to know you're safe so I can concentrate on Reece. You have to promise me --no matter what-- you'll stay here with the twins and Blaine. Promise?"

It was the hardest thing she had ever done but she understood what he wanted from her, what he needed. She finally nodded, her eyes filling with tears, and Cooper pulled her tightly to him, burying his face in her hair, breathing in the smell of her. Madi pressed her face into his neck, praying desperately for her lover and her child . "He'll be all right, Madi, I'll get him back for you. I love you."

"I want you both back. You hear me, marine? Both. I love you, too, so much Cooper." Madi brought his face down to hers, kissing him hard, trying to put all the love she could into the kiss as if her mark on him would ward off evil. Cooper returned the kiss, slowly, gradually breaking away from her.

"I hear you."

"Take the gun."

"No, keep it here. We don't know what these clowns want, this could be a trick to get me out of the house. I'm leaving as soon as Blaine gets here." As he spoke he heard Blaine pull to the front of the cottage. "I'm going to have her drop me off on the other end of town and come in the back way. You called Thursday?" Madi nodded, smoothing his black sweatshirt over his shoulders, using her actions as an excuse to touch him. "I'll call you as soon as we finish." He pulled her to him and kissed her hard, saying with his kiss all he couldn't say out loud, and he was gone.

~*~

Cooper used the driving time to formulate a sketchy plan in quick, military style. He tried to reach Lucas but he couldn't get anything back so he figured he must be asleep. Thursday would send him on his way if he was there. He could have used Lucas's head for facts and details. Cooper knew he couldn't do this alone but he was counting on Lucas to show up. The AI would kill Reece with no compunction so he had to buy them some time and get as many of the bastards as he could to improve their odds.

Blaine had him several blocks behind the warehouse with thirty minutes to spare.

"Thanks Blaine, if …anything happens to me…I would appreciate it if you'd look out for Madi til she gets over it."

Blaine simply nodded, thinking of all the horrible lies floating around about InVitros and their inability to care for others, about their selfishness, yet here she sat looking at one who was willing to give his life for a little boy he thought hated him. Because she imagined he had enough on his mind at the moment Blaine didn't burden him with the news that Madi would never get over it if something happened to him. She just quietly wished him luck and went back to Madi's to wait and find out what details she could.

His first order of business was to scope out the building. He didn't see a soul behind the warehouse. Samuel was smugly confident that he would just walk in the front door and hopefully that egotism would work to his benefit. Cooper worked his way to the front via the dark side of the building, swiftly and quietly taking out the two sentries watching for him. Looking carefully around for any others, he moved back to the ladder on the side, climbing silently, moving like a cat across the flat roof to the trap door there. It creaked a little as he opened it and he froze, listening to the murmur of voices coming up to him from fifty metres below. Since the voices didn't pause, Cooper figured it was clear and he slipped in, placing his feet on the metal support beams and cautiously lowering the door back in place. Ignoring the pulling pain in his side he made his way to the edge of the girder and proceeded across to the other two targets he'd spotted keeping watch from the balcony-like loft.

The inside of the warehouse was guarded by six men and Samuel was around somewhere with Reece. The first one he stepped behind was thinking about taking his cut and buying a whore for the night after they waxed the tank and the kid; it was his last thought before he slid bonelessly to the ground. Cooper moved silently to the other one who was no more alert. His trained side was totally in control and he felt contempt for their lack of professionalism, they were just muscle there to hold the guns. Fortunately for him, their minds were unfocused and he could get in close, the next thug would have stepped on Cooper's toes if he'd taken a pace backwards. Cooper winced at the cracking noise the man's neck made as it snapped. He was losing his touch, if he'd made that much noise around the Chigs he'd have been fodder.

He glanced at his watch. Twenty mikes and four men left to go. Minutes later he was on the ground in the shadows searching methodically for Reece. The warehouse was mostly vacant but empty wooden crates were scattered over the concrete forming eight-foot high tunnels all through the floor space. Searching was almost fruitless but if he could get the bargaining tool out of the picture the whole situation would be neutralized and then Cooper figured he could pull Samuel's plugs and circuits to his heart's content.

~*~

He'd covered the right side and was starting on the left when the squat, heavyset man materialized in front of him. Cooper had seen his type before in dives in Philly, he had that ex-prizefighter look about him. This one was focused -- and he wasn't alone. Even as he felt the first flash of warning, his arms were grabbed from behind and viciously twisted and pinned to his back. The prizefighter moved quickly and delivered an incapacitating blow to Cooper's stomach. The pain exploded through him, making his vision blur and waver. The next ham-sized fist smashed into his chin and split his lower lip open. He saw red spots before he went limp, letting the bruiser behind him hold his weight up by his arms.

"Thought tanks was supposed to be so tough? I've seen hardier girls." The voice behind him sneered and that voice gave Cooper the height and distance he needed to calculate. In a fluid move, Cooper snapped his head back, slamming it into the soft nose of the man holding him. Cooper felt a grim satisfaction at the sound of grinding bone and cartilage and the rewarding feel of the bastard's blood spurting against the back of his neck. Using the howling man behind him for balance, he kicked both feet up and drove them into the chest of the prize fighter, then wrenched away from the one bleeding from his pulverized nose. The prize fighter was wheezing, trying to get his breath back. Cooper took the opportunity to drive his elbow into the already broken nose of the man behind him and then spun and crushed his windpipe. He turned back, balanced on the balls of his feet, sweat and blood from his busted lip dripping down his face, to find the prize fighter gone.

He pivoted towards the shadows, and practically tripped over Samuel, who was standing there watching the show with a gun pressed into Reece's ear. He smiled brightly at Cooper as if he'd just run into a long-lost acquaintance. "Welcome, Cooper, I thought you'd never get here. Of course it was very rude of you to come in without knocking, but maybe I can teach you a few manners before you leave, hmmm?" He nodded at the shadows and the last two men stepped out and pulled his arms behind his back this time wrapping them quickly with duct tape. Cooper saw the prizefighter step out and head toward him again and he landed a kick to his face that had him crumpling against a crate before the men holding him could restrain him. The men behind him pulled his arms up so high between his shoulder blades that Cooper thought they would pull out of the sockets but he was more worried about the kid.

"Cooper, that will be quite enough of that violence, young man, we have a child present." Samuel pulled Reece close to him, watching Cooper like a hawk and keeping plenty of distance between them.

Cooper noted that Reece's eyes looked a little brighter so the drug must be wearing off. The kid was looking scared and that surprised Cooper, he was used to him just being pissed. He gave him a quick wink and what he hoped was a reassuring smile and tears welled up in Reece's eyes before he quickly blinked them away.

"You've got me now, Samuel," Cooper ground out, " let the kid go."

Samuel made a regretful face and let out a heavy, dramatic sigh. "There's been a slight change of plans since we last talked, Cooper. I've decided to keep him here until you tell me what it is I need to know, then I'll let you both go at the same time. Be cooperative and you'll be back in bed with Red before you know it, you lucky, lucky boy." He indicated to the men holding Cooper to move him toward the back of the warehouse and he followed with Reece.

The two hoodlums pushed Cooper into a chair, pulling his bound arms over the back of it and from either side of him they each drew a pistol to hold to his head. Samuel sauntered in and gently placed Reece, with his hands still bound behind him, on an overturned box and slipped the gun into the waistband of his jeans. He cruelly ripped the tape off the child's mouth and watched involuntary tears of pain run down Reece's face with a radiant smile. He turned to his two remaining men and told them to go outside and watch the front.

Samuel turned his attention to Cooper. Holding both hands out, he approached the marine with a delighted grin and grabbed his face, briefly kissing each cheek and dodging his foot when he tried to kick the silicate. "Cooper, my pet, I've been so anxious to finally meet you and I must say -- you're just as pretty in person as you are in your pictures."

Samuel smiled benevolently, turning almost away before he swung around and hit Cooper with a forceful backhanded blow the side of his head. Cooper's head exploded in white-hot burst of agony that included ringing bells and he thought his head might snap off his neck. He wondered vaguely how much the strength-ratio between humans and silicates varied - Samuel's hand had felt like a sledge hammer.

"Let me begin by saying that I prefer not to be touched or kicked or hit, darling. So don't try anything heroic. Now, I have one question. You answer it like a good little tank and you and the devil child here are free to go." He was smiling again now and he stroked his hand soothingly over Cooper's head where he'd hit him. His next words were spoken in the booming voice of a game-show host and the increase in volume made Cooper and Reece both jump. "The ten-thousand dollar question, Cooper Hawkes. Answer this and you'll be enjoying a seven-day stay in beautiful, sunny Scotland with the redhead of your choice…Who killed June Maddox?"

"Who's June Maddox?" Cooper was truly clueless but Samuel took his answer as resistance.

"Aaaannnggg!" Samuel made a remarkably realistic buzzer sound at Cooper's response. "Wrong answer, darling, but we do have a consolation prize for you." He stepped up the chair and added two powerful blows to Cooper's stomach one after the other, the last one coming very close to the healing bullet wound. It was all Cooper could do not to vomit on the spot and he wavered in and out of the darkness for a moment before the pain brought him back. "Because you've traveled all this way to be a guest on our show, let's give you one more chance shall we? And let me rephrase the question. Who was the woman aboard the Saratoga that called for help for you after you were shot? All I need is her name, sweetums, and you and the boy can go."

Cooper, with a heavy-lidded look, indicated with his head for Samuel to come closer. The AI crouched down before him, smiling cheerfully. "Did you remember, precious?"

Cooper, like lightening, swung his foot up and caught Samuel beneath the chin. The force of the kick snapped the AI's head back and he crashed into the crates several feet behind him. Samuel jumped right back up and headed for Cooper, this time punching him so hard in the face that the chair crashed over, slamming the back of Cooper's head into the concrete. He jerked Cooper and the chair upright by the front of his shirt and reached for Reece, dragging the child to stand in front of Cooper, all traces of his earlier cheer gone. He pulled the gun out again and shoved it in Reece's ear.

"Now you tell me what I want to know, tank, or I'll blow this kid to hell. Then I'll go get his mommy and you'll get to watch while we play all sorts of fun games. Is that what you really want, Cooper?" Cooper looked at Reece, trying to gauge how the kid was holding up. He thought maybe he was in shock or something because though he returned Cooper's look he was awfully quiet. He would have been surprised to know it was overwhelming guilt that was keeping Reece silent. Cooper turned his attention back to Samuel and told him the truth -- it couldn't hurt.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Samuel. I don't know any June Maddox and I can't remember anything about that night. I don't remember any woman there but Shane. I'd tell you if I knew. I don't know why you're kidnapping kids and asking me these dumb-ass questions. Want to know anything else?"

While Cooper had been talking a miraculous thing had happened. Lucas. Lucas was here and Cooper hoped he have the words he needed to reach the AI. Cooper, just say what I tell you and I think we can pull this off. Cooper nearly collapsed with relief as Lucas assured him that he'd be there soon. Cooper told him to get someone to Madi's house.

Samuel pulled Reece back and threw him carelessly onto the crate. "You know, Cooper, I do believe you; those pretty, blue eyes look so innocent and guileless. That, however, presents us with a problem, you see. If you don't know anything then why should I keep you alive?"

Samuel put both palms to his face, the gun still in one and feigned surprised regret. "Oh, did I forget to mention that I lied about that little part about you and the boy going home? Well, I did--lie that is. So perhaps you'd like to think about it some more? I mean it's not like you've got any pressing engagements to attend or anything." He turned and started to walk away.

"Wait. Let me ask you a question, Samuel. Aren't you just a little curious as to why she's trying to kill me?" Cooper had no idea who "she" was, he was just repeating Lucas's words but they seemed to be the right ones because the AI pivoted around and stared consideringly at Cooper. He was curious. If Samuel had a weak spot it was his inquisitiveness. He liked to know everything and Diane had been very closed-mouthed about why she was killing the tank that had saved her life..

Cooper looked at Samuel with a smirk that was only slightly ruined by the blood and sweat running down his face. He spat out some blood and tried to talk around the screaming pain from his broken nose. "I guess she told you she'd put your money in a bank account for you, huh? Swiss?"

Samuel looked very suspicious now, his head tilted to one side as he screened Cooper's words. For the first time since he'd seen Samuel he heard that abominable AI sound, the one that made Shane crazy.

"The Caymans, actually, precious, but how did you know about that?"

"Cause I've done work for her myself. That's why she's trying to kill me now. I guess she told you she'd make the transfer after we were dead, right? Well, don't be a sucker, Samuel, she'll screw you like she screwed me. When I went to get the money she'd backed the transfer out. You think I'd still be in the stinking marines if she'd come through for me? You can't trust the bitch."

Cooper hoped Lucas knew what the hell he was talking about because he definitely had Samuel's attention now. The AI walked over to a very wary Cooper and began to gently wipe the blood off his face with a handkerchief, much the way Cooper had wiped Reece's face. Cooper could tell he was very interested in what he had to say. He dodged the cloth and continued to goad the silicate. Every minute he could keep him off-kilter was a minute for Lucas.

"I guess you've not worked directly with her before or you'd learn like I have that she has you do the job and then you're toast. Better find a nice, dry spot to hide in, Samuel, she'll be after you as soon as you kill us. That's how she works. No tracks. No witnesses. The Nazi's used the same tactics."

"You know, precious, you may be onto something here. I usually work through a compatriot, not directly. I got very bad signals from that woman. I don't know, it was like…she had no soul or something." Samuel focused on Cooper's battered face and looked intently into his eyes. "Of course, you could just be buying time, too. I mean if I can't check then I can't prove you wrong now can I?" He ran a finger delicately down Cooper's cheek and across his swollen lower lip before he wandered off a step, obviously deep in thought.

Cooper looked unconcerned about whether Samuel believed him or not. "You could call her, Samuel, tell her we're dead. Of course, if you really kill us you won't have any leverage to deal and she'll have what she wants. Insist that she make the transfer immediately and then you can plug in and watch your money wing in and away again. Can't you stick your finger in an outlet or something and get a bank-account statement?"

Samuel laughed at that and ruffled Cooper's hair. "You know Cooper, that's not a bad idea. Before I make any hasty decisions and ruin our fun here, I am going to check on our mutual friend's integrity. Aren't you just so clever?" Samuel grabbed his face with both hands and pressed a quick kiss to his forehead before turning to Reece.

"Ups-a-daisy, Reece." He gently helped Reece to his feet and put the gun back to his head. "Get up, Cooper, and get in that enclosure. If what you're telling me is correct I may need you and Reece later."

Samuel indicated a wire-mesh enclosure area in the back corner of the building normally used to lock up equipment. Cooper walked to the entrance then balked when he saw the small space. "No way, I ain't goin' in there. It's...it's too little." Samuel simply reached out and gave him a hard push between the shoulder blades that sent him moving the last few metres, then followed Cooper into the enclosure and hit him soundly across the back of the head. He dropped like a sack of potatoes. Samuel tossed Reece in and slammed the door before attaching the rusty lock. Reece scuttled over to Cooper and pressed himself against the unconscious marine, for some reason he couldn't stop shaking.

Reece watched as Samuel sat down in the chair that Cooper had vacated several metres across the room, the silicate looked like he was in some sort of trance and he was buzzing and chirping like crazy. He ignored him and turned back to Cooper, who was lying face down on the concrete, Reece winced thinking about his broken nose. He'd got the tape off his own hands earlier and had been holding them together. Now he stealthily freed Cooper's hands, keeping an eye on the silicate, and struggled with gritted teeth until he got him turned over on his back. He nudged him several times watching his eyes carefully for movement then he placed his small ear to his chest. He heard his heart beating and slumped with relief..

Reece wished Cooper would wake up, he was scared and he wanted to tell him he was sorry and he wanted his mom, really bad. He felt tears welling up again and he tried to blink them back in disgust. He didn't remember ever crying before and it really pissed him off that he was doing so in front of Cooper. Cooper was a marine, he bet he never cried. He burrowed in closer to Cooper and thought of Madi and the twins and that he'd never see them again and since no one was looking Reece buried his face in Cooper's side and gave in to the racking sobs without making a sound.

~*~

Cooper came to slowly. He hurt. A lot. They'd given him a good going over, and he wasn't even sure why. He wondered about the questions Samuel had asked him, which he couldn't answer, and assessed their situation. The fact that they were still alive was amazing though that might not be a permanent condition.

Cooper had plans for Samuel and he'd like to get his hands on these two just for the satisfaction. The AI should never have grabbed Reece or threatened to hurt Madi and he was dead if Cooper had five seconds of life left him. He'd killed five of them for sure and he suspected that one of the others wouldn't be alive much longer, the damage he'd inflicted probably too great for any hospital to repair. If they even took him to a hospital, which he doubted. He was beginning to suspect that these guys did not want to draw any attention to themselves.

Reece. He became aware of Reece curled up against him, shivering slightly. Not cold, just afraid. He was a brave kid, but this was challenging all of his inner resources. Cooper understood. He was scared shitless too, but not about what these guys would do to him. Some part of him had never really expected to survive the Facility, when the monitors had decided that he was defective and marked him for death. As far as he was concerned, any additional day since then was a bonus.

No, he was scared for Reece and Madi and the girls. He felt responsible for the kid being here and all of his attempts to get him out of here had failed. Cooper hadn't counted on Samuel having so much backup power and he was petrified he'd shoot Reece just for fun. He wondered how long it would be before they realised that he was now awake. Samuel would try to hurt Reece next. AI's got off on inflicting pain and terrifying carbonites, Samuel's beating on him had just been foreplay. He decided that he'd rather die than let them harm the child or go back to Madi without him. Cooper had his hands free now and was just about to start picking the lock when the last two guards strode noisily back in to front of the warehouse.

He slowly reached out one arm, and pulled Reece closer, trying not to attract any attention. The longer these brainwipes thought he was unconscious the better, as far as he was concerned. Reece said nothing, just pressed his face against Cooper's side even more. Cooper started to feel real fear. Suppose they'd hurt Reece while he was out cold. He couldn't see any advantage in that, but these guys were sadists.

He lowered his face close to the boy. "Reece," he whispered in his ear. "You okay? Did they hurt you?"

He felt Reece shake his head, and prayed that was in response to his second question rather than his first. It was too dark to see much in the cell, the light from the room outside not enough to illuminate the child's face. Cooper gently ran his hands over the boy's body, trying to see if anything was hurt. He seemed okay, a fact for which Cooper was profoundly grateful. He wrapped his other free arm around Reece, and pulled him closer, ignoring how much that hurt.

"Reece, where's Samuel?"

"He went outside." Cooper could barely hear his whispering but he realized what had happened. Because Lucas was blocking the AIs transmissions with his laptop, Samuel had moved outside thinking the metal building was causing interference. Lucas was ready to provide a fine show with the accounts to further disorient the silicate if they needed to.

His voice was low and urgent. He didn't know how much time they had. "Reece. Listen to me. When they come back, I'm going to try and buy you some time. When I tell you to run, I want you to run like hell and don't look back. If you can't get out any other way, then go up, like in Hide and Seek. Remember?" He'd shown Reece how to hide on the ceiling when they were playing, the fifth wall that so many people missed when searching. "Climb up and out, there's a door up there and you can get off the roof by the ladder. Get home to Madi and tell her Lucas will be here to help soon. Okay?" He felt Reece press closer to him, wrapping his small arms around his waist, shaking his head desperately. "Listen," Cooper urged. "It's the only way."

"They'll kill you." Reece's voice was muffled against his side.

"No," Cooper reassured him. "If they wanted to do that they'd have killed me by now." He wasn't certain about that, but he tried not to let Reece know. "They could've shot me or anything." He could feel that he had Reece's attention now, although he didn't move. "They want me alive for some reason, I don't know what. But they could hurt you, and I don't want anything to happen to you. Besides, someone's got to look after Madi. And the twins."

"Do you think that they'll hurt them?" Reece's voice was desperate, and Cooper swore to himself. Reece's question sent fear coursing through his heart. Samuel wanted this information badly and he was afraid he would try to go after Madi and the twins now.

He tried to keep his voice steady as he answered Reece. "No. There's no reason for them to go after your mom. The only reason they went after you was because you made it easy for them, running away. And they wanted to get their hands on me. They've got me now." Lucas would have someone watching Madi so he didn't see any reason to scare Reece any worse.

"I'm sorry, Cooper." Reece's voice broke on the words. He hadn't meant to make the kid feel guilty either. But perhaps he could use it to his advantage.

"It's okay, Reece. They'd have got their hands on me one way or another. But I want you to promise me something. Promise me you won't run away again. It upsets Madi, a lot. And it doesn't solve anything. Believe me. I know. And the streets are no place for a kid. For anybody. I know that too. Be grateful that you've got your mom and your sisters. They love you, and they'd miss you if anything happened. I would too."

Reece listened intently. Cooper sounded like he knew what he was talking about. He felt some grudging respect for this marine. And not only because of the fight that Cooper had put up for him. He felt a kinship with this man. He was smart enough to wonder if that was why he disliked him, because he knew that Cooper could see straight through him, not just because of Madi.

"Cooper," he asked quietly, reluctant to ask the question but needing to know anyway. "Do you love my mom?"

He felt Cooper hesitate slightly. "Yes."

"Are you going to marry her?"

"I don't know. Think she'd have me?"

"No."

"Well, I guess not then." Cooper's voice showed his tired amusement. "I do love her though Reece. A lot. You okay with that?"

"I guess."

"And maybe someday, when you're a little happier about it...?"

"Don't push your luck."

"Okay."

The guards were getting closer, almost to the enclosure. Reece felt Cooper tense against him and he pushed Reece slightly behind him, to shield him in case those soon to be dead men tried anything.

The two men who walked past them didn't appear to be too interested in either Cooper or the boy he was protecting. They barely glanced over and seemed excited about something entirely different. It was one of the guys' birthday. Cooper strained his ears to hear wondering where Samuel had gone. He knew they'd never be so casual or lax if the silicate was still around which meant he'd left for now. Cooper's blood ran cold as he thought of Samuel going after Madi and the twins. Rowdy laughter drew his attention back to the two remaining guards and he wondered if they'd been drinking. That might make his job easier.

Whether they'd been drinking or not seemed to be a moot point, as they had no intention of coming anywhere near the cage in the corner. They had their attention fixed on the door way, whispering and giggling like girls. Cooper allowed himself to feel a brief moment of contempt for them. They were obviously not professionals. Not even gifted amateurs. Still that just made what he had to do easier still.

It wasn't long before he knew what they were giggling about. A small woman entered the room, dressed in very little. A black bikini and thigh high boots. Cooper felt a surge of embarrassment when he realised that Reece was watching her curiously. He was only eight, for god's sake. He shouldn't have to watch whatever these guys were going to be doing. He was just a kid. He wondered how Reece would react if he put his hands over his eyes. Probably bite him.

The woman was dancing now, although it wasn't like any dancing Cooper had ever seen. He felt his mouth drop open. He wanted to put his hands over Reece's eyes even more.

"Don't look," he instructed Reece in a whisper.

"Why not," asked Reece, reasonably.

"You shouldn't see this. You're only eight."

"You're only seven," replied Reece. "And you're watching. And that also means that I don't have to do what you say cos I'm older than you are."

"Yeah," said Cooper, still watching their guards. "Well, I'm bigger."

"That's not fair!" objected Reece. Cooper had to laugh at that.

"We're in a cage, trapped by some brainwipes who definitely don't mean us any good, and you still think that life is fair?" He gently rubbed Reece's shoulder to show that he didn't mean anything by it. "Kid, you've got a lot to learn," he added gently. 'Please let him have a chance to learn anything,' he prayed.

The woman was closer to the cage now. She looked somehow familiar, although Cooper could have sworn he'd never seen her before. She faced the guards, leaning down and rubbing her hands sensuously up the back of her legs. He watched startled as she glanced at him between her legs and winked, and then, as her hands reached the top of her leather boots, pulled out a long thin and wicked looking stiletto.

Ready? a voice in his head asked. He almost collapsed in relief. Thursday. No wonder she was familiar. He didn't recognise her body, but on some level he must have recognised her mind. Reece sat stiffly next to him. He'd also recognised Thursday, although she didn't look much like Thursday, not in that outfit, and the long red wig she wore. He wondered what Lucas would say if he could see her.

She didn't look at him again, as she sashayed over to one of the guards, playfully straddling him, and running her free hand through his greasy hair. Her other hand was still holding the stiletto. Cooper could sense her disgust, but she obviously gave no sign of it to the man in the chair. She was very good, he noted with clinical detachment. He hardly saw the movement that drove the knife into the man's heart. His companion noticed nothing at all.

She stood up, moving towards the other man. "Your friend's drunk," she commented. "Dead drunk."

As soon as the man glanced in his friend's direction, she was on him, moving impossibly fast. Almost fast enough to be an InVitro. She had her hand over his mouth and her knife buried into his side before he could react. Very good indeed. "Whereas you're just dead," she added, coldly.

She moved very fast after that, retrieving the keys from one of the corpses and freeing Cooper and Reece, helping Cooper to his feet. "Lucas is outside in the car," she told them. "Your friend West is around here somewhere too." She noticed Reece staring at her. "Yes?"

"Where'd you get the outfit, Tee?" She gave him a quirky smile.

"Aren't you a little young to notice details like that? Come on, time for that later."

She wrapped one arm around Cooper, keeping him upright. He was really starting to hurt. Noticing his discomfort, Reece slipped himself under Cooper's other arm. Neither of them spotted Thursday's smile at that. Together they helped Cooper move towards the exit. Thursday kept watching the door. Despite his best efforts, Cooper was moving very slowly. She could tell that those bastards had broken his nose, and she was beginning to think that they'd broken some of his ribs as well, judging both by the way he was moving, and by the waves of pain she could feel rolling off him. He was having difficulty focusing on anything beyond the next step and remaining upright. She prayed that Lucas was managing to keep that AI occupied. Cooper was certainly in no fit state to deal with him, and she most definitely had her hands full. Cooper topped her by more than a foot, and he wasn't light.

Their luck ran out. Lucas had obviously not been able to buy them as much time as they'd hoped. Since Samuel was an AI, the one thing she couldn't do was pick him up the way she could a human. The first thing she knew was when his fist connected with the side of her face. She hit the ground with thud that knocked the breath straight out of her body. Like Cooper, she was left to ponder the strength to weight ratios for AIs compared to humans. At least she would as soon as her ears stopped ringing.

She dimly heard Cooper telling Reece to run. She felt Lucas at the edges of her consciousness. He was worried. Very worried. She'd lost her contacts, and the blood from a cut in her forehead was running into her eyes. She wiped it away with one shaky hand.

If AIs were able to feel any emotion, which she doubted, then Samuel was very angry. She wondered why the hell it would mimic the body language of an angry human. She refused to think of it as 'him'. She wondered if it was conscious of how fake its attitude was.

"Well, well, well," it said. "What do we have here? Does red know that you've been a naughty boy, Cooper dear. Although, in that outfit I'm not surprised he couldn't resist you, my dear. I don't think we've been introduced. I'm sure that I would have remembered those pretty yellow eyes of yours" It leant in closer to Thursday, but not close enough so that she could reach it. "Tell me, my dear. Did you want to be Barbarella when you grew up?"

"No," she replied, spitting blood from her mouth. "I wanted to be Tank Girl." Where the hell was Lucas? Where was West?

As she raised herself up on her hands, she caught sight of Cooper slumped against some boxes. Yet another thing for Hayden to pay for. When she got out of here, she was going to make sure that Hayden paid up in spades. If she got out of here, which she was really beginning to doubt. There was no sign of Reece. Samuel had also noticed this. She sensed the presence of one of Samuel's remaining hired hands before she heard him.

"You, take care of Tank Girl there," Samuel instructed. "I'm going after the brat." He gave Cooper a beaming smile. "I doubt that Lieutenant Hawkes is going anywhere." He crouched down next to Cooper, reaching out one hand and running a finger down the side of his face. "Don't worry, sweetie," he cooed. "I'll be back to deal with you later." He then patted Cooper affectionately on the side of his face; a slap that rocked his head back.

And then he was gone, after Reece. The goon reached for Thursday. She didn't have to be psychic to tell what he was thinking. 'Easy meat'. He couldn't have been more wrong. She saw his smile, before she wiped it from his face. She was small but she was fast and she was tough. She didn't have Cooper's strength, and she'd lost her blade. What she did have however was the advantage of surprise. And six years living in a very bad neighbourhood.

As he reeled back, clutching his broken and bleeding nose, broken by her swiftly raised elbow (Revenge is sweet, she thought), she brought one knee up sharply into his groin. He lost interest in them very rapidly at that point. She broke his neck, just to make sure.

She turned for Cooper, but he'd gone. 'Shit,' she thought. 'What now.'

Lucas!

The roof, he sent back. Cooper's heading for the roof. Are you okay?

She sensed the concern in his 'voice'. She wasn't exactly full of confidence herself. Lucas, she sent back. Next time I volunteer for something like this, remind me that I'm supposed to be smart.

You okay, babe?

Yeah, she sent back, starting to move in what she hoped was the right direction. I've been hurt this bad playing hockey.

Ouch, he said. I've seen the way the British girls play hockey. I'm surprised you're still breathing.

'Oh, honey,' she thought, careful not to let him hear it, 'if only you knew just how lucky I am. Let's hope that the Welsh have as much luck as the Irish are rumoured to.'

~*~

"Who's the loser now
Hey who's the loser now
We're all the losers now
We're all the losers now."

"War Child" - The Cranberries, 1995

The pain in his side was screaming with every step. He was in serious danger of either passing out or vomiting. Neither of them would help Reece. What bothered him most, though was the fear of what that machine would do to Reece if it found him.

Up. He'd told Reece that if he was chased to go up. He hoped the kid had listened. It might buy him some time. He knew where Reece may have gone. The AI would have to search for him. Somewhere behind him, he could hear Lucas and Thursday talking. He didn't care about what they were saying. His mind was on other things.

Fear sped his heels, giving him the stamina to hoist himself up onto some boxes and onto the beam beneath the trap door. He couldn't afford to waste any time. If Reece had gone up, it wouldn't take Samuel long to figure out that if the kid wasn't in the warehouse, and he hadn't gone out of the door, then there was only one route he'd taken.

As he hoisted himself back through the trap door, he realised that the AI was smarter than he thought.

Reece was trapped in one corner of the roof. Behind him was a forty foot drop. In front of him was an irate AI. It was a toss up as to which alternative was preferable.

Cooper hit the AI with a thud that rattled his teeth in their sockets. Shit, it hurt. But he managed to knock Samuel away from Reece, and get himself between the two of them. The impact had knocked Samuel's sunglasses away, and Cooper found himself looking into those cross-eyes.

Thursday threw herself through the hatch, hitting the coarse roof with such force she scrapped most of the skin off her arm and knocked the breath out of her body. She couldn't have moved again so soon, even if the sight of the gun pointing at Cooper's head hadn't frozen her in her tracks.

"Well," said the machine. "It was nice meeting you, Cooper, old boy. Or should that be young boy. Seven seems such a short time to live. Even Satan there made it to eight. Oh, by the way, you were right about the bitch. She has lead me a merry chase. But, don't worry. She'll get hers, just like you're going to get yours."

Thursday's heart stopped when she heard the crack of a bullet. 'Please God, no' she thought incoherently. She looked frantically for the blood. Where was he hurt. That bastard machine hadn't shot him in the head, that much was clear. So she was completely taken aback when it was the machine that crumpled.

Cooper looked past her. "'Bout time you showed up," he spat out, wiping the blood from his mouth with the hand which wasn't wrapped around Reece. "West, where the hell have you been?"

Nathan. Thank god. How the hell had he got onto the roof? He reached down to help her up from the floor. "Are you all right, Dr. Hagen?" he asked. Only Captain West could call her Dr. Hagen with a straight face when she was wearing this outfit. She fought the urge to laugh hysterically, knowing that she couldn't break down now. Cooper was at the end of his tether, she could tell. And they weren't out of danger yet.

"Jeez, Coop," Nathan continued. "I haven't seen you looking this bad since that bar fight with the 59th Ready Reserves. How many times do I have to tell you that you don't get into fights without the rest of us to back you up?"

"Well, if you'd been on time, I wouldn't have had to, would I?"

With Nathan now supporting Cooper, Thursday grabbed Reece with one hand and a gun from Nathan. It was about time that they hightailed it out of here. It took them a long while to make their way down from the roof. Cooper was in no fit state for climbing. God only knows how he'd made up there in the first place. Thursday was on edge the whole time, not even Lucas managing to reassure her. Lucas was all set to leave the car to go fetch them before she came to her senses.

They made it to the car without any further mishap. If Samuel had any more goons, they'd obviously decided that discretion was the better part of valour, and decided to keep a low profile. Either that, or they hadn't been paid enough to risk what had happened to their fellows.

Once they were inside, Lucas hit the accelerator. Thursday could see his eyes in the rear view mirror, fixed on her with concern. Watch the road, she admonished.

Cooper had other concerns on his mind, rather than Lucas' rather erratic driving. "Madi?" Cooper asked. "The girls?" His speech was slightly slurred as his mouth started to swell up.

"They're fine," Lucas hastened to reassure him. "They're safe. I decided the cottage wasn't safe for the moment, so they're now at mine. You'll be there soon."

Thursday reached for the phone, frantically dialing.

Who? asked Lucas.

Beth, she replied. Cooper seemed not to hear them. She was starting to get very worried. Both he and Reece were very quiet. Too quiet. However, as she turned to look at them, Cooper was finally able to relax, and with Reece still pressed up close to his side, drifted off into an exhausted sleep.

~*~

He stayed asleep throughout their journey, all two hours of it. He didn't even wake when Thursday gently used the water from the canteen Lucas kept in the car and Nathan's clean handkerchief to clean his face. She couldn't let Madi see him before she'd cleaned him up a little. He stirred slightly when she gently rubbed around his broken nose, but that was it.

Reece was awake, although he remained curled up against Cooper. She wondered if he realised how obvious it was. It was also obvious that that was the only place he felt safe at the moment.

"You okay?" she asked him, using her small compact mirror to examine her own face. Despite what she'd told Lucas, hockey was never this rough. She was going to have a lovely black eye tomorrow. That should get the tongues wagging.

"Reece," she prompted, stopping to look at him. He nodded sullenly. She closed the compact with a snap, watching him closely. "They didn't hurt you?" Another shake of the head. This boy was even more uncommunicative than Cooper on a bad day, and Cooper had plenty of those.

She continued to watch him closely, making him squirm in his seat. She still hadn't managed to replace her contacts; they were gone for good, and the sight of those golden eyes was making him feel distinctly uncomfortable. He was beginning to believe that she could tell exactly what he was thinking, could see straight through him in a way that his mom couldn't. That she could see straight to his soul, and that in itself was making him sweat. He wasn't feeling very proud of himself at the moment. If it hadn't been for him, maybe those bastards wouldn't have got their hands on Cooper, and Cooper wouldn't have been hurt so bad. And the worst thing was, that he'd been horrible to Cooper, a real shit, and that hadn't stopped Cooper risking his own life to go after him. He was mature enough to feel very ashamed.

As if in answer to his thoughts, Cooper stirred next to him in the seat, reaching for him. He settled down when his hand brushed over Reece's arm, obviously satisfied that the boy was safe for the moment. That made Reece feel even worse, and yet also good at the same time. He stopped that thought. He didn't want to go there.

However, Thursday wasn't about to let him off that easily. She'd watched while Reece had run rings around Madi, worrying her sick with his constant running away, and while she acknowledged that the kid had had a rough life, she was going to put a stop to it. If only the brat knew that she was perfectly capable of reading his mind. It was odd, that. She picked some people up very clearly, and others hardly at all. Lucas was the same, only it was different people they picked up. Which meant it wasn't down to the talents of the people they could read.

"You going to run away again?" she asked, determined to strike while the iron, or rather guilt, was hot. And right now Reece was burning up with guilt. Reece shook his head. "Good," she said. "Because next time Cooper may not be around to go after you." Reece shrugged. She waited. She could sense the question in his mind.

"Tee," he began tentatively. She waited again. "Why did he?" The question came out in a rush, as though he had to get it out as soon as possible, or he'd never ask it. In the front of the car, Nathan listened and Lucas threw her another amused look in the rear view mirror.

"Why do you think?" she asked. He shrugged again. "I think you know," she prompted. "I just think that you don't want to believe it." He refused to look at her. "Reece," she continued gently. "Cooper's not your father."

"I know that!" he interrupted scornfully. She stared him down, not difficult to do with her eyes. They were still freaking him out. Sometimes she hated her yellow eyes.

Amber, corrected Lucas from in front. And I love them. She flashed him a quick smile.

"I meant," she continued, "that he's not going to let you down, or decide that you're too much work or abandon you. Look at it this way, love. He thinks you hate him. No, he's convinced that you hate him. And despite that, he came after you, and not just for your mom's sake. For you," she stressed. "One of these days, you're going to realise just how much of a friend you have in him, and how mean you've been." This time it was Nathan's eyes she caught in the rear view mirror. He had the grace to flush.

~*~

Beth was at the house waiting. "You know," she said. "I do have other patients." Madi pushed her out of the way, and dived into the back of the car. Thursday pulled herself out of the seat at the other side. Damn she was stiffening up, and the last thing she needed was Beth in sanctimonious mode. Her sister didn't get that tone in her voice very often, but when she did... look out!

Beth took one look at Thursday's face, and her tirade was stopped in its tracks. "Thursula Seren Hagen, what the hell have you been doing, and where the hell did you get the outfit?"

Thursday stopped and gave her a hard stare. "Do you have any idea how much you sound like mum?" she asked. Beth stood there, her mouth open. "Oh, and the outfit is Lisa's," she continued.

"Figures," was all that Beth could say.

"Ladies," Lucas interjected. "We do have more pressing concerns to deal with." He and Nathan began to help Cooper out of the car. Beth took one look at him, and became all business. "Get him into the house. Thursday, you too. Let me get my bag, and I'll be right with you." Sometimes having a sister who was a doctor was a remarkable benefit, even if she was a pain in the arse sometimes.

It took all of Lucas' powers of persuasion to prevent Beth from calling an ambulance, and the police. It was only when Thursday's voice was added to his, that she listened. She hated seeing her baby sister hurt, and she blamed Lucas for it. Why the hell did Thursday have to take up with this wiseass. If she had to go for a younger man, couldn't it have been a nice doctor or lawyer or.... anything except a 'too smart for his own good' computer genius.

She didn't realise that both Thursday and Lucas picked up that thought. Lucas shrugged while Thursday tried to apologise to him with her eyes. She was too drained to do more.

Beth almost gave up entirely when Cooper refused to take the combination antibiotic and painkiller injection she wanted to give him, none too politely either. She couldn't remember the last time she'd heard such language, but then it had been a while since she'd worked in casualty. It was then that she noticed the navel on the back of his neck, and realised why he was so rabbity. She'd seen enough InVitros going through withdrawal when they couldn't afford the high prices charged by the dealers, and seen enough careless doctors to realise the cause in many cases not to appreciate his concern. However, he needed this. In the end Nathan and Lucas had to hold him down, Lucas and Thursday's powers of persuasion not being up to the task. Even Madi couldn't get through to him.

And then she gave Reece the once over, reassuring Madi that whatever drugs he'd been administered with had done no lasting damage. She didn't need to be told that some drugs would have the same effect on him as Cooper. After seeing them together, she'd assumed that Cooper was his father and no one had disabused her of that belief.

Eventually however, Lucas and Nathan were able to pour Cooper into a spare bed and left Madi looking after him. Thursday hovered in the doorway. When they finally left Cooper and Madi to their reunion, Thursday distinctly heard Cooper ask Madi, "Mad, when are you going to get one of those outfits?"

"In your dreams, flyboy," Madi growled back, affectionately.

"Oh," replied Cooper, grinning at her. "I think so."

Thursday hid a grin.

Downstairs, Beth cleaned up Thursday, packed up her bag, and after delivering a stern lecture to Thursday on the company she kept, left. "Thank god for that," said Lucas. "Another one of those looks and I'd have turned to stone." Thursday gave him a comforting hug.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"It's okay," he said, hugging her back. "She's your sister. She's supposed to worry about you. Especially when you're involved with a deadbeat like me." She caught the tail end of his thought, about how he wished his family had shown their concern. How he wished that they'd had concerns.

Nathan cleared his throat uncomfortably as they continued to hold one another. "Oh," said Thursday, rather embarrassed. "You must be tired, Captain West. If you want to stay, though we do have another spare room."

"If you don't mind. I'd like to stay to see that Cooper's all right."

Thursday directed him to the room, and then turned her attention back to Lucas, who had settled himself in his favourite armchair by the fire and was watching her with warm eyes. "You know," he said, grinning at her. "Samuel was right. You are difficult to resist in that outfit." She grinned back.

"Actually, I was thinking of keeping it."

"Good." And then he pulled her into his arms. I was really worried. I thought I could lose you.

Never. He ran his fingers gently over her bruised cheek. She could sense his anger beginning to build. I'm fine, she reassured him. Hockey, remember.

He pulled her to him, kissing her deeply and feeling her return the kiss, melting into his embrace. After that they didn't talk much.