by K Ryn
"Where's my partner?" Jim demanded, his voice cold and hard even to his own ears.
"He'll join us shortly," Anders answered smoothly. "Until then, you and I have some things to discuss."
Jim's eyes narrowed as he studied the older man. Under the intensity of the Sentinel's stare, Anders' eyes shifted away for a fraction of a second -- long enough to tell the detective what he needed to know.
"Unless it has to do with releasing me, or the long list of charges you're going to be facing, you and I have nothing to discuss," Jim said in the same flat tone. "You don't have any leverage, Anders. I know he's not here." The Sentinel let a ghost of a smile lift his own lips. "He got away from you, didn't he?"
One eyebrow lifted in surprise, then Anders' brow furrowed in barely controlled anger. The flash of satisfaction Jim felt was washed away at the man's whispered response.
"One day... soon... you'll tell me exactly how you knew that. It will be interesting to see just how strong the connection the two of you have really is."
Ellison felt a thrust of panic at the threat and struggled to channel the fear into something more useful. Pale blue eyes darkened and glittered in the soft light, locking with cold gray ones in a silent battle of wills. The tension in the tent thickened until it was almost a physical force, shifting back and forth between the two men.
Anders was the first to blink, shrugging his shoulders almost absently. Without taking his eyes off his prisoner, he snagged the chair. Turning it with a deft twist of the wrist, he planted it just out of the Sentinel's reach. Straddling the seat, he draped his crossed arms over the back, the dart gun hanging casually between the two adversaries as a subtle reminder.
"I won't insult your abilities, or your intelligence by lying to you," Anders continued, his quiet, conversational tone a stark departure from the implied menace of the whispered threat. "Your partner did manage to escape during the confusion you created. I was certain we'd have found him by now, but he's managed to elude us. He's quite resourceful, isn't he? It would appear that I underestimated him."
"You're not the first to make that mistake," Jim said quietly. The smug feeling of pride that he felt for his young friend warmed his heart, although it never touched the icy coldness of his eyes.
"It's not an error I plan to repeat, I assure you," Anders promised softly. "It would appear you've trained him well. But he's not quite as clever as you. He made a mistake and used the headset a few minutes after you were taken down. That gave us his position . With only one option open to him, we know which way he was headed. You may have managed to reduce my assets a bit, but I still have more than enough men to track him. He will be joining us soon. I guarantee it. Unless, of course, he manages to break his neck, stumbling around in the dark before we find him."
Recalling the terrain and the course he'd set for his Guide, the Sentinel knew that the fate Anders' described was all too real a possibility. The thought of his exhausted young friend, running for his life from this man's private army was nearly enough to bring him to his feet in attack. Only his overriding need to maintain his control in front of his captor held him motionless. Jim's eyes narrowed even further and he poured every ounce of his hatred into his gaze.
A gaze that once again, made Anders flinch. The Sentinel caught the involuntary shudder and smiled, a feral gleam lighting his eyes.
"Very good, Captain," Anders finally murmured. "Just the way you were trained. Give no quarter. Don't let the enemy see your weakness, eh? You are good... and it might have even worked on me, if I hadn't seen the two of you in action with my own eyes."
Anders leaned into the chair back, looming over Jim, his eyes growing even colder, no evidence of fear in his demeanor.
"But I know. I know how important he is to you. He's your focus, isn't he? Your control."
The hungry anticipation in the man's face and voice was the same look Jim had seen earlier when he'd caught Anders watching Blair back in the clearing. His stomach clenched and he fought back the gut-twisting need to retch and clear the bile that rose in his throat at the threat to his Guide.
"Game's over, Anders. What do you want?"
Eyebrows cocked upward in mock surprise and the older man settled back, his expression thoughtful.
"The truth? Vindication."
Seeing the surprised look on Jim's face, Anders chuckled, shaking his head.
"Oh, of course, I have hopes for more than that. But after all this time, I'd settle for being right. For rubbing their noses in it."
Anders words did nothing to alleviate the confusion in Jim's mind. "You set all of this up, murdered two people... for what? Some bizarre sense of personal satisfaction?" he asked in disbelief.
The amusement washed from the older man's face and he leaned forward again, his body tense. "Revenge can be extremely satisfying, Captain," he hissed.
"Detective," Jim corrected him.
"Yes... of course." Anders' eyes lost some of their focus as he began to speak in a soft murmur. "James Ellison. Ex-ranger. Special Forces and one of the best and brightest Covert Ops ever had. Listed as missing in action for 18 months after that unfortunate mission in Peru. Left the military with an Honorable Discharge shortly after you returned. Graduated from the police academy with glowing commendations. Moved to Major Crimes after a stint in Vice. Lost one partner and operated as a loner until surprisingly, almost three years ago, you suddenly teamed up with a civilian Observer. A graduate student in anthropology. Recently, Officer of the Year, with a reputation for solving the most difficult cases with a bare minimum of evidence. Whispers of something unusual about him... and his partner... but no one's asking questions because the arrest and prosecution record is so impressive."
The gray eyes flashed in amusement and Anders stared down at Jim almost fondly, possessively.
"You see, you've been my own personal research project for nearly eight years." Anders murmured. "I know all about you, 'detective'. Or should I say, Sentinel?"
Jim had known it was coming, so he didn't blink an eye. Despite his enhanced senses, he'd missed the obvious and led both himself and his Guide right into the waiting trap. Blair had foreseen it -- the threat -- as part of his premonition and although they'd managed to escape once, by that time it was too late to do anything other than fight for damage control and try to keep out of this madman's hands. At least he'd succeeded in getting his Guide out of reach -- for the time being at any rate.
So Anders knew about Sentinels and he wanted to know more. Was determined to go to any lengths, including kidnapping and murder, to extend that knowledge. The only reassuring point was that he seemed sketchy on the topic of Guides -- and Jim was determined to keep it that way. Especially since his Guide was also a Shaman, with some unusual, dangerous issues of his own still unresolved.
Determined not to play into Anders' game, Jim kept his response to a nonchalant shrug, using the casual, insulting movement to mask the rolling of his shoulders as he sought to ease the tension his cramped position had caused.
"Not a flinch. Very good. Still the perfect soldier, eh, Captain?" Anders' tone was sarcastic, his smile a caustic sneer.
"Still not playing, Anders." Ellison shifted his gaze away from his captor, pointedly dismissing him.
"Oh, but you will. You both will."
Jim's eyes flashed back to Anders' face. The threat had been a bare whisper, tuned to a level that only a Sentinel could have heard.
"It's really too bad that Bailey isn't here," the older man laughed softly. "He never did believe half of what I told him about your abilities. And even with the truth staring him in the face, he was convinced that your young friend was just extraneous baggage."
Anders leaned forward again, studying Jim intently.
"But we know better, don't we. He's the reason you've been able to use your enhanced senses for the last few years without going stark raving mad. Blair Sandburg appears to be an amazing young man. I must admit, my file on him is sadly lacking in details. Highly intel
ligent, articulate and obviously very sensitive, perhaps even empathic. He seems to be quite respected by his colleagues and his students. Most importantly, he seems to be the only living authority on Sentinels. His thesis was quite illuminating. It's a shame he hasn't published anything on the topic recently. I find myself with far too many unanswered questions, particularly regarding the Sentinel's companion. Mr. Sandburg's references to that person and their role in relation to the... what was the other term he used... ah, yes... Watchman... were rather vague at the time he wrote his paper, although I'm sure he has much more to say on the topic now. I'm looking forward to interviewing him at great length about it."
"Leave him out of this, Anders," Jim snapped.
"So. It would appear I've touched a nerve."
Berating himself for rising to the bait, Jim glared back at the older man. "You want to experiment on me, do your worst. My partner's off limits."
"But that's not how it works, Captain. It's only by observing the two of you interacting that I can learn what I need to know."
"If you think we're going to cooperate in any more little tests like today, you're sadly mistaken."
"It's been my experience, that given the right... motivation... that a man can be persuaded to do almost anything. Once we've retrieved your young friend, we'll move to a location that's more conducive to the kind of research I have in mind. "
"It won't happen," Jim responded confidently. "My captain knows where we are and when we don't check in, he's going to come looking. Simon Banks is not a man to let a puzzle like that go."
"I'm not worried about some third-rate police captain. He won't be a problem. There won't be any 'pieces' to find."
"What do you plan to do? Snap your fingers and make us disappear?" Jim barked angrily.
"Exactly."
The flat, dead certainty in the man's voice chilled Jim like nothing he had said before. Ellison's eyes narrowed dangerously, all of his instincts -- Sentinel's, cop's and soldier's -- screaming for him to lunge forward and take the man out before this could go any further. Anders was either insane to think he could get away with abducting them, or he truly believed that he would succeed. And if the latter was true, that meant...
"Who do you work for?" Jim asked softly, already suspecting that he knew the answer.
Anders stared down at him for a few moments, a strange smile playing on his face. "I work for myself, Captain. And for a few select clients who fortunately have more than ample resources to place at my disposal."
"A mercenary."
"I rather dislike that term. Always have. I prefer to think of myself as an opportunist."
Jim drew in a slow, deep breath, forcing away the cold fear that pulsed through him as the cryptic comments and minute clues Anders had been giving away finally clicked together, forming a picture the Sentinel had seen only in his worst nightmares.
"You were Special Forces. Covert Ops," Jim said tersely.
"The blackest of the black," Anders replied. "I was once the fair-haired boy of the group. But there were some, shall we say, unforseeable mistakes during a few missions." Anders reached up and stroked the scars by his eye absently. "By the time you were returned from Peru, I was low man on the totem pole. They were preparing to force me out, but I'd seen it coming. I was, and am, an expert at ferreting out secrets. I'd learned from the best, after all."
The older man's face hardened and his voice droned on disdainfully.
"They tried to keep you a secret. You and your abilities, but I knew everything about you from the moment the reports started to come back from the search team. I had my own little network they knew nothing about, you see. Insurance. It cost me a bit to maintain and on a Colonel's salary... well, I was fortunate to already have a few things in the works which allowed me to pay top dollar for what I wanted."
"I already knew your superiors were foolish men. Truly unimaginative at best. Still, I couldn't believe it when I learned they were ready to cut you loose... let you take your discharge and just walk out. I'd read all the transcripts of your debriefing... talked to members of the retrieval team. It was obvious that something unusual had happened to you, was perhaps still happening, but they refused to see it. They were blind to the fact that an incredible weapon had been delivered into their hands. I tried to convince them, of course, but that action only assured my censure. They became suspicious and I had to back off, biding my time."
Anders shook his head, frowning at the memory. His gaze locked on Jim's with sudden intensity, eyes glittering with feverish brilliance.
"That's when you became my obsession, Captain. I watched you, or rather my network watched you. I left the service not long after you did -- a little subterfuge and a fatal 'accident' took care of cutting the cord quite effectively -- and pursued the 'interests' that I had been cultivating on the side. My new clients required a bit more of my time than I'd originally planned to devote to them, but my attention to the details of your life and activities never faltered."
The older man rose from the chair abruptly, and dragged it aside, clearing space as he began to pace. Even with his senses still swinging in and out of control, the Sentinel heard the increased beating of the man's heart; smelled the sour odor of sweat that beaded the mercenary's brow; saw the fanatical gleam in the gaze which never left his prisoner's face.
"You disappointed me at first, returning to your life as if nothing had happened, burying your abilities. But I'd learned patience at the feet of masters. I knew it was only a matter of time before your gifts resurfaced. So I watched and waited, building up a small, very loyal private army of my own in the interim. And then, there was the Switchman case and everything changed. A difficult assignment, very high profile, with you as the main attraction. My sources informed me the second you made the appointment for tests at the hospital and I knew the waiting was over. I was ready to step in then and gather you up, but fate intervened in the form of a certain young anthropologist."
Anders' pacing ceased and the Sentinel stiffened at the excited heat which poured off of the man.
"To think... if I had acted then, before the two of you connected... how much I would have lost. I was impressed by your young friend from the moment he stole that lab coat and brazenly stepped into your exam room, pretending to be a doctor. I had a copy of his records and his thesis on my desk before he made it back to the University. His research, such as it was, was brilliant. I knew that sooner or later you would approach him. After all, he had the answers you needed. You did surprise me, seeking him out as quickly as you did, so I wasn't prepared for a more inventive initial testing -- the little incident with the garbage truck was quite frankly an impulsive move, although I was certain that you'd both pass the trial with flying colors."
The Sentinel somehow resisted the impulse to shudder. If, what Anders was saying was true, he and his Guide had been living under a microscope from the very beginning and they'd never known.
"Why now?" Jim asked abruptly. "If you've been watching us all this time, why choose now to make your move?"
"Actually, I've been tempted to acquire you several times in the last two years, but each time, just as I was about to act, you'd intrigue me with yet another tantalizing glimpse of your capabilities. I decided to leave the two of you to your own... 'training'. The controls were in place and I was quite content to watch and wait. As your partner would certainly agree if he were here, there is nothing more exciting than watching an experiment run its course -- particularly when it's achieving the outcome you anticipated."
Anders began to pace again, his forehead creasing with a puzzled frown.
"Mr. Sandburg was another reason for the delay. The more I observed of your partnership, the more puzzled I became. It was apparent that the two of you were mismatched -- long haired flower child and ramrod stiff ex-military type; free-associating scientist and by-the-book cop. Not a conventional pairing by any means. No common ground. Not at first glance at any rate. Yet the two of you bonded together into an e
xtraordinary team from the outset. You even allowed him to move into your home. The more involved Sandburg became in your life, the more it became obvious that he was essential to your well being, even though I couldn't understand exactly what role he was playing. It became clearer when David Lash abducted him."
Rage poured through the Sentinel and he lurched to his feet. Still under the influence of the drug, the violent movement made him stagger dizzily. Anders took a quick step forward and pushed him backward, knocking him to the ground. Shaking his head in an attempt to clear it, Jim stared up at the mercenary in profound disbelief.
"You knew Lash had Blair... you knew what he planned to do... and yet you did nothing to stop him?"
Anders shrugged. "It was risky, letting that... creature... get his hands on him, but it pushed you in the direction I wanted. While you were so desperately searching for him, you were on the verge of losing control. Once you rescued him, your focus returned. The episode convinced me that the connection between the two of you had to exist because of your Sentinel abilities. I realized then, that the young man was decidedly more important than his innocuous appearance had first led me to believe."
"You're more insane than Lash was," Jim snarled, pushing himself into a sitting position once more.
"Not insane, Captain. Just driven. As I admitted before... obsessed. I needed to know I was right about you. That the others were wrong."
"Vindication." The Sentinel spat out the word as if it were poison on his tongue. "You would have let him die, just to prove your own twisted, self-serving theories?"
"For that... and to hone the weapon."
"You still haven't answered my question," Jim hissed, Anders' words only confirming an intent the Sentinel had already calculated. "Why now?"
"Something... unusual happened several months ago when the Chopec Medicine Man died," Anders answered softly, his voice edged in dangerous curiosity. "Whatever happened between the Indian and your young friend, it changed him -- altered some of his standing patterns. The old man introduced a new variable and it doesn't play right. Sandburg was becoming even more unpredictable and I realized that until I corrected the aberration, it was only a matter of time before it began to affect your connection with him. I couldn't afford to let that happen."