Of Mice and Men
Part 8

By Prestor John

Disclaimer: All of the standard: Don't own 'em, just borrowing 'em.
Summary: Sequel to “Best Laid Plans”. My AU diverges when Max kisses Tess in Heart of Mine. Tess Left town, Liz told everyone about Future Max to explain why they have to find her, Liz and Max start reconciliation, and Isabelle dream walks Tess, but then can’t contact her causing the group to think Tess is dead.
Category: Other
Rating: R
Authors Note: The continuation of my first fiction. Today is 5/23/01. I started Best Laid Plans right after CYN. I started Of Mice and Men after OTM. Now that Departures has come and gone I’m rethinking the entire direction of this story. I’m going to try and tie the revelation from Departures into the story. Hope you like the way it flows. Many thanks to Fadre for reading and correcting my numerous grammatical mistakes.

Max and Liz made it to the Valenti’s house in time to meet Jim, Kyle, Michael and Maria. Frank and Jessie had left already and would meet them a few blocks away from the compound. They split up into two cars: Maria, Michael, Jim and Kyle in Tess’s SUV and Max and Liz in the Max’s jeep. The trip to Albuquerque was accomplished in short order, with a stop for an alien paint job and new license plates. The new dark blue SUV and black jeep with Nevada plates arrived on time to meet Frank and Jessie.

After distributing Alex’s headsets, Frank and Jessie drove ahead of the others and pulled into a parking lot next to a large concrete block building that butted up against another more modern building with the logo and name in lights on the side: Summer Electronics. From the shadows of a near by building the gang watched Frank and Jessie approach a door in the side of the building next to a larger, semi size garage door. After entering a code on the keypad and looking into the camera mounted above the door, the door opened to admit the two. Knowing that there wasn’t much time Liz pulled Max down into a kiss that said everything they had said earlier in his bedroom. Michael simply pulled Maria into a hug and rested his forehead on hers - saying with that simple gesture what he didn’t say aloud. For her part Maria said simply the same thing she had told him the last time he had gone to rescue someone from a White Room: “Come back to me.” This time he did respond: “I’ll come home to you.”

“Go.” Frank’s one word shattered the moment when they all heard it through their headsets. With a final look, Max and Michael broke away from their loves and trotted after the Valenti’s as they made their way across the parking lot to the door. As Jim quickly entered the code Jessie had given them earlier, Max and Michael pulled the oxygen masks out of the backpacks they wore and managed to get them on and the oxygen started before they heard the door lock buzz open. The four entered quickly and found themselves in a small ten by ten room. As the outside door shut, they felt a cool breeze blow over them, as the room was flooded with the dreaded gas. After a few seconds, the inner door opened on its own accord and the group of friends started to make their way in the direction of the Armory.

They found the right door and burst through it, Michael and Max in the front. Max barely had time to see the figure standing next to a desk spin around toward them. Max reacted on instinct raising his hand and throwing a shield up between them and the figure. “It’s alright” they all heard Jessie say, both in the room and through their headset. Max dropped the green energy barrier. He saw that they were standing in a long rectangular room divided into two parts by heavy clear plastic wall. The smaller part was the one they were in. They entered the larger part, where Jessie was, and looked around at the weapons. Jim counted over 30 M-16, and saw an equally large set of Thompson sub machine guns. Jessie headed over to a small rack of strange looking rifles and started handing them out. “These are the tranquilizers guns. The safety is here and magazine release is here. These things ….” He faded off as he saw Max looking down on a still form of a man lying behind the desk Jessie had been standing at when they came in. “Max there’s no time if you’re going to get Tess.” He looked over at Michael start disabling the rest of these.” Looking at Jim, familiarizing himself with the gun he held, Jessie continued. “These things are gas powered. Charged for 30 shots. Each magazine holds 10 tranq darts. These are fully loaded and charged.” He handed Jim and Kyle two extra magazines, and then took a gun over to Max. Standing close to him, Jessie, pulled his headset off and whispered. “I’m sorry. I had to kill him.” Looking up Jessie saw that Michael was done and had joined the others. Jessie thrust the gun and extra clips into Max’s hands. “There is no time, your majesty!” Jessie hissed in anger at Max. Max’s head snapped up at the last. Raising his voice he turned and faced the others. “You’ve got 17 minutes before the oxygen tanks run out. You need to hurry.” Heading to the door he opened it and looked down the hallway. Seeing it was clear, he motioned for the others. “The Room is that way. I’m heading back to the security office.” Before anyone could say anything he was sprinting in the opposite direction.

“Max?” Michael asked, “What’s wrong?”

“He called me your majesty.” Said Max, still feeling shocked. He looked first at Michael and then the others. “He knows.”

“Do you think this is a trap?” asked Jim concern evident in his voice.

Shaking his head, Max shook his lingering confusion, “No. I still trust them. Come on, let’s go.”

As they neared the doors they heard Frank’s voice come over the headsets, “ there are two people in the observation room. Both ahead and to the right as you come in the door. Summers and two others are in the White room with Tess. He’s standing to the right as you enter. The other two are next to the bed with their backs to the door. I’ll open both doors when you get in position.”

“Kyle,” Jim said when they neared the door. “I’ll take care of the room, you watch the hallway. Give a yell if anyone comes.”

“Dad..” began Kyle, but was quickly cut off by his dad “No buts, Kyle. Just do it.”

The two doors were in the same hallway about 15 feet apart. Both were electronic doors that slid open and had keypads next to them. As the friends got ready by their assigned doors Frank’s calm voice came again. “No one has moved. Opening the doors in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, now.”

On the last word the doors slid open. Jim spun into the doorway with the tranquilizer gun at his shoulder. Swinging the gun from the right to left, he quickly came across his first target and fired. The soft recoil and hiss of the gun was followed almost instantly by the second shot as Jim switched aim to the other person in the room. His police reflexes were taking over as he continued a quick survey of the rest of the room before returning his aim to the first of the men. A small red-feathered dart stuck out of the center of his back as he slid down to the ground, followed quickly by the other man. “Clear.” Jim quietly said as he lowered the gun. Movement through the large one-way mirror caught his eye. “Oh Christ” he whispered followed quickly by a yell.

Max and Michael had never really handled guns before except for that time when they captured Agent Pierce, and this was very different. They had quickly decided on what to do before the door opened. Michael went in first, thrusting out his free hand and releasing an energy blast at the two next to the bed holding Tess. He succeed in knocking them into each other. As they fell in a heap by the bed, he started pumping darts into them.

Max simply followed Michael in raising his gun to find Summers. He saw a man standing in a suit and tie standing at the foot of Tess’s bed, his head turning in the direction of the open door. Max quickly fired two shots, aiming for the center of Summers chest. Summers flew back twisting in mid air to land on his side, back to Max, not moving.

Max and Michael finally looked at the table where Tess lay. She looked bad. It was clear that she was on the edge of conscious, not quite aware of her surroundings. She had an IV tube going into her left arm and there were track marks where other injections had been given on her right. Her face was pale with several bruises, the worst of which was almost forcing her left eye shut. Her pale blond hair was soaked with sweat and plastered to her head.

“Jesus.” Said Michael quietly.

This is what it would have been like for me if they hadn’t rescued me as fast as they had. Thought Max. Getting a grip on his fears and sorrow that it had taken them so long to get to Tess, Max said, “come on Michael, Let get her untied.” Then more gently to Tess, “Tess, its Max. Michael and I are here. We’ll get you out.” He wasn’t sure she heard him.

Waving their hands over the restraints, the straps holding Tess parted and they got her in a sitting position as Michael withdrew the IV needle. Suddenly, over the headset they heard Jim’s voice yell out “Behind you Max!” just as the room exploded in noise.