DECIMUS MERIDIUS

By Stacey and Jo 

Stacey writing: Terry, Dee, Biebe, Amber, Alex, Gayle

Jo writing: Maximus, Caroline, Bud, Marie, Cort, Lachlan, Hope, Sid
 

PART 4:

Cort, holding Hope's hand, started up the steps to the front porch of the blue house. He paused halfway up, almost overwhelmed with memories, suddenly totally unsure this was the right thing for him to do. Rachel. She was in every molecule of the place, inside and out. He pressed his lips together, gathering himself to enter through the screen door, enter into a place where she no longer was, would never be again.

Caroline whispered to the two Maximuses, "For him, this is almost like when you arrived back at your villa in Spain. The house is still standing here, yes, but what he loved is gone forever."

Meridius stepped closer behind Cort, resting his hand on the man's shoulder. He didn't say anything, just rested his hand there in silent support. Cort turned his head, looking down at the hand. "Thank you," he whispered, then continued up the steps and across the porch. Inside everything was just as he remembered it, except for the black hole in the middle of the living room that seemed to be sucking his breath into it. He stopped a few feet into the room, squeezing his eyes tightly shut. Hope's hand gripped his more firmly.

"I'm here, Daddy," she said softly.

Opening his eyes, he looked down at his daughter. "You are." He leaned to kiss her cheek. "Thank God you are."

There was so much to get used to, to adjust to, all at once. Rachel was dead, Hope grown, and there were now two Maximuses, neither of whom remembered him.  "I think I'd like to sit," he said, moving to the couch. Instantly, though, he remembered napping there, waking to Rachel's kisses. Absently, he touched his lips.

"Would you rather go back to the safe house, Cort?" Bud asked, concerned at his expression.

Cort looked at him blankly a moment, blinked, then replied, "No, this is where I should be."

Decimus and Meridius stood together across the room, both of them understanding the great emptiness filling Cort. Each of them knew well they had lost desire to live, had fallen into a dark abyss of the meaninglessness of everything that remained. "He must hold on," Decimus whispered to his other.

Meridius nodded. He himself was facing a stark renewal of loss. Side by side the two of them crossed the room, both squatting in front of the desolate Cort. Meridius looked at Decimus then up into Cort's face. "If we stay together, my brother, we survive."

"Huh, no one here," Alex told Gayle as they got back to the house. In their haste, he'd neglected to get a key to the front door from Bud and now here he stood - locked out.

"No key?" Gayle asked, curious as to why Alex wouldn't have one. Surely he'd left the house on his own before and surely the others had places to go during the day? Work?

When Alex shook his head no, she suggested, "Perhaps they left one under the mat? Or maybe in a planter? My parents used to do that sometimes when they knew I'd gone off and forgotten my key."

Alex just looked at Gayle, an eyebrow cocked, then pointed down to the door-mat-less ground under their feet. Yes, that would have been a dandy of an idea, except for the fact that - one, there was no mat or planters on the porch to leave keys in or otherwise,  and two, who the hell in their right mind would leave a key for someone to find when some crazy fucking nanotech-monster was out there trying to kill them?

"Guess we're locked out for now," he told her, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a cigarette. After lighting it up and taking a long drag, he blew out the smoke and said, "Might as well get comfortable, Slim." He motioned for her to join him sitting on the ground, their backs against the side of the house. "I'm sure Bud or someone will be along shortly to let us in."

Of course, it was the thought of who might come along that worried him. Bud, Terry, John? No problem. But if, say, Sid decided to happen along... find the two of them sitting here all alone... well... No. No, that wouldn't happen. Not today. They'd be fine, Alex was sure of it. For now, Sid seemed to be concentrating on the others - Alex was out of his line of sight.
 

He took another long drag off his cigarette, tried not to let his concern show on his face. "Anytime now...," he said again, "Bud will be back..."

Gayle sat on the hard cement porch, Alex's arm wrapped around her shoulders. Why did she get the feeling he was nervous? What was there to be nervous about? She'd been locked out many times as a teen, had to wait an hour or two for her parents to get home. So what? No big deal. Was Alex still concerned with whoever blew up NanoCorp? Had they found out about all the digging she'd been doing into it? Absently, she played with the hem of her shirt, hoping beyond hope that she was just being silly and a bit paranoid.

Finally, after a few quiet moments between them, she spoke up, "Maybe we should... um...find somewhere else to hang out...just until your brother gets back? A diner or something?"

Alex thought for a moment. Last time he was at a diner Bud had suddenly appeared in front of them... sprawled across their table. No, no diners. Not now, maybe not... ever. "I'm sure Bud will be back soon. He said he was just going to give Cort and Hope a lift home. Can't be much longer."

Gayle managed an awkward smile, nodded, then rested her head against Alex's chest. It had been a strange and stressful rollercoaster of a ride the last two weeks and she couldn't help but wonder what turn her life would take next.

Bud watched Decimus and Meridius with Cort. Yes, it was good for them to be together. He touched Caroline's arm. "I think I'll be going. Hate to be away from the house too long. I'm due to drive Lachlan over to get his bike."  He bade farewell to the others in the room and drove toward the safe house.

Lachlan had planned on waiting there for Bud's return, but suddenly felt cooped up so had gone out for a walk.  As he returned home, Bud's car was just pulling up in front.  He noticed Alex and his friend, Gayle, sitting on the stoop. "What's up?" he asked Bud as the cop got out of his car.

"I was wondering the same thing myself," Bud replied. "Hey, Ross, why're you sitting in the doorway?"

When Alex saw the two men approaching the house, he let out a sigh of  relief. "Locked out," he answered, pushing himself up off the ground, then helping Gayle to her feet. "Guess it didn't occur to anyone to trust me with a house key now that I'm livin' here?"

Bud grinned at Lachlan. "Trust...Ross, in the same sentence. Now that is a novel concept."

"I don't have a key, either, Alex," Lachlan supplied.

"Well, guys, just how many fuckin' keys do you think I HAVE to this fuckin' door!"

"Well, maybe you should have thought about having a few extra made now that you've got... houseguests, Bud," Alex grinned sarcastically. "And what's not to trust about me? I think I've proven myself quite trustworthy in the last few days. I'm still here, ain't I?"

Bud surprised everyone by becoming very quiet. "You're right, Alex, you have. I'll make time after I drop Lachlan off to stop by the hardware store."  Without another word, he went to the door and opened it, continued on to his bedroom and closed its door.

Lachlan exchanged looks with Alex. "What happened?"

"No fuckin' clue," Alex replied, stumping out his cigarette. He was a bit concerned about Bud's reaction. The man normally wasn't so...agreeable. Shrugging it off, he motioned for Gayle and Lachlan to go on inside, then followed behind after them.

Once inside, Gayle looked at him, whispering, "Maybe one of you should find out if he's okay?"

Alex looked at Lachlan, then nodded and walked over to Bud's room. Pressing his ear to the bedroom door, he listened for any sounds of anger or destruction emitting from within. When

he was sure all was safe, Alex hesitantly knocked lightly on the door, and called out, "Everything alright in there, Bud?"

"No," came Bud's voice, still quiet, maybe too quiet. "Nothing's all right anywhere."
 

Alex sighed, turned the door knob, slowly peeking into the room. He'd never seen Bud this way before and he didn't like it. Bud had always seemed like a rock, a volatile one, but a rock, nonetheless. Something was seriously bothering him, more than just the smart-ass remark Alex had thrown him a few minutes earlier.

Bud sat on the bed, his hands clasped between his legs, staring at the floor.

Alex looked at him, cleared his throat. "Mind if I come in?" He was still concerned he'd done something to set the big man off and braced himself for an unexpected outburst from him.

"Come in, Ross," Bud said, his voice heavy, not lifting his gaze from the floor.

Alex stepped slowly into the room, his eyes locked on Bud. "What's this all about, Bud?" he asked, leaning his back against the wall opposite of where Bud sat. "It wasn't anything I said, was it?"

"I think it was being at the blue house that did it," Bud sighed. "Just something about seeing Cort's reaction to being there, watching Caroline watch the double Maximuses, seeing how the two of them don't know which end is up." He sighed again. "And then there's Hope...all grown but with no experience of growing up. Lachlan, even you, Ross. Everything all disrupted, turned upside down. Terry." He rubbed a hand wearily across his face. "Think I've forgotten how to sleep." He looked up at Alex. "Sorry I've been so hard on you, Ross. You're turning out to be an ok guy."
 

Alex smiled at him, "Thanks, Bud. You've been...great, actually. Well, scratch that, you were a fuckin' nightmare to me at first, but now..." he chuckled, "Seriously, if there's anything I can do to help, I'm here for you."

"Just keep on with what you're doing, Alex. Keep on not putting out the word about what's going on here and make sure Gayle keeps a lid on it, too. That's the best thing you can do for

me, for all of us, right now." He'd lifted his eyes, meeting Alex's. Smiling just barely, he added, "You're not half bad, you know."

"I'll do my best," Alex told him, then realized what Gayle had mentioned about the possibility of her working down at the Herald. He frowned. Best not bring that little matter to Bud's attention quite yet.

Terry had spent a good part of the morning down at his lawyer's office again. Luckily, the investigators looking into the NanoCorp case had come up empty-handed trying to pin anything on him, so he was no longer a suspect. Unfortunately, there was still the little matter with the insurance agency. Seems they were still holding out on paying any of the claims. His lawyer had his hands full between juggling insurance forms and fielding all the angry calls from several of the company's investors. One in particular, their lawyer told them, had been especially rabid with him, calling for Sid's head served on a platter.

Terry, of course, would love to be able to oblige them on that little request, if only he could. The nanotech had continued to cause nothing but misery for all of them, especially after his exile from NanoCorp. Unfortunately, though he knew where Sid had been holed up (if he was even still there) he had no way of getting his hands on him. Been there, done that, failed miserably.

Terry rubbed his hand over his blood-shot eyes as he stepped onto the elevator with Dee, looked down at his watch, then gave her a nudge. "Lunch?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Sounds great," she told him, clasping her tiny hand in his. "I'm starved."

They headed down to the little Irish pub, Shenanigans, that was located on the lower level of the high-rise building where their lawyer's office was. Just a few nights earlier, it was here where they'd come and had their first real chat with Alex Ross. Shit, but that seemed like ages ago, Terry thought to himself as they entered the dimly-lit bar and headed to a booth towards the back of the pub.

"Brings back memories, don't it?" Dee grinned at Terry, thinking of that night, too, when

they'd told Ross about NanoCorp and Sid and the others.

He grinned, nodded, then picked up the menu to peruse. After they'd picked out their menu items and placed an order with the waiter, Terry sat back in his seat, his hands clasped behind his head. He wondered how Caroline was doing with the two Maximuses, and about Cort and Hope and the others. After lunch, he'd perhaps stop by the blue house with Dee, check on their progress. But for now, he'd try to sit and have a nice, peaceful lunch with his love, without interruptions, urgent calls from Bud about deaths and disappearances and nanotechs.

Bud had come out of his room looking tired and Lachlan felt bad about making him take him back to his flat, but there were things he needed to gather up, and he wanted to have his motorcycle available again. Once in his apartment, he looked around, thinking that he didn't really have much there that mattered. He stuffed some things into the cases he had that fit inside his bike's saddlebags, then sat on it, motor already on, undecided about where to go.  He probably should return to the safe house, but from Bud's description, he knew where the blue house was and he wanted to check on Hope, make sure she was ok with being there. Truth be told, he needed to see for himself where she was.

He roared off down the street, finding his way easily to the long drive through the pines up to the house. Much nicer than the rather dingy safe house, it sat in its green, shrub-studded lawns like some well-bred, gracious lady of a house. Good. He liked knowing Hope was there. In fact, as he parked he spotted her out some distance under the pines, walking along, head tipped up much as when he'd first seen her in the park.

"Hey, lady!" he called. "Can you spare a pinecone?"

She turned, smiling when she saw him. "Oh, Odd! I mean, Lachlan, I'm so glad you came!"

He walked up to her. "Are you?"

"Yes, you know I mean what I say."

"I know you do. I shouldn't tease you."

"No, you shouldn't. What you should do is kiss me."

"Here?"

"No, here." She touched her lips with a fingertip.

"All right," he smiled, letting his lips rest lightly on hers. Then he looked back toward the house. "Where's your father?"

"He's talking with Maxi...um, Decimus and Meridius. Inside."

"Come, walk with me," he suggested, "let's explore the yard."

They walked among the huge azalea bushes, the ground soft with fallen pine needles. "I like it here," she stated.

They'd stopped near the trunk of a particularly large tree. "Hope," he said seriously, "are you going to be all right, I mean with all that's happened?"

"I'm still worried about Daddy, but, yes, I'm doing quite well.  How about you?"

"I think I might do a bit better if...."  And he took her in his arms, kissing her more...extensively.

John sat on the couch, flipped through the channels on the TV, managing to avoid all the reports about NanoCorp and the explosion that still seemed to be lingering in the news. Finally, he found the sports channel and put on a game. Ice hockey... always made him miss his old life...

his home, his family. He sat there staring at the screen, though not really paying attention to what was happening in the game - his thoughts all turned inward.

Amber walked into the room, saw him sitting there, looked at the television, and figured what

he must be thinking about. Slowly she made her way over to him and sat down beside him. "John," she said after a moment.

"Hmm?" he answered, still staring off towards the screen.

"Do you ever...um... miss them?" she asked, hesitantly. She hadn't ever actually seen his movie before, but had asked Dee back at the safe house about it. She was crushed when she'd learned he'd left a wife and family behind when he'd been yanked from his film. She couldn't imagine the feelings inside him, feelings he'd had to keep buried from her for so long.

When he didn't answer right away, she placed her hand gently on top of his, giving it a little squeeze. "I'm... so sorry, John...," she said quietly. "About..."

"Hmm? Sorry about...what?" he asked, turning now to look at her, though still quite distracted.

"About... your...family, John. About the loss of... everything you had, everything and everyone you knew..."

He studied her face. Tears. She actually had tears in her eyes. What was she going on about?

His family? Then suddenly it dawned on him. Dee must have told her about his film, about his other "life". He swallowed hard, tried not to let his emotions get the best of him. Cupping her face gently in his hands, he leaned in slowly and softly pressed his lips to hers, parting them slightly as he kissed. Then he whispered in her ear, "Thank you for that, sweetheart."

Though he wasn't ready yet to talk about Donna or his kids or anything else from his past life,

it meant a lot to John that Amber cared about his feelings, cared about him. He sat back again on the couch, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and quietly watched the rest of the game.

 After Bud dropped Lachlan off and had more keys made, he found himself driving rather aimlessly down one street, up another, not paying attention to where he was going. After 45 minutes of this, he shook his head, suddenly realizing he was way out on the edge of the city where the suburban homes were spaced widely apart. He drove along, looking at the large, mostly brick or stone homes, set way back from the street, lawns immaculately green and tended. A few blocks further on he came to a park he'd never seen before and pulled over, just sitting in his car a while, watching as a jogger passed by, then two young mothers pushing strollers. It all seemed a different world than the one he lived in, far from Sid, far from all the danger and strain that had become his life.

The park wasn't like the city parks. This one was mostly just a big chunk of countryside that

had been set aside, left almost entirely in its natural state but for the mulched trails that meandered through it. Off to the right he noticed it was heavily wooded, and leaving his jacket in the car, he decided to follow the path that led directly into the heart of that section. He wanted to be a part of the scene, be away from all the uncertainty and bleakness that usually surrounded him.

The park was larger than he'd expected and he walked for over half an hour without seeing anyone else. He guessed the mothers with strollers didn't tend to come down this way, but stayed more over to the flatter sections by a pond close to the parking lot. Stopping, he lifted his chin, taking a deep breath, trying to let the tension flow out of him. Turning, looking toward the way he'd come, he wondered if he should start toward the car or continue on. Lost in thought, he took two or three steps backward, his heel catching on a partially-uncovered root. He fell heavily on his back, the breath knocked out of him. He wasn't hurt, but lay there a moment, trying to regather his wits.

"You all right?"

He was startled, not having seen anyone nearby, and looked up the length of a pair of long, tanned legs, past white shorts to the face of a woman who bent from the waist over him. Rich brown hair was swept back in a long ponytail that hung downward over her shoulder toward him. He blinked, looking up at the ponytail, strangely wanting to touch it.

The woman decided he must not be all right and crouched beside him, brushing beads of sweat from her forehead after her long jog. "I saw you fall," she said. "Did you hit your head?"

"I...," he began, then blinked again. What was the matter with him?

"I've got a cell phone," she offered, "and can call 911 if you want."

"N...no," he managed. "I'm fine."

"You sure? You don't look all that fine."

Pushing with his elbows, he sat up, surprised that the movement made him slightly dizzy. He closed his eyes, then felt her hand on his shoulder. "I...I'm sorry. I guess I did smack my head

a bit." As the concern deepened on her face, he quickly added, "But I'm ok. Nothing broken."

"Can you get up?" she asked. "You can't see it from here, but there's a bench just around the curve ahead."  She had been jogging in the opposite direction from the way he was walking.

"I think I can manage."  He pressed his hands to the ground, struggling to get his feet under him, and she took his left elbow, helping him up.

"You're not exactly dressed for jogging," she observed, brushing clinging mulch off his back.

"Didn't even know this park was here. Was just out driving and decided to go for a walk. Spur

of the moment thing."

She stepped back, looking at him, guessing he couldn't be much more than 2 or 3 years older than she was. He had on brown tweed slacks and a light tan short-sleeved shirt he almost

seemed bursting out of. There was something strong about him, sturdy, though he stood looking at her almost shyly.  His hair was brownish, cut quite short. "You in the army?"

"Oh, the hair? No, I was a cop for years. Always just found it less trouble to keep it like this."

"Cop, eh? Here in town?"

"LA. But not for a few years now."

"Why'd you leave?"

He hesitated, then said, "Got shot up pretty bad." His hand involuntarily touched his cheek. He wasn't about to say he'd been pulled without his consent out of a movie set in the 1950's by a lunatic nanotech who had the medical technology to repair his face.

She saw the reluctance in his eyes. "Come on, officer, let's go sit on that bench."

"Bud."

"What?"

"Bud, not officer."

"Ok, then, Bud, let's sit on the bench till we're sure you're ok."

As they walked, she said, "Marie."

He turned to look at her. "Me, Marie," she smiled.

"You think this will ever...end? Things get back to...normal?" Dee asked, pushing her salad around in her bowl with her fork. She'd been doing that for the past several minutes, deep in thought.

Terry took a sip of water, set the glass down and stared at his plate. "Normal? Heh... what exactly IS normal, anyway, luv? Because I for one sure as hell don't know anymore." He looked up at her, into her big blue eyes, wishing he could somehow just lose himself within their depths, forgetting everything that had happened, that was still happening around him.

Even before all hell broke loose at NanoCorp, the reality of it was that Terry's so-called "life" was and always had been far from what one would classify as "normal". It actually gave him a headache to think about it, really - for what he once considered to be his normal, everyday life, (as unpredictable and often quite dangerous as it was) was merely a complete and utter fabrication when you came right down to it, something out of someone's clever imagination for the sole purpose of entertainment of others. He had been nothing more than a puppet, a shadow on the big screen.

Once pulled from his movie... well, even then... he still hadn't really been able to cut the strings; Sid was his new puppet master and he and the others were nothing really more than mere wooden-heads for him to play with.

Dee sighed, her right hand still clutching her motionless fork and her left one absently twisting her auburn locks around her fingers. "Oh, Terry, I just wish we could go back... back when we first met... when I was still an archeologist, chasing down ancient artifacts and you were my knight in shining shining armor, swooping in to save the day."

Terry grinned, "On a mountaintop? In Peru? You mean... before you fell off a cliff and we were nearly killed in the jungle by terrorists with automatic weapons?" he chuckled. "Well, you do paint a romantic picture there, luv, but if you recall, you hated me back then and I...well, let's just say I'm glad I took the time to get to know the real you."

She playfully reached out and punched him on the shoulder, "Oh, you! What am I going to do with you, Terrence Thorne?"

"Ow! Watch the shoulder there, luv...still quite sore," he chuckled, rubbing his shoulder.

"Well, let's see, we have a few hours to spare... I could think of a few quite imaginative as well

as pleasurable things you could do with me." A sly grin spread across his face.

"As long as they don't involve hanging from clifftops, being chased by armed men, or warped by nanotechs, I'm game," she smirked.

"I think I can manage that," he smiled, then called out to the waiter, "Check, please!"

ON TO PART 5

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