HOPELESS

By Stacey and Jo

PART 9:

After the fiasco in their attempt to get inside Sid's condo building, they lay low for the rest of the day, talking quietly, trying to figure out what to do next. Cort slept for a couple of hours there at the table, and Bud still seemed a bit woozy from the warp. As dinner approached, John, Terry, and Dee left the safe house.

Bud looked at Maximus, who was sitting across the table from Cort. The General was lost in contemplation of Caroline and what she must have gone through with Sid's constant transport of her. Cort had his elbows on the table, his chin resting on his clasped hands. "We are some damn sorry lot," Bud sighed, aware that a certain clammy feeling still hung about his skin.

Maximus didn't break his concentration, but Cort lifted his eyes, staring across the table at him. "We'll find a way," he whispered. "There's always a way."  Not that he really believed that any more himself. What he'd said to his family as they left Thorneton to head toward the Park flashed through his memory. "We've got each other. So long as we've got that, we've got everything we need."  Right now he felt like he had nothing he needed, not a thing. Words he'd spoken kept haunting him, taunting him with their utter failure. "You are my heart," he'd told Rachel that last night. "We are together, we love, and that is enough. I won't let you go. I'll never let you go."

His eyes misted over. "I'll never let you go," he murmured, not realizing he'd said it aloud. But Rachel had gone over the edge into the depths of the chasm before he could even get his mind around what was happening. He'd been too shocked himself by the sight of Hope, grown and with Sid, and Rachel had made her blind lunge toward them before he could react. He'd let her go. He'd promised he wouldn't, but he'd, in the end, let her go. "Oh, God!" he moaned, covering his eyes with his hand.

Maximus' reverie was broken by that gasp from across the table and he reached out, laying a hand on Cort's forearm. "I know," he said quietly. He understood completely what it was like not to be able to save one's family. But his son was dead. Hope was still alive and very near by. There was that.
 

Silently, Alex watched the exchange between the two men. He just couldn't imagine what they must have gone through. He himself only had a very vague recollection of when he woke up in his car on the side of the road that night.

He'd thought he was in a drunken stupor at the time - his head hurt, he was bleary-eyed,
sick to his stomach. He tried hard to think about what his last memory was before he found himself stranded there.

Myra. He had remembered Myra. But... what else? What had he been doing? She'd changed, gone back to that fiancé of hers. He remembered how miserable he felt, how he had been drinking, gotten drunk even. That was it, nothing more. Sid must have pulled him out at that point, figured he'd just think, as he did, that he'd gotten drunk and left, ended up on that road - alone and confused.

Alex closed his eyes, Myra's face filled his mind. He wondered how it had ended for her... and for him, in the movie. Did he have a happy ending? Did she come back to him? He wanted to find out, needed to find out. Needed to find out if his movie... his life as he knew it, had a happy ending. But would it be worse on him knowing it had? That Myra had come back to him? What then? What... then? Then an idea hit him... if  Sid was capable of pulling him out of a movie, could he not put him... back in? But would he really want that? After all he knew now? That wasn't real, but this... this was... real.

Gayle... Gayle was real, and she really seemed to like him. And she didn't have some fuckin' fiancé hanging about to cause trouble for them. Besides, had his life before been that fuckin' great to begin with? He let out a sigh, stood up and walked over to the window, looked out in the distance, wondering where this crazy mixed-up, train-wreck  of a life of his was heading next.

"Sorry I'm so late," John said softly as he walked into the kitchen where Amber was sitting at the table, an empty plate set out in front of her. "Is the food still warm or should I heat it up?"

"What do you think, John?" she snapped, not looking up at him.

She was upset. Of course she was upset. Why wouldn't she be? He'd promised her he'd be home for dinner and once again he'd managed to disappoint her. Damn Sid! Even with that fucking emerald fortress of his blown to hell, he still managed to fuck up their lives.

John sighed, walked into the kitchen, prepared himself a plate of food from the items Amber had left out on the stove, then placed them into the microwave to warm. As he watched the timer count down on it, he wondered to himself if his life would ever be normal, if any of them would ever be free of Sid.

She must have slept. Yes, that must be it. Maximus had his arms around her, his breath warm, soft on her cheek. He was sleeping, just as though he would not be dead so very soon. The familiar scent of him, the feel of his arms, his body stretched along hers...how easy it would be to imagine she were home and this was her Maximus, the one who knew her, who loved her. She lay a long time, listening to him breathe, listening to the sound of his heart. It was the same, exactly the same. Of course it would be the same! It was him.

Her brain followed every path it knew, trying desperately to figure out how to save him from his fate. The image of Lucilla closing his eyes came to her all too clearly, and she hugged him closer, rousing him.

"Caroline?"

His voice in the pitch blackness was...his. This was getting to be more than she could stand. She was with him yet she was not with him. And the him she was with was so utterly far from safe. She felt his hand move on her face, his finger sliding down her cheek, and her womanhood responded. Moaning, she turned her head away, too completely confused. She wanted him. Her body yearned for his. Would that be...unfaithfulness...if she loved him? Would it? It was him. Yet...there was another, another back in a modern city, another who loved her, would be trying to get to her. No, it wasn't right! But it was HIM! Why was it not right? WHY?

"Oh, God! Oh, God!" she cried aloud, pressing her hand tightly over her eyes.

"Caroline?" he said again, rising on his elbow to bend over her. It was entirely dark in the small room and he couldn't see even the barest outline of her form. "What is the matter?"

"Everything," she moaned. "Absolutely everything!"

"You are worried?" He felt her head nod under his hand. "About me?"

"About you," she sighed. "And about him."

"Where is he, this other you are worried about?"

"He is far away, further than you can imagine."

"Why are you not at his side, my lady?"

"He...he had something to do, something very dangerous, and he feared for my safety. I was supposed to stay with the women," she gulped, "but I am not very good at that."

He chuckled slightly. "That I can believe. So you followed him and he did not know?"

"I did. I followed him. And then someone else, someone far worse than Commodus, found me and...and...."

"What did he do, Caroline?"

"He sent me here. But he made everyone think I was dead."

"So this man believes you have been killed?"

"Not any more, no. Sid made sure, later, that Maxi...that he...knew I was still alive, knew where I was."

"Sid? A very odd name. But, Caroline, if your man knows where you are, will he not come for you?"

"I don't think he can." She didn't. The explosions at NanoCorp would have wiped out all the technology they'd need for that. "I think I am trapped here."  Her shoulders shook. "Oh, God! I think I'm trapped here forever!"

 

Terry sat in the darkened restaurant, his plate of food barely touched. Across the table, Dee sat chattering away animatedly, though about what, Terry had no idea. He was lost in his own thoughts as he stared out the large window behind her. Sid was out there and they had no way to get to him. Sid, on the other hand, could get to them anytime he wanted, and there was nothing they could do to stop him. Not anymore.

How the hell were they supposed to get Hope or Caroline back now that Sid had evolved into something just short of omnipotent? It was maddening, and Terry feared the worst was yet to come.

"Terry? Did you hear what I said?" Dee asked when she realized he hadn't been listening to her.

"Hmm? What was that, luv?" he replied, shaken from his thoughts.

"I was just wondering what we're going to do about Ross' little writer girlfriend? I mean, do you really think he managed to convince her to stop writing that story?"

"I'm not sure of anything anymore, Nolia," Terry sighed, rubbing his chin.

"Maybe you or Bud should check up on her, just to make sure. I just still don't trust that flatfoot. He could be in on it with her, Terry. What if he's feeding her information somehow?"

"I doubt he'd do a thing like that, luv," Terry assured her. "He was wearing a wire, remember? And Bud has been keeping a close eye on practically his every move. Besides, why would he tell us about what she was up to if he had been helping her?"

"Who knows?" Dee replied, shoving her plate of half-eaten food aside. "He doesn't seem like he's too bright, if you ask me."

"C'mon, luv," Terry told her, "let's get out of here and get some rest, shall we?"

"I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to have a decent night's rest after what happened today," Dee sighed wearily as they headed out to the parking lot.

The night passed all too slowly. Marcus had spent the late afternoon lying under the small table, sprawled atop both Maximus' and Cort's boots. Now he lay awake between Maximus' legs, watching his master's face. Maximus had been stroking him, glad of his presence as the dog was such a contact for him with Caroline. Cort was asleep. He could tell that from the sound of the breathing across the room. He himself couldn't sleep, couldn't get Caroline out of his mind. She was alive. By the gods, she was still alive!

Rising soundlessly, he slipped his boots on and, followed by Marcus, went quietly through the kitchen to the back door. He needed to walk, needed the air on his face, needed to release some of the tension in his muscles. He walked rapidly down the darkened streets, not caring where he went, but only that he was moving. Marcus, who had been inside most of the day, was all too glad to accompany him.

After some time he found himself near Sid's building, as though unconsciously drawn there by the fact that Sid was now his only link to Caroline. Sitting at one of the small, metal tables outside the coffee shop, he stared up at the top of the tower, a crescent moon hovering just to one side of it.  "You WILL return her!" he muttered aloud, his gaze projected intensely at the penthouse windows.

"Now why would I do that?"

There had been a breath of air and Sid was sitting across the table from him, smiling widely. Maximus' instinct was to grab him by the throat, but he'd learned that would do him no good. "Sid."  He hissed the name between clenched teeth.

Marcus pressed himself against Maximus' thigh, his hackles high, growling at the nanotech.  "You have gone and gotten yourself a canine?" Sid commented, cocking an eyebrow. "How precious."

"Sit, Marcus," Maximus ordered, and the big dog reluctantly obeyed, his lips still pulled back from his teeth.

"Marcus? You have named the beastie Marcus?"

"Caroline...," Maximus began, then stopped himself.

"OoooOOoOo...the doggie is Caroline's!"  He looked from Marcus to Maximus. "Perhaps the lady is...missing him?"

With that, he disappeared. And so did Marcus.

"NO!" Maximus roared, leaping to his feet. But there was nothing to be done. Marcus was gone.

Caroline was still sobbing when a sudden thump in the darkness startled both her and Maximus.

"What?" he said, instantly turning, rising to his feet. He took two steps then tripped over something large, almost falling.

"What is it?" Caroline asked fearfully from the cot.

"I do not know yet," Maximus replied, squatting beside the form, his hands reaching out to feel it. "It...it appears to be a...wolf."

"A WOLF?" she repeated, pressing further against the wall. "How...here....why...?"

Maximus' hands ran along the furry back, finding the animal's neck. "It has on a collar. It may be some sort of large dog."

Marcus was stunned by the warp and lay unmoving for two or three minutes, then lifted his head. Sensing then both the presence of Maximus and Caroline, he made a soft, happy, wuffing sound, scrabbling to his feet, licking the astounded Maximus all over his face.  "It IS a dog, Caroline!" Maximus chuckled.

"A dog...you're sure?"

At the sound of his mistress' voice, he pulled away from Maximus and leapt up on the cot, nearly frightening Caroline out of her wits in the darkness. His whole body was wiggling, wriggling with the joy of being with her again. He couldn't get enough tongue contact with her face. "No!" she cried, struggling to get away.  But...wait...this was too familiar, way too familiar. "M...Marcus?" she stammered. "Is that you?"

God in heaven, it must be! But...how? Only Sid could....  That was right. Only Sid could. Somehow, some way he'd gotten his hands on Marcus and for some perverse reason warped him into the movie, too. "Maximus," she spluttered between licks, "it's my dog. It's my Marcus!"

Maximus turned on his knees and found the edge of the cot with his hands. "Your dog? How could your dog get in here?"

"He's here, Maximus! Marcus is here!"  He was a piece of her home, a connection between her and all that was real in her life, and he was here. She hugged him, burying her face in his fur.

Sid reappeared in front of the coffee shop where Maximus still stood, his fists clenched, his eyes again on the penthouse. "I thought you'd like to know, General, that I found your...lady...in the other General's bed just now."  He grinned ear to ear. "A little piece of information to give you, shall we say, comfort?  Evidently the woman cannot resist you, wherever you are." Then he was gone again and Maximus sank heavily back into his chair, a hand clamped around his forehead.

Alex heard the back door close and jumped up, startled from a sound sleep. He looked around the house, checking to see if anyone had come or gone. He walked quietly through the kitchen, peered through the window, saw Maximus and his dog walking off into the night.

"Now where the hell is he going?" Alex mumbled to himself, then looked back to see if Bud or Cort were watching. When he saw that they were both still sleeping, he quietly opened the back door, making sure to keep to the shadows as he followed Maximus at a safe distance.

When he realized where he'd gone to, when he saw the building, he stopped, ducked into the alleyway. "What the fuck?" Alex cursed under his breath as he saw Sid suddenly appear right there where Maximus sat. So, this is the... man... the puppetmaster... that ruined all of our lives, he thought to himself, wanting nothing more than to confront him and make him pay for all the years of pain he'd caused.

He wanted to get closer, hear what they were saying, but he didn't want either of the men to see him. "Maximus, what have you got going on with that monster?" he wondered, then watched silently in horror as Marcus disappeared, as did Sid.

Alex was just about to head over to Maximus when the nanotech was back in an instant, then poof, gone again. His heart pounded, and he sank back against the wall, trying to decide if it was safe to approach the man. When he saw Maximus sitting there alone, he decided to take a chance and walked slowly up to the table where Maximus sat, his hands still clutching his head.

"You all right, friend?" he asked softly, sitting down in the chair where Sid had moments before sat.

Maximus looked wearily up at Alex, not even surprised somehow to see him there. It was getting so little surprised him any more, not after what Sid was able to do. "No, I am not all right," he sighed. "Not at all. Sid was here. He has sent Marcus into Gladiator."

Maximus scrubbed a hand over his face. He hadn't slept and now he was suddenly very tired. "He will not send me into Gladiator, Alex. The whole point is to keep my Caroline from me."  He closed his eyes, repeating, "The whole point." Slowly he stood. "We should be heading back. It is a long way."

Sid was watching. Good. Maximus was suffering. The dog obviously meant something to him.  When the two men began to walk away, he warped back to the penthouse.  Hope was sitting on the futon in her room, her laptop on. "What are you doing, My Dear?"

"I'm just Googling, Blue. There is much for me to learn."  She closed the laptop. "Why is that, Blue? Why do I not know things?"

"You are very young yet, My Dear. You have not had a chance to learn many things. But you will. You learn very fast. What were you getting information about just now?"

"Trees. I find I like trees very much. Tonight I have learned how to recognize all the trees by their shape, leaves, bark, habitat.  There are very many kinds of trees. I like that."  She smiled to herself. She also liked benches under trees.
 

John walked into the darkened bedroom, quietly shutting the door behind him. Amber lay there on her side, her eyes filled with tears. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to her.

"Do you?" she shot back angrily.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you never seem to want to talk about anything with me anymore, John."

"Amber, look, you know there's things about my work, things I'm not allowed to talk about."

"Why not, John? I don't understand? The company is gone, blown to bits. It's been all over the news."

"Amber, that doesn't mean..." he sighed, looked down at his hands.

"And these friends you always mention, the ones that are always calling and texting at all hours of the day and night.  Why haven't I met them before? Are you... ashamed of me? Is that it, John?"

"Of course not," John said. "Amber... I... it's... complicated. Believe me, sweetheart, the less you know about things, the safer it is... for all of us."

"John... you're not involved in something... illegal... are you?" she asked hesitantly.

"Of course not," he tried to reassure her.

"Then unless you start being more open with me, unless you start letting me into your life more, I just can't see this relationship working out."

"Amber... I..." he started, then paused. Shit. Now what? If he DID let her in, let her meet Terry, Bud, and the others, well, she'd be out of his life in a second. "I'll... try."

He stood up, walked around to the other side of the bed and slid in beside her. She didn't move, didn't say another word for the rest of the night, though he could hear her sobs. "I'm sorry, sweetheart... I'm sorry," he thought to himself as he lay there next to her.

Maximus and Alex walked together back to the safe house, saying little. When they arrived, Maximus went into the bedroom, lying with a sigh on the cot.

"That you?" Cort asked, sitting up.

"Me, yes," Maximus said, even his voice tired. "Marcus and I went for a walk."  His voice broke slightly on the last word.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Cort swung his legs off the side of the bed, leaning forward, concerned.

"I...I lost Marcus."

"You...how? How could that happen?"

"Sid. He appeared and he," he paused, "he sent him into Gladiator, Cort."

"He did what? Why? Why would he do that?"

"Because Marcus was important to me."

"But...my God! What will happen to him there? I can't imagine...."

"Sid indicated he had seen Caroline, that Marcus was now with her. I hope that is true."  He didn't mention where Sid had seen her. He simply rolled onto his side and closed his eyes.  This whole thing was too impossible. Caroline, in Maximus' bed? A Maximus who was him...yet not?  His head hurt too much. He needed sleep, but he couldn't shut out the sound of Sid's voice.

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