Chapter 19: Hiatus

Crispin couldn't see a thing. He had been blindfolded and, despite still wearing the electric collar, he had also been gagged. His captors obviously didn't want to take any chances that he would get them in his thrall.

The changer girl had been put in a cage that she was currently biting at with her great jaws but the metal didn't waver. The two human women were somewhere behind him, bound and gagged as he was.

He didn't know where he was being taken but he could smell the ocean and hear the waves crashing under the boardwalk beneath his feet.

But there was no one around except the men that were leading them and they weren't talking.

They turned left and kept walking. The sounds of his footsteps on the wood beneath them got hollower, he was pretty sure they were going down a pier.

“Hurry up!” Someone called to them. “The sun will be coming up soon.”

“Relax.” the guy holding Crispin said. “We still got time.”

“You aint the one who gotta steer the damn sub and the one who does nags me whenever we're late.”

“Yeah, yeah.” the guy behind him mumbled.

They turned again and suddenly Crispin was walking on metal.

“Here. Careful, this one is a siren.”

“Ooh, we haven't had a siren before.”

“Hurry up and get them under.” another guy spoke up, irritated.

“So what did you catch?” a woman's voice spoke up.

“Dora.” one of the guys greeted. “We got two pregnant humans, a changer, and a siren.”

Crispin felt a heat on the front of the body and when the woman spoke again, her voice was right in front of him. “A siren, huh? Dog collar. Nice touch. Put them in the hold. Be careful with the women. We need them to stay pregnant until they get to the base.”

XXXXXXXXX

“Here you go.” Joe delivered the tapes to the comm. room 1. Unlike comm. room two which was used more for communicating with family and friends, or bosses, comm. room one was much more official. Anything done for MCRC itself was done here. Keeping up with the Coast Guard and other naval ships all happened here.

Joe wanted to go through the tapes herself but she wasn't trained in things like this and the people in the communications room could be trusted. At least, she hoped so.

“These from the tap?” the girl she gave them to, Lisa, asked.

“Yup.” Joe smiled. “Can I get it back as quick as possible.”

“No problem.” Lisa smiled. “Go, go. Let me work.”

“Thanks, Lisa.” Joe said turning and leaving the room.

“Done, Kyma?” Kai asked as he pushed himself off the wall from where he had been waiting for her.

Joe nodded.

“What do you want to do now?” he inquired.

“Actually, I really do need to go see Ilia.” Joe smiled apologetically. “I'm kind of worried about her.”

Kai nodded. “Then, I'll go to the sonar room. We'll be working in there tomorrow.”

It was a bit of a long shot, but they were going to see if they could see the general shape of whatever was down there on sonar. They hadn't done it before now because the sonar machine had broken and no one was really sure it would work anyway. Plus, if whatever was down there was looking for sonar, they would be detected extremely quickly. But Joe had run out of things to do and it was better than nothing.

Kai kissed her good-bye, it was sweet and still sensual, and they parted ways.

Joe was actually very worried about Ilia.

She hadn't emerged from her room since they had dived down that morning and had been there since she left sick bay. Doc wasn't talking so Joe had to go straight to the source.

Ilia had taken the news that Joe was pushed rather hard. She seemed convinced that she had slept with a murderer. And, although Ilia liked sex, she wanted her partner's to be good people. The thought that she had chosen wrong was obviously weighing on her mind.

And when Joe knocked on the fea's door, there was no response.

“Ilia?” she called. “Ilia, it's me. Can I come in.”

There was a pause and Joe was certain that Ilia was not going to answer her. Fearing that the fea might have hurt herself, Joe was about to go get someone with a master key to open the door.

But she heard the lock slide and the door opened a bit.

Joe pushed it open and came inside while Ilia was already returning to her bed.

“Ilia, what's wrong?” Joe asked.

“Hey, Sweetie.” Ilia smiled a bit at her but Joe could tell it was faked.

The fairy sat down and sighed dejectedly. Even without a bit of make-up and her hair unwashed, Ilia looked stunning.

“Want to tell me about it?” Joe asked going to her side and sitting by her.

Ilia automatically leaned into her, putting her head on her shoulder. Joe hadn't realized that fea were of the touchy-feely mythics. Then again, it might just be Ilia. She might just crave physical comfort.

Not one to deny her friend something like that, Joe put her arm around her and squeezed her close.

“I might have slept with someone that tried to kill you.” Ilia admitted. “It makes me feel...dirty somehow.”

“I don't think you did.” Joe told her. “You have better taste than that.”

“But what if I did?” Ilia looked up at her. It was strange seeing her normally happy, bubbly, energetic friend so down.

“What if you did?” Joe asked back.

“Then I really need to reconsider my lifestyle.” Ilia answered her own question. “Doc recommended...celibacy.”

Since Joe had recommended nearly the same thing once, she didn't say anything but let Ilia continue.

“He said that it doesn't have to be permanent.” she sounded kind of hopeful, like she was convincing herself. “He said it could be like a six month celibacy. Just to cut myself off, rethink my life a bit. What do you think?”

“I think it's a great idea.” Joe couldn't help but say as she pushed Ilia's hair behind her ear. “It might do you some good. You can learn to appreciate non-sexual relationships, take up a hobby, reevaluate what you love in life.”

“I love a good night in bed with a skilled man.” Ilia sighed. “But you are the smart one. Maybe you're right.”

“I am.” Joe squeezed her a bit. “And it's not permanent, like you said. Just a six month hiatus.”

“Hiatus?” Ilia repeated.

“Sure.” Joe nodded. “Has a much better ring to it than celibacy, huh?”

“On hiatus, huh?” Ilia tasted the words. Hiatus did have a much more positive ring to it than celibacy did. She could be on hiatus. It sounded kind of fancy. “That's not a bad thought. On hiatus.”

“And after six months,” Joe said, “after you've thought everything over, you can go right back to how you were if you want.”

Ilia smiled up at her. “Thanks, Sweetie. You're the best.”

Ilia hugged her close and a smile came over her face.

“Now, go take a shower.” Joe said. “Take a shower, get dressed, go get some work done before Josh has a heart attack because his best girl is absent.”

Ilia laughed, a real laugh. “Yeah, no point in sulking.”

Ilia stood up and stretched, looking slightly more invigorated than before. She turned and beamed at Joe. “What time is it?”

Joe reached over and picked up Ilia's phone. “It's 2:47.”

“Remember that time.” Ilia said happily. “I will not have sex again until 2:47 six months from now! I am officially now on hiatus!”

XXXXXXXXX

“Hello, Mr. Ozera.” Captain Hughes said as his ultimate boss's voice came over the line. “What can I do for you?”

“Jack is being a real pain in the ass.” Victor growled. “He's deliberately keeping things from me, I know he is. I'm seriously considering firing him.”

“Don't do that.” Captain Hughes placated him. “Jack is a good guy and so are you. I don't know why you two can't get along.”

“Because, apparently, I make his teeth grind.” The way he said it made Captain Hughes think that Victor Ozera was doing some teeth grinding of his own.

Jack Cross and Victor Ozera were just too alike, Hughes thought, to ever get along. Both were strong, dedicated, alpha men. That kind of machismo never really mixed well.The only thing they had in common was their drive. They were both the most driven men Hughes had ever met.

And when they were in the same room it was like watching an atomic blast go off.

“So, what do you need from me, sir?” Hughes asked.

“I want a report on what's happening out there.” he answered. “The truth, the whole truth, please.I don't like being kept in the dark which is all Jack seems to want to do anymore.”

“Maybe if you two tried harder to get along.” Even as Hughes suggested it, he knew it would never happen. Alpha lions got along better than Jack and Victor. “Never mind. So, a report. On what, exactly?”

“On what Kai Wunders and Joanne Hudder are doing are there.”

“Oh, of course, sir.” Hughes agreed.