Seth gawked at the black screen for at least five minutes before his sister finally came to question what had happened.
"Seth…?" Brittney poked her brother roughly. Seth snapped out of his reverie and stood up. His hands were clenched at his sides, and his face was set in a glare. "We need to get back to Zimbabwe." He growled.
"What…why?"
Seth ignored her question and turned and ran out of the room, heading for the hanger.
"Seth! What are you doing?" Brittney screamed.
"Jazz is in trouble!" Seth answered as he disappeared.
~~~
Joel grumbled as he finally made his way into the Preventor base. He fell into the communications room and looked around. He needed to contact Noin and give her heck for her bad instructions.
Fortunately for him, Noin was already calling when he arrived.
"You’re here!" One of the officers cried. "Miss Noin wants to speak with you. I think something’s going on back in Africa."
"Huh?"
Joel was pulled towards the screen and he looked at Noin wearily. "What is it?" He asked.
"Joel, you have to come back," She gasped.
"What! Why? I just got here!" He screamed.
"Joel…it’s Jasmine. Just get back here as fast as you can." She hung up.
Joel frowned. What was Noin talking about? He was a little worried about his sister though. Noin looked pretty upset. Glaring at the blank screen, he turned and headed back for the exit. "Someone get me a shuttle back to Zimbabwe," He demanded as he left.
~~~
Indigo hugged her new coat tightly around her neck as she and Jason climbed onto the dog sled. She had fallen in love with it in the store, and had put it on immediately. It was soft brown leather and lined with fur with a huge hood.
"Are you going to stop swooning over that coat any time soon, Indy?" Jason frowned, "I think Joel might get a little jealous."
"Oh don’t be ridiculous." Indigo sighed. She sank down onto the sled and watched the endless white desert before them.
Suddenly a beeping sound came from one of the bags.
"What was that?" Both teens froze.
"It sounds like a transmission," Their escort commented.
"Oh! The laptop!" indigo cried. She quickly dug it out and opened the mail. Her eyes widened as she read the message.
"What?" Jason asked, "What is it?"
"Something’s happened to Jazz!" She cried.
"What! Well then are we going back."
"Non," She answered, "Noin has given us orders to proceed with the mission."
"But we’re not going to listen, are we?" Indigo didn’t answer. "Are we!?"
~~~
Jasmine moaned and opened her eyes slowly. She heard the constant beeping of her heart monitor, and wondered if she would be able to reach over and turn it off. Her arms felt like they were encased in cement, and her muscles were stiff. She gradually began to recall what had happened. Here eyes widened and she shot up out of bed.
"Whoa there!" A friendly voice cried out in response to her movements. Jasmine’s head was spinning. She looked up to see who it was, but everything was blurry.
"Just lie down, you’re in pretty bad shape."
Jasmine reluctantly obeyed. She swallowed to wet her dry throat and turned to the man. "What happened?" She groaned.
She could almost see him smiling. As her vision cleared, she saw that he was a tall and bulky Asian, with a scarred face and shaggy black hair that hung in his face. His black eyes beamed with life as he grinned at her. "You were attacked in an alleyway in town." He told her. "They roughed you up pretty badly. You’d be best to lie down."
"You were there," She commented.
He nodded slowly, "Yes, I was…"
"Why?"
He shrugged. "Just in the right place at the right time, I guess."
Jasmine frowned. She could remember the attack clearly now. She remembered when Indigo had been captured and beaten So this is what it feels like… But her thoughts did not dwell on herself for very long. Her mind shifted to her unborn child. She couldn’t feel the familiar warmth; she couldn’t feel his heartbeat in synch with hers.
"Murderers…" She hissed.
"Huh?" The man asked.
"My baby…they…they killed him," her eyebrows knit together in an intense frown.
The man’s face took on a look of understanding. "Yes they did. I’m very sorry."
Jasmine nodded grimly and tried to maintain her dignity. I’m not going to cry, I’m not going to cry… Her chants didn’t help much. She could feel the lump forming in her throat and the tears welling up in her eyes.
The man was at a loss to comfort her. "Well hey, Miss Noin’s been waiting for you to wake up. And that lady Doctor has been really concerned as well."
"My mother," Jasmine sighed.
"Yeah, I thought so. And your daddy too. You’ve got a good family here."
Jasmine nodded, she really did believe it. "My brother will be down too, as soon as he hears." She noted. She turned her head and watched the man head out the door.
"Hold on!"
He stopped and looked at her.
"Who…who are you...?"
He grinned, "How silly of me. I’m just an ordinary man who doesn’t like to see nice girls like you in trouble."
Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Whatever buddy, I mean what’s your name?"
He smirked again, "It’s Tech,"
"Well, thanks for your help, Tech."
He smiled and nodded, then left without another word to her.
In a few moments, Noin, Sally and Wufei had crowded into the room.
"Are you OK, Jazz?" Sally asked with concern. Jasmine nodded and fought back her remaining tears.
"Jasmine, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but I’m afraid that you…"
"I lost the baby, I know…" Jasmine interrupted.
Sally was shocked. "How…?"
Jasmine shrugged, "I just knew. I couldn’t feel him anymore." She turned and looked directly into her mother’s eyes. "Mom…those guys knew I was pregnant. They weren’t trying to hurt me, they were trying to kill my baby."
"What!" Wufei screamed in outrage. "How could they possibly…"
"I think I know," Noin said.
"What?" Sally urged.
"Saber."
No one responded to this, because at that moment, Seth burst inside. "Jasmine! I came as soon as I heard! Are you OK? What happened?" He hugged her tightly against her chest.
"Seth," Jasmine was so glad to just hear his voice. "I’m glad you came." She whispered, not bothering to answer his questions.
"I think I have to contact Helen in person." Noin said firmly, and with that she left for the communications room to make the call. Sally left as well; only Wufei lingered. Seth was murmuring softly to Jasmine, trying to comfort her.
Wufei stepped up behind them. "I’m going to find who placed this injustice on our family." He vowed. "The ones responsible will be punished."
Jasmine looked up at him and smiled. "Thanks Daddy."
Wufei nodded, but his face didn’t lose its glaring expression. He turned around and left.
"I’m sorry Seth," Jasmine whispered as soon as he was gone.
"Sorry? For what?" He blinked.
"I’m sorry that I couldn’t protect him…"
"What are you talking about, Jazz?"
Jasmine took a deep breath to calm herself, and then explained. "Seth, our baby’s dead."
Seth felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. He was winded for a moment, and then his thoughts began to race. Despite all the problems Jasmine’s pregnancy had caused, he still loved his unborn child deeply. He was excited about the idea of becoming a father. Now that wasn’t going to happen anymore. He should have stayed to protect her! Even though he knew it wasn’t true, he couldn’t help but feel that he could have prevented what had happened. He took a deep breath and pushed back his tears. He had to be strong, for Jasmine’s sake. He could see that she was having trouble with the fact. She was the one carrying it, after all.
"God Jazz, I’m sorry." He hugged her again and kissed her hair. "I shouldn’t have left you here."
Jasmine said nothing; she only hugged him more tightly. They young couple didn’t need words anyway. Seth cradled her in his arms and they both got caught up in their own thoughts together.
~~~
Helen was reading the note Noin had sent her for the ninth time that day. Every time she read it, a new detail popped out at her and she became even surer that Saber was to blame. His haunting conversation came back to her. She had distinctly heard him mention Jasmine and her baby to his contact.
Saber was currently under the watchful eye of the Commander. She had given him a ‘special assignment’ to keep a careful eye on him and report back if there was any suspicious behaviour. The Commander accepted his mission with unhidden relish.
Helen finished reading and glared at the offending message. She started to read it again. Jasmine was in the Preventor infirmary, she had been attacked, and her baby was dead. She was halfway through it when there was a beep, indicating that there was a call. Helen quickly answered it.
Noin appeared on the screen, she looked worn and tired. Helen revealed the fact to the older woman bluntly.
"You look like hell, Noin."
"Thanks," The woman said bitterly. "I’m feeling it. Did you get my message?"
"Yeah…and Noin, I think Saber is to blame for what happened."
Noin raised her eyebrow at her. "I was about to suggest the same thing."
"You were right Noin, this guys up to no good." Helen stated. Helen quickly filled Noin in on what she had witnessed the night before.
"Well then, we should take him back here and convict him." Noin glared. "No, hold on. I’m not completely sure. I mean, if you think about it, he could have just been talking to his Aunt, or gossiping with a cousin."
"Don’t be ridiculous Helen! There’s no doubt he’s guilty, we should lock him up and throw away the key now, before he has a chance to get away!"
"We know that, but a military judge may have some doubts. I just want to make sure we have a strong case against him, Noin. Just give me a few weeks. I can handle myself."
Noin sighed; Helen did have a point. But she didn’t want any more of the kids getting hurt. She contemplated Helen’s offer for a long time before she made a decision. "OK, Helen, you can stay. You have another two weeks to catch him. But I’m calling the rest of the kids back. After all, Saber does know where we sent them."
Helen nodded, "Thank you Noin. You won’t be disappointed." She disconnected and crawled out of her tent. She would have to act fast. Two weeks didn’t give her a lot of time.
~~~
Cassius smiled as she flipped through the channels on her ‘TV’. Each channel was connected to a different security camera within the Preventor base, as well as a few others she had set up in the restricted areas where no cameras were allowed. Her favorite channel to watch was, of course, the conference room. She knew the locations of all the kids and their missions.
"What fools," She chuckled. She’d heard the conversation between Noin and that Maxwell brat. She tapped her chin thoughtfully as she tried to think of a way to use this to her advantage. After a moment, her face broke out into a wide grin. "Prefect…" She purred. "I’m absolutely brilliant."
~~~
"Commander!" Helen announced as she invited herself into the ‘war room’ tent. The commander looked up from the table where he was working and then jumped up to stand at attention.
"Yes sir?" He bellowed.
"Get your men ready, we’re going to infiltrate that base tonight."
~~
"Tonight?" Saber blinked. "Why tonight?" To tell the truth, he didn’t really understand Helen’s sudden change in orders. Originally they were going to go in next week. "We don’t have enough time to prepare…"
"Are you questioning my judgement?" Helen hissed. She had to tilt her head up slightly to glare at the taller teen, but she still got the desired reaction.
"No Ma’am," He sighed.
"Good," She smirked. "I’ve prepared a plan of attack. I suggest you look it over before you go in there."
She then left Saber alone in his tent. She ducked around the corner and waited for him to come out. After an hour, as expected, Saber came out, looked around, then headed up to the hill with his laptop.
"Got ya, ya little bugger." Helen chuckled. She silently trailed after him. She would be expecting an ambush when they went to the base, and then she would have him. She readied her tape recorder as she got to the top of the hill. In a few hours, Jasmine’s attackers would be brought to justice. Cassius’ mole would be no more.
~~~
Joel arrived back in Zimbabwe six hours after he left Vietnam. He was so tired when he got back, but he didn’t immediately head for his dorm, like he wanted to. He instead went for the infirmary, ignoring everyone that tried to talk to him. He was in no mood for pleasantries. He found her room number and made his way down the hall towards it.
He was surprised to se an Asian man leaning against the wall next to her door.
"Who are you?" Joel hissed, raising his eyebrow at the man.
The man glanced at him, and seemed a little surprised. "That name’s Tech," He answered. He smiled ever so slightly at the young Chinese teen.
Joel studied him for a moment, until his eyes widened in recognition. "You…you were the one that brought my sister back."
"That I was. The young lady is in there with whom I’ve taken to be her boyfriend."
Joel sighed; Seth had beaten him there. He started to turn the knob when Tech spoke up again.
"They’re both a little upset in there, you know. It seems that Miss Jasmine has lost her child…"
Joel didn’t need to hear anymore. He was in that room and was at his sister’s side faster than a bolt of lightening. He ignored Seth as he pulled her into a tight hug. Jasmine returned it without a word. They remained that way for a long while, before Jasmine finally broke the silence. "What took you so long?"
Joel smiled weakly, "I had a little trouble getting a shuttle," He said simply. "But I’m here now."
She nodded, "I’m glad you are. I need my family with me right now."
Joel said nothing as he took the seat on Jasmine’s side, opposite of Seth. Jasmine sunk down into her bed and closed her eyes. She was so tired. All she wanted to do was sleep and forget about the nightmares that were happening all around her. Both boys held one of her hands. She was so glad they were there with her. She needed their strength to help her get through this. She fell asleep quickly and lost herself in a pleasant fantasy.
~~~
"Well now, sweetheart. Let’s see how much more torture you can take…" Cassius grinned maliciously as she walked over to her trusty new toy and punched in a few keys. "It won’t be much longer now…"
~~~
Jasmine’s dreams were haunted with visions of her lost son. They started out joyously, but it soon turned to turmoil
She and Seth were sitting in their own apartment, with a sea breeze coming in through the back doors and blowing the soft linen of the curtains in the wind. Through the doors was a terrace where there was a spectacular view of the ocean and a cute little fishing village. She had no idea how they had come at acquire their own home, but she didn’t care. It was a beautiful thought, and she indulged herself in it. They sat on a plush white sofa, and Jasmine had a tiny bundle in her arms. Her son had been born! He was still alive!
Seth cooed over him, letting the baby grasp his finger in his hand.
Then suddenly the mood shifted. She was back in the alleyway where her baby had died. She could feel the fear of that day again, and she desperately searched for a way to escape. The alleys never came to an end,
She was trapped inside her worst nightmare!
Then her son appeared again. He was a beautiful little boy, but his eyes were all wrong. They were angry and hateful. He glared at her with a cold fury that made her heart stop and her stomach tie in knots. "Bad mommy," He hissed, pointing his finger at her accusingly. "Bad mommy, bad mommy, bad mommy!"
"No!" She gasped, but there was nothing she could do. The boy took a step towards her, still chanting "bad mommy,"
"I’m not!" She insisted, "It wasn’t my fault!"
But he paid no attention. He continued his accusing words, tormenting her.
She backed herself up against the wall as the small boy approached her. He grabbed her leg and started kicking and punching her. "Bad mommy! You’re a bad mommy!"
"No!" She screamed. He attacked her angrily, his arms flailing about. Jasmine put up her hands to keep him away. "Stop it," She begged. It seemed as if he was huge to her, and he had a hundred arms and legs, all coming at her at once. His chant grew more and more intense, until she couldn’t take it anymore. "STOP IT!" She screamed and swung her arm out, catching him in the neck. She heard it pop, she heard him scream.
He fell limply to the ground, suddenly covered in bruises in cuts. "I didn’t do that…" Jasmine whispered to herself in amazement. "I didn’t hurt him that much!" She screamed into the air, as if a higher power was looming up above, listening and watching, waiting to press judgement.
Her son’s eyes were soulless as his blood drained from his tiny body. It started to rain as Jasmine crawled up to him and took him into her arms.
He turned his head slowly and looked at her, he seemed almost like a doll, without a soul and without a will.
"You…killed…me…" He growled.
Jasmine screamed in terror and dropped him at once. His now lifeless body bounced as he hit the ground, and his empty eyes still stared at her, completely unforgiving.
She pressed herself against the wall again, wiping her wet hair out of her face. The cool rain droplets were no comfort to her. She curled up into a ball and wept. She tried in vain to cover herself from those accusing eyes that bore deep into her inner being. She was shaking all over. The horror was too real for her to handle. In her head she could hear him screaming at her "BAD MOMMY!"
"No, no, no, stop it!" She whispered. "I’m not, please, leave me alone…" She rocked herself back and forth and flung her hands over her ears.
Still he cried, "BAD MOMMY! MURDERER! BAD, BAD MOMMY!"
"NOOOOO!!!!"
