The Clara Barton, September 2, 2064, 0700 hours

McQueen lay there, his consciousness suspended in that moment between awake and asleep. He could hear noises that weren't familiar to him. His body didn't feel like his own. As he fought to open his eyes, a hatch banged and the events of the last 24 hours came rushing back.

"Jen," his lips formed her name, but no sound came out. He hadn't learned the breath control necessary for talking with a trach tube in place. He hoped that it wouldn't be there long enough for him to have to.

"Easy does it Colonel McQueen," Sgt. John Stark finished recording his patient's vital signs, then moved closer to the bed to talk to him. "You and your team saved my life, when you pulled us off of Kordis, Sir. Anything I can do for you, let me know."

McQueen shook his head as he recognized the Corpsman who had been trapped with Jen. He had many questions, but was too tired to write them out. For the moment, they would have to wait.

Two men came into his room. He thought he recognized one as the man who had transmitted his message, the night before, but he wasn't sure.

"Colonel, I'm Dr. Turek, I don't know if you remember me from last night, but we talked then." Stan motioned for Stark to stay, and continue his charting. "This is Dr. Harrison, his speciality is Cyber-orthopedics. Do you remember what happened to you?"

McQueen nodded his head, as images flew through his mind. He knew he had been at the peace talks. He knew he had lost part of his right leg. Then there was Jen in sickbay? His fingers rubbed against his chest, where his dog tags were resting, under his gown. She had given him her bracelet? That hadn't been a dream. After that it got hazy, as if he was watching, as well as participating. He kept trying to remember a conversation with Paul, but his mind didn't want to accept it. Somehow he knew Paul was dead, so he couldn't have talked to him.

"Colonel McQueen," Mike Harrison sat in a chair next to the patient's bed, bringing Ty's attention back to the present. "Dr. Kirkwood's notes suggest the use of a cybernetic prosthesis. That would be the ideal case, but I want to explain it to you and get your okay before we proceed." Harrison waited a beat, while he watched McQueen absorb what had been said.

"I understand you are a veteran of the AI war? Since that's the case, it's important for you to understand that the unit we would use to replace your leg isn't an AI prosthesis, as people like to call it. In actuality, the AI's grew out of the combined sciences of Cyber-medicine, not the other way around," Dr. Harrison had caught McQueen's attention.

"In the late 1980's doctors began experimenting with ways to give para and quadriplegics natural movement. By 2015, the research had progressed to the replacement of limbs." Harrison began drawing a diagram of what he planned for McQueen. "Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, ethics were tossed out the window and Aerotech decided to try and build people. The rest is history," he muttered.

McQueen interrupted Harrison's lecture by reaching unsteady hands for the doctor's pen and paper. He scribbled, "do it," then let the pen drop from hands made tired from that small job.

Sometime during the night, the Colonel had decided he would take a leg from the devil himself, if it helped him get back to the Saratoga. He had never been vain about his body. Hell, what was one more scar, he had thought. Besides the prosthesis was only a means to an end. He could picture Jen sitting beside his bed quoting from The Book Of The Five Rings. 'When your life is on the line, you want to make use of all your tools.' He was sure she would prod him along by saying. Come on Ty, after all, whatever gets the job done!

"All right," Harrison was caught by surprise. Very often it took careful explaining to convince soldiers who had fought against the AI's to let him use one of the more advanced types of prosthesis. He could understand why they were repelled by the idea of using possible AI technology. Many of them refused all together, even if it meant not getting full use of a lost limbs.

"We'll schedule your surgery for 0700 tomorrow. I realize it's fast, Colonel, but the sooner we do the procedure, the better the chance of a positive outcome. Dr. Kirkwood was careful when she did the original repair. It was obvious she had this kind of prosthesis in mind from the start. You were lucky to have her there to do the surgery."

McQueen closed his eyes, nodding his head in agreement, as his hand moved to grip his dog tags through the hospital gown. He was able to feel the bracelet Jen had attached there the night before and it gave him comfort.

Planet 2063 Yankee, 0700 hours

The little planet was the third from it's yellow sun. Both the sun and the planets caught in it's orbit were small by comparison to many of it's much larger cousins throughout the universe. Though the planet was going on 2 billion years old, it didn't support any humanoid life forms as yet. It was lush and green, with a high oxygen content in it's atmosphere. Due to it's proximity to it's sun, and the odd shifting along it's axis, the temperature between poles and equator was a constant 36 degrees C. to 40 degrees C. all year long.

The Chigs had checked it out years ago for possible colonization, but found the atmosphere not only unbreathable, but between the constant rain and the high oxygen content of the air, it corroded their survival suits. Added to that were poor communications due to the flux in magnetic fields, making the few minerals found, uneconomical to mine.

As one moved further from the equator, an odd phenomena occurred. In the fifteen hours it took to complete a turn on it's axis, 2063 Yankee had two nights. A true night, when the face of the planet was turned away from the sun and a false night, when only partial light was present, as the planet rocked away from the sun, then back again. The poles getting the longer false nights, the equator none.

In a mountainous area, of the largest continent, mid-way between equator and the north pole, a little cockpit was covered with it's landing 'chute. It had come to rest in the deep water of a large lake. Between the water and the 'chute' the cockpit had been cushioned enough to keep from breaking up on impact. During the night, it had drifted to the southern shore of the lake.

"Ohhh..." Captain Shane Vansen's eyes fluttered open as she tried to make sense of the strange rocking sensation. If she didn't know better she would swear she was in a boat. "No!" She gasped as she remembered the last few hours. *"No quick moves,"* she thought. *"my head and stomach can't take it."*

"'Phousse, Vanessa...," she gently shook the shoulder of the unconscious woman beside her. "You gotta wake up!"

"Paul," Damphousse murmured, as she forced her eyes open. Her body hurt everywhere. The last thing she remembered was Paul telling her everything was going to be all right, if she just hung on a bit longer. "Shane, what happened?" She looked out the front of the cockpit and couldn't make sense of what she saw.

"The pit got separated from the cargo bay of the ISSCV," Shane tested her own memory to see if she was on track.

"What about the POWs, did they make it?" Vanessa had been knocked unconscious when they had taken the hit that disabled them. "Did Nathan get Kylen back?"

"I don't know, but I think so," Shane began undoing her safety harness. "I have to believe so, or this was all for nothing. We better see where we are and get this cockpit hidden, or we may end up being POWs ourselves. If the readings on this thing are still working, we've got a high oxygen, nitrogen content, and traces of other gasses, in other words, breathable. I'm going to pop the top and see where we are."

"Ohhh, Shane," Vanessa was struck by dizziness as she moved to unstrap her safety harness to give Shane a hand with the emergency hand crank. "I'm really dizzy and I think I may have broken my wrist."

"You sit still." Shane was a bit dizzy herself, but she was determined to get out of the cockpit before their oxygen ran out. "You knocked your head pretty hard when we were hit last night."

Vansen finally worked open the emergency hatch and stood on her seat to take a look around. Part of the chute had flopped over the view screen, the rest was dragging in the water, where it had tangled on something. Pushing it aside, Shane saw it had anchored them to a large log that was sticking up about ten feet from the shore of a huge lake or ocean.

"Damn, we were lucky," Shane looked down at her friend. "We must have come down in the water. Last night, I kept dreaming I was on Jenny's boat," she laughed. "I guess we really were floating."

"Shane," Vanessa was trying to get her eyes to track properly as she concentrated on a section of the command console. "We've got some fused circuits boards in the homing beacon."

"If we're going to be found, we gotta get that thing fixed," the Captain stood in the sunshine of a lovely green world and knew that she would give almost anything to be back in the cold dark of space. "Do you think you can do it?"

"Not while this pit is rocking," Vanessa grabbed her head to steady herself. "If I can get on dry land, I think I can do it, but it may take some time, and I'll need your help."

"I'll get that section out of there, you lean back and relax," Shane began pulling out the radio and homing beacon. "Then we'll see about getting out of here."

The Saratoga, September 2, 2064, 0935 hours

Jenny knocked hard on Commodore Ross' door. She could hardly contain her anger at the latest rumor she had head.

"Come in, Jenny," Ross opened the door for her. He could tell by the look on her face that she had heard the news. She had just missed the visit by West, Hawkes and Connelly. Too bad they all hadn't come at once, then he wouldn't have to be going through this argument twice in the same day.

"I've just heard that you're calling in the SAR teams for Vansen and Damphousse, is that true?" She demanded, "I realize I'm a bit out of line here Commodore, but the rumors are everywhere."

"They're more then rumors, I'm afraid," Ross hated breaking the news to her, but there was a war on and he had orders. "The Saratoga is needed elsewhere. We'll be weighing anchor by 1100 hours."

"If you're recalling the SAR's that are out," Jenny argued. "Then send one. Hawkes, West and I'll go. They're alive, McQueen said so. We have to find them."

"Are you out of your mind!" Ross turned on her, "even if I would let West and Hawkes go, that's not a mission for you."

"I beg to differ with the Commodore," Jenny moved in close to argue with him. "I'm a doctor, when we find them, they will need me."

"That could be trading your lives in an attempt to find bodies," Ross had to believe that they were dead, or he wouldn't have been able to move the Saratoga. "I refuse to do that!"

"You wouldn't be doing it, we would be. But we're not going to die, none of us," Jenny grabbed his hand and held it tightly. "Please, Glen I have to do this."

Ross looked carefully at Jenny. For the first time he realized there was a desperation behind her words. "Why? What aren't you telling me?"

"I...a..I..don't know what you mean," Jenny chewed on her bottom lip.

"I think you do," Ross pushed harder. "I know you care about Vansen and Damphousse, we all do. This goes deeper for you, much deeper!"

"We, you and I, have to do this for McQueen," she turned and walked the few feet to the porthole. "We owe it to him. You owe it to him!"

"You're a dirty fighter, Doctor," her words had stung. If he hadn't been ill and asked McQueen to take his place at the peace talks, Ross knew he would be the one on the Clara Barton. "I didn't expect it of you. And tell me how letting the three of you get killed would be paying a debt to Ty?"

"I won't let them die. So much of this is already my fault," she raged at him. "Don't you understand, they have to live, all of them!"

"Wang is already dead," Ross argued. "And the odds that Vansen and Damphousse are alive are slim."

"I'll take those odds any day!" Jenny raised her chin, refusing to believe that the others hadn't made it.

"There's more to this then you're telling me," Ross squinted at the woman in front of him. "What's going on here?"

"You want the truth?" Jenny wrapped her arms around herself to keep from shivering. "My God, it can't do anymore damage then it's already done! Ty loves them, we have to get them back for him."

"More! You promised me the truth," Glen pushed.

"All right, you want it all?" Jenny stood very straight, refusing to be embarrassed. "I fell in love with Ty. I think I've loved him for a long time, but didn't realize it until the morning he left for Kazbek."

Well that explains it,"* Ross thought. *"It's nice to know it wasn't my lack of charm, but McQueen's considerable charm, that had her so entranced.

"Somehow, I think I assumed that all he needed to do was understand what love is really all about, and he'd love me back," Jen had needed to say these things for so long, it was a relief to be able to talk to someone about it. "It didn't work that way. It didn't take me long to realize he had learned to love, but he loved the Wildcards, not me. I can't take that away from him! We can't take that away from him."

Reaching for Jen's left wrist, the Commodore realized what had been out of place when he looked at her. "Where's your bracelet, Jenny?" He whispered as he felt a pang of regret that he hadn't read the letter from McQueen. No, he thought. This is my decision, I can't let McQueen influence it in anyway.

"Ty has it," Jenny took a deep breath. "It gave me strength when I was on Kordis, I hope it will do the same for him, now. It brought me luck. It'll do that for him and he's going to need all the luck he can get."

"He's the one who gave it to you, isn't he?" Ross was remembering remnants of a drunken conversation with McQueen He didn't need to see Jenny nod yes, to know the answer. "He's the Major from your stories!"

"So what if he is?" She branzened it out, "I was just telling stories about the Angry Angels to help pass the time while we were waiting for rescue!"

"It may have started out that way, but no, Jenny that's not all it was and you know it," Ross challenged.

"I don't think he knows about the stories and if he does, he hasn't read anything into them," the Doctor sighed. "Please don't tell him otherwise. If he knew how I really felt, it would cost me his friendship."

"Jen," Ross saw her flinch and he realized that McQueen was the only one who called her that. "Jenny, I think the next time you see him, you need to sit down and have a long talk with him."

"As I said, we're friends but nothing more," she sighed. "He's made his intentions very clear to me," she flushed as she remembered how he had pulled away from her that night. "I've never understood how intelligent men can prefer their women to be a bit light in the brains and heavier in the curves. Lets face it Glen, that just isn't me. Besides, you've seen that picture on his desk. No matter how much I want to change it, I can't. There may not have been real love in his marriage before, but he's learned to love, now. If he wants, he can go back and change his past."

"You know you can't change the past, though it sounds as if you've given this plenty of thought. I still think you may be wrong," Ross spoke quietly, not wanting to get her hopes up, but wanting so much more for both his friends. "Now tell me, what makes you think all that has happened in the last 24 hours is your fault."

"I made a deal," Jen sighed. "That morning that I realized that I loved him. I made a deal with the Universe. If it would keep them safe, I'd never let him know how I felt. The night before we picked up the 58th from Demios, I let him kiss me." She shook her head at her own stupidity.

"Wait a second," Ross cut in. "McQueen kissed you?" He watched as she flushed and knew without a doubt it was more then a friendly peck on the cheek. "He isn't one to do that lightly."

"Please Glen, get real. He's a man, a Marine and I'm not blind. I saw him in action when I was with the Angels. Ty may have been more discrete then most, but he liked the ladies and they liked him."

"You've got him wrong," Ross defended his friend. "Sure he did a lot of looking, back then, we all did. But even then he was never much of a womanizer, though they were attracted to him. By the way, 'lady' is not the correct term for them." The Commodore looked the Doctor over closely. He had always assumed that Amy had been the reason McQueen had gone a bit sour on women. Maybe what Ross had interpreted as hurt had been waiting. He would have to think about it. Yes, this was getting more interesting by the minute.

"Men, you all stick together, but it doesn't matter. I was there that night, I know. He realized his error quickly enough," she turned her back, it hurt to bring all this out into the open. Ross had become a friend to her in the months she had been on the Saratoga, but he was Ty's friend first. She wanted to be careful what she said.

"Jenny, I think you're reading this incorrectly," Ross knew that she wasn't the kind of woman to be taken lightly and he was sure McQueen did too.

"Please, this isn't something I want to talk about anymore. Just know that it happened and it shouldn't have. Now there are consequences to pay. I thought I was safe. That the kiss had been overlooked, when we got the 'Cards back. Then all hell broke lose yesterday. Now it's time to pay the piper, and the price is dearer then I ever imagined. I have to get them back for him!" Jenny stepped very close to Ross and gripped his arms.

"That doesn't make much sense," he shook his head. "You're a woman of science. Do you really believe that this deal of your's either helped or hurt them, at anytime?"

"I don't know Glen," she closed her eyes for a moment to get her balance. "All I know is that this is something I have to do for Ty. He's lost so much that he's cared about in his life. Please, please let me do this!"

Ross watched her as she fought the emotions that were passing over her face; fear, pain, desperation and love. What she was asking didn't make any sense. But then little did anymore. There was so much hatred in the world in the past years, who was he to argue with anyone who wanted to do something for love.

"All right," Ross saw the relief that filled her eyes. "On one condition. Hawkes and West have to give their okay on this. They've already been in here, by the way, with Lt. Mitch Connelly, so if this is a go, there will be four of you. I can keep the Saratoga here for another twenty-four hours and that's all. If you don't find them in that time, you'll have to come back. Deal?" He held out his hand.

Jenny stared at his hand, as she heard McQueen's voice echoing in her head, *"pax?"* She forced herself to take Ross' hand and shake, though she had no idea what she had just agreed to.

Saratoga Landing Bay, September 2, 1110 hours

Jenny walked up to the three Marines that were waiting for her. They were all dressed in battle gear. A grim smile crossed her face, as she thought what it had taken to get her to admit that 'once an Angry Angel, always an Angry Angel,' included her as well.

"Dr. Kirkwood," Ross came down from the observation deck. "May I have a word with you?"

"Sure Commodore," Jenny moved to meet him.

"I've got something for you," he held out a k-bar in an Angel black scabbard, turning it over so they could both see 'McQ' inscribed in silver on the back.

"I can't take that," Jen backed away. She had recognized the knife before Ross had shown her the initials.

"Consider it a trade," Ross smiled as he attached the scabbard to her vest. "He always said this k-bar brought him luck. Besides I've never seen an Angry Angel go into a hot spot without one."

"How did you know?" He had caught Jenny by surprise.

"I figured that if anything would bring you out of the closet, this would," Ross stood back and looked at her.

"I tried to convince them for the better part of a year, but even Gloria Collins never understood that if I could handle a scalpel, I could handle one of those things," she nodded as she touched the cool black leather of the scabbard, when she peeled her vest aside revealing her hastily sewn on Angry Angel's insignia and the call sign Angel-Doc written in laundry marker above her name patch..

"I expect you to bring that back," The Commodore warned. "He'll have my head if anything happens to it."

"Thank you, Glen," she smiled. "Not just for that, but for everything."

"Jenny, I mean it," he looked her in the eyes. "I expect you to come back." He had a terrible feeling that she didn't care if she returned or not, as long as they were able to find the missing women. "And remember 24 hours is the deadline!"

The Clara Barton, September 2, 2064, 1530 hours

"Colonel, may I come in," Corpsman Stark stuck his head around the hatch to McQueen's room and entered when he saw the man nod in agreement. "These are for you." He placed two books on the stand next to the Colonel.

"Dr. Turek talked to the Lady-Doc this morning about 1030 hours," Stark saw the slight movement of McQueen's head and knew he was listening to him. "She asked him to get those for you. She also, had a message. She said to tell you, 'we'll find them.'"

"Jen," McQueen's lips formed her name, as his eyes closed. They were keeping him drugged for pain control, since pulling the epidural in the morning. Dr. Harrison had told him they needed to be able to test his nerves' responses to stimuli during surgery, so the regional pain block had been removed. As more and more feeling was returning, he was needing stronger drugs to keep the pain manageable.

He had a sneaking suspicion that they also opted to keep him drugged due to the hard time he had given them when he had first arrived. Last night he had been in no mood to be trifled with. His weakened condition only added to his frustration. He had come very close to an old fashion temper tantrum, but at the last moment, realized, it was impossible to do that with the damn trach tube preventing speech, so he had settled for being as noncooperative as possible. In the end he had gotten his own way, Dr. Turek had contacted Jen and Ross and it had the added advantage of keeping most of the staff from wanting to have much to do with him.

The Commodore and the Doctor would take care of things until he got back. Though he didn't envy Glen having to keep the Jen in line. He could picture her driving the man crazy as she pushed him to have more SAR teams looking for his girls. She would make sure he found them.

"Sir," Stark rested his hand on McQueen's shoulder, for a moment, to bring him back to the present. "I hope you don't mind, but I've requested to be your Corpsman. I know with your rank, you rate at least a Lieutenant Commander, maybe even a full Commander, but Sir, I'll do my best for you." He had seen the Lady-Doc's bracelet attached to the Colonel's dog tags. This man was important to the Lady or she never would have given it to him. Therefore, he was important to Stark. "We have a bond, Sir," was as close as Stark would go to mentioning the bracelet, or Kirkwood, unless the Colonel brought it up.

McQueen nodded his head, acknowledging both the Corpsman's request and the bond. He wanted to feel the gold rope against his fingers, but wouldn't give in to it as long as someone else was in the room, even Stark. He had to be content with holding it against his chest.

Jen was still taking care of him, after all this time, and all this distance. It took him a moment to realize that he didn't mind it anymore. He only wished she would let him take care of her. What the hell was he thinking! He didn't want the responsibility of another person, especially now.

"Colonel McQueen," Stark stepped close to the bed. "I'm off duty for now, but I'll check on you this evening, and will be back on duty tomorrow before they take you to surgery. Is there anything I can get you before I go?"

McQueen pointed toward the books the Sargent had brought in with him. He was too weak to read, let alone hold a book, but he was interested in knowing what Jen had picked out for him. He had always thought a person's bookshelf told a lot about them.

Looking over at the books Stark held in his hand, he smiled and shook his head. The woman had his number, she had chosen, Te-Tao Ching and The Book Of The Five Rings.

After he heard Stark quietly put the book down, and leave the room, McQueen reached beneath his hospital gown and pulled out his dog tags. His fingers feeling in the dark for the gold chain that hung there. Fisting his hand around it, he took a deep breath and feel asleep. Finally understanding why Jen wore it all the time. It brought him peace. He had to get well and get it back to her, she must be missing it.

Next : Chapter Five - Part Five

Previous : Chapter Five - Part Three

Back : Space: AAB General Fiction