(Disclaimers in the prologue)
The three figures met in the circular chamber. The Hub was silent. Any agents who remained Hub-side had settled in to wait, within their own retreats, but the air of anticipation was gradually being replaced by one of resignation.
<We have to do it,> insisted one of the figures telepathically. <We have no idea what Sapphire and Steel might be facing, and they have no means to return and inform us. They could so easily be found lacking. We have to activate!>
<How?> asked another, the leader, its tone suggesting the question was rhetorical.
<Well, one of the transuranics ...>
<The transuranics cannot be relied upon!> exclaimed the third figure indignantly. <We only ever use them with failsafes, and there would be no failsafe in place for this!>
The figure who had spoken first calmly finished its thought. <One of the transuranics can send a pulse. It will be enough.>
<Even if the pulse were sent correctly, how do we know it will reach its target? There is the matter of the two lost at the service station. We've no idea who ...>
<We have to make the attempt!> the first figure insisted. <There is nothing else that we can try!>
The leader broke in before the discussion became an argument. <Even if we assume that the target is intact and even if we can organise a safe pulse, we need some idea of location, before we can attempt any kind of activation. Until we know where they are, we are helpless.>
<So how do we find out where they are?>
<The same way as always. We set the scryers to the task and hope that Sapphire has the strength and awareness to send a signal.>
~~~
Topaz had returned to the room when Sapphire awoke again. She felt a little stronger and said as much, taking the hairbrush which Topaz offered and managing to find the will to straighten her hair. Her neck was still sore and her words still rasping, but the main source of pain remained the place torn inside, where once Steel's presence had steadied her.
Topaz offered her some water and she tried to drink, choking as the liquid touched her damaged throat. Then the empath insisted on examining the bruising around her neck, and Sapphire sat still and uncomplaining as she did so. She wondered when exactly she had become so quiescent.
"How is Steel?" she finally asked in her roughened voice. She had heeded the warning about drawing power, wary of the lurking threat of their greater enemy, but had still tried to locate her partner within the building. She should have been able to sense his position in a heartbeat, but instead had been confronted with a buffeting barrier which smelled the same as the taint she had encountered around Topaz's mind.
"He's about the same," Topaz replied, walking to the table and sitting on it. "We can hold him and prevent him from doing himself or others any harm, but we can't give him back his sanity on a plate. He has to find it for himself."
"I could help him," Sapphire suggested. "I know him better than anybody. If you let me talk to him, perhaps I can start the healing process. After all, we're much more useful in the battle against our enemy if we're functioning. At the moment, Steel is a liability, rather than an ally!"
Topaz appeared to consider Sapphire's words. "I'll discuss it with our associates," she finally offered. Her use of the word 'our' did not escape Sapphire; she was now being included within this group of outlaws. "But it may be some time before we can risk you being so close to Steel. He's a dangerous man, at the moment. If he hurts you again, we might lose both of you. That serves nobody."
Sapphire nodded her agreement. "Very well. But I really believe that I can help him. Tell your leader that." Very deliberately, she refused to acknowledge the man as claiming any authority over her, and she knew that Topaz had picked up on this segregation. "Now, do I get to see some more of this bustling, modern complex, or must I stare at these walls for hours?"
~~~
Mercury had begun work on his new device. It would be a gateway, surrounded by circuitry. The smaller device which he had originally provided contained the essence of his ability to manipulate dimensions, those algorithms embedded in circuitry and something beyond hard-wiring, combined with the raw power gifted to him through the Transients themselves, accommodating travel through time. Now he worked to encode the functionality of this device into the circuits of the gateway. Stepping through the arch he had constructed would permanently imprint this functionality on each member of their group's mind. It was an abstraction he had never before considered, but then again, he had never before had the power of Time's Transients at his disposal.
He had been updated on the fate of Sapphire and Steel. The suffering they had undergone in their sleep had left him bubbling with laughter; Steel in particular had been cold and contemptuous to him in the time that had followed Gold's unfortunate demise. Mercury's own recent fear was forgotten. He was convinced, now, that he had never been in any danger from Diamond and his cronies and the cell which had been intended for him. When he had thrown himself into the corridor of time, he remembered only being located and extracted, rather than the lost hours floating along it, buffeted by the terrifying creatures and forces which called it home.
Mercury had a distinctly selective memory.
He had been warned to remain where he was, and to complete the gateway as soon as possible. It would probably take days, yet, but that should tie in nicely with Sapphire and Steel's final submission to the manipulations of this little revenge tragedy. And when those two events aligned, then the Transients would fear captivity and destruction no more.
~~~
"How is Sapphire?"
Nitro appeared quite shocked by the question. Steel had been sitting at one end of his pallet since he had awoken, stronger and less susceptible to the dizziness brought on by his brush with death. All the events of the last days were gradually being processed in his mind, alongside the gaps which had been filled in by Nitro. He was finally beginning to grasp the enormity of the danger he was in.
Sapphire had betrayed him, on every level. Her link with him was severed, presumably by her, but he still found his thoughts dwelling on her welfare.
"Do you really care?" asked Nitro incredulously.
Steel lifted his head to meet his companion's eyes and raised his eyebrows in a gesture of helplessness. "Yes. I care."
Nitro shifted uncomfortably, and Steel wondered why this admission bothered the former specialist so much.
"She's fine," came the answer. "I don't think she's very happy at being confined, nor does she like being separated from Silver ..." Steel winced at this comment and hung his head again. "... but physically and mentally she's in pretty good shape, I'd say."
"Can I see her?"
Nitro stood up abruptly and slapped his palm against the wall in a gesture of disbelief. "You want to see her! Steel, that woman sold you out to a higher authority! She offered your destruction simply so that she could get rid of you and spend time with Silver. Hell, she even let that slimeball debauch her in full view of you! How can you possibly want to see her?"
Steel stood up, slowly.
"How did you know about her and Silver?" he asked, quietly. "You said that your leader retrieved me from the café after they had gone. How did you know what happened beforehand?" Steel studied Nitro's expression intently.
"Steel," the Transient said, matching the agent's understated tone. "I know you're not the trusting kind. I understand and respect that. A healthy paranoia can keep you alive. But you're going to have to give a little, here. At the moment, you are still breathing because of us. You live to fight another day, maybe even to eventually depose this authority which is out for your guts, and all because of us. I know you're hurting right now. I know how much she meant to you, but you have a duty to yourself. Get your strength back. Recover. Then, if you want to join us in fighting this corruption in the hierarchy, fine. If you want to take your chances alone, fine. But stop testing me, because I am not a patient man."
"How did you know!" pressed Steel.
"I know, because Silver has been talking about little else! Every time I check on him, he comes out with some new comment. 'Tell Steel that Sapphire's thighs really are as soft and smooth as they look!' 'Don't forget to give my love to Sapphire!' 'Ask Steel if he enjoyed our little floorshow!' Every damned time I go in there, he's mouthing off. He's full of himself. And that's how I know."
Steel was quiet, assessing silently whether this seemed credible.
And he was dismayed to find that it did.
~~~
After a meandering walk through the institution, Sapphire had grown tired and returned to her room. She had not mentioned Steel again, but Topaz had been aware of the sensory probes Sapphire had consistently sent as she moved around the building. Fortunately, drawing power at that small level had not endangered the barrier they had placed between the agents.
Sapphire's insistence at seeing her partner worried Topaz, however. She went to her leader and reported this new development. When informed of Sapphire's suggestion, the man's eyes grew dark with anger. He shook his head, disbelieving.
"How can she want to see the man who tried to kill her?" he asked. He directed his comments almost to himself. "It was the one thing she could never begin to contemplate, too hideous to consider. Steel turning against her and doing her physical harm. She should be terrified of the thought of confronting him again!"
"I know, but she pleaded most convincingly," Topaz returned. "She has it in her head that she can talk him out of insanity. If she sees him and realises that he isn't behaving like some wild animal -"
"I'm aware of the problem," the man snapped.
"You should have let them see the same thing!" Topaz berated. The cold eyes of her leader were insufficient to make her back down and she continued, drawing strength from the indignation she had spent recent days accumulating, as her input had been unsought. "If they'd experienced the same nightmare, we wouldn't have to work so hard to keep them apart!"
"They couldn't see the same thing," insisted the man dangerously. "Steel would never have believed himself capable of such violence towards Sapphire. Sapphire would not have accepted her own betrayal of him. Either way, it wouldn't have worked."
"Well, we should have given them another scenario then! Something they would both believe!"
"Nothing that they could both believe would have had the same traumatic effect, and we needed that trauma. They're only vulnerable if the partnership is severed. They will never need us if they still have each other. Now leave me! I will find a solution so that the plan remains on course. Don't concern yourself." When Topaz made no move, the man's head snapped up. "I said leave me!"
Topaz left, bristling at the dismissal. On her way out of the room she passed Nitro, hurrying in the opposite direction. She paused outside the door and almost smiled in satisfaction as she heard her fellow recruit address their illustrious leader.
"It's Steel. He wants to see Sapphire."
~~~
Diamond and Jet were summoned as they continued to wait in Jet's retreat. Another scrying team was being set up. They made their way to the central chamber willingly, aware that the attempt would probably be unsuccessful, but happy to try nonetheless.
It had been decided to focus their attention on Earth, as Sapphire and Steel had spent most of their time there, during the last centuries. The Transients could have taken them anywhere within the past but, as they had only recently escaped from its confines, it was assumed that the present was the best point to begin looking.
Even if they were correct in these assumptions, nobody could predict when and from where Sapphire might transmit a signal. Nobody was certain that she could even make any kind of contact. All the empaths could do, for now, was begin to sweep for transmissions.
But Jet had another plan.
She had tasted the corrupt residue left from the Transients' power. It was distinctive and obvious. Steel had once taught her that there was always another solution; something else which could be tried, when backed into a corner. That lesson was singularly poignant now, and Jet hoped against hope that her former lover would be proved right, and that she could use his own wisdom to find the alternative means to locate and free him.
~~~
Steel sat alone in his room. Nitro had left him after a lecture on trust. He had wasted his breath. In his entire life, Steel had trusted only a handful of individuals, and the one in whom he had invested the most faith had stabbed him in the back. This was not a particularly convincing means of persuading him that he should be more trusting.
He was still weak and his arm still throbbed, despite a surprisingly lengthy sleep. He rested only when his body had suffered physical trauma and was unused to the sensation of blacking out for hours at a time, but it had sufficiently reduced his dizziness that the agent stood, preparing to take a walk.
After all, if they weren't guarding him, he must be free to leave.
He opened the door and stepped out into a corridor. Nobody was in sight. He edged up the corridor to a main passage. Cursing his lack of empathic ability, he mentally drew lots to decide which direction to take, and turned left.
~~~
Sapphire lay in her room, trying to sleep. The walk around the building had tired her, more than she would have thought possible, and the ache around her throat was beginning to itch uncomfortably as it slowly healed.
She hoped that Topaz would manage to convince the other Transients that she should see Steel. She remembered his tears, just before his hands had tightened around her neck. He had not simply acted from cold hatred. He had acted from desperation and panic.
If she could convince him that she had been no part of the trap, then there may be some hope. He had begun to believe in her betrayal simply through circumstantial evidence. Perhaps now they were away from that hateful café, he could remember that she had never once betrayed him.
Maybe she could even hope that at some point in the future, the emptiness inside which taunted her interminably could be filled with Steel's essence once again.
~~~
"They want to see each other," the man mused. "The connection between them is stronger than I had anticipated."
"Stronger than anyone could anticipate," observed Nitro. "What kind of a man cares about the welfare of the woman who tried to destroy him?"
"Leave us," snapped the leader. "We'll let them see each other, but in such a way that the illusions remain intact. Return to your post. I will decipher this problem and inform you of the solution."
Nitro got to his feet and walked out of the room. He rounded the first corner on his way back to Steel's cell when he was surprised by Topaz, who grabbed his arm and dragged him along to the next room, shutting the door behind them and turning to him furiously.
"He's shutting us out!" she hissed, as Nitro recovered his poise. "When do we get to have a say in things? He's used our energy, he's used our skills and he's used our defection, but -"
"And what did we get in return?" interrupted Nitro. "Power beyond anything we could have imagined back when we were agents. The ability to change our form at will. A life free of the repetitive and dangerous duties forced on us by the organisation. And now, freedom to not only leave the past, but soon to be able to travel anywhere, anytime and use our power without restriction!"
"It's not enough!" Topaz retorted. "I didn't leave the network to become somebody else's lackey! We have to stand up for ourselves, Nitro. Because if that man -"
"Man?" Nitro enquired with a mocking eyebrow.
"All right, if that thing continues to deny my input into decisions, then I will have to seriously consider my position in this group!"
"And if you wanted to leave, if you decided that you were no longer Transient, how the hell would you go about it? Write a letter of resignation? Return to the Hub and say, 'I'm ever so sorry, I've made a bit of a mistake ...'? Wander off and strike out on your own?"
"If I have to!" Topaz insisted. "Listen, Nitro, doesn't it make you angry?! You're in the same boat!"
"Perhaps I'm not like you," suggested Nitro mildly. "Maybe I don't always have to be the centre of attention. I'll sit tight for now. If my opinion changes, you'll be the first to know."
With that he turned and left the room.
~~~
Sapphire slept, and whilst she slept, she dreamed. She saw the café again; it seemed that there was no escape from its detested presence, even after it had ceased to exist.
Within the café she sat with Steel, talking. In the dream, she knew she was tired. Her head nodded forward, lacking the energy to remain upright. There was no sign of madness and paranoia in her companion. He was Steel, and his presence in her dreams served as an acute reminder of how much she missed him during her waking hours.
The relaxation which comes from sleep and the nature of her dreams had a singular, significant effect. The implanted suggestions which were undeniable during consciousness lost their potency. And in particular, Sapphire's conviction that she had lost her link with Steel was forgotten in a haze of emotion.
In her dream, she finally slipped into a coma and the memories faded to black. But the link was in place again, and Sapphire's physical body smiled with welcome as the void was filled.
~~~
As Steel walked, he gradually became aware of a nagging itch in his head. It began as a sensation of having forgotten or misplaced some item, and grew to physical discomfort as he made slow progress down the corridors of the former mental hospital.
He had been out of his room for almost an hour, but it had taken him that long to cover the long corridors which linked the various sections of the building. Steel was now as far as he had been from his own room, and the itch in his head began to burn.
With no coherent thought he turned into a side corridor, staggering now as his weakness intensified. Doors lined both sides, but the single room straight ahead, at the very end of the passage demanded his attention.
~~~
The dream-memories returned. Now Sapphire lay on her back, along a narrow bench. She felt Steel's hand on her face, felt his connection within her, no less real for its lack of tangibility. And she opened her eyes, suddenly desperate to see him.
The dream collapsed and she was alone in the cold stone room, and the café had disappeared.
~~~
Steel's hand shook as he reached for the handle of the door. For a fleeting instant he had been filled with the returning warmth of his connection with Sapphire. As her essence had filled the gap, Steel's relief could have made him cry out, but even as he'd revelled in the reestablished link, it was cruelly severed once more. His fingers touched the cold brass of the handle and he was alone again.
Steel glanced around in confusion. What had happened to him? Why was this room important?
Only one way to find out.
~~~
Topaz rounded the corner to see Steel at Sapphire's door. Her feelings of resentment fled in a wave of panic.
"Steel!"
She was very relieved when the agent paused and turned from the door of Sapphire's cell.
"Nitro's been looking for you. He has some news about Sapphire and Silver," Topaz called, saying the first thing that came into her head. She hurried up the corridor to meet him. Steel regarded her, disorientation in his eyes. "Are you all right?" she asked.
He appeared to give the question serious thought, then shook his head, falling against the wall.
"Come on," Topaz ordered, her self-control returning. "Let's get you back to your room." She hooked one of Steel's arms around her neck and, half supporting him, started back down the passage.
Halfway along, Steel halted and twisted back, to stare at the door to Sapphire's cell. He frowned in confusion, but made no further complaint when Topaz resumed their progress back to his room.
They were going to have to move her now, Topaz mused, the earlier resentment returning as she realised how close to failure the whole plan had been.
~~~
Jet had diligently swept the coordinates allocated to her and sensed nothing. Although the scrying team was to work on a shift basis, with each empath retiring as they drained their energy and returning when recovered, Jet moved on immediately to other areas. She was looking for something that the others couldn't identify.
And she found it, too.
The pinpoint of the location was difficult, because the tainted power she sensed was being used to hide and deceive. But there had been a small whiff of it, somewhere over northern England. She nudged Diamond with her shoulder and broke into his own straining thoughts, quickly informing him that she might have narrowed down the search area again.
Diamond offered no objection to Jet's request that he begin to concentrate on this specific geographic area. She was glad that she didn't need to persuade him. Calmly, her fellow empath began to sweep over the section at Jet's direction.
~~~~~~~
Continued in Chapter 10
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