New: Twentieth Century Boy Author: ZorroRojo - zorrorojo@slashcity.com Series: X-Over Voyager/X-Files/Highlander Part: 10/16 Rating: R? Codes: C/P Archive: Anywhere Disclaimer: yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah - not mine. Summary: I don't want to give one. Warnings: Non-Graphic Slash - Cussing -  a little violence (not anything worse than what you see on American TV. **********   Chakotay stood on the ridge, dumbfounded, as he looked down into a large depression in the soft sandy soil. "No," he whispered. "It can't be." "We are at the precise coordinates, Commander. That hole does indicate the Delta Flyer has been discovered." Tuvok confirmed what Chakotay was seeing. "Spread out and search the perimeter for any sign of Tom and Gerron. I'm going down there." Chakotay had learned never to take anything at face value. Determined to discover something of use to them, the Commander began his descent. Half an hour later Chakotay and Tuvok met back on the top of the ridge. A slight shake of Tuvok's head and Chakotay knew there was no sign of the rest of the team. He sat heavily on a large rock; he was bone tired. "The Flyer was not moved manually," Chakotay reported, still as puzzled as when he had climbed down to investigate. "There is no sign of excavation." "I found a track that was made by Lt. Paris and Crewman Gerron’s vehicle. The track is heading south-east," Tuvok relayed. Chakotay lifted his head from his chest and stared directly at Tuvok. "Let's go. We're following it." "Commander, you need to rest." "I'll rest when we find the rest of the team. Let's move." Grim determination kept Chakotay on his feet for another hour, but the rising sun and resultant temperature increase conspired to slow him down. "Commander, you must rest." Tuvok insisted, again, while handing a canteen to Chakotay. Chakotay acquiesced and spared himself a slow drink and then asked, "How far do you estimate it is to that mountain over there?" "Four to five kilometers." "That's where we'll find them," Chakotay declared. Tuvok's attention was suddenly drawn to the west. "There is a vehicle approaching." "Conceal yourself," Chakotay ordered. The dust trail following the vehicle could be seen soon after. Chakotay stepped out to meet it; they would need a ride. MacLeod’s eyes narrowed as they retraced the path into the desert that the young man must have taken when he had fled from whatever had happened to his brother, Tom, and Warren’s friend. There was a lone figure ahead. As they got closer, Gerron began to speak animatedly, though Mac and Warren were no closer to understanding him. "Is that his brother?" Mac asked hopefully. "No, it isn’t, but Gerron obviously knows this guy. I think we’re getting somewhere, Mac," Warren predicted as they neared the man in the desert heat. "Gerron." Chakotay whispered, well aware Tuvok could hear him. "Stay concealed," he ordered the Vulcan. The vehicle skidded to a stop in front of Chakotay and two men stepped out of the front with Gerron scrambling from the rear seat. "Chakotay!" he shouted. He ran to Chakotay and started babbling in Bajoran, "We found them. They were in a cave. A huge ship, they're using humans as wombs... They have Mark... there's an alien growing in him... and then one of them attacked the government agents and Tom... he got caught in the crossfire. They look like 8472, but they're not in fluidic space... and they're smaller. Commander, they took Tom." Chakotay grasped Gerron's shoulders and steadied him, "Slow down, I can't understand. Who took Tom?" "The Government lady. He was hurt and she took him away in a... a helicopter." Warren agitatedly interrupted the reunion and demanded from Chakotay, "Do you speak English?" "Not now," Chakotay snarled at the interloper. "Gerron, did you move the Flyer?" "It's gone?" Gerron was confused and still obviously shaken. "It's gone. How badly was Tom injured?" "I don't know. She had to breathe in his mouth to make him breathe." "What is he saying? What happened? Did he find my roommate?" Warren demanded. Chakotay turned on him and hissed, "I said not now." "I heard Mark's name. Where is he!" Warren shouted, fury in his voice and his eyes wild. "Your friend is dead. One of our friends was hurt. I need your vehicle. I'll pay you," Chakotay dictated icily, as if he fully expected cooperation. "He is not dead. I would know," Warren insisted. "I'm sorry. He's dead. How much for the car?" Chakotay reiterated coldly. Warren went nose to nose with Chakotay, invading his personal space and gripping Chakotay’s forearm tightly. The threat was clear. "Ask him what happened to Mark. I want to know exactly what happened and I want to know where he is. Now." Chakotay stared him down, ready to attack and take the vehicle without payment. Yes, this man's friend was dead and he would have to deal with it, but Chakotay had to concern himself with problems that could be resolved. Like finding Tom and getting him back. And finding the Flyer - and stopping an alien invasion. "Let go of me," Chakotay warned. "Warren," MacLeod said. "Give him a minute to breathe. We'll get the whole story." He turned to Chakotay and asked, "Who are you?" "A friend of Gerron's. I need to find Tom. Gerron said he's been shot and was taken away in a helicopter. Where would he have been taken?" "Alpine." Warren said. "Who shot him?" "A government agent," Chakotay admitted, wanting to get this over with so they could get moving. "Good luck getting him back. His hospital room will be guarded," Warren snorted. "Gerron, did they see anything?" Chakotay asked the young Bajoran, trying to assimilate as much information from the sources in his midst as he could. "No, I beamed everything out before they could get a good look. I think we stunned one of them, though. He wasn't moving." "What language is he speaking?" Mac demanded. Without thinking, Chakotay answered, "Tarahumara," the language of his own people. "It doesn't sound Native American to me," Mac replied suspiciously. "It's an uncommon dialect." Chakotay tried to cover himself though the dark-haired man did not seem very satisfied. But they had had too much contact already, especially with this Warren person. "I need to get to Alpine, how much for the car?" "I'll drive you," Warren offered, positive it was the only way he would find his missing friend. "Gerron can tell us the whole story on the way." No, he can't, Chakotay almost said aloud. Chakotay stared at the one called Warren. He really did look like Collin from security. Maybe an ancestor? Wonderful. The realities of playing around in the time stream hit Chakotay smack in the face. What if this man was killed looking for his friend when he wasn't in the original timeline? Collin would cease to exist. Would Voyager still be in the Delta Quadrant if one of its crewmembers was different? Most likely, but how could they know for sure? It was too great a risk. "You can't come with us," Chakotay insisted after pondering the gamble of much more interaction. "Then I suppose you are walking," Warren replied hotly, staring the dark-haired stranger in the eye, challenging him. "Warren," MacLeod warned. "They think he's dead, we know better, don't alienate them. They're our best hope of finding him." "You're right, Mac. You reason with him though. I'm not getting through." Chakotay watched the two speaking to one another in a strange language, wondering if it was intentional because of Gerron’s inability to communicate with them. After a moment, the darker and taller of the two men stepped forward. "I'm Duncan. What's your name?" MacLeod asked Chakotay. "Chakotay." "Well, Chakotay. If it was a government agent who shot Tom, they won't let you in to see him. He'll be guarded. Are you legal?" MacLeod then asked him, taking in the odd markings on his face. *What kind of question is that?* "Legal what?" Chakotay asked irritably. "Citizen," MacLeod said. "Even if you are, you won't be able to get in. Warren will be able to visit him. We'll help you if you help us. We have to find our friend's body. It's important." Chakotay studied the man’s expression steadily. All he and this Warren person wanted was their friend. As far as the other men were concerned, all Chakotay wanted was his friend. It made sense to work together, if the Commander could keep them from getting any more information that would damage the timeline. Sighing at his own capitulation, Chakotay made up his mind. They needed Tom. They needed to stop the invasion. The timeline was at risk, but the whole Alpha Quadrant was in the gravest danger. He turned to the sparse, dry brush and jagged rocks that concealed the other member of their team. "Tuvok," he called out. "Come on out, now." The Vulcan emerged and walked toward the group, Gerron visibly relieved and already beginning to speak to the Lt. Commander. "Commander Tuvok, did you hear what’s happened?" MacLeod and Warren exchanged, agitated glances, neither liking that this Chakotay had had someone hiding in their midst. Tuvok’s reply was cut off before a sound was uttered. His eyes darted downward and to his left. In a flash, the Vulcan swept his left arm downward and when it emerged, a long snake was in his grasp, it’s jaws clamped shut by his strong, dark hand. "Mary, Mother of God," Warren muttered as he and Duncan each whipped out their swords with equal speed of the Vulcan’s. Tuvok’s eyebrow lifted as Gerron jumped backward and Chakotay instinctively threw a protective arm in front of the young Bajoran. "What the hell is that all about?" Chakotay shouted at the two men who were suddenly wielding deadly weapons pointed at them. "We might ask you the same thing, Chakotay, if that’s really your name," Warren grated as he warily watched the tall black man holding a rattler. "This reptile was in a position to attack my leg. It was likely that I would have been harmed," Tuvok explained and the two Scotsmen exchanged quick, puzzled glances. "I can dispose of the creature if that would assure you that I do not intend to use it as a weapon." Chakotay shook his head ruefully. So much for fitting in, staying inconspicuous and keeping interaction at a minimum. He kept himself from wondering the ominous thought What Next. "Yes, disposing of that thing would be an excellent idea," MacLeod replied to Tuvok. "In that, direction, if you would," Mac pointed back toward the brush, using the tip of his sword to indicate where. With an efficient flick of his wrist, the snake was flung out of Tuvok’s grasp, with the Vulcan managing not to be bitten. "Why are they still holding those weapons?" Gerron asked Chakotay nervously. "Gerron, here, would like it very much if you two put those things away. And I concur. No one plans on hurting anyone, right?" Chakotay asked, his arm still firmly against Gerron’s chest, slowly backing the younger man away from the sharp ends of the swords. "You don’t have anymore friends hiding behind the rocks, do you?" Warren asked, almost sarcastic but knowing it was actually a possibility. "No, it’s just us, four of us. Well, we’ll be four again once we find Tom," Chakotay clarified, bringing them all back to the crux of the matter. "We have to get to Tom. "Well, then I suggest a little cooperation," Mac advised. "We help you get your friend, and you tell us exactly what Gerron saw that makes him think Mark is dead." Chakotay stared at MacLeod for a long minute, then nodded. "Okay. We talk on the way to Alpine to get Tom." They walked to the vehicle, MacLeod and Warren putting away their swords as Chakotay, Gerron and even Tuvok watched suspiciously. Chakotay scrambled to think of the most harmless details he could concoct, while MacLeod and Warren prayed that they could sniff out in the truth in whatever story Chakotay gave them. End Part 10