New: Twentieth Century Boy Author: ZorroRojo - zorrorojo@slashcity.com Series: X-Over Voyager/X-Files/Highlander Part: 12/16 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 nearly ripped the door off the vehicle as he climbed in the front seat next to Mac. "Tuvok. You and Gerron apprehend that woman. MacLeod, Warren, we need to talk. Now." "Chakotay, I believe kidnapping a federal agent is a tactical mistake." "You have your orders." Chakotay seethed. "Do it quietly. A pinch should do it." "Yes sir." Tuvok answered and translated for Gerron as he stepped out of the vehicle. "What happened?" Mac demanded. Chakotay ignored him and turned sideways so he could face both men. "Warren. I know you. You are a man bound by his word. Am I wrong?" "No." Warren answered, curious at the change in Chakotay's demeanor. "MacLeod? How important is honor to you? Would you stake your life on your word?" "I have and I will." "Good, because your lives, our lives and the life of every single person on this planet, alive, and yet to be born rests on you keeping you word." "Go on." Mac said suddenly worrying if this man suffered from delusions of grandeur. "What I tell you can never, ever, be repeated. Not to me, not to each other, not to any of my team. Understood?" "Not to you?" Warren asked, puzzled. "Say you meet me sometime in the future and I act as if I don't know you. You'll have to do the same. You have to understand how important this is." "I don't understand, but I give you my word. If I ever see you again, I don't know you." Mac stated, positive he could do it. "Cochrane?" "Aye, you have mine as well. Now, where is Mark?" "He's been taken by alien life forms that use humans to grow their offspring." Mac snorted, "Right." "I don't care if you believe me or not. We will go on without you." "Mac wait. I believe him." "Have you lost your mind?" "No Mac, I haven't. I happen to believe in life on other planets, don't you?" "I've never given it much thought. I have enough to worry about right here on this planet." "We're going after them. They intend to colonize this planet and we're going to stop them." "What planet are you from?" "Not this one." "And the others?" "Tuvok is Vulcan, Gerron is Bajoran and Tom is human. This is the important part. We're from four hundred years in the future." Chakotay stared at each man and decided they never told what he just shared. If they had, he wouldn't be here anymore. "Remember your promise. If you break it, you will cause a time paradox that will destroy us all. I can't tell you anything that may affect a decision you make in your own future because it may change my future. I don't expect you to understand, but I do expect you to respect my decisions. Now, what I want to know from you is what you're hiding." "We aren't hiding anything," Mac insisted. "I don't believe you, but that isn't important right now. From this moment on, you speak in English only. I'll only speak Bajoran to translate for Gerron. Do we have an agreement?" Both men nodded and Chakotay turned to watch his officers complete their mission. They returned to the car with the unconscious FBI agent moments later. "Let's go," Chakotay ordered as soon as the doors slammed shut. "Take us to Nine Point Mesa. We'll need climbing and camping supplies first. Can we get them in this town?" "Yes." Warren answered. Mac added, "Chakotay, we are not your men. I know you're military of some sort. I understand you may have a mission and I understand how important it is, but you need to understand we are not under your command." Chakotay pointed at the FBI agent sprawled across the floor of the back seat and ordered, "Watch what you say in front of her." They may not be his men, but he was in charge of the mission. "Why did you kidnap her?" "We're going to need her in case we are stopped by the authorities. We also need her to get Tom." "Chakotay, you won't be able to move him for quite some time." "You let me worry about that." ********** Chakotay finished cooking dinner and handed out plates to his team. Cochrane and Tuvok weren't back yet, but he fed his people without waiting. After four days of searching, they were no closer to finding the alien vessel than they were the first. "Don't like my cooking?" he asked Scully when she put her plate on the ground without touching it. "What I don't like is being detained." Chakotay handed her her telephone and simply stated. "It can't be helped. You'll be returned unharmed when we are through. I think it's time for your nightly call." Chakotay handed MacLeod his plate and Gerron his, then took a seat next to Scully and started eating. Scully dialed Mulder's cell phone and when he answered on the first ring she simply said "Scully." "He's still alive, barely." "Tattoo." Scully barked. Chakotay ripped the phone out of her hand and snapped it shut. "That wasn't very smart," he told her calmly. He smiled at her before he sat back down. "You know what we're up against, stop fighting us." "My partner is just as worried about me as you are about your friend." "And he has him and we have you. We're all going to make sure each other's hostage stays alive." "Your friend isn't a hostage." "And neither are you." She obviously didn't believe him, but he had plans for her. He wouldn't let her be harmed and he didn't care if she believed him or not. A whistle from outside their camp caught Chakotay's attention and he whistled back. Cochrane and Tuvok stepped into the meager light moments later. "I believe we have found it." "Where?" "There is a cave entrance on the west side of the sixth point halfway down. We will have to repel down." "Well then how do you know it's the right one?" MacLeod asked, logically. "I heard them." Tuvok answered without further explanation. Chakotay translated for Gerron, "We find the Flyer first. We get our weapons and our commbadges, then we transport the others away from here and we go in. We'll bring the body of their friend out." ********** Agent Mulder sat in the patient's hospital room, watching him, knowing he was the key to finding Scully; yet he couldn't do anything about it. His phone rang, disturbing the quiet of the room. He answered it on the first ring. "Mulder." "It's me," Scully said. Mulder dropped his newspaper to the floor and sat up straight, as if willing her to be there would actually bring her. "I didn't expect to hear from you again tonight. Are you OK?" "I'm fine. Don't bother trying to trace the call, I'm on a cellular, not my satellite." "What's going on?" Scully looked up at Chakotay who was standing by her side and ready to grab the phone away if she broke his rules. "He wants an update on his friend." "Tattoo man?" Mulder asked. "Yes." "Is he in charge?" "It appears that way." "Is he listening to my side of the conversation?" "No." Mulder relaxed slightly. She sounded fine; there was no tension in her voice. He knew the voices of Dana Scully down to the last one. "Good. Tell him his friend is doing better. He was conscious for about five minutes earlier tonight." "That's good news." "What's good news?" Chakotay demanded. Scully raised a finger to Chakotay, shushing him, and asked Mulder, "Is he breathing on his own?" "No. The doc says it will be awhile before he can breathe on his own again. His diaphragm is shredded. They won't know more until they operate again." "And they can't operate again until he's stronger." "Don't let them cut him open again!" Chakotay ordered. "I can hear him. Any chance of you giving me a clue about your location?" "No. We think we found them." "No more," Chakotay insisted. "Did you hear that?" "Yes. Scully, I don't like this. I should be there. I *have* to be there." "He's telling me to hang up. I need a detailed update on his condition before I go." Mulder remembered what the nurse had said the last time he asked. "He's been upgraded from critical to stable but serious. What the hell does that mean?" Scully sighed and looked into Chakotay's eyes as she explained to her partner. "It means he might live." "Wait, before you go I have one more question for you." Scully struggled to maintain the neutrality in her voice. "Go ahead." "How likely is it that someone who has broken nearly every bone in his body, including four skull fractures, would have no external scars?" "Almost impossible. Why?" "I asked them to run an MRI on him and this guy's pretty accident prone. But he doesn't have one scar." "Are you positive?" "I checked myself." "Interesting." "I thought you'd think so." "Mulder, I've got to go, I'll call when I can. Don't worry, I'm fine." As soon as Scully handed over the phone Chakotay was all over her. "He understood that they are not to cut Tom open again, didn't he?" "He's not a doctor. He can't make that decision. They'll do what they have to do keep him alive. That is what you want, isn't it?" Chakotay glared at her until he made a decision. "Gerron, come here." "Yes sir?" "You're staying here with her tomorrow." Gerron almost insisted he wanted to come - that he was part of the team and should be there. Instead, he followed orders without question. "Yes sir." Chakotay could see Gerron's disappointment; it wasn't difficult. "We might not come back. If we don't, I need you to get to Tom and complete the mission." Gerron nodded. "I understand." "You aren't thinking of leaving me behind are you?" Scully demanded. "I'm coming with you. I am a Federal Agent." "So?" "Who are you and what side are you on?" Chakotay stared down his nose at her, considering even giving her an answer. He finally said, "I'm on your side or you wouldn't be here right now." "MacLeod, Cochrane," Chakotay called as he turned to the men sitting on the other end of the camp. "How much rock climbing experience do you have?" "We'll hold our own," Mac declared. "You worry about your men." Prepared to strangle MacLeod, Chakotay decided to take the high road. "Tuvok. I'm going for a walk. Keep an eye on everyone." End Part 12