***********************
Caroline paced the lounge room of her pad nervously. Sandy, MaxC, Hawkeye and Hornblower sat in various places watching her. Eventually Sandy spoke up.
“Caroline, stop. It’s not gonna make them come home any sooner.”
“it’s been four hours! He’s *never* away for that long without telling someone. Something’s happened.”
“You don’t know that for sure...” Hornblower offered from his position at the desk.
“No, I don’t. But still, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m getting. You know he should be back by now! He *always* feeds Mary at six, then puts her to bed. It’s seven thirty.” Caroline stopped at the wall and kicked it in frustration.
“He’s probably just hanging out with MikeS or something.” MaxC said.
“No. If he was, Mary would be here. She’s not, he’s not, something’s happened to them.”
As if on cue there was an urgent knocking on the door. Hornblower leapt up, sword at the ready.
“Who’s there?” Caroline asked suspiciously
“It’s me... Tristan.”
“Tristan? As in Cin’s Tristan?”
“Yeah. Listen can you let me in?”
Hornblower looked at Caroline, who nodded at him. He unlocked and opened the door, letting the clone in. He rushed in, and Hornblower swiftly closed and locked the door again.
Tristan looked around at the five anxious faces before talking.
“I’ve been sent by Cin. She thought you should know. MamaNez is at our place.” Five faces lit up, but Tristan’s remained grave.
“What? What is it?” Caroline asked him
“It’s Baby Mary. Petrov has her.”
Instant shock and horror spread the room.
“What?!” Caroline exclaimed “She’s just a baby! Five months old! What in the hell could he want with her?!”
Tristan shook his head “I dunno, but MamaNez is real upset.”
“Is anyone hurt?” Hawkeye asked
“No, not that I know of... But Mich has gone to deal with the evil clones, so there may be some bloodshed.”
Caroline had begun to shake with anger.
“That bastard,” she muttered “I swear I’ll get him for this. She’s just a baby.”
Sandy put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly, but she shrugged it away and stalked to her room. A few minutes later she was back, clutching her hockey stick tightly, and sporting her shin pads and a chest guard. She went straight to the door. Sandy grabbed her arm.
“No, you’re not going anywhere.” He tried to warn.
“Like hell I’m not. I’m gonna get Mary.” Caroline pulled her arm from Sandy’s grasp and turned to the door. Hornblower was blocking the way. “Hornblower, will you please let me pass?”
“No. I’m not willing to let you get hurt out there.”
“Hornblower,” Caroline began through clenched teeth “I don’t want to pull rank on you, but if I have to, I will.”
“But Captain, it’s dangerous out there. You won’t stand a chance.”
“I’ve got more of a chance saving my baby out there than I do sitting round in here. Lieutenant, as your captain I am ordering you to let me out of the door.”
“But Captain...”
“Lieutenant Hornblower... Do as I say. And that’s an order!”
Hornblower flinched a little at the sound of her raised voice. As much as he didn’t want her to go, he had to follow orders. He opened the door and let Caroline through.
**********************************
Caroline stalked furiously down the corridor to St Matthew's place, wielding her hockey stick dangerously. She was ready to smack anyone who came in her way. When she arrived at her fellow Lister's Pad, the door was ajar, so using the stick; Caroline prodded the door open and crept inside.
She could hear voices coming from beyond the far wall, so she silently made her way to the doorframe. Peeking around, she almost made the fatal mistake of gasping, but something stopped her at the last second.
What she saw was visually sickening. Mikhail, minus one hand, Ronday lying on the floor motionless, his head at an unnatural angle, a huge, black, wolf-like creature sprawled out cold on the couch...was THAT Precious? Her eyes focused on St Matthew, clutching a light saber, which had apparently done its job.
Caroline thought quickly. None of them were expecting HER to show up, so she might as well use it to the best of her advantage. Taking a deep breath, she swept into the room, and with one smooth movement she maneuvered her hockey stick across Mikhail's neck and slammed him to the floor, pinning him there with her feet on each end of the stick.
The effect was instantaneous, Mikhail began to gag violently, bringing his left hand up to the stick to try and move it. St Matthew stared at Caroline in shock.
"I'm looking for Petrov, is he here?" Caroline asked, getting straight to the point.
St Matthew shook her head mutely, switching off the weapon.
"Where can I find him?" "He's gone to find Mich," St Matthew replied, finally finding her voice. "Don't do anything stupid, Caroline... he's dangerous!"
Caroline smiled evilly and hopped off her hockey stick, picking it up as she did so. "All I want to do is get Mary back. Thank you, St Matthew; Mikhail." She turned to leave.
Mikhail drew back his lips, revealing his formidable fangs and rolled over to capture Caroline's ankle. With a severe blow to the wrist from her heavy wooden stick, he let go with a yelp.
"You'll pay for that, bitch." Mikhail growled. He wasn't used to being so easily defeated by ANYONE, let alone women...
"Not right now I won't," Caroline said as she neatly dodged another grab and ran out the door toward Mich's place.
****************************
"You're gonna WHAT?" Hatch asked Caroline incredulously, the second she informed the clones of her plans.
"I'm going to get Baby Mary from Petrov," she repeated.
"No way, no how am I gonna let you go."
"Why the hell not? You let Mich go."
"Yeah, but she's got powers-she's a Femme," Nameh said worriedly
"You will not stand a chance." Nabu spoke up.
"That's what Hornblower said," Caroline muttered, and glanced over at Rin. "Has he seen a doctor?"
Nameh shook his head. "Where are we gonna find a doctor?"
"At my place; Hawkeye is a doctor, a surgeon to be specific. He'll help Rin and anyone else. Just send someone over to get him."
"How about you get him?" Hatch asked, obviously trying to get Caroline out of the way.
"No. I'm going to find Petrov and get Mary." Caroline turned on her heel, intent on leaving. Someone grabbed her by the shoulder.
"Let go," She snarled as she swung her hockey stick behind her, hoping to connect with whatever clone was holding her. Nabu caught the stick easily with his free hand and pulled it from Caroline, throwing it aside. Caroline stiffened suddenly as her anger flared.
"Damn it let me go! That bastard has my baby, and I have to get her back. I'll go with or without my stick, with or without help, but there's no way in the world that I'm gonna let Petrov corrupt my five month old baby girl!"
Hatch's face softened a little as he reached a decision.
"Ok, Nabu, let's go, give Caroline back her stick."
"But... But, Hatch!" Nameh exclaimed, "What about what Petrov said?"
"I know, but would you let her go alone?"
"I guess not..."
"And besides, Mich is there already."
Caroline smiled slightly as Nabu handed her back her hockey stick and headed out the door with her.
"Wait!" Hatch called out to her. Caroline turned and looked at him.
"Here, you might need this." Hatch held out a knife with a seven-inch blade and slid it into its leather sheath.
"Slip it under your shin pads." Caroline took the gift and secured it in place.
"Thanks." Hatch shrugged as he and Nabu followed her out the door and started on their way to Petrov's commandeered apartment.
**************
When they got there, the door had been knocked off its hinges. The three cautiously entered the dark room, looking around as they did. The place seemed deserted.
"What, we have visitors." Petrov stepped out of the shadows, cradling Mary in his arms. "To what do I owe the... honor?"
"I've come to collect something of mine, which I believe you have," Caroline replied tersely.
"And what would that be, my dear? I'm sure I have no idea," He said in a sickly sweet voice.
"You have my baby. Give her back."
"Your baby? I'm afraid she's not your baby anymore."
"What? Not my baby?" Caroline's eyes widened in horror and anger.
"That's right. You HAVE heard the phrase "Finders keepers"? Possession IS nine-tenths of the law, you know." Petrov smiled evilly, his dimples no longer appealing to the Torkaholic in front of him.
"You bastard!" Caroline screamed as she lunged at Petrov, who took a step back.
"No, no, no, look but don't touch... Remember who's holding your precious little bundle."
Caroline took a deep breath and gazed at Mary, sleeping peacefully in her enemy's arms. Gritting her teeth, she looked at Petrov and made a proposition.
"Take me instead."
"What?" Petrov, Hatch, and Nabu all spoke at the same time.
"You heard me. Give back Mary and take me instead."
Petrov chuckled under his breath a few seconds before answering. "How about if I just keep Mary AND you?"
Hatch stepped forward, unsheathing his twin axes. "You'll have to go through US first... And when Mich gets here..."
"I AM here, Hatch, just WHAT am I going to do?"
The Mike clone turned to the bedroom doorway, nearly dropping his weapons in stunned horror when he saw her and registered the expression of absolute evil on her face. "Mich? Holy- No, it can't be... not you too..."
Caroline stared in shock at the scene unfolding before her. Mich had been turned evil too? The evil clones were going after the Listers now? She grasped her hockey stick tighter and swallowed down a surge of fear. Caroline then turned her attention to her main objective, getting Mary back... THEN she could worry about Mich.
Hatch glanced back at her. "We'll get Mary... go get the other Femmes," he whispered.
"I'm not leaving without my baby..." Caroline stubbornly growled.
"You're not leavin' here at all," Nev told her as he walked up beside Mich. The broken door behind her slammed shut with enough power to jam it tightly.
Caroline shivered involuntarily. St Matthew had said don't do anything stupid. And now here she was doing something stupid.
"Not you too! How?" Hatch exclaimed, trying to follow the rapidly changing chain of events. His dark eyes narrowed suddenly. "Your power… Petrov got Mich, then SHE got you... but...?"
Hatch didn't like the way things were going... The door wasn't a problem, he could just hack it down, but what bothered him was WHO had shut it and HOW? Petrov usually gave some indication when HE used his powers, but he hadn't moved… It honestly seemed as if... "Nev?"
With a cruel smile, Nev focused his attention on the other Mike clone. Hatch gasped aloud as the thick canvas of a straight jacket enfolded his arms and a pair of leg shackles wound around his ankles. He hit the floor with a grunt.
"No!" Hatch yelled in shock and fury, realizing just WHOSE power Nev had absorbed along with Mich's. "NO, NO, NO! Fight it, Nev! You don't wanna go there-you CAN'T go there!" Hatch had merely worried that the other Femmes might have been corrupted too-that Nev had gotten his TK from Anissa, but it was much worse.
Petrov watched the proceedings with great amusement, casually leaning back against the wall as he rocked Mary in his arms. Caroline saw her chance.
Slowly, she reached down and retrieved the knife hidden behind her shin pads. Creeping forward, her eyes fixed on Petrov and Mary, she made her move. Drawing her arm back, she buried the knife into Petrov's side.
Petrov shuddered violently, but didn't make a sound. He gaped down at the crimson stain that was quickly spreading across his shirt and down his side. With a low groan, he began sliding down the wall, still holding Mary in his arms.
Caroline let go of the bloodied weapon and reached down to take the child from Petrov. Her hands had barely touched the soft fabric of the baby's sleeper when Mary was abruptly yanked away by unseen hands.
Caroline blinked in shock a few seconds before realizing it must be Nev using his newfound evil powers. She growled and grabbed Mary from the air, holding her tightly to her chest. The sudden movement caused her wake and start screaming.