Tia's Run (Isle of Perdition)

Tia's Run (Closed) (Isle of Perdition)
(OOC: Continuation of Isle of Perdition, Marco Relearns the Future, Continued (Closed))
(combined threads from the previous site)

FRANK COLE

As they drove along the rutted road, Cole watched Landon. The boy was excited and trying to pretend to look forward. However, Cole could see the glances at him. It was not hard to figure out the boy was trying to figure out how he could protect Tia from anything which might be planned for her when she was found. He tried not to smile. Landon was going to be an excellent consort for Tia once he learned his job was to protect her by accurately reading others. He should have stopped Tia. He is one of the few that could have. Cole hoped that fact was adding a little to his anxiety and would let him puzzle out some of this role.

Cole reached out and touched the drivers arm silently signaling him to stop. They were only about three minutes from the camp. Turning in his seat he said to Landon, "Landon you are about to be taken into a situation that I hope is not beyond your years. What we are about to do is not a game. You will need to do what you are told immediately. There will be no time to think the directions out to their possible conclusion." Pausing for a moment he continued, "Neo will be with us. I know you don't trust me and I really don’t care at the moment if you do. I am planning to put you under Neo's command. That will also put you under the command of at least one Specialist, because Neo has not earned his badge yet. I have ultimate command though and I will not hesitate to have you taken out of the field and returned to the barracks." " What I need to know from you, is can I have your word of honor that you can operate under these directions or do I need to have you returned to the barracks immediately?" Cole looked at his watch then back to Landon. "You have exactly one minute to decide." Cole looked at his watch one more time and waited. Thirty seconds passed so Cole said, "Thirty seconds Landon… are you with us or back at the barracks?"

Landon was excited but only because he was going to insure nobody harmed his girl. He gave a sly grin as he thought about using this friend of his brother’s to send a message to not only Fixer and those on the island but to his family and the Dark Sect. Still thinking as he felt the link with Lance, “It is time they all learn that Tia is my girl. To get to her, they will have to get through me...And nobody is going to get through me!” He looked at Fixer as he made a vow to Lance that he would protect Tia, no matter what it took. He loved her and it was time to prove that he could indeed protect her. He would point the guard out to Fixer but only as he sent the message. Landon would prove to Tia that she would never have to run again. He would insure that those that wanted to hurt her would never get close. Just how he was going to save her from the punishment that Fixer had promised, Landon was still unsure but he would find a way.

He was stunned when the jeep stopped. As he listened to Fixer, Landon wondered, just what Fixer had planned. Before he could think better of it, Landon said furious with a hint of fear for Tia, "What are you planning, You're not hurting Tia! It's your fault she ran..." He could feel Lance trying to caution him but Landon could only think of protecting Tia. He continued inwardly worried that Tia was going to get hurt because he had not had the heart to stop her when her emotions had made her bolt. His anger at Fixer only masked his anger at himself as he continued, "If you had not had her do that to Danny... She feels everything she cares about being torn away from her and now thanks to you, Tia feels that she has just cost her, her friendship with Miley!" It had destroyed him inside as she had drawn further and further away. Tia had not stopped crying inside as he watch her try to show nothing was wrong. Landon had pretended to fall asleep as he secretly watched as she left. He had hoped the guard would just refuse her request but Darrell had not. Landon now remembered the look of terror on Tia's face and the panic he had felt from her. It dawned on him that Tia knew Darrell and feared him. A need of urgency washed through him. His love needed him and he swore that Darrell would pay dearly once he found out what about Darrell had Tia so terrified.

"What I need to know from you, is can I have your word of honor that you can operate under these directions or do I need to have you returned to the barracks immediately?" Cole looked at his watch then back to Landon. "You have exactly one minute to decide." Cole looked at his watch one more time and waited. Thirty seconds passed so Cole said, "Thirty seconds Landon… are you with us or back at the barracks?"

Landon was panicking as he said angry that the jeep still was not moving, "You are not going to harm or punish her! I am going and as far as your crew is concerned I trust them less than I trust you... Now get this jeep moving Fixer! Tia knows this friend of Jackson's and is terrified of him..." Landon was scared because there was another fact that Landon knew and chilled him to the bone. That was that Tia was not scared of Jackson and yet this Darrell terrified Tia. Landon shuddered as he willed the jeep to move. He just prayed he was in time.

Cole looked at Tarka, who had come as protection for Landon and quietly said, "It looks like the young man wishes to return to the barracks." Glancing at Landon he continued, "Please make sure he and the other children stay in their room." Cole was going to give the boy one more chance to agree to what he had said. He needed obedience on this mission, because he could not be worrying about both Landon and Tia. Concentrating on finding Tia and getting her safe was going to have to be his primary mission. Neo was not going to like what was happening, but the Cooler had been on the island long enough now to know that the troops had a way of doing things and as a group, they could do almost the impossible. Cole was confident Cooler would work with the rest.

Landon looked at the elf and shook his head as he said panicky, "I don't trust any of you, not even Neo! I won't let any of you harm her! I will promise you that as long as none of you come near her, I will only deal with Darrell! But if any of you even think..." He stopped as he heard a voice in his head and knew it was the elf.

"Stop, young Master… Do not threaten Master Frank or you will find yourself back at the barracks… Mistress Tia will be safe. Master Frank only wants to protect her also. If you wish to proceed, you must agree with Master Frank. Think Master Landon. Where do you want to be?"

Landon sadly shook his head as he thought, "I won't let her be hurt. He was not there to feel what the punishment of Danny did to her. He should never have made her do that...Tia is too kind-hearted to hurt somebody, especially a friend. If somebody had to order that done to Danny, Fixer should have had me do it."

Cole could hear in his own mind what Tarka was saying silently to Landon and decided to wait and see what would happen. As he raised his hand to order Landon to be sent back to the barracks he raised his eyebrows, asking his own silent question of compliance.

Tarka tried one more time and silently said, "Mistress Tia needs to learn that being a leader does no only include doing good for her friends and people but also she must be able to teach discipline. Master Danny did wrong and Master Frank allowed her to be the one to teach him the lesson. If Master Frank had done it then Master Danny would not have learned that Mistress Tia was in charge of her group. This is an adult lesson Master Landon, can you learn it also?"

Cole sharply lowered his hand and said, as he turned forward in his seat, "Return the child to his room. He is not old enough to work with the adults." Cole was still hoping Landon would step forward and agree to his terms. He had hopes the boy had become enough of a man to see he needed to do this Cole's way. If he didn't he would be in too much of a danger possibly charging off on his own. He would also put others in danger, and Cole was not going to allow that to happen. Silently in his head he sent a message to Lance, telling him he either needed to convince the boy, to agree or depend on Neo only for information on what was happening in the field.

Landon was scared but not for himself, his fear was for Tia. He tried to show the elf what he had felt from her during and after Danny's punishment. He loved her and it was killing him that she had been hurting so bad. He had only wanted to shield her and protect her. It hurt him that she just drifted further and further away. Landon was confused on what he should do. He was furious with Fixer but if he didn't promise then how could he protect her. He knew that being locked in the barracks was the last place he wanted to be. But could he really trust Fixer enough to blindly agree to doing things his way

Lance could feel the boy's confusion. Sending his own silent private message he said, "You have no choice Landon. Be there for Tia or return here and we lose the chance of knowing what is happening. You cannot help her from here. Sometimes you have to choose between two things, which are not two your advantage. Fixer wants to help her, and he is going to do it his way, not yours, mine or anyone else's. If you want Darrell, you have to stay…. If you want to stay you are going to have to be honor bound to do what Cole orders… which means following Neo's and his Specialist orders."

Landon heard Lance and just asked, "Lance, do you trust him where Tia is concerned? Cause Lance, it will destroy me if he hurts her and my promise stopped me from protecting her." He loved her and he also agreed with Lance about his choices. He really didn't have a choice.

After hearing Lance's answer Landon hung his head as he said, "I will agree Fixer to obeying you until Tia is safely back in the room but if she is hurt because of my vow prevented me from protecting her..." He stopped because he was unsure what he would do. Landon had made a deal and he had a bad feeling that it was only the first of many that he would make with Fixer to protect Tia.

Lance nodded to himself, back in the control room. In his thoughts he said, "It will be alright Landon. Fixer wants to protect Tia, because he understands a lot more than you do her importance to the future. We almost have a point on where Tia is… listen to Neo when you get there. He has a lot of experience doing what you are about to do."

Cole accepted the boys willingness with a nod and signaled for the driver to proceed. As they came up on the clearing holding the Training facility, it was evident everyone was taking this very seriously. Holding up his hand for silance from those who had come running up he saw Neo and called him over. When he was standing in front of him, he said, "Take Landon with you. He has agreed to follow your orders along with the Specialist orders. I want to know immediately if he does not react quickly to orders given to him. You have my permission to stop and restrain him at any point." Looking pointedly into Neo's eyes he added, "This is a troop mission Cooler, not a personal one for anyone. Control him or send him back."

Neo nodded but said, "Fixer, maybe you should call in Marco?" To Landon all he said was, "Landon, Fixer might have some weird methods but in this case, you made the right call." Landon just started moving towards where the feel of Tia was the strongest.

Neo grabbed the boys arm, "Hold on boy, no one goes anywhere just yet. There are two teams out in the field now. One is headed toward the caves and the other is headed toward the other coast. Come on with me. We are leaving for the caves, which are in the direction you were heading, in about ten minutes."

As they walked away, Cole heard Neo say, "Rule number one, Landon. You stay close and do not under any circumstances go off on your own." Cole signaled to Tarka to stay with the boy. He looked around and then thought to Lance, "Get Marco out here. Landon was headed for the caves so we will head in that direction. Have Marco catch up as soon as he can." Cole shut off his brain to Lance and started listening to the reports he was getting from the men and woman around him. When he felt he had all the information they could give. He started walking toward the extinct volcano with all the caves, knowing full well there would be a scramble by thoes who were to follow him, to catch up.

Landon shook his head as he tried calmly to explain to Neo, "Tia recognized Darrell and he terrifies her. It makes no sense as Tia is not scared of my brother Jackson so why would a mere Squib who my sister is showing attention to, terrify Tia so? He is not what he seems not even to my sister and he has asked my mother for Dephia's hand. We need to get to her now, please? I can't lose her...Neo..."

Neo pointed to a backpack, letting Landon know he needed to wear it. When he looked around and saw Fixer leaving the clearing, he looked toward Saunders's who was his team leader and waited for her signal to go. When she gave it, he started off, saying to Landon as they walked, "Darrel may have been considered a squib, but he would not be in this army if he was one, at least not in active duty, which means he has some powers. Let me know if Lance gives you any clues as he has a chance to work through the man's records. For now we follow directions

Marco had gotten to Hank as quickly as he could after Sasha's vision had shown Tia in danger. Now he watched Landon as he came to where they were. The boy loved Tia and that could be a problem. He grabbed Landon as he said, "Landon Russo, you rushing to save her is only going to get that bully of her's to act to silence her! Now, listen to my brother and stop acting like a love sick pup!"

He turned to Fixer and said after saluting, "Sasha is at least starting to listen to her visions. Darrell from what I was able to pick up out of the info Sasha told me, has been terrorizing Tia ever since Seth took her to St. Francis. By the way, do you know how hard it was to ditch Tarik?"

"Welcome Marco, report to Saunders' team. Landon is only here as long as he follows orders. Tarka can send him back immediately. Landon is also in direct contact with Lance. We are headed to the caves," Looking at a handled view screen he added, "They have her leaving the barracks and at the lower level of the hills ten minutes ago. She can access three caves easily from where she is. Two have been explored, but with the way this FUBAR has been going, she will most likely pick the third cave."

"Darrel is about five minutes behind her. He does not seem to want to enter any of the caves. Hopefully he is afraid to enter, which will make him hesitate and give us a chance to grab him. I want him alive. Watch Landon … the man has been tested and comes out weak on the charts, but he is also determined to get her and that makes him dangerous and willing to take chances which would be out of the norm." Cole waved Marco towards Saunders and started his quick pace toward the caves again. Darrel's heat signature could be seen through the trees. Cole looked up and saw, two members of the troops repelling down to where the man was. They should be able to grab him. Once they had him, Tia would be the next problem. The girl was frightened so she would run before coming out to them, and the cave she had entered, had only been explored about 100 feet in where a barrier had been put up with signs to not go any farther. Cole knew these signs would not stop Tia. As Punta materialized, two feet away from him he asked in a low voice, "Can you get in front of her in the cave and keep her near the entrance?" The elf nodded and vanished.

Marco released Landon as the boy told him what he was feeling. Marco shook his head as he said, "Landon, we all want to protect her. It is not this Darrell that even had Sasha trusting her vision. It has to do with the cloaked individual that she foreseen him handing Tia over to that got me here so quick." He hoped that Fixer understood as he rubbed his ring finger.

He headed to Saunders as he said, "Landon, keep your head. He is not getting off this island with Tia. So watch and learn."

Cole was in the lead and motioned everyone down, when they got closer to Darrel. The man had turned so he knew they were there. He had not spotted the ones repelling down the side of the cliff yet, and they were within feet of dropping distance. Punta was in position by now which meant either Tia had been stopped already or world be within minutes. Watching he saw the first man drop just behind Darrel and shove him into the rock face of the cliff. But the first man was pushed back, by Darrel, even though he did not use his hands. The second man dropped and through the end of his rope over Darrel spinning the man so he was tied up. Cole saw Tarka step out of cover and raise his hand. Darrel went hard against the rock wall and although he was struggling he could not move from where he was stuck. Cole whistled and everyone headed forward. It was a short climb to where Darrel was pinned against the rock facing. Cole shook his head as Landon beat everyone to the man.

Landon was going to punch Darrel but before he even swung, Landon found himself dropped to his knees, as Darrel said, "Don't worry Frank Cole, sweet Tia's love interest seemed interested in why the brat is behaving like she is. Thought I would show him. You do know what Landon's weakness is? By the way, I am glad that she still has a major health issue." He whispered to Landon and then laughed as Landon pleaded with him to let somebody go to her.

Cole could feel the mind numbing power coming off Darrel. He turned to Tarka and said, "Shut him down, now." Darrel would have dropped to his own knees if the rope had not held him up. Cole walked up and picked Landon up, looked at him, nodded and turned him toward Neo who had just come forward. "I thought I told you to take care of him. You're going to have to do better than that, Cooler." Turning slightly he said to Marco, "Cut him down. His power is in his mind. Tarka has it shut off at the moment, but be careful." As Marco cut the man down, he placed white noise plugs in the man's ears and a blindfold over his eyes, and carted him over to three others waiting off to the side. Marco returned to Cole and asked, "What now Captain?"

"Now we find the princess and see if we can straighten out this mess." Cole turned toward where Landon was standing, staring at him. Smiling he said, "No Landon she is not going to be punished, because I think she was forced into what has happened, but you young man are looking for punishment, for not telling me or anyone else she had left." Cole tried not to smile as the look of dread floated across the boys face as he realized he was going to get punished. Cole could barely hear Landon pleading with Neo, to not make Tia punish him. Turning back to Tarka he asked, "How far is she?" The elf said, "about 110 feet, just past the barrier. She is not quite as far in as Punta is, but she knows the elf is there. She has stopped and…" Tarka closed his eyes for a moment, before continuing, "She is crying. Master Frank, she is scared of that human," he pointed to where Darrel was being uncomfortably held, "of where she is and of what you are going to do to either her or one of the other children."

Cole wiped his hands over his face and then raked his fingers through his hair. Looking into the cave he said, "I guess I better go and talk with her." Turning back he said to everyone else, "Everyone stays out here unless I call you in." Looking pointedly at Landon he added, "that includes you Landon. Come in without my permission and you will not only be back at the barracks before you can blink, but whatever punishment I decide on will be doubled."

Not waiting for an answer, Cole headed into the cavern.

Tia had gotten the bleeding under control in her leg. The curse which had been put on her when she was two, made her leg bleed whenever she ran fast over rough ground. All the times she had been at the island, had never cause it to bleed, but now she could see the red color slowing penetrating the new bandage she had made for a piece of her shirt. She still could not get over that she was trapped by somebody she had prayed she would never see again. The memories of what Darrel had put her though came flooding back. He had only stopped tormenting her after Marcus had come to St. Francis. Darrel had been scared of Marcus but once Marcus had been murdered, Darrel had been even more cruel. She cried as she remembered the cloaked man, that Darrel had forced her to go with. Now she wondered if Fixer and the Cloaked Man was one and the same.

Cole got within about 20 feet of Tia and quietly said, "Tia… princess it is Cole. I give you my word of honor I am not going to hurt you. As you know Punta is a little farther down the tunnel, so there is nowhere to run. I am coming closer." Slowly Cole made his way another fifteen feet. Tia was sitting on the ground, with her knees pulled up and her arms around them, pressed against the wall of the cave. Cole walked forward and sat down about three feet away from her crossing his legs in front of him. Using his knees to support his elbows he said, "Hello Princess. You are safe now. Darrel is in custody and will remain that way until I have some answers from him and his powers are neutralized." Pausing for a moment, he continued, "I know what he did to you when you were younger and I am sorry he was able to get to you here. All the reports that I have been able to read reported him as a squib, which apparently is not true. I will promise you he will not hurt you again though. Marco, Neo and Landon are all waiting for you outside the cave. How about is we go out and let them know you are all right?"

Tia shook as the memories of what she had went through because of Darrel and the Cloaked Man he had served over took her. As she tried to figure out if what she had been blind to who Fixer truly was. Had she just handed the Cloak Man more victims. Her body was shaking but Tia knew deep down even if she escaped Darrel, she would never be free of the Cloaked Man. He would find her and then she would have no choice but to obey. She had given her word and if Fixer was him, Tia knew that if she dared refuse, she cried as she knew that now thanks to her, her friends' lives would be his insurance. She tried to get further back away from Fixer.

Punta was just barely visible in the gloom of the cave. The elf had magically lit some of the crystals imbedded in the walls. They were mostly glass, formed by the original heat of the volcano when it was active, thousands of years ago. "Tia, I am not going to hurt you. Punta is behind you. Can you feel his presence? You know he would not let anything happen to you. The elves talk and Punta knows Darik, in fact some of Punta's training so he could live with humans came from Darik. When you get back home you need to ask Darik about me, I won't mind. You are safe here Princess and always will be as long as I can protect you. Now come on let's go outside and see the others, please." Cole put out his hand a held it steady. With his eyes he asked the girl to trust him.

Tia was still scared but just said, "Darik, was the one that first figured out what Darrel was doing? Darrel was scared of my brother Marcus. I could not understand why Darrel was here. Seeing him got me thinking of the Cloaked Man. I guess with everything else that has happened..." She had panicked and bolted.

Tia had felt Darrel's attack on Landon and it had scared her even more. Darrel was going to take Landon away from her. She had almost went to Darrel but something had stopped her.

She looked at Fixer as she asked, "Landon, Darrel did not..." Tia had to get to Landon and tell him how much she cared for him. He had tried to understand and comfort her earlier and Tia had pushed him away. She had done it only because she had not been able to bare the thought of losing him, like she had Marcus and Troy.

"Landon is fine Princess. He is waiting outside the cave entrance for you. Now come on, let's get out of this damp cave." Cole continued to hold his hand out and steady.

Tia nodded as she took the hand offered then what Fixer had said earlier hit her. She had broken Fixer's rules, the same rules Danny had. The Slytherin sadly shook her head as she said, "Landon knew nothing of me leaving. He was asleep before I left. I will accept total blame for my actions, Mr. Cole."

Cole just kept leading Tia out of the cave. It was not the time to tell her he had not decided how to punish Landon for not telling anyone she had left, and that the boy had admitted he had not been sleeping. Cole hated times like this. In order to stay consistent, Landon had to be punished. He could get by with not punishing Tia, because she had been tricked into leaving. When they got to the entry, Tia dropped his hand and ran into Landon's outstreatched arms. Cole would wait until they got back to the barracks to discuss possible punishment. He looked at his watch and found it was almost four in the morning. It was going to be another day of little sleep. "Alright everyone back to the barracks. Neo you can come also if you would like, but you will return to your unit after breakfast. Marco, you are welcome to stay, but you need to leave by tomorrow afternoon. The children should be leaving with you at that time." Cole was going to have to come up with a punishment which did not leave Landon disabled. He had only gotten permission for the children to stay until the evening time. They had to be back by lights out at the school.

Neo and Marco both nodded but said nothing.

Landon held Tia as if she was made of china. Tia had tried to talk but Landon just said, "You are safe, my love. that is all that matters." He prayed that Fixer had not told Tia that he was going to be punished. She was safe and smiling again. He looked at Neo as if asking the Cooler if he would at least not involve Tia or Miley. They had been through enough. He would accept whatever punishment deemed needed but Landon hoped that Fixer would not request Tia to be there or any of the Core members. He thought about making another deal with Fixer, though he figured Fixer would never agree. He had messed up when it had come to dealing with Darrel. Landon wanted to learn because at least this group had stayed cool even when he had not. Landon looked at Fixer as he realized that it might even ease Tia's mind to have one of her own in Fixer's ranks. It might take longer but at least Landon would not need to ask his family for any favors.

On the ride back to the barracks, Cole thought about the possibilities for the boy. He could use the cattle prod again and even the meds. The prod would leave markings and the meds tended to have side effects with some of the people. He would have to talk with Punta to see what the elf could come up with. He was going to have to put Punta in charge of questioning Darrel because the man had powers which were not recorded anywhere. Cole was going to recommend a mind wipe on the man also. Marco and Neo were in the second jeep. Tia and Landon sat in the back of his. He glanced at the pair, wondering what Tia was going to do when he took Landon aside when they reached the barracks. The punishment would be decided before they slept and carried out in the early afternoon. That would leave about five hours for everyone to get some rest.

As they pulled up to the barracks, Cole stepped out of the jeep and said, "Tia return to your room so Danny and Miley do not worry any longer. Landon I want to talk with you in my office then you will return to the room also. Go Tia, now please."

Marco and Neo watched the pair in the back of the vehicle ahead of them. They really did not want to pick a fight with Fixer but they understood where Landon and Tia's distrust had came from. Marco nodded to Neo as the jeep stopped. Tia was holding on to Landon as if he was her life line. This was going to be almost impossible until Marco saw Hope Jennings. He signaled her over. As they got to the rest, Marco heard Landon try to ease Tia's mind. The girl was throwing a fit. He turned to Hope and asked if she could take Tia inside and stay with her and the others while they talked with Landon.

When he had gotten a nod from Hope, Marco calmly walked up to Tia and gently pried her fingers off London's arm. Using a calm voice, which was hard considering the way he was feeling he explained to Tia, "Tia please go with Hope. Landon has answers that Fixer needs about Darrel." Marco glanced toward Fixer, before continuing, "I will be with him the whole time as will Neo. I swear Fixer just wants to talk with him."

Neo stepped closer and nodded, adding, "Tia, it won't be like with Danny. If you want Lance I think we can arrange for Lance to be there also."

Tia looked at Fixer who was standing off to the side, with his arms crossed across his chest. Receiving a nod from the man, she slowly nodded and allowed Marco to pull her fingers from Landon.

Landon glanced at Marco and Neo silently thanking them for not hurting Tia further by making her feel as if he was in trouble because of her. Turning his eyes toward Fixer he tried to convey the fact that he had no intention of trying to escape punishment. He just did not want Tia's emotions to take another downward spiral. She was still barely smiling and Landon was unsure what she would do if she thought he was getting punished because he covered for her.

He kissed her and then handed her to the woman that Marco had pointed out.

Hope stepped forward and saluted Cole. "I would consider it an honor Captain to stay with the girl." Turning to Tia, she looped her arm in the girls so the young Princess did not misstep, since her eyes were only on the boy. Hope whispered as they walked away, "Come on Tia, you can say hello to your friends and let them know you are alright. You can also tell me a little about Franco, who I like." Hope added a genuine smile. She liked Tia. The girl had grown mentally and emotionally over the last three years, which Hope had been guarding her, without her knowledge.

Cole had figured the men would try to invite themselves into his interview with Landon, but he had to hold back a smile when Marco blatantly said they were coming. It made no matter to him because the boy was going to be punished no matter what their arguments. Maybe they could help him come up with something. He had a couple of things in mind that would satisfy the necessity of publicly punishing the young man, but was unsure what to use. As Hope led Tia away, Cole motioned for the others to follow him to his office.

Reaching the office, he motioned for Landon to stand in front of his desk and the others to take chairs behind him. Slowly Cole walked around his desk and sat down. Leaning back in the large comfortable office chair, he rested his elbows on the arms of the chair, and steepled his fingers in front of him. For several very long heartbeats, he just stared at Landon. He had to give the boy credit, because he did not fidget, just stood there like a statue, looking back. "First things first, Landon you will give a written report to my men on anything, no matter how insignificant you might consider it, about what you know of Darrel. I can guarantee you the man will not be the same when he leaves, but we need to know how he fitted and possible will fit into the scheme of things."

Sitting forward and crossing his arms in front of him on the desk, Cole continued, "Now we come to the part, I was hoping not to have to revisit after Danny had been taken to task. You were standing there the whole time your friend was being punished. You heard the reasons and saw the results, but not two hours later, you choose to disobey my orders, in one of the ways Danny had been punished for. You put Tia and the rest of you in danger, by not telling me, the elves or any other member of my security team Tia had left, and was being followed by someone you knew to be a danger to her. You say you love her and want to protect her, but I don't see that when you allowed her to be in danger. You have also put troops which have other jobs in danger, when we had to look for her. I am waiting for an explanation, Landon before I pronounce your sentence and punishment."

Landon just stood there for a few moments and then smiled as he replied, "Mr. Cole, you are wrong on several counts. Darrel is one of your men, which you had guarding the door. So you not I put her in danger. If you remember back to after Danny was punished, what I said and exactly what direction I was looking? Two, I had no clue you had no idea of Darrel's connection to my family. You never tell us anything and the one time one of us chooses to check out your Intel, he is punished. You ask that we tell you if one of our members leave but how was I suppose to know that Darrel had not informed you. You see he is my sister's lover but since I have no contact with her..."

Marco grinned as he stopped Landon. He stood as he said to Fixer, "Captain, there is only one charge that can't be pinned on Darrel. That is Landon's lack of restraint when he beat all of us to Darrel, am I right?"

Cole held up his hand to Marco to tell him he would answer his question in a moment. Turning to Landon he said, "Landon, the problem here is you let her go, while pretending to be asleep. You let her purposely put herself in danger… How does that young man show me you care for her?"

Landon looked at Fixer as he answered, "I was hoping your man Darrel would refuse her request. She had told him she was going to see Lance. It is because of my love for her that I let her go. You see I had been trying to calm her down from what You had her do. Tia pushed me out of her mind. I was hoping that she had not shut Lance out. When you asked me where she was, that was when I realized that in at least Darrel's case, you were not as knowledgeable as you claim to be. Mr. Cole, I had no way of knowing she was really at risk as like you I had also believed him to be no real threat. Tia's fear of him, made me curious but I could not figure out if it was really that she feared him or if it was something else. I am new to this skill I have and Tia has so many fears, worries that I.." He stopped as he tried to understand why he had not been able to figure out what needed to be done.

Marco listened and then asked Landon, "Landon, when did you tap your ability for the first time?"

Landon shook his head as he said, "It just something I have with Tia and it has only been this school year."

Marco turned to Fixer and said, "He has no clue what his gift can do and no training in how to handle it. Captain, he was overloaded with Tia's emotions and feelings." Just like Marco was when Fixer first trained him.

Cole sat back in his chair again and rested his arms on the chair. "I know where you are going with this Marco. You are trying to suggest maybe Landon needs training, which is something I do well. I would be willing to help with this but it would take time." Turning to Landon he asked, "As part of your punishment would you be willing to get the training you need to control your gift. At the moment you can only read Tia. With a little practice and some training, you would be able to read others and thus be able to protect her in the future. This would only be part of your punishment though."

Landon nodded and then said, "I will agree with Marco that I did mess up where Darrel was concerned. How was I suppose to know that he could do that with his mind? The things he showed me..." Landon's mind went back to what the jerk had shown him. Landon shook as he realized just why Tia feared Darrel. His anger got the better of him as he said, "What could make somebody that cruel, even Jackson has never been that dark!" Landon wanted to tear Darrel apart and one look at Fixer, told Landon that the man had seen everything.

Neo smiled as he said, "Captain, I am as much to blame as Landon. I gave the boy the impression that we knew about Darrel. I also should have stopped Landon from going straight after Darrel. The thing was I wanted to catch who was in on it with him. Captain, Darrel has somebody in the Command Center. The reason I suspect that is he has been disappearing and there is no record of the outings. Also it are on nights when he was assigned to watch the Portkey monitor. He has also been given a Specialist ring that he has no right to as he has only been here six months at most? Since I am new to the crew, I was unsure if I was mistaken about him and so wanted to collect Intel and proof first. Captain, one of the elves is also missing. I doubt the elf is involved but I am concerned as the elf had shown an interest in profiling when Brennan was here..."

"I will give you off the weekend Hogwarts has their little celebration that will be no problem. I will also agree to try to keep what is happening to you from Tia, but I cannot promise that. You keep your side of the bargain and Tia will be kept as much in the dark as possible." Turning to Neo he said, "The elf has been accounted for, but I thank you for bringing it to my attention. Neo I do believe you have not acted wisely, but that will be a discussion for another time. Landon knew the rules… he had misgivings about what was happening and he still did not try to correct the situation. The men and women under my command will expect a public punishment for what he has done, or in this case failed to do." Cole again sat forward in his chair and folded his arms on the desk in front of him. "I now have to decide what the punishment will be." Cole looked around the room at Neo, Marco and Landon, "I am open to suggestions, if anyone has any."

Neo and Marco just smiled as Marco said, "Captain, you need to understand Landon did not trust you! He has a very hard time with trusting any adult, all the Core does. It is the reason Sasha is allowing these trips. So how about this; All of us dropped the ball where the Core was concerned, let's admit it. Two, I made a promise to Tia and so did Neo. Now, how to do this so the men get the point and maybe we catch our Comm rat at the same time, Simple, Landon and Darrel in the rink against me and Neo. Somebody gave that maniac a PACT ring and I for one want to know whom! Only the men need to know that Landon is actually being punished. Tia and the others will think we are just letting Landon let off his fury. Fixer, Landon and the Core are not part of the Army yet, they are guests but they need to know they can trust you and the people we have here. They don't understand why we hide things or act like they can't take care of each other. Fixer, you been there at their age. Would you have alerted?"

Cole just watched the three men and the boy, who was going to be a man really soon. "I think we might be able to work something out here. However, gentlemen, the men and women I have working for me are not stupid. If you plan on faking any of it, or pulling your hits on Landon they will know it and call foul. At that point I will not hesitate to administer punishment in my own way, to make sure they know I am serious." Cole looked hard at Landon. "You understand what I am saying Landon. You will get to hit Darrel, but I think he has more experience then you do and he will hit back. Marco and Neo will also be expected to hit both of you. Are you willing to do this?"

Landon looked at the men in the room as Marco said, "Captain, when have you ever known me to hold back? It is just that Tia needs to know that Landon can handle what is happening. She thinks she got Marcus and our nephew Troy killed because they tried to protect her. We need to show her that she was not at fault for their deaths. I am hoping by doing so, she will stop pushing those that are trying to help her away and maybe instead start trusting us fully."

Landon at least now thought he understood why she kept pushing him away. He thought unsure how he was going to handle the fact that Tia had loved somebody before him, "She must have really loved Troy?"

Neo chuckled as he heard Landon. Marco shook his head as he said, "Landon, do you remember the guard at Platform 9 and 3/4ths?"

Landon nodded feeling a bit embarrassed as he realized who Troy was.

Cole smiled. The boy had been jealous. Clearing his throat he said, "Ok, Landon, it is now…" looking at his watch he continued, "It is 8:30 am and we are all tired, so getting rest and something to eat is first on our list. Landon you will return to your room, where Tia, Miley, Danny and Hope are waiting. Hope will be staying with you all until this afternoon at 3:00 you will be brought out to the main yard and your punishment will take place. You, Darrell, Marco and Neo will enter a ring I will have constructed. You will have five minutes to go after Darrel, and then it Marco and Neo will enter the fight and carry out the punishment on you while seeing if they can get some answers from Darrel. The fight ends when you are unconscious, and Landon," Cole stopped for a moment and stared at Landon, "I will know if you are truly unconscious or if you are faking it. If it is faked, you will be punished in another way." Looking toward Marco and Neo he added, "Gentlemen, you may go to the main dining room, or you may join Landon in his room with the others. I can have you all moved to another larger room, where there will be beds for rest and a small kitchenette. If you do not wish to go with Landon, you both will be free to do as you please until 2:00 when I expect you back in my office." There was one more person to take care of. "Lance you will be taken to another room where we will talk at 1:30 and decide how you want to handle what we were discussing originally." Cole stood up and said, "Dismissed Gentlemen."

Lance had to see how he could stop the events. If the Doctor had only known before Tia had entered the room, how things would go; Lance would have struck the deal with Fixer soon after Danny had left. He shook his head as he asked to remain. Things were getting out of control and now Landon was the next to pay for Lance's not stopping things before Tia had been made to deal with her friend's stunt. He looked at Fixer as he realized that he had known even when Fixer had caught Danny that Tia was not strong enough mentally to handle what Fixer had planned for her. He shook his head sadly as he asked, "Fixer, Can I remine for a little while? Maybe for a game of What if?" Lance was wondering what if he had chosen to deal soon after Danny had left but prior o Tia showing up. Doc had a feeling that was the only time that he hoped would have stopped this.

Glancing first at Lance, he nodded to everyone else. Lance sat back down in his chair and Cole followed everyone else to the door and made sure the guards in the hall knew where each person was headed. Returning to the room, he went first over to the kitchenette and got two cold sweet teas out of the refrigerator. Cole walked back to his desk, handed one to Lance and then sat down in one of the other chairs in front of his desk. Crossing his legs and taking a sip, he watched Lance, then said, "You wanted to talk, Doctor?" Cole was going to let Lance bring up the subject he was pretty sure was coming. Lance was ready to make any deal Cole wanted, in order to protect the children. Cole smile and took another sip, before sitting back and holding his mug in front of him.

Lance nodded as he asked, "If I had agreed to your request back when Danny had left but prior to Tia coming to your office, would you have still made Tia order Danny to be punished? Would Danny have even been punished, except maybe not being allowed back on the island for a time?" He really needed to know if he could have prevented the events that was now destroying the Core as a group.

Cole did not answer right away. "I think I might have been willing to discuss what would have to happen with you. Danny still would have had to be punished, but I am finding the Caretakers and other adults in the Core's lives are not trying to teach the young adults, how to handle the real problems which they will be facing in the not to distant future. They are being treated like children not young adults. Everyone is focused on protecting them; not helping them learn how to handle adversities." Cole took another sip of his mug and looked over the rim of his mug, "Now if I had someone who would be willing to help me with their training, and follow my suggestions to the letter, then maybe I would not have to be so hard on the Core members."

Lance hung his head as he asked, "When was the point of no return? When did you stop giving me a chance to save Tia from ordering the punishment? Believe me Fixer, I won't pass this chance up to save them now… you have your deal and your way. I just want to know what chance did I miss to save them."

"Earlier when you asked what file Danny had seen, you followed it with what I considered a threat, of having Danny tell Tia what the file was, if I did not make a deal with you. Treats of any type get me upset, to the point I use whatever situation is at my disposal to shake things up a bit. I don't make deals, Doc. I make suggestions that I insist on being followed to the letter." Cole smiled and took a good long drink then reached forward and put his mug down on the front of his desk. Leaning back in his chair he continued, "Now that we have come to an understanding, we will not have to visit this subject again. After Landon has gone through his disaplinary action, I will let you know what I need done first." Cole stood up and added, "Now Doc you have until 2:00 when you will join me back here in my office with Neo and Marco. Tia, Miley and Danny will be sent home just prior to Landon's time. You and the others can tell her anything you want, but she will leave." Cole motioned toward the door and said, "Good bye until then Doctor."

Lance realized that Landon was still going to be punished but at least Tia would not know. He looked at Fixer as he was about to leave and asked, "What change did my agreeing do if you still are going to have Landon who Tia loves punished? Don't get me wrong I plan on sticking to my word. I just want to fully understand both sides of the agreement."

"I am going to leave Tia alone as far as teaching her about the adult world , at least for the most part. I do hope to see some progress in this area with others in her life though… if not … well we will revisit that problem in the future. I also will listen to your concerns more and take them into consideration. I will also allow the elves to help with some of your medical concerns, after clearing the information with me of course." Cole smiled as he followed Lance to the door. "Although I have the main advantage here Doc, you will see benefits to yourself and those around you. Now go get some rest, because it is going to be a rough afternoon."

MARCO SPELLMAN
As Marco's eyes opened, he realized something had changed. The sun was past its zenith and started down the other side of its sky travels. He and Neo had chosen to talk on the back patio of the barracks, so they could be assured of relative peace and quiet. When he looked at where Neo was sitting in another one of the Adirondacks' chairs, he noticed the look on the man's face. Apparently he also realized they had fallen asleep. Looking slightly behind him he found Kimtu balanced on an air-chair. "How long elf were we out?"

Kimtu just smiled and said, "About three of your human hours, Master Marco. Master Frank said you were to rest, so I made it so."

Marco was furious, but the elf was not at fault. He and Neo had planned on getting something to eat and then either going and talking with Darrel or with the children. Now, he realized they would not be able to do both. Again turning to Kimtu he asked, "Can we obtain permission to talk with the prisoner, Darrel?" Looking at Neo he received a nod. Neo knew as well as he did that Cole would not prevent them from seeing the children before Tia, Miley and Danny were sent home and Landon was punished, so he planned on using what time he could to see if he could convince Darrel he needed to talk.

Kimtu, jumped down from his air-chair and walked closer. "No Master Marco you must eat something then return to Master Frank's office in about forty-five minutes. After you eat, you may stop by and see the young ones for a few moments, but Master Frank is planning on bringing you all together before some of them must return to the school." Kimtu turned and nodded behind him. Three men brought two trays and drinks to the table and sat them in front of Marco and Neo. The tray's contained sandwiches, fruit, vegetables and some type of dip. The drinks were water.

Neo grabbed a sandwich and a banana from the tray in front of him. He smiled as he stood and headed into the barracks. He was going to talk with Darrel, and possibly the other two prisoners if he was allowed. He was tired of being kept on the outside of what was happening. At the moment he was only two tests away from getting his Specialist badge and ring so he figured he had the right to start taking an active interest in what was going to be part of his future. Cooler planned to talk with Darrel and to insure Fixer understood it was not up for debate he said aloud knowing the camera's and mikes would pick up the feed, "We are heading for Darrel unless Fixer, you have something that you think those three know that is different then what you have been telling? I would hate to find out you lied to us, blood brother..."

Marco grabbed a half of a sandwich and an apple and followed behind Neo. Shaking his head and smiling he realized they were about to have some fun. It was unlikely Fixer would stop them, because the man was after information and Neo was good at getting information. Marco noticed a glint near the top of Neo's boot, Neo was armed. Marco hoped Fixer knew it. Neo was looking forward to beating the pulp out of Darrel in the ring later, so he would not kill him, but Marco knew the Cooler had a way with weapons which could cause damage and leave no marks.

It did not take them long to locate Darrel's cell. It was damp in the lower basement where they were. The rock walls made it clear this area had been dug out of the bedrock of the island. Marco inwardly cringed as he realized Danny had been kept here for a while. Darrel's cell was the last in the row of five. Marco saw Neo motion for Kimtu to open it. The elf closed his eyes for a moment then opened them and nodded. Using a large metal key, the door was slowly opened.

Neo walked in as he pulled his new weapon from his boot and throw it. Darrel screamed as the blade barely nicked his neck. He knew he got Darrel's attention. In his head he asked Kimtu to stay clear and promised that they had no intention of hurting Darrel until the ring, "I just want him to feel some of what he put the Princess through and insure he understands what will happen if he reminds silent."

Kimtu had stepped forward and had raised his arm. When Master Neo did not try anything else and sent his silent message, Kimtu nodded and closed his eyes for a heartbeat. When he opened them he said, "Master Frank says do not hurt him too bad, because he still has to fight."

Marco could not help but let a little of the snicker he was fighting to control, out, when Kimtu mentioned Darrel was going to have to fight. The man had grabbed his neck and a small trickle of red, escaped through his fingers. Darrel's eyes also darted to the knife which was stuck in the wall behind him. Somehow Neo had landed the knife in a dirt filled crack in between the rocks of the walls. The knife was still stuck there and Marco watched as Darrel tried to figure out his chances of getting a hold of the knife and escaping.

Neo gave a sly grin as he said as if to Marco, "Hey what do you bet are his chances of taking me? He seems to have been not even able to handle Marcus."

Darrel had heard of Neo's skill and wondered if the Cloaked Man had boosted, as Neo seemed to have missed. He pulled the knife as he said, "I guess you Spellman's are all talk! Marcus was a problem but he had enemies we were able to use...Problem solved..." He turned to the other man and smiled as he said, "You are going to bring my pet to me or my friends have a chat with a certain young man that has shown himself to be just as nosy as Marcus...Your choice, my pet or.." He and his crew had invited Charlie to the island. His friend had goaded the young man into checking out the caves after some free climbing.

It took all of Marco's will power and training not to just try and jump the guy. Neo could take him under normal circumstances and he knew even though other magic did not work on the island, because of the damper put in place by the elves, Kimtu could use his elfin magic. It was hard though to see the man standing there with a knife in his hand. Marco was taking it for granted Darrel was talking about their Nephew Charlie. Marco turned and stared at Kimtu asking silently, "Charlie … Where is the boy?"

Kimtu reluctantly closed his eyes for a second, then opened them and said, "The boy Charlie is safe at home. He was here for about half and hour, but was sent home when this man's…" Kimtu waved toward Darrel, "… friend and helpers were locked up."

Marco smiled and nodded. Trying to keep his eyes pinned to Darrel and not to the knife in the man's hands he said, "Good try dirtbag, but you lose."

Neo grinned as he did a round house and took the blade back. With his next move he pinned Darrel to the wall as he threw the blade to Marco. "This creep has a death wish, I guess..." He raised his foot to use as a holder as he said calmly, "Is that it punk? You want to die before entering the ring? Or is it you only have the ability to pick on children? Your crew as you call them are singing like canary's. They are hanging you out to dry, Darrel..."

Neo turned his head as he seemed to ask, "Marco, Captain did say that since this punk had decided to remain silent, he was of no further use? You know that means he becomes a practice dummy. Yours or Mine, or should we let Kimtu have some practice? He is dead either way or at the very least we can bury him in a box like he did the Princess? What do you think?" Neo was sure that Darrel was about as close to spilling his guts to Fixer, as he was ever going to be. Marco would get the coward singing. Then Neo would let Punta or one of the others get Fixer's answers.

Kimtu looked from Master Neo to Master Marco, he had been told by Master Frank, he was not allowed to let the men kill the other man and he was worried things might be headed that way. He spread the fingers on both of his hands and prepared to intervene, if the Master's could not control their human temper. All he could do was watch.

Marco saw Kimtu's move and smiled at the elf. He winked as walked closer to Darrel. Neo had a good hold on the man and Darrel's eyes were now on him. Placing his hand around the man's neck, he squeezed just hard enough to cut off a little wind to the man's lungs, but not hard enough to give him major breathing problems. Putting his face about two feet away from the pinned man he said, adding as much venom to his voice as he could, "You have one chance, Darrel my lad. Start talking and maybe you will have a chance in the fight Cole has already informed you that you will be fighting in about half and hour. The Captain has told us we cannot kill you but…" Marco tightened his grip a fraction of an inch, "… he did not say we had to send you in the ring, with the ability to have a chance to survive. Personally, I am looking forward to beating you to a pulp, after Landon had been allowed to take a couple of swings at you. So what do you want to tell us… just start talking and we will let you know if anything you have to say, is worth us not sending a cripple into the ring."

Darrel looked from one to the other as he said scared that these two men would carry out their threat. His master had the same look in his eyes when he was about to have pleasure in killing. His eyes went to the elf as he said with a shaky voice, "I want to talk with Frank Cole! The others were sent here before I was. I am not the top dog, but I know his next target..."

Neo gave a sly grin as he said, "chain him for Fixer" Cooler inwardly thought, "Works every time and I did not even have to use the Pinch..." The blade was Landon's which Neo had taken when he had insured the young man would stay seated.

Kimtu closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and nodded. Raising his hand, he forced Darrel to the back wall and then magically put the cuffs located there around the human's hands and ankles. Turning back to Master Neo and Master Marco, he bowed slightly and said, "Punta will be here in a moment to talk with the human. Master Frank requests that you come to his office so he may talk with you." Kimtu watched the two man, wondering if he should take the blade away from Master Neo. Master Frank had not said anything about it, so he let the human keep the small toy.

Marco had nodded at the request and headed toward the cell door. Half turning just as he reached it he said to the now chained Darrel, "see you real soon. I am going to look forward to this you know." At that he chuckled and turned, exiting through the door. Neo was right behind him as they made their way up the two flights of stairs and down the hall to Fixer's office.

Neo looked back at Darrel as he said, "You know if Captain says you wasted him time, I will finish what I started! Marco doesn't planned on letting you live and unless Captain says you are more valuable alive..." He gave a sad shake of his head as he finished, "Well, I have never been as cruel as Marco who happened to like Marcus..." He walked out and said to Marco as the door shut, "The blade is Landon's. It will be up to Fixer if the young man gets it back, Marco. Darrel is a coward just like we thought, how about letting Landon deal with him? If the punk, does not play fair then we can step in? Landon can be punished after he teaches Darrel just who's girl, Tia is."

Marco looked at Neo, and then just nodded. He would ask Fixer for permission to run it that way, but it would be fine with him.

(OOC: This is a combined post by Barbie and Jane, we hope you are enjoying the threads)

FRANK COLE
Cole had decided not to try and sleep during the three and a half hours he had given himself between talking with Lance and having Marco and Neo come back to his office so they could discuss Landon's punishment. Instead he opted for a relaxation technique the elf's used. Since he had elfin blood in him because of the full marriage ceremony he and his dear departed Magie had gone through, he could use the technique. It allowed him to completely relax but be totally open to what was going on around him. Muggles would have called it a form of meditation, but it went far beyond any of their understanding. Cole had just resurfaced from his rest period when he was told by Punta, who had stayed in his office the whole time, that Kimtu had made Marco and Neo take a rest. When he asked what they were doing now he was informed they were visiting Darrel. Pushing a few buttons on his desk, he was able to see and listen to what was going on in the man's cell. He shook his head when Neo let loose of the small knife from his boot.

Darrel was full of tricks, most of them unethical, so the fight with Landon was going to be hard on the boy, but Cole hoped it would toughen him up a bit. Landon would probably win without Marco's and Neo's assistance. Then it would be up to Marco and Neo to show the boy that even though he was liked, punishment was issued under prescribed rules. Cole would not insist on making Landon pass out but the boy was going to be taken to his knees and then made to apologize.

Cole sat down at his desk and uncovered the small plate, which contained a sandwich and some chips. He was not hungry but Marco and Neo were on their way and he wanted a slight distraction as they entered. When he heard the knock at the door, he hit the button for it to open and then took a bite of his sandwich, motioning the two men to the chairs in front of him. After he had swallowed his bite he took a sip of the sweet ice-tea in the mug on his desk then sat back and said, "Did you get any sleep before you talked with Darrel?"

The men nodded as Neo said adding a salute, "Kimtu, insured that we rested Sir. Darrel is singing but it looks like me and Marco still have possibly one more to find? Darrel hinted that he was not the leader of the pack of traitors, so maybe we should let it be known that Darrel plans on talking after the fight in the ring? Maybe Landon can even earn a slight adjustment to his punishment by helping catch this big fish? I was thinking just a delay in when it is carried out? This way Tia gets to see how big of a coward Darrel really is?" He was hoping Marco would help him convince Fixer.

Marco sat forward in his seat and rested his elbows on his knees. Folding his hands in front of him he said, "Captain, Landon is smart and he has been picking up fighting skills from Darik. The boy will win against Darrel as long as the man does not play too dirty. With Neo and myself refereeing I think we can keep the man from too much mischief." Marco sat back in his chair and crossed his legs. "We were thinking of having Landon's punishment completely separate from the fight with Darrel. Maybe have his running the gauntlet a few times or going through the fight training of a Trainee or even a Regular He has the size to endure it and it would give you a way to really read the boys will power.

"I will not have Tia, Miley and Danny here while Landon is fighting," Cole said as he pushed his plate out of the way. "The three of them are to leave before the fight. Landon will be allowed to fight Darrel and if you want you can show the video to Tia at another time." Cole sat back in his own chair and rubbed his chin. "I have obtained permission for Landon to stay three more days with me as long as the two of you are on the island. Marco it is up to you is you stay. I know you have lessons and other obligations. Neo will be here and I will have him assigned to Landon as a trainer. The boy will be put through Trainee outdoor training, even though he is too young to earn the badge. The normal week of training will be combined to the three days he is here. When he turns eighteen he will be given the option to join my little band or merry men and women without having to repeat the training. Until that time though he will be considered a security risk, so high protocol will be maintained to those who are guarding him. If he does not agree to this he will enter the ring with Jack and Tom and be taught what it means to disobey orders." Cole steepled his fingers in front of him. Lowering he said, "This is the only concession I will make. You will have ten minutes to talk with him and explain the situation, and he will make his decision or I will make it for him." Cole sat forward and folded his arms on his desk, allowing his eyes to look back and forth between the men.

Neo and Marco both said, "Agreed sir." Marco asked, "When do you want this talk to occur? And Sir as long as I am back for my class, I believe this will be a good time to test my House as to what they can handle on their own, don't you?"

Cole nodded. Turning to Punta he said, "Have Landon brought to my office. Tell the others he will only be gone for a few minutes." Cole received a nod and Punta left. Turning back to the two men he said, "When you are finished talking with Landon we will all return to the room they are in and he will say his good-byes. Gentlemen, the other three are leaving even if I have to forceibly remove them from my island, which I would rather not do. Arianna, can be a bit testy when I have upset the children, if you know what I mean."

Neo and Marco both nodded as Neo said, "especially with Tia being upset..." He would have said more but the knock stopped him.

Landon had seen the look of fear on Tia's face when he had told her about his upcoming lesson that he planned to give Darrel. She had not wanted him to leave and it took every ounce of his will power not to let her come. Now standing outside Fixer's office, Landon felt Tia's worry build. He knocked and prayed he would have time to convince his princess that he would insure that Darrel paid dearly for hurting her.

Cole pushed the button on his desk which opened the door. "Landon, come in." When the boy entered Cole motioned him to in front of his desk and said, "Marco and Neo have a proposition for you. The choice will be your on what you want to do. No matter what Tia, Miley and Danny will not be present at either choice." Cole got up, walked to the door and before leaving turned and said, "Gentlemen you have 10 minutes."

Neo smiled as he asked Landon, "How bad Landon do you want to prove to Captain that the Core can handle the truth about this place? That the Core especially you are just as protective of Tia as those that protect her? That you learn from your errors in judgment and set them right?"

Landon stood at attention and without even a moments thought spoke his mind, "I would do anything to make things right with Frank Cole. I even believe Danny only broke the rules of the island because we as Core know that Tia hates secrets. The more Mr. Cole kept from Tia, without any reason, the more we started wondering why."

He turned to face Fixer as he explained, "Sir, you have always seemed straight with us but when Tia asked about her godfather, you clammed up. She is worried about him and we get curious when Tia worries. Darrel is going to learn firsthand just how protective I can get! He hurt her Sir and I promised her that Darrel would pay dearly for that. As for trust, I know Danny broke whatever trust you had for us. It is just Sir, we trusted you completely but learned that you seemed to trust us not at all?"

Neo's grin grew as he said, "Landon, if you are willing? Then you can prove it by helping us catch a bigger fish then Darrel. Darrel will be all yours. Me and Marco will only enter if you or Fixer requests us to. You also won't be punished at the same time."

Landon smiled but then asked, "Sir, what is the catch? Don't get me wrong, I am going to take this offer. I just want to know what happens when the other shoe drops?"

Cole stopped and walked back into the room. "When you are finished with Darrel, and we either find what Marco and Neo are hoping to find, or the man is just done and will be mine to do with as I please, you will spend the next three days going through Trainee outdoor training. It is normally a one week course, but you will complete it in three days. You will also publicly appoligize on your knees to me for disobeying my orders. You will take your orders from me and anyone I designate." Cole walked closer to the boy and got within a couple of feet. "Landon I will train you to take care of Tia, but you will be mine to order. I told Marco and Neo I did not think you were old enough for this, but they seem to think you are." Getting even closer he added, "So boy, you willing to submit?"
Landon smiled, "Me and Marco have already talked about what I wanted to do after I graduate this year Sir. At the time, all I knew was I wanted to protect Tia and undo any damage my family has done. Marco told me to give him a few weeks because he thought he might have a way I could put my skills to just those purposes. I had agreed. Then he asked how I felt about the military. I told him honestly that it all depended on who my CO was. He said what if it was the man that trained him. I guess I am meeting officially that man now. So Sir, I am more than willingly to accept your challenge."

Cole nodded. "Ok, then let's go and send Tia, Miley and Danny home. Then you will go to the ring and Darrel will be brought out. He is not going to play fair. Marco and Neo can only get involved if it looks like he is going to do permanent damage to you. Come on." Cole led the way out of the room and to a door three doors down the hall. He opened the door and motioned for Landon, Marco and Neo to enter.

When they were inside, Cole said, "Tia, you Miley and Danny will be returning to Hogwarts immediately. Landon has accepted by offer for further training. You have ten minutes to say your goodbyes." Cole stood back and waited.

Tia shook her head and sat back down as she said, "We came together, we leave together! Plus I have not had my session with Max yet."

Landon held her and then said, "It will be alright, I promise."

Tia shook her head as tears invaded her eyes. She was scared for Landon because Darrel had already helped in taking at least one other she had cared about. Tia knew that he would do whatever he could to hurt her. That meant he would do everything he could to destroy what she hoped to have with Landon.

Landon held her tighter as he said trying to take the terror she felt away, "He can't take anything that you or I don't let him. I will be at Hogwarts in three days. Then my love, we are going to talk about our future. Until then stay close to the other Core and try not to worry, okay? I might even have a video to show you of just what a coward Darrel really is. Please Tia, let me do this for you? Let me show those that want to hurt you, when have to get pass me first!" As he handed her to Miley and Danny, Landon said, "Tia, I promise. Three days!" He was going to ask if Lance or Max could return with Tia and the others. Landon decided he had already gotten more then he could have hoped for. He kissed Tia as he realized he had decided to not push his luck.

Tia went to reach for Landon when she heard Fixer speak.

Cole walked up and stood between Tia and Landon. "Princess, Landon needs to do this. Someday he might be all you have to depend on and he needs the training to be there for you that day. This is another one of those lessons you have to learn to be a ruler. Now say your goodbyes and he will see you in three days. Neo will remain on the island, and possibly Marco."

Tia was shocked to hear that Marco was possibly staying but said nothing. She just seemed to go quiet but had not moved.

Landon looked at Fixer as if to ask if he could at least see them off. He was worried about Tia. She seemed to believe she was losing her rock.

Marco also had been watching Tia and now he spoke, "Amira Andreas, is this any way for a Princess to act! You want other to show their trust in your people but how can they when you don't show your trust in your Second in Command."

Tia was taken back by the dress down. She trusted Landon with all her heart. She just knew Darrel and was scared that he would hurt Landon like before.

Neo finally spoke, "Tia, Landon won't be caught like before. Can you and Miley handle Slytherin House for three days without giving away the fact Marco won't be there?"

Miley grinned and pulled Tia to the door. Tia smiled as she nodded, "We are the Slytherin part of the welcome committee. All the other housemates will know is that Marco is in his office doing research and nobody better knock on his door!"

Turning to Landon, Cole said "You will take Tia, Miley and Danny to the send off point in the front yard. Then you will wait for me there. Remember you are under your honor to not try anything. Punta will go with you to keep you out of trouble." Turning back to the others he said, "Landon will see you in three days princess now go."

Landon nodded as he walked them out. Tia grabbed his hand as she turned to face Fixer, "Is Lance coming to see us off?"

"You go with Landon Tia. I will have Lance meet you out there. He still has a couple of things he needs to do before he can return to the mainland, but I don't think he will be long." Cole did not want to tell her he was keeping Lance around incase he needed some medical help after the fight. After that it would be Lance's job to bring Tarik to the island, although the doctor did not know that part yet.

As he followed them to the door, Marco turned and said, handing him Landon's blade, "Neo got this from Landon during Tia's little speech at Danny's punishment. It will be up to you just when or if he gets it back, Sir?"

"Thank you Marco." Cole looked out the door at Landon and the others who were a ways down the hall, "I will return it to him after he completes his training. Now go and get the children off. I will be there in a moment."

Neo nodded as Marco said, "Yes Sir. Can you start our little rumor going? If we are right, the top dog won't want Darrel talking after the fight. Which means he or she will be at that fight and will be intent on silencing Darrel if Landon doesn't. I think the one that Danny caught in the file room wants a way out. He seems a lot like Landon, if you understand my meaning Sir? I think he is the only one of that group of traitors worth saving."

Cole nodded and chuckling said, "I will have the rumor started immediately. Either you or Neo need to keep an eye on the crowd. I will also plant a few people I know I can trust in the crowd to help spread the rumor as the fight goes on and to watch. When everything is over Lance will check Landon over and then I will talk with the three of you again. Dismissed." Cole stood straight and gave no chance for any more discussion. He was tired and there was still a lot of work to do.

Cole waited long enough to make sure the children had left the building and looking at the screen he saw a crowd gathering to watch the fight. He had sent a message to several of the troops and started the rumor that Darrel was going to turn the table on anyone else on the island who had slipped through security. He made his way to the front door of the barracks and looked out the window. He saw Landon saying good bye to Tia, Miley and Danny. From where he stood, Tia appeared to still be giving Landon a problem about leaving, but Cole smiled when he realized the boy was standing firm. He led Tia to the send off point, made sure Danny and Miley were standing close then reluctantly let go of Tia's fingers and stepped back so they could be sent back to Hogwarts. The boys head dropped to his chest when they had disappeared. After a moment the straightened up and gathered himself together. Turning he walked to the edge of the stage and stood at attention.


Neo and Marco had watched Landon do what was best for Tia. They smiled as they said in almost a whisper, "We know that was hard Landon but at least she is safe and he can't use her to get the upper hand. You just concentrate on dealing with Darrel but if you notice anybody else that could be involved try and give us a clue okay?"

Landon nodded

Neo leaned over and asked, "Lance is your mind shield able to extend to shield another's mind? I was thinking Landon?" He watched as Marco nodded, as Lance was known as the Hidden Andreas. His ability to shield his mind so complete could hopefully help keep Darrel out of Landon's mind.

Lance looked at Cole coming closer, and nodded. He wasn't sure Fixer was going to let him. He could already feel the elves clamping down on his mind and knew if they were doing it to him they were doing it to Landon and Darrel. This was going to be a battle of brute forse not of the minds. Cole had made that clear.

Marco nodded to Jack and Tom as if asking if the New PACT was ready to deal with Darrel's handler as so as the traitor showed his hand.

As he made his way toward the stage, he answered salutes from troop members and spoke to those he needed to. Marco, Neo and Lance all sat on the stage. Cole held and inward smile when even Lance stood as he got closer. "Sit gentlemen," he said as he stepped up on the stage. Turning he signaled for Darrel to be brought out.

As Darrel was being marched out to the stage Cole looked out over the assembled troops. "Today we are going to have one of our members who has decided to turn against us punished. One of the members of the Princess' security team has asked for the privelege of fighting, Regular Troop Member Darrel Ebo, and teaching him that there are always consequences to what you do." Cole looked at Landon hoping the boy understood what he was saying about consequences. Darrel was led into the ring, and stood very still, his eyes shifting between all the members on the stage and those in the audience.

Cole looked at Landon, and said, "You man now enter the ring. As soon as you are in the ring the fight begins." Cole looked at Darrel to make sure he had his attention, then he looked back to Landon and said, "I want everyone concerned to realize, no one is going to die today. Do not make me have to stop the fight to prevent it. Now enter the ring Landon. The fight ends when one of you is out cold."

Landon watched, as Darrel's eyes seemed to focus on one man that stood very close to the ring. The man was looked familiar but Landon just could not place him. Landon decided to signal the Spellman brothers by entering the ring close to the strange man. As he entered the ring, the man said something that shook Landon to his core. He had threatened Tia if Landon did not kill Darrel. Landon thought fast as that meant somebody this guy knew was close enough to hurt the girl that he loved.

The man grabbed his arm and whispered with a sneer, "Those kids will never reach their dorms if he is left breathing. Understand?"

Landon slowly nodded as he said knowing he had fingered the right one, "yes." With that Landon entered the ring.

Cole watched as Punta went and stood behind the man who had grabbed Landon's arm. Neo had also gotten up and slowly walked toward the man. When the man started to step back he was blocked and held by Punta until Neo arrived. Cole nodded and the man was removed. He tried to struggle but Neo had him and Punta had him levitated off the ground. As they walked away toward the barracks, Cole turned back to the ring and captured Landon's eyes, slightly shook his head, trying to tell the boy to just fight and not listen to anything the man had said. Cole also motioned one of the men forward from his Specialist Elite group and whispered for him to get in touch with Brennan at the school and let the young Auror, who was head of security there, to get to Tia, Danny and Miley and double the guard on them. Waving the man away, he turned to Marco and said, "Neo can handle the man they just took away. You need to stay here for Landon." Turning to Lance he added, "I still am not going to allow you to link with Landon, because the boy needs to do this totally on his own, but you need to watch for vital signs on both of them in the ring. I have told everyone the fight lasts until one of them is unconscious and also no one dies. I will allow you to stop the fight Lance only if death is imminent." Leaning a little closer to the Doctor he added one more thing, "… and Doctor you better not try anything otherwise or Landon will be have a re-education punishment, which will make this look like a small wrestling match."

Cole did not wait for Lance's answer. The man's nod was enough to let him know he was understood. Sitting in one of the chairs, Cole leaned back, crossed his legs and settled into the most relaxed posture he could show, even though every mussel was screaming in his body from anger.

(OOC: This has been a combined post by Barbie and Jane! We hope you are enjoying the threads.)

LANDON RUSSO
Out of the corner of his eye, Landon had seen Punta and Neo taking the stranger away. While watching Darrel start to circle him, Landon glanced at the stage and caught Cole's eyes. Seeing the shake of the man's head told him he needed to not worry about what was going on outside the ring. Marco and Neo trusted this man, and whether he liked admitting it or not Landon trusted him enough to put his life in the man's hands for training. As Landon jerked his eyes back to Darrel, he was just in time to get blindsided by a punch from the right. Whirling around, he backed up for a moment then shot out a left punch and then a gut punch to Darrel. The man doubled over so Landon came up quickly with an upper cut, which sent Darrel spinning back and into the ropes. Lance stood there shaking his hands to try and release some of the pain and watched for the next move by the man.

Darik had told Landon, during several of his training sessions, that a lot of winning a fight can be in the mindset of the two people fighting. Landon knew if he got mad or angry beyond being able to think he was going to lose, because he would stop watching what Darrel was going to do. He decided to return some of the verble taunts, Darrel was throwing at him. Crouching down a little he said to Darrel, "You can try as hard as you want. I am going to win this fight. Your friend they just took away, told me to make sure you died today, or he was going to get at the others at the school. I happen to know the school has already been notified, so I am not worried. Now all I have to decide is whether I want to go against Mr. Cole and kill you. What do you think Darrel, you ready to die?" Landon almost chuckled aloud when he saw the expression on his oponints face.

Two things were happening to the man. First he was losing his concentration on the fight, trying to figure out if what Landon was telling him was the truth. Second he was getting mad and irratated, not necessarily at Landon, but at the whole situation he found himself in. Darrel was used to being on top of the situation and being in charge of what was happening. Once that ability was gone, his self-confidence started to faultier. Landon let one side of his mouth slowly rise in a small grin. This fight was going more and more in his direction.

Darrel stepped away from the ropes and charged Landon. However, Landon was ready and stepped aside in a perfect bull fighting maneuver, slamming his elbow down on the man's back as he passed by. He was rewarded with a yell of pain from Darrel as the man went face first into the mat. Landon had surprised him enough; Darrel had not even had time to put out his hands to stop his fall. Darrel lay still for a moment, but he had not passed out, so Landon stepped back and resting his hands on his knees tried to take in some needed oxygen. Standing back up straight, he placed his hands on his hips and watched as Darrel slowly pushed himself onto his knees then onto his feet.

Slowly Darrel turned his face bright read from anger. Darrel's hands went up and he stomped toward Landon. "You don't know what pain is boy. Now you shall learn." Landon was stunned for a moment from the look of crazed meanness in Darrel's eyes. It allowed Darrel to get in a good one-two punch to Landon's face. Landon saw stars, but was able to duck the next punch which he knew would have taken him down. Moving to the other side of the ring he tried to shake off the pain. His vision was blurred, but he had enough to realize the man was coming at him again. Landon moved off to the side, bent down and charged the man, connecting in his gut. It was satisfying to hear the air pushed out of Darrel's lungs.

Landon had pushed Darrel back into the ropes, so he used the bounce off of them to allow Darrel to fall forward. Jumping ontop of the man's back he grabbed one of his arms and wrenched it up behind the man's back, pushing upward. "Why don't you just give up and take whatever Mr. Cole has for you. Your people now believe you are a traitor and even if you don’t say anything, Mr. Cole is perfectly capable of making them believe you have spilled your guts." Landon retched the arm up a little farther, getting a satisfying grunt from the man under neith him.

Figuring he had Darrel under control, Landon made a mistake and relaxed his grip. Darrel took advantage of it, rolled over, shoving Landon off him. Landon now found himself on the bottom with his own arm behind him. He gasped from the pain. It took effort to listen and hear what Darrel was saying to him. "So boy, how do you like the pain. I will be able to explain to the people I know about how I am being set up. Do you think you can fight with a broken arm or dislocated shoulder?" When his arm was shoved a few inches higher on his back, Landon started to see black dots swimming in front of his eyes. "You know what I am going to do boy. When I get free, and I will, I am going to make sure Tia, thinks what I did to her when she was younger, was just fun and games. The girl is pretty and it has been a while since I or the men who follow me have had a little bit of fun with a new toy. What do you think, will Tia fit my needs?"

The black dots were still swimming, but the background was all red. Landon's anger had reached to boiling point. He shut down his mind and just acted. Pushing off the mat with his good hand he got one of his legs under him and used it to help with the shove. Pushing back and up, his arm came free and he rolled to the side of the mat. As he fought to his feet, he rubbed his arm and shoulder. It was time to take this up a notch.

Walking over to the ropes, Landon pretended he was hurt bad. As he turned, he pretended to stagger just a bit, and was pleased to see Darrel take the bait and relax. Landon started to shake his hands as if to get them limbered up. When he was in the right spot he croched a little and then came up and kicked out in a perfect round-robin kick, catching Darrel in the face. He had only been able to complete the kick, three times before. If Darrel had been ready and had realized what was happening, Landon knew the man would have been able to grab his leg and most likely splinter it. Darrel had not expected the move, so Landon was able to his true. Quickly he took his leg and swept Darrel's feet out from under him. As the man went down, Landon again elbowed him in the back. Darrel dropped like a rock and didn't move. Landon backed up and tried to catch his breath as he watched Mecum check Darrel out. When Lance appeared beside him, he knew the fight was over.

Landon bent down and whispered in Darrel's ear, "Spread the word Darrel, Tia is my girl and to get to her, the fools will have to get past me! Darrel if I see you again, I will kill you and anybody else that thinks they can hurt her!" With that Landon smiled at the elf and said, "Please be sure Mecum that he remembers my last warning to those that want to hurt my hopefully Betrothed. Thank you, my friend."

As he got up Landon asked, "Who do I talk to about that Lance? You or Headmistress Sasha or Tarik? Or can I ask you all at the same time?" He still wanted to discuss his feelings with Tia but was almost certain that doing so would be an insult.

Lance took the boy gently by the shoulders so he could get a good look into his eyes. Landon's eyes were showing some pain, but they were clear. Standing back up, he put his arm around the boys shoulder and started to led him to the side of the ropes, looking over his shoulder only once to make sure Darrel was being tied and put on a litter to be taken to the med unit, where he could be checked out. After helping Landon through the ropes he said, "You would have to partition Tarik as Temporary Head of the Medjai Council, until Tia becomes of age, and myself as oldest Andreas relative." Lance tried not to laugh as the boys shot to him, filled with hope. "Don't think it is a definate yes Landon. Tarik still thinks Tia is too young as he has stated before this. I also think she is too young, but being Royalty the age can be over looked. You are going to have to do this formally. When we get back to Hogwarts I will assist you in drawing up the formal patition." Giving the boy a small squeeze he continued, "At the moment though, you need to go to Cole and get on your knees and apologize to him for disobeying his orders. For the next three days, I think you will be too busy to think about Tia. When you are done, report to the med unit so I can check you out." Landon started to argue, but Lance stopped him with, "Do not argue with me Landon. If you cannot follow advice from me then I might start thinking you are too young yourself." Lance dropped his hand and watched as Landon stiffly stepped up on the stage, where Cole had stood up, and went to his knees.

Landon hope grew until he understood by how Lance had explained that somebody else had asked for Tia's hand first. Inwardly he cringed as he thought of only one that would dare, Jackson. He remembered his brother gloating this past summer and now he knew why. Their mother must have petitioned Tarik on Jackson's behalf as everybody including Jackson knew how Tarik felt about Landon's older brother.

As he asked Fixer for forgiveness, his thoughts were on how to save his love from his mother's grasp. He knew that his mother was only doing this because he refused to take the mark at seventeen which was coming soon. He wondering about telling his mother that he had decided he would take the mark but only if she removed the petition concerning Jackson. He shook his head without completing the thought, as he would still lose Tia. He was truly scared of losing the only girl that he would ever love. His brother was older and had already petitioned for her hand but if he made a deal with his mother, Tia might be free of a loveless marriage but she would never forgive him. He lost either way and he was terrified of just what he would do to insure Tia was safe.

Cole stood very still as Landon, on his knees in front of him, made the formal apology for breaking his rules and publicly agreed to train for the next three days in Cole's army. It was not hard to tell the boy's mind was not on the apology though. Cole put his hands down at his side from where he had had his arms crossed over his chest and said, "You may get up Trainee Landon. From this point until three days from now, you will follow all orders given to you. Any questions will be directed to Neo, who will be your sponsor, or to the head of your troop. If I have to interfere with your training there will be consequences, do you understand?"

Landon just nodded as he felt his world along with his hopes for his future crumble. Tia was the only girl for him and his mother had used that. Landon stood at attention, as if he was watching somebody else. He had understood his mother's message clearly and either way he looked at it, Landon lost. He wanted to get Tia and run but he wasn't even sure if Tia would go with him. Inwardly crying as he had to admit if just to himself, that he wasn't even sure how she felt about him

"Report to the med unit and Lance will be there in a moment. Specialist Saunders will meet you there. You are not allowed to leave with anyone else but her. Neo will be seeing you in the field, where all of your things you need for the next three days will be delivered. Make this work Trainee. I would hate to be disappointed." Cole finished with saying, "Dismised." and watched the boy head for the medical wing of the barracks followed by Kimtu, who would stay with him for the next three days. Neo would be busy and with the boy being so young he wanted the extra security for is safety.

When Landon was out of earshot, Cole turned to Lance and said, "After you have checked out the boy and Darrel, report to my office immediately." Cole turned and with lengthy strides walked to the barracks, not giving either Lance or Marco a chance to say a word.

When Cole had dismissed him, Landon gave him a salute and hung his head. Later he would try and talk with Neo, to see what he thought. For now he was on his own and he was scared.

(OOC: This was a combined post by Barbie and Jane! We hope you enjoyed it. When we have the next installment ready we will post he trail to it here)
(OOC: Continued in Isle of Perdition, Tarik’s Visit)

CLOSED