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xxx TTP xxx
As Cara took Astrid and left, John took comfort in knowing he kept his word. He protected Astrid as best he could. It didn't matter what would happen to him. He knew Astrid was safe now. Cara would take care of her.
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Ultra HQ
"There, someone just teleported out," Jed said as he pointed at the screen.
"Sir, our guys on the ground tell us she got away."
"I thought you said John was wounded in the initial exchange?"
"He wasn't the one who helped the target teleport out."
"Well, that means he's still in the building. Keep searching," Jedikiah paused. "Tell the Alpha squad their new orders are to bring him in alive. Got that?"
"Yes, sir."
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The Hotel
"Yes, understood," the alpha squad leader said into his com link.
"Team, we have new orders. This is now a no kill op. We are to find John Young and bring him in alive. He is injured and still in the building."
The team lowered their weapons, but kept them at the ready just in case. They still weren't sure who or what they would run into during this search. Having cleared the other ninth-floor rooms, they moved to the supply room.
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The Lair
Cara and Astrid tumbled down the few stairs to the floor as they made a hard landing. Cara helped Astrid up then turned to leave again. Russell grabbed her and turned her around.
"Where's John?" he asked.
"I'm going back for him," Cara stated.
"No, no, no, you can't! It's too late," Russell pleaded with her.
"I can get back in, I can get him," she insisted.
"Cara! They'll kill you," he implored.
"And what do you think they will do to him? He's hurt and can't defend himself. I need to go back for him," she reasoned.
"But if you go back and get yourself killed, it won't help anybody," responded Russell.
Cara paused.
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The Hotel
The Alpha squad entered the supply room cautiously and found John passed out on the table.
"We have located John Young and he's unresponsive," the commander reported back to HQ. "Looks like he's lost a lot of blood. Please advise. Do we return him directly to HQ or take him to the hospital, over?"
He listened to the response. "Understood."
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Ultra HQ
Once Jedikiah learned John had been found and his condition, he immediately stood up and walked over to Hillary.
"Hillary, take me to John's location now," he ordered.
"Yes, sir," she grabbed his arm and they both vanished.
When they arrived at the scene, he dismissed the Alpha squad and rushed over to John to assess his condition. John was still bleeding a bit, even though someone had crudely tried to stitch him up.
In the excitement of finally catching one of Ultra's most wanted, Hillary gleefully sent ~ "Stephen, you will never guess what just happened." ~
~ "What? Is this important? I'm on vacation." ~ Stephen tried to dismiss her. He didn't think he wanted to hear what Hillary had to say.
~ "Well, if capturing John Young is nothing to you, enjoy your trip." ~ She sounded hurt.
~ "What?!" ~ Panic threatened to overwhelm him, but he tried to keep his mental voice calm when he sent ~ "When? How?" ~
~ "Nevermind, get back to your fun." ~ Hillary, upset at his curt reaction, cut the connection.
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The Lair
Cara and Russell had resumed arguing about going back for John when Stephen contacted Cara.
~ "Cara, what happened? I just found out that Ultra has John." ~
"No!" Cara said. "Dammit, Russell, now it's too late. They've got him."
Astrid ran over to Russell and Cara. "No! You said you had a plan. You need to get him out of there," Astrid said. "John needs medical attention now."
"Not now, Astrid," Cara said.
~ "Is he still alive?" ~ Cara responded to Stephen.
~ "What?! What do you mean is he still alive? What happened?" ~
~ "He was shot ... protecting Astrid." ~ Cara added quickly. ~ "She's fine. I brought her back to the Lair, so don't do anything rash. It looks like Ultra had sent a kill squad for her, but John saved her." ~
Stephen let out the breath he was holding and responded. ~ "Tell Astrid I'll explain everything to her as soon as I get back. In the meantime, what do you need me to do?" ~