Ten

DeLisle

Hunter on the prowl, that's what I am now. And I hate it. But I've got no other choice now… and I'm getting close. Noruega took her time – about 20 minutes – but then she took the bait, most probably knowing it was a trap. For her it's a game and she's pretty good at it. Always was, always will be. That is, if I don't catch her first.

She saw the traps I set off in the intranet and immediately started wiping her tracks. I also got myself a lifesigns detector and either she doesn't know she has an implant or she didn't bother to find a way to shut it off, simply because she believes she'll get away anyway. Well… that's one of her two big weaknesses: Her hubris. She doesn't overestimate herself… she simply underestimates others.

So I'm following her through the compound now, in a zig zag run because she wants to have a little fun before she moves to confront me. She edges closer to the Stargate step by step but I'm almost positive she won't just leave. That's not her style, not in a case like this. My presence here has stimulated her sense of competition and she won't leave without one last confrontation. It suits well with her sense for dramatics, which would be the second big weakness.

I decided to go for her on my own, without informing anyone else simply because I don't have much time left. She'll either try to reach Rimmers and Strathen or make straight for the 'Gate, nothing in between. Damn, I wish I knew anything about Laura's progress. I may be gaining on Noruega but it would be nice to have at least an inkling as to what her next steps might be. If they caught Rimmers and could render Strathen harmless, she'll not waste any time and make for the 'Gate. If they haven't yet… she'll at least try to reach them to determine if she can still fulfill her mission objective.

Looking at the lifesigns detector again, I can see that she… ah, she changed direction… a straight path for the 'Gate now, also directly intercepting me. Okay… it's time for the confrontation then. I ready myself, check the G36 one last time… and start running in her direction. At the last bend before reaching her, I stop and decide to give her one last chance. "I know you can see me. It's over, Catalina." Damn. Noruega. She's Noruega, or maybe Sergeant Noruega. She's not Catalina or Tali or anything else.

As if she read my thoughts, I hear her chuckle from around the bend. "What, you reconsidered my offer?"

Yeah, well, that was to be expected. But I'm not new to her taunting. And I'm not… involved with her anymore. "Quit it. And hands up." With that, I round the bend… only to be greeted by a volley of bullets from a Beretta. Well, of course she wouldn't go down without a fight. I just didn't count on it being so violent, that's all. But you only fool me once.

The next time I round the bend, I do it with a few bullets aimed to the ground and then the rifle trained at her. All she does is grin at me. "Go on, shoot me." Yeah, go on, shoot her. Pull the trigger. You were good at that… once upon a time. Long distance shots, short distance shots… you could do them all.

But then again… it's been a long time since then. "I don't need to. You're under arrest, Sergeant Noruega."

Her grin becomes somewhat sardonic and even malicious. "You always were too soft for that kind of work, Sy. That's why you quit."

My hands grip the rifle harder and I have to bring up every ounce of self-control I have not to let her see how furious that remark made me. That's what she wants me to do: Lose focus, give her a weakness she can lock her jaws into. "No, I quit because I actually take the Air Force Core Values to heart. Does "Integrity First" ring any bells?"

Now she rolls her eyes, as if I just told her about something so far outdated no one even considered it anymore. "Aw, come on, Sy…"

Dammit, I've had it. "No, you come on. Weapon on the ground, hands against the wall, feet apart, Sergeant Noruega. Now."

And of course that was a mistake. "Oh, is that how you like it now?" Yeah, I deserved that.

However… I'm fed up with this business. "I wasn't joking, Noruega."

She smirks again. "Me, either." With that she raises the Beretta again, pulls the trigger… and in the same moment my survival instincts take over as I throw myself to the side and fire in her general direction. One of the bullets must have hit her because I suddenly hear a rather furious shout from her and the Beretta clutters to the ground. Immediately I throw myself at her, trying to bring her to the ground but desperation and adrenaline… holy crap.

She pulls a knife from her belt and goes straight for my leg… and manages to bury it pretty deep. Fucking sodding bloody crap, not the fucking leg again. With only so much as a grunt I manage to push the pain into the background, get her on the ground and push my knee between her shoulder blades. She tries to struggle against me but the blood loss and pain from the gunshot make her defense weak and I can pull out my wire straps and bind her wrists together. Then I finally tap my ear piece, "DeLisle to Dearing. I need an MP team and a medical team for two wounded in hut B3, corridor. Now." Hopefully… I manage to hold out until both teams are here.

Reece

Okay, so… I know I shouldn't be here. I know I should be in the locker room, waiting for Laura to finish showering and then head home together with her because quite frankly I feel like I'll simply pass out from exhaustion pretty soon if I don't go to bed. But there's something niggling at me… has been ever since I passed out from it back on that planet.

At first I really thought it was some kind of strange hallucination and that I was going crazy or something… but something in the Major's reaction made me doubt it. He was… he sounded… guilty. Yeah, that's the right word. He sounded guilty. Which is why I'm now sitting at his bed, waiting for him to wake up. Like I said, I know I shouldn't do this but I just… I have to know it. I have to know if I was hallucinating… or remembering it. Because, you know… now that I go through it again… it feels like… the last missing piece to a puzzle.

The strange allusions when we were at the Major's house, when the Major was about to ask me something about my mission report, the pussyfooting about how we finally got out of that compound, the reason why Dee always looked a little uncomfortable when the conversation steered towards that part of the mission… and most of all the feeling of finally having filled the last white spot in my memories.

I sit on a chair beside his bed, my legs drawn up to my chest, my arms around them, chin on my knees and watch him. He doesn't look so tense anymore but because he's so pale – and because the infirmary light is really cruel that way – I can see all the bruises in his face where Rimmers hit him. His arm is in a plaster cast now and I'm pretty sure it'll only hold a maximum of two weeks. After that he'll have badgered Laura and the rest of the infirmary personnel into taking it off just to get him off their backs. Sometimes, he can be a real idiot.

And still… oh, movement on the bed. A groan… and then his eyes crack open, very slowly and he needs a minute or two to realize where he is. Then… he takes a look around… and sees me. For a moment… neither of us says anything, probably because we're both too startled. Then… I can't help saying, "It wasn't a hallucination."

He blinks, still a little disoriented. "What…"

I bite my lip and just keep on talking. "It was a flashback, wasn't it?"

Again blinking… and then realization sets in. You can see it in the way the guilt is now all over his face because the aftermath of the anesthetics has robbed him of his usual defense. He even goes as far as letting out a little groan. "Kid…"

This is the moment… where I realize I don't want to talk to him right now. In fact… I don't want to talk to him at all. For an unspecified amount of time. Now that I have my confirmation… I feel… I feel furious at him. And at the rest of my team. I take a deep breath. "With all due respect, sir, I would have liked to know I killed a man before it came back to hit me in the middle of a mission and practically render me immobile."

He takes a deep breath himself and I can see that the mission took enough toll on him that he's definitely not up for that kind of talk right now. He still tries, "Look, I know you're upset and you have every right to… just…"

But I am not ready for that talk, either. Maybe I'll never be. I just want to say one thing now, "I'm not upset, sir. I'm livid. And I think I should better go now, seeing as I'm about to say some things that are neither good for me nor my career. I really wish you a speedy recovery and everything; just… don't expect me to come by here very often." With that, I get up, leaving him actually gaping and when I'm just about to leave his cubicle; I hear a frustrated grunt behind me that tells me he knows exactly how furious I am. Good. He deserves it.

A/N: Apparently... someone is not a happy camper. And it was her boss who really screwed up this time. Also... dammit, I just can't find anything to use for mentioning mac in this A/N. Well, other than that she did her best beta'ing this chapter (because she always does her best) and overall just doesn't believe me when I tell her what a great person she is ;)