I know I am an awful human being, thanks and dedication goes to Rosie (guest) for getting me back on track and making me write more. Sorry if its not great, I have no inspiration, please assist by giving ideas!
"Christ Zach! You get hit by a truck!" Cammie exclaimed when she came too enough to see him clearly,
"ME!" He yelled, "What about you?!"
"Never mind me! This is all your fault! Why did you follow me! If you hadn't we wouldn't have been in this mess!" Cammie looked at him significantly, he understood. She didn't mean it, they were acting to escape he guessed,
"If you hadn't have run we wouldn't be in this situation at all! Hell its your fault for calling Townsend! International calls you utter moron! That is elementary Cove Ops!" Zach yelled back, they heard voices outside the door,
"If you hadn't have saved me all those years ago neither of us would be here at all!" The voices were celebrating each other,
"Oh so now because I saved your life its all my fault we are here now!" Zach growled, he was very realistic,
"Yes! If I had died you would still be happy with a family in the COC and safe from all harm." Cammie yelled back allowing herself a grin as she heard the words; 'take the night off, you have done well, we should be able to break them tomorrow, no escapes will be planned tonight' from the guards outside, they were speaking in Hungarian and obviously thought they didn't understand.
"Morons." Zach mouthed to Cammie who had to fight not to laugh. They continued 'arguing' until the footsteps were long gone, then in a fit of rage Cammie 'accidentally' destroyed the last listening bug in their cell.
"Lets go." She ordered, he stood and they limped to the door,
"Wait," Zach quickly slipped Cammie's necklace around her neck as she picked the locks, "Nice message."
"I told you not to open it." She smirked, "Shh." They slipped out into the corridor "Less locks as they always have a guard." She murmured,
"I know." Zach smirked at her, Cammie rolled her eyes and crept down the corridor,
"I know right!" They heard voices, they slipped into a dark alcove, Cammie in front of Zach both pulling all of the pavement artist skills out of the box, the guards crept past laughing at the antics of their two inmates.
The two escapee's continued creeping down the corridor and, after encountering thirteen more guards, admittedly most asleep, they found a garage, they crept up to a small BMW and Cammie gestured for Zach to get in, but not shut the door, while she got the keys. She crept up to the guard station and glanced inside, one guard was half asleep at his post, he couldn't have been seventeen.
Keys in hand, she snuck back to the car, then another guard walked in, she sprinted to the car as shots were fired, Seconds later she was in the car and powering towards the quickly closing gates, Cammie sped through them with millimetres to spare.
"You OK?" She asked Zach as they emerged onto a back country lane.
"Oh just dandy." He replied through gritted teeth, one glance let her know all she needed to,
"Take your jacket off and press it on either side of the gunshot, luckily for you it was a through and through, from its positioning I'd say it has hit no vital organs, ah man!" She stepped on the accelerator and gave all her attention to driving around the lake.
"Where are we?" Zach asked pulling out a map of Russia, "I know we are near St Petersburg, but I don't know this area." He cursed,
"Kobona." Cammie replied, "I briefly stayed in St Petersburg." She explained,
"We need to get to the A18, follow this road. Then we should be able to loose the tails theoretically." He added as an afterthought. "Sit forward." Cammie glanced at him, but he was already rummaging around, he found two high visibility vests in the back pocket of their seats, "Forward." He repeated, "I am bandaging you up." He explained.
The simple fact Cammie conceded was enough to let Zach know she was in pain.
"If you want me to drive, I can." He offered,
"I'm fine at the moment." She replied, "Anyway, I know these roads." They pulled off onto the main road towards St Petersburg, Cammie put her foot down and the car sped away, thankfully the cars behind her were no match for the engine of this one.
"You need to go! The flight is ten and a half hours!" Joe exclaimed,
"No!" Alex repeated the same thing they had been saying for hours.
"Car." Abbey called, they stilled and quietened. It was four in the morning, too early for commuter traffic, especially in the city centre. The car pulled up and stopped,
"Black BMW, plates are; K951JIR 78." Liz and Alex tapped away at Bex's words,
"Not registered here." Liz replied slowly,
"No known cars have that plate." Alex confirmed,
"COC." Eddie and Abbey chorused. The students paled.
"I'll go see." Eddie offered, they looked out into the pouring rain and no one else volunteered, he left the room flashing a reassuring smile at Abbey, he appeared on the street and approached the car, through the comms in his ear they heard him gasp, he pulled open the door and bundled the occupant into his arms.
"Cammie!" Macey exclaimed and bolted down the stairs followed by all but Abbey and Joe, Zach appeared out the other door and was swamped, Edward got in the car to move it away as to not lead to them and the others made their way slowly up the stairs.
They made an odd pair, Cammie was wrapped in a jacket far too big for her and Zach in one that bordered on the same. They were both pale and limping but alive. They were sat on the sofa and drinks gathered, Abbey sat next to her niece,
"I'm sorry." Cammie murmured,
"What you did was stupid, unbelievably stupid, but thank you so much." She kissed Cammie's temple, Edward walked in and flashed Cammie a grin,
"When someone says 'see you tomorrow' it usually means 'see you tomorrow'. Just thought I'd let you live that guilt trip before I start on the past five, six years." He teased.
"Missed you too Eddie." Cammie smirked at him,
"Me too, more than you know." He hugged her again, but pulled away when she gasped in pain. "Hospital. Now." He ordered.
"No, if I go the COC will go to them and then they will be caught and killed when all they can glean off about me is gleaned." She replied, Zach nodded weakly,
"Right now I don't care, there is an MI6 hospital near. We will go and then we can ship your friends back." Joe ignored the glares aimed his way.
"Which base?" Abbey was on the phone,
"Kobona, we would have been moved to Ostrov Karedzhi within the week." Zach replied, "I'm a fast learner." He added at Cammie's glance.
"Weak, confined to wheelchairs." Dr Petrovna brushed off the questions from Abbey, the only one allowed in the hospital as the only family member. The Dr was brisk and emotionless, Abbey took an instant dislike to her. She snatched the files off her and opened them,
"Where are the facts?" She demanded,
"I can't tell you. It's above your classification." She stalked off without a backwards glance.
"Well, I have just met your Doctor, I thought she a charming woman with a bedside manor to charm a rock." Abbey announced entering the room with the two teens, two shocked faces met her. "Of course, a rock can't hear the insufferable tone, or understand a word of her insults. A rock can sit and ignore and not have to fight the urge to hospitalise her." She continued, the shocked faces went away.
"Oh my goodness, you poor souls!" A gentle voice exclaimed in Russian, they turned and saw a young woman with a shocked expression on her face, Cammie and Zach glared at her thinking she meant the state she was in, "You have no flowers! No drinks! Your sheets are boring and there are no windows, hospital is dull when you can see and feel loved but when your doctor is Mildred..." She shrugged, Zach snorted, then winced,
"Mildred." He repeated,
"Oh, Mildred Ethel Bertha Petrovna." The newcomer's eyes flashed with amusement.
"I like you, who are you?" Cammie asked smirking slightly,
"Oh, sorry, I am an idiot, my sister is always saying I am a scatterbrain, loony and utterly bonkers!" She grinned, "You know what I say back?"
"You wouldn't love me if I wasn't!" Cammie murmured,
"How did you know!" The woman exclaimed, Abbey's gaze grew sad,
"It was a joke I had with my brothers and sister." She replied,
"Oh, I have-" A shocked look covered her face, "I haven't answered your question! I beg your pardon, I am Dr. Annastazya Belikova. Call me Staz." Cammie and Zach felt themselves brightening from her mood,
"Excuse me, Dr Belikova, Staz." Abbey started, "Would you mind if we asked for you to be their doctor?"
"No problem, it would be my pleasure." Her eyes flashed, "You would also be given the royal treatment as she is hateful to all of us. They will love you for agreeing with us." She laughed lightly, "One moment." She danced out the room leaving an amused smile on Abbey's face.
"Well. She's..." Abbey trailed off,
"Helen." Cammie murmured, "She is an older version of Helen." A sad look crossed her face,
"Cammie, you don't have to have her if-" Abbey was cut off,
"No! I want her, she reminds me of better times." Her niece reassured her,
"Now, madame, if you would mind stepping out for a moment, if you follow me," She led the way to the door and met a nurse, "Alyss!" Staz called, "Could you please show this lovely lady to the refreshment area, then help her in any way."
"Sure thing Staz, this way Miss...?" Alyss started,
"Abbey, just Abbey." Abbey replied,
"Oh, Abbey," Staz was back at the door,
"Yes?"
"I will find you as soon I am done with the examination." She informed her,
"Thank you." Abbey smiled at her and let herself be led away.
"So, I need to talk to your surgeon before I know much else." Staz announced entering the room again, "She should be coming any minute now." As if on cue the door opened,
"Chloe!" Cammie exclaimed,
"Alex!" Chloe yelled at the same time and barrelled her into a hug, "You're awake!" She breathed, no longer speaking Russian but Canadian, "When I saw it was you again," The surgeon rolled her eyes, "Again!"
"Well, you know me." Cammie shrugged and swore,
"And down to business. Mr. Goode, would you be so kind as to not listen?" Chloe teased bringing up a wheelchair and helping Cammie into it. "We'll be back soon." Chloe promised, Zach nodded feeling exhaustion pulling at him, he watched Cammie leave the room and let his eyes drop.
"So, Alex, lets be having you." Chloe teased using the old joke, "How are you finding the name Alex?"
"It's OK, I normally use Cammie, a shortening of Camille." he patient replied,
"Well, as I chose the name you are going by Alex." Chloe insisted, "And back to the Russian." She added.
"So, how do you know each other?" Staz asked amused,
"I treated her after her last accident." Chloe replied opening the file. "You have severe concussion and blood loss. We had to give to three transfusions during surgery. Your blood sample should be returning from the labs in about an hour. Your left leg is shattered below the knee, you have fractured your arm and your ribs, Jesus your ribs, not a single one is still intact, out of every rib, 24 of them, you have fractured all of them and broken over half. Many have more than two injury, the result of hitting something, or someone, again and again. You have three broken fingers and a long gash down your temple, resulting the the concussion." She sighed and looked at a pale Staz,
"Almost there, Staz, don't worry." The surgeon reassured her. "Your cuts are deep but will heal, be it with scars, over time. You have one bullet wound in your shoulder, another in your side, there we had to remove the bullet. You also have one stab wound. None of these have caused any fatal damage. You gave us a fright and flat-lined on us for a while but you should be OK from now." She pulled off her glasses and shut the folder, "Alex, there was also signs of a recent... violent rape incident." Staz gasped and leant against the wall holding her hands to her heart.
"The state you are in makes it nearly impossible for anything to come of this but just in case we have some drugs you can take if you want to be sure. We are not sure how recent it is but the should work. Do you want them?" At Chloe's question the answer was instant and certain,
"Yes." At that Staz leant down and hugged her lightly, Cammie fought the blackness as pain overwhelmed her,
"You are on strong pain meds, when they wear off tell me or Staz." Chloe told her.
"Are you OK to go back to your room?" Staz asked gently,
"Yes, be gentle with Zach, he hasn't been through this before." Cammie asked before leaving.
"Certainly." Chloe promised.
Ten minutes later Zach was in that room looking warily at the folder on the desk,
"Mr. Goode, Zachary?" Chloe asked,
"Zach." His response was quiet and very un Zach like, he was in pain, like Cammie the pain meds hadn't worked in the first place.
"Zach, do you want this bluntly or gently?" Chloe asked,
"As blunt as possible." Zach replied,
"You have concussion and blood loss. You have 34 fractures in you ribs and three breaks. You have fractured your right leg twice and your left wrist. The cuts are deep but will heal and scars will fade over time. You had to have two blood transfusions in surgery. You have one bullet wound that was a through and through. Nothing was nicked in the process." Chloe finished. Zach nodded and looked towards the door, they took the hint and led him away, "You blood results should be coming any minute now."
Zach had just been settled back in his bed when a nurse walked through the doors and handed a file to Staz,
"Chloe you are needed in surgery." He stated and left the room,
"Some charmers you have here." Zach muttered,
"He was just severely hung over." Cammie replied, "He was partying from ten last night to six this morning and only woke up about an hour ago." Zach looked at her,
"His hand was stamped with a worn off logo of the local nightclub. There was a party there last night from ten until six, it was ending when we headed here, there were people filtering through the town. His eyes and stature show that of a severely hung over. His shift started thirty minutes ago." Cammie stated,
"An hour ago?" Zach asked,
"With his hang over was a headache that made even the ticking of his watch too loud, he pulled it out when he woke, the time is an hour late." She finished then turned to a shell shocked Staz.
"The results..." Cammie prompted, mechanically the doctor opened the files then sat down suddenly, Cammie pulled them out of her hands and handed Zach's to him.
"Oh, lovely drugs in my system." Cammie smirked, "Ones that render pain killers and any drugs useless, one that make brittle bones."
"Don't forget the ones that speed up healing so you can heal and then they can hurt you more." Zach added sighing,
"Don't!" Cammie tried to warn as he swore fluidly, "It'll hurt." She finished,
"You don't say." He gasped out, "How are you not burning inside?"
"I have a... high pain threshold." She tried,
"Bullshit. You shut everyone out, you don't let them see you pain." He sighed, "It's not a weakness." Zach's voice was gentle, Cammie slid herself off the edge of the bed paling as her body protested and wheeled herself out the ward, she travelled silently down the corridors until she reached the waiting room, one glance told her everyone was in there, when she saw Abbey being comforted by Eddie her hand went to her locket and grasped it tightly, her eyes burned and for the first time in nearly seven years tears threatened, she heard footsteps and held them back,
"Alex, you need to go back to your room." Staz called, coming and taking the handles of the chair,
"I can do it." Cammie told her,
"OK, holler if you want someone." Staz disappeared behind the door that held her friends and one family member.
"How are they!" Abbey Exclaimed jumping up, Edward close behind her,
"Weak, they got through surgery and are on the way to recovery," She glanced at the students, the younger ones, "There were, and still are, some strange drugs in their systems, Alex's more than Zach's."
"Alex?" The teenagers chorused,
"Me." Cammie rolled through the door,
"I told you to go back to your room!" Staz exclaimed,
"I got bored, and Zachary pissed me off." She replied,
"Oh so I was near the truth!" Zach exclaimed also appearing through the door. Their friends pounced on them and hugged them tightly, both bit back cries of pain.
"Hey, long time no see, seeing as the last time we met I wasn't in the best shape." Cammie grinned at Eddie,
"Come here squirt." Eddie fought tears, Cammie tried to stand, her friends helped her and Eddie spun her around in his arms,
"Oh, so you see him after nearly seven years and he gets a hug, me I get a glare after five." Abbey commented, Cammie pretended to ponder it,
"Pretty much."
"Well, five years is not technically true..." Fletcher commented,
"Refer to former statement. Trust issues!" Cammie groaned,
"We saw you in Abu Dhabi, London, Berlin, Baden Baden and Salzburg a few years ago, that was just before I left you." Fletcher added glancing at Cammie,
"Yep, I make such good relationships they all end up leaving me." She sighed, Bex helped her back into her chair and turned to Staz,
"When can we take them home ma'am?" She asked, everyone perked up.
"I suppose now. We have done all we can, they will get the same treatment in the states and will feel safer in their home environment. And Cammie knows all the rules, even if she refuses to bide by them if she is anything like last time." A new voice commented,
"Come on Chloe, we both know I am not nearly as bad as last time." Cammie replied,
"You know each other?" Joe asked,
"I looked after her in..." She glanced at Cammie, "Istanbul or Tokyo?" She asked, her memory foggy,
"Tokyo. We met again in Istanbul a few years later. With Fletcher as well." Cammie told her,
"Oh yes, you were just joining the SAS, Fletcher was being born." Chloe smiled ruefully, "Still got in my parts?" She teased,
"Yes ma'am, my birthday is still March 21st and I was born on the Isle of Arran." Fletcher replied smiling,
"So Fletcher is a cover as well?" Alex asked going into information overload.
"Yeah, Alexandra helped me build it." He winked at Cammie,
"Come on, Alex is my eight year old creation and still going strong, but I am worried so many now know they will too." A frown pulled at the corners of her mouth.
"The three step response." Abbey murmured.
"What?" Bex asked confused,
"The TSR, Three Step Response. One: Others know. Two: The COC or someone else I, or anyone else, has pissed off, knows. Three: I, or the person in question dies." Cammie's voice was quiet.
"So, can we go?" Eddie asked after a short silence.
"Yes, Alex could you tell us the rules?" Chloe asked grinning,
"Don't do anything fun." She replied raising an eyebrow, she was delighted to find it only caused an ache and therefore could raise an eyebrow without much pain.
"Pretty much." Chloe ruffled Cammie's hair, "Stay safe, all of you," She left the room,
"Chloe!" Cammie called, "Stay safe to you too, and thank you." Zach echoed her thanks and then they wheeled themselves out the room, Eddie took Cammie's wheelchair, after a short argument she gave up the control, Joe took Zach's. Again after an argument.
I am so sorry I have not updated in a while... scrap that ages. I haven't had insiration, hence the the awfullness of this chapter, any help would be appreciated...