Office of the Administrator, Sunnydale General, 1900 hours.
Todd Lee had a huge problem now. He knew it and the Council, who were notified about the capitulation of Collins and his people, also knew it. After talking to the Watchers Council Headquarters in London, it was agreed between Lee and Travers that the first Special Operations team that was sent had to be neutralized before they could speak any further to the military.
"Do you know why they spoke?" asked Travers as he spoke on the phone to Lee a few minutes ago.
"No, sir" said Lee, "I just heard from one of our operatives that they had said that the Council was involved in the attempted kidnapping and killing of Miss Lehane. She wasn't able to hear much since guards were posted outside the interview rooms. I asked the operative to perform another sweep but, although the interviewers are gone, the guards still remain."
"Miss Lehane is now the second priority" said Travers, "we can get to her at a time of our choosing. But Collins and his team, I want the order given to the second Special Operations Team to take care of them. They put the Council in danger and they are to be put down, am I clear?"
"Crystal clear, sir" said Lee as he nodded his head before he put the phone down.
Now, all he could do was lean back on his chair and rub his forehead in frustration. He then looked up to the clock in his office and noted to himself that the second team should be in Sunnydale by now. Leaning forward, he picked up phone when there was a knock on his door. Cursing to himself softly, he put the phone back down and told whoever it was to come in.
Standing up from his chair, he was surprised to find both Dr. Fraiser and Colonel O'Neill walking into his office carrying some documents. Welcoming them to his office, the man then asked them if they wanted anything to drink before motioning them towards the seats across from his desk.
"No, thank you" said Dr. Fraiser when asked about the drink, before she sat down.
"Same here" said the Colonel as he took his seat as Lee sat down and stared at the two of them.
"So" he said, "how can I help you folks?"
Dr. Fraiser then handed him documents that confirmed Faith would be kept under her care and that she would be transferred to Sunnydale Memorial Hospital in less than thirty minutes. Nodding his head at that revelation, he then asked about the people who had broken into his hospital to try and kill Faith.
"You don't have to worry about them" said the Colonel smiling, "just know that the police have looked everywhere and have yet to find that missing doctor who tried to kill Faith after those three tried their best."
"I've already talked to the police about that" said Lee while grabbing a pen and signing his name on one of the documents, thus authorizing the transfer of Faith to Sunnydale General, "there are many doctors who work here, and I have to be honest when I say that I can't keep track of each and every one of them. For all I know, he could be a stranger who came in and tried to kill Miss. Lehane."
"Which mean you'd have to beef up security here" said the Colonel.
"Yes" nodded Lee, "two intrusions in one day; in a facility that's meant to heal the sick and dying, and keep them safe is a personal insult to me. Do I'll be definitely doing everything I could to improve security around here, you can count on it."
"I don't doubt it" said the Colonel as Lee handed the documents back to Dr. Frasier, "see ya."
"Thank you" said Dr. Fraiser before she turned around and walked out of the door with Colonel O'Neill.
After the door had closed, Lee had remained standing with his hands rolled into fists. He bristled with anger as he walked to the large window in his office and looked out at the city while thinking about the rogue Slayer who is escaping Council justice, and the Special Operations Team led by Collins that just betrayed the Council. Making a final decision, he rushed back to his desk and picked up the phone while dialling a number.
"Roslyn" said Lee as a woman picked up on the other line, "Collins and his team will be taken out of this facility in less than thirty minutes. It is more than likely that he and the team will be take to the Army base, but either way… there is only one way out of this hospital. Get the license plate number and description of the vehicle that Collins and his team will be transported him and give that information to the Second Team. They are to neutralize Collins and the others before they are brought to the Army base. Is that clear?"
"Yes" said Roslyn as she put her cell phone back into her starched white nurses uniform and walked out into the bright hallway of the hospital.
Faith's Room, 1910 hours.
It had taken some time for Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Fraiser to get a wheelchair before walking back to Faith's room where Teal'c, Giles, Willow and Daniel were waiting outside the door while she was changing into a fresh set of clothes. After talking for some time, Dr. Fraiser knocked on the door to ask Faith if she was done changing. Once she received the Slayer's affirmative, she pushed the wheelchair into the room while Faith sat back down on the bed. Staring at the wheelchair as Willow and the others were walking in, she started to shake her head.
"No way am I going in that" said Faith as she pointed at the wheelchair, "no way, not even if you pay me."
"Well" said Dr. Fraiser as she looked at Faith with her hands on her hips, "you were in a coma for months and I'm afraid your leg muscles will still be weak. True you were able to put on your clothes by yourself, but I can see how hard you're breathing right now. So…. No more complaining, you will take a seat on the wheelchair.. and you will enjoy it… is that understood young lady?"
Faith then narrowed her eyes, leaned sideways and looked at Colonel O'Neill and the others who were standing behind Dr. Fraiser.
"She always this mean?" asked Faith as she glanced at the red haired doctor.
"Very much" said both Colonel O'Neill and Daniel together as Dr. Fraiser turned around and glared at them. However, Teal'c was the only one who refused to say a word and all he did was look around the room nervously.
"You know" said Dr. Fraiser as she looked at both Daniel and the Colonel, "I seem to remember the both of you have high blood pressure and cholesterol… I'll have to tell Mrs. Summers no cake for either of you."
"Doc… Janet" said Colonel O'Neill and Daniel respectively as she turned around grinning and looked at Faith.
"So" said Janet, "you want to eat chocolate cake? Or not?"
"O…K" said Faith as she leaned to the side again and saw the downcast faces on both the Colonel and Daniel while Willow and Giles were covering their mouths to hide their smiles. Faith then straightened up and nodded her head as she slowly got up, and walked towards the wheelchair before sitting down.
"Faith" said Giles as he approached her after she sat down and started panting, "you'll be alright. We'll start training once Dr. Fraiser gives you the go ahead. In the meantime, I'd like for you to relax. Alright?"
Faith nodded her head before Dr. Frasier started to push her out of the room while the others stayed inside. Giles looked at the faces on both Daniel and Colonel O'Neil and tried to hide his smile.
"So" said Giles as they walked out of the room, "I take it that Dr. Fraiser's strict when it comes to health matters."
"Yeah" said Daniel as he scratched the back of his head, "she's the best we have."
"Even if she is a Napoleonic power monger" mumbled the Colonel when suddenly Dr. Frasier stopped and glanced behind her.
"I heard that, Colonel" said the doctor as Giles and the others stopped and looked at Colonel O'Neill, "no fried food for you until your next physical."
"But…" said the Colonel.
"Jack" smiled Daniel, "you just had to…"
"Same goes for you, Daniel" said Dr. Frasier as she looked at the bespectacled archaeologist, "I'll inform General Hammond once we arrive at Sunnydale Memorial that the both of you have been put on a restrictive diet."
"But" said the both of them together as Dr. Fraiser pushed Faith's wheelchair while whistling a tune while the dark haired Slayer was laughing. It was a few seconds later that Willow, Teal'c and Giles walked past the stunned men and followed Dr. Fraiser and Faith to the elevator.
"Mrs. Summers makes the best chocolate cakes" said Willow as she looked at Teal'c who bowed respectfully towards her, "and some really good pumpkin pie, although she only bakes that during Christmas. But her cakes are simply to die for."
"Red!" said the Colonel as Faith laughed even harder before they walked into the elevator and held the door for both the Colonel and Daniel.
"You always get me into trouble" whispered Daniel as he glared at the Colonel who smiled and shrugged his shoulders.
"Watch this" said the Colonel as they walked into the elevator. Just as the doors closed, Daniel looked on shocked as the Colonel turned around and asked Dr. Frasier if she really liked the air down there, which brought another laughing fit from Faith as the diminutive doctor glared at the Colonel who simply grinned back.
Lobby, Sunnydale General Hospital.
As Faith was wheeled to the waiting car outside the lobby, it was Giles who had helped her up from the chair. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed four M.P's who escorted the three members of the Special Operations team as they glared at Faith and Giles.
Giles, for his part, could only look back at them and shake his head. He still couldn't believe what had happened within the past few hours. Faith was almost murdered, and they even tried to take him and Joyce out of the picture.
'It was extremely lucky that Buffy got there in time' thought Giles as he saw the men being bundled into another SUV. They saw two of the M.P's go into the driver's side, and passengers side seats respectively while the other two M.P's bundled the handcuffed Collins and the others into the backseat of the SUV before getting in themselves.
"Faith" said Colonel O'Neill as he held the door open for the dark haired Slayer, "come on, let's get you checked out. And if the doc thinks everything's alright with you by tomorrow, then you'll be relaxing at Mrs. Summers' home."
"Cool" replied Faith as Teal'c and Daniel helped Faith into the other SUV that was right in front of the one carrying the captured Special Operations Team. Willow followed Faith into the SUV, followed by the others while Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c sat in the drivers and passengers side respectively.
"Doc?" said the Colonel as he looked at the reflection of Dr. Fraiser who was seated on the other side of Faith, "our girl alright?"
"Yes, sir" said Dr. Fraiser after she looked at Faith, who nodded her head.
"Alrighty" replied the Colonel as he started the SUV and drove out of the hospital which was soon followed by the SUV carrying the Special Operations Team. However, none of them noticed a dark haired woman in a nurse's uniform peeking out at the group from the far corner of the hospital behind the second SUV. If they had noticed her, they would have also seen that she was talking on a phone which she then put back into her pocket before she turned around and disappeared behind the hospital.
Outside the hospital lay an intersection where a moving van lay in wait on the side on one street, while another black van lay on the side of another street. In the van were three members of the second team, while the fourth was in the moving van as it lay in wait. The leader of this team just received a call from the Council operative known only as Roslyn that two SUV's, the first one carrying Faith had just left and that they were to avoid it until they were given orders to take her out.
"Fine" said the leader of the second team who was in the black van, "and the other one?"
"It just left" said the woman as the leader just saw the SUV carrying Faith drive right down the street in front of them. The leader then turned on his van and flickered his headlights, signalling the other moving van that it was time.
The leader saw the headlights of the approaching SVU shining on the asphalt of the road when he gave another signal to the driver of the moving van. HE smiled when he saw the van accelerate and hit the SUV on its rear left side. Watching the SUV spin around, the leader then accelerated and rammed the van into the side of the vehicle. Slightly dazed after ramming into the SUV, the leader noticed the driver of the SUV taking out a cell phone. The leader and the other members of the Special Operations Team rushed out of the van and headed towards the SUV with weapons, equipped with silencers, drawn. They fired into the SUV hitting the driver in his chest, before doing the same to the passenger as well.
The third and fourth man shot through the side windows before opening the door, and walked over the two dazed M.P's before they too were shot. The fourth man, then leaned over the row of seats that the M.P's were sitting on and pointed his weapon at the dazed members of the first Operations Team before they were shot through their chests; killing them instantly.
"Let's go" said the leader as he and the others rushed into their damaged van and drove off down the street before turning a corner that would get them onto one of Sunnydale's busy main streets. The operation had only taken a few seconds, a few seconds and they had killed the traitors that exposed the Council to harm. Now the second Operations team had to burn the van they were in, before changing vehicles and wait for the order to go after Faith.
TBC.