Chapter 44


Larrin woke with a start and winced as her body protested the movement with a sharp pain in her arm and chest from her injuries. She slowly tried to push herself up but found herself bound to the bed with a restraints. She looked around the room noting the plush bed under her body and the soft feel of the cotton sheets against her skin. She would have freaked out about her lack of clothing but she could feel the underwire of her bra uncomfortably jabbing against her ribs and she definitely felt a layer between her backside and the sheets. But as she lifted her head up she saw what held her to the bed. She had hospital grade restraints on her left wrist and on her upper arm above her cast. She couldn't see her legs but them they had a sheet over them but she could feel the cuffs on her ankles.

She flopped her head back down and took in the room. It had a log cabin resort feel, as the walls, furniture, floor were all made of wood. It was very masculine in it's decor; the bed linen and curtains were stark white contrasting with the wood. She had to wonder how long she was out and how far away Tex and the others were as Julian had been pissed about being shot and well, he didn't like her being unresponsive to him.

She had been shock over Rachel being killed, she'd frozen earlier when Tom spoke for her as she couldn't believe that they were actually doing this. Either way, Julian shoved her hard enough that when her head hit the car window she snapped out of consciousness. Judging by the fact she was undressed and strapped to a bed, and that it looked to be past midday. She'd hazard awhile.

The door opened and Julian strolled into the room. He wore a different shirt and faded jeans as he strode over to her. She hated that in another life... hell a few months ago she thought he was a good looking bloke that she wouldn't have minded knowing. But now she wanted to be anywhere but with him as he was the reason she was here and fear trickled though her veins like ice water at the knowledge of what he could do and that she was at his mercy.

"Larrin, you're finally awake. How does your head feel?" He asked as he sat down on the bed. He reached out to touch her but she jerked away which made him freeze in his gesture. "I see you're going to be difficult but that's ok as you'll soon enjoy my company again." Julian assured her as he adjusted the sheet and doona over her so she was covered.

"Not in this lifetime." Larrin assured him as she tugged on her restraints she didn't see any point in hiding her want to escape from Julian. It definitely seemed to amuse him given he just smiled at her like one would a misbehaving puppy.

"So you can speak for yourself?" He said in a sly manner.

"Yeah, I figure I have to talk to get something for my pounding headache and maybe something to eat?" she suggested to him. She figured if she could get the restraints off them she could check out what defenses she was against. So it was worth putting it on the table, Julian was cocky enough that he might believe she'd behave if food and Tylenol were offered. He seemed to believe they had a long term arrangement.

"No food yet, you have a small procedure to undergo first and I don't want to clean up your sick." Julian said the door opened and a man came in with a small tray that had two syringes on it. Julian took the tray from him and placed the tray on the bedside table. The man who'd come in left them and closed the door leaving the two of them. It told Larrin very clearly that Julian was definitely at the top of this particular food chain.

"Procedure?" Larrin asked as she wasn't sure she wanted to know but also afraid to not know. She felt her heart speed up and her stomach roll given Julian never pretended to be a medical professional and Larrin the hypocrite she was liked to know what was being put into her body.

"Mmm, yes, just a couple small injections and you'll get some more rest. Then we'll eat a delicious lunch together." He promised her as he picked up one of the syringes, uncapped it and plunged the needle into the flesh of her upper arm.

"What is that?" Larrin demanded, she felt fine for a moment but then everything became incredibly warm and relaxing. Her mind became drowsy as her limbs felt heavy.

"It's to help the process, now I want you to think about the first time we met." Julian told her.


"What's wrong with her?" Tom asked as Rachel laid in the hospital bed still in a psychotropic daze as she seemed to believe they were all different people and no matter how much he tried to correct her. Rachel would obstinately stick inside her delusions. At least she had an IV in her arm and according to the Doctor known as 'Doc' in fairly good shape. Rachel's gunshot wound was healing fine with no signs of infection. She had pulled a couple of stitches but nothing to be concerned over. She was also dehydrated but the IV fluids would help reverse that.

"She's high as kite." Doc informed him, telling Tom what he already knew.

"Really? I hadn't gotten that." Tom replied drily as he wanted answers. Doc gave him a bored and matter of fact look as she wasn't impressed with his sarcasm.

"Look, she's physically ok. Blood tests will tell us more about what she's riding on but otherwise get off my ass. There's nothing we can do but replenish fluids and be calm until whatever drug she's on runs it's course." Doc informed him.

"Get off your ass?" Tom repeated in disbelief as he'd never had anyone be so rude to him.

"Yeah, medicine isn't like McDonald's. I can't just give you a diagnosis and treatment in less than 10 minutes of seeing the patient. So how about you go do soldier stuff and come back in a couple hours. By then I'll have blood results and more to tell you. She'll also be in a different mental state or asleep." Doc told him with a shrug.

"Soldier stuff" Tom said.

"What? is there an echo in this room?" Doc asked him wryly.

"I'm a sailor." He said correcting her.

"Whatever, just go somewhere else and leave me to my work." Doc said waving him away. Tom couldn't help but follow her orders as it had been a while since he'd been dismissed. Frankly he had to get back to the mission at hand even though he wanted to stay with Rachel. Holding her hand wasn't going to help anyone.


"Finally something worth playing with." one of Julian's men said as he walked the line of the Nathan James volunteers. They'd been driven out into the middle of nowhere or so it felt as they had been let out of the back of the truck and forced to stand in a line as three men of various stature and looks moved around the group like buyers kicking the tyres so to speak. Miller had to admit he hadn't been checked out in such a fashion in his life and it made him feel rather dehumanized.

The one who seemed to be in charge was a 5ft 7 tall and lean man of Asian decent while his counterparts were Caucasian and African American. The Caucasian man was roughly 6ft and lanky with feral teeth and dreads. His teeth were rotted out and he twitched a lot like he was high on something. The African American man was built like Wolf and the same height with a shaved head, he looked at the group of people with disinterest as if there wasn't anything to his taste.

"I told you we had a good influx. They came in for the cure the Nathan James is handing out." The driver said as he'd been the one to transport Miller and the others. The lanky man leaned against the driver's cab of the truck looking bored as this wasn't his first time trafficking people.

"Where have you been hiding Darling?" The guy with Dreads asked Miyuki with a syrupy LA accent, the woman remained silent as she pretended to look small and meek. He seemed a mixture of annoyed and amused as he pulled out a blade. "Speak or I'll make you speak." he cautioned her as he pointed the knife at her.

"Sumimasen, eigo wa hanasemasen- Ah no engrish." Miyuki said in a timid apologetic voice as she tried to shrink away and waved her hands in surrender. She was a really convincing actor because Miller believed the act even though he'd seen her kick Wolf's ass in sparing match one time. It had been impressive fight and even more amusing as Miyuki was the one left standing while Wolf laid on the ground unconscious. The Captain hadn't been impressed but Miller kind of felt it was empowering as it made the argument of size not always being a disadvantage. It truly came to technique and training.

"Adorable but please put your knife away Kurt. We haven't bought them yet." the Asian man said to the guy in Dreads.

"She's looks young enough to pass as a girl, George." Kurt drawled looking to the Asian man. "I like Japanese school girls, it's like living in that movie Battle Royale." Kurt said as he grabbed Miyuki's arm and yanked her in close.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Miller said as the men seemed to be surrounding Miyuki like she were the prize. He knew Miyuki would kick his ass later but he hated that they all had to pretend they weren't as strong and would allow a woman to be treated as such.

"Oh, look we got us a hero. Is she your girlfriend?" the man named 'George' asked as he walked up the line to Miller. He looked Miller over sizing him up to see whether Miller was worth his time.

"No, but-" Miller stopped as he was backhanded across the face. He tamped down on his anger at being struck and just having to taking it as he turned to face George square on.

"Nothing, you are sport which means you're all here for our amusement. You will be given a half an hour head start into these woods and then; you'll be hunted down. If you survive can cross the border, then you can join our society. If you don't- well you'll come across those who have failed out there." George told him.


Rachel stirred awake, her body felt wrecked and her emotions were all over the place. She felt like she had woken up from having a long night of crying and red wine. She knew that wasn't the cause as memories of Julian, Dr Clarke and old memories sifted through her mind. The old memories while made her happy left her with an indelible sadness as those times were no more. They passed just as the people in them were long gone and the grief she had always felt she was past floated to the surface.

"Dr Scott?" a woman asked from her bedside. Rachel opened her eyes fully finding herself in another hospital room. This one was in better shape and had proper lighting. She noted the vitals monitor and IV line, her heart pumping a little faster as she was afraid that she hadn't escaped Julian that this woman leaning over her was just another of his colleagues.

"Yes." Rachel asked her voice sounded raw to her ears.

"Welcome back to the real world. You're in St Louis at the Air Force Base Hospital. My name is Doc and I'll be your doctor. How are you feeling?" Doc asked her, Rachel wondered how old 'Doc' was and what kind of sick sense of humour her parents had to call her after one of the seven dwarves as her brain felt incredibly muddled and unfocused. Right now all she could think was how sad she felt like someone had torn out her heart and that Doc was incredibly pretty. Her wild and wavy red hair made Rachel green with envy.

"I feel horrible." Rachel said as she pressed her hands to her face.

"You will for a couple days giving you were running around with a gunshot wound while high on drugs." Doc told her informed her as she moved to the end of the bed and picked up Rachel's chart and scribbled some notes in it.

"What did he give me?" Rachel asked her grateful that Doc was not flashing a penlight to see her pupils and just letting her acclimate to her new surroundings. It was taking a while for her brain to let things sink in like the fact she was free. Really free of Julian and this wasn't a hallucination. She knew she should be elated but she just felt miserable as she knew Larrin would be Julian's captive. The confusing drugs that made her feel as though she was happy even when she was completely cognizant that she was a prisoner.

"MDMA, so you'll feel like you're enduring the worst heartbreak and hangover of your life. Luckily you have a whole team of people to make sure you're hydrated and fed so you can just lie there and go through the motions." Doc told her, Rachel gave a sad smile as tears filled her eyes against her will. It was amazing how Doc's pragmatism just made it acceptable for Rachel to be a mess and her body just went with it.

"Fantastic." Rachel drawled drily as she rubbed her eyes to wipe away the tears and try and pull herself together. She didn't like to be openly emotional with people in the room. This woman funnily enough didn't seem to have any sympathy but she also lacked judgement that helped as Rachel was sure if the woman did show she cared then it would just break Rachel's delicate state.

"Yeah, drugs are great in small does. But we don't carry your cocktail to taper you down. And just to put the cherry on top of your crap sundae; Captain Chandler would like to talk to you about your time with Julian." Doc told her.

"He traded Larrin for me." Rachel said, part of her should be pleased at it but she just felt incredibly disappointed that he traded an innocent young woman for her. It went against the man she thought him to be.

"It had to be done, Julian was going to kill a lot of people to get to Larrin. Trading her was the lesser of two evils. So you want to see him or no?." Doc asked.

"Yes, just get it over with." Rachel said bitterly, doc nodded and walked out of the room leaving her to get Tom. Rachel pushed herself up in the bed and smoothed a hand down her hair. New grief stabbed through her as she felt the ragged edges of her now short hair.

Years of long, healthy, beautiful hair gone, she swallowed hard as a lump rose in her throat threatening to choke her. She had kept her hair long because her mother had had long hair. It carried memories of when her mother used to brush and plait her hair. Her grandfather would tell her how much she reminded him of her mother which was the biggest compliment she could receive. The only vanity she really gave into as she wasn't into fashion or make up. Now it was gone, she knew it was petulant to grieve the loss of her hair but she did.

She didn't get much time to dwell as the door opened. Rachel dropped her hands into her lap as she didn't want to be seen as vain. Tom stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He was dressed immaculately as always in his BDUs and clean shaven face but surprisingly when she looked to his face she saw the dark circles under his eyes and the guilt in his expression. She wanted to tell him it was all okay but anger flared in her as he abandoned her into US Witness protection. He'd made decisions on her behalf he had no right to and he'd now traded Larrin, a brilliant young woman with a future just to get her back. A woman he'd rejected and abandoned.

"You have no idea what you've done." she told him in a quiet and angry manner.

"Then tell me." he said accepting her recriminations of his character. He wasn't going to defend himself because he honestly knew he'd do anything to save her. But he knew she wouldn't see it that way.

"He's going to chemically wipe her memories and form a new relationship with her. Make himself her protector and then turn against her. You allowed it for what? ego because you couldn't save me from being shot but you sure as hell won't let me be someone's play thing." Rachel said bitterly, the words slipped from her mouth as she didn't think but spouted out her resentment and betrayal.

"It's not like that. You're important-" Tom started but Rachel cut him off.

"No, I'm not. We're all indispensable, you seemed to think I wasn't worth it before when you put me into witness protection without asking me first. Do you know what it's like to be ripped from your world? From everyone you know and left in the care of strangers? Now you trade a young woman for me like I'm supposed to be ingratiated to you." Rachel said in disgust.

"I did what I had to; to protect you. You may not like it but I'd do it all again." Tom told her as he wasn't going to apologise and he knew when Rachel wasn't feeling so rough from the drugs and her injuries she'd understand. "Now we're trying to recover Larrin from Julian, I know it's a lot to ask but I need to know what you remember about where you were held." Tom added.

"They were supposed to move me from where they held me. So I can't help you." Rachel told him truthfully.

"Ok, well get some rest." Tom said as he decided to take his exit to leave Rachel to rest as their conversation wasn't productive or helpful for either of them as he could see his presence was hurting her. He deserved it.

"Tell me, if I close my eyes will I wake up here or will you be sending me off to somewhere else for my protection?" Rachel asked him. Tom saw the pain in her eyes and tore at him to know it was his fault for her being in so much pain.

"You'll wake up here. You won't go anywhere unless you desire to." Tom told her.