My Serenity

WARNING: Rated M for some violence, language, and sexual situations. This fic contains (eventual) femmeslash and sexual situations between two female characters. Do not continue if this is not to your liking.

Trigger warnings: This chapter contains references to Charles Hoyt. While there are no graphic images or descriptions, some readers may be uncomfortable with the dark themes explored. Please be advised of trigger warnings for: kidnapping, psychological abuse, and physical violence. While these themes will not remain the focus of this story in general, it will be part of the plot at least through the end of this chapter.

xxx

Chapter 25 – The Rescue Part 3

"Deploy another one!" Korsak shouted.

"We only have three left!" Giovanni shouted back.

"Then deploy them all!"

"What?!" Giovanni and Frost said simultaneously.

"We need to lose them so that we make it to the far side of Ariopolis in time!" Korsak replied.

"We do that, we'll lose her signal." Frost said angrily. "All three of them will be flying blind."

"Those gunships pick up on our signal, we'll be sitting ducks! We're no use to them if we get shot down. We're their only hope of getting off that rock." He retorted then repeated his order into the mic, "Deploy them all. Then get back to the engine room. We need grav drive up in 10 seconds. Frost, go help them!"

Frost shook his head but ran to do as he was told. "This is crazy!" he grumbled.

Xxx

"We need a distraction." Frankie muttered, glancing around the corner again. Hoyt and his crew were still arguing at the clerk's desk down the hall.

"Do you think you can walk?" Maura said, helping Tommy out of the wheelchair.

He looked a bit dizzy, but he nodded.

"How far is the shuttle?" Maura asked.

"It's on the other side of the hospital complex. Nearly three kilometers. There's no way we can all get there without being stopped."

"What about the Serenity?" Tommy pointed out.

"I have no way of reaching them." Frankie responded.

"I do." Maura said. "My I.D. card. Frost put a tracker on it. I can send a message by entering an accompanying series of passcode errors. I just need a computer console."

"The nearest one is at that clerk's station." Frankie said, thumbing over his shoulder at exactly where they were trying to get to.

"Well," Tommy said, "we can't stay here. Someone's bound to notice—"

"Wait," Frankie interrupted, "Tommy, you remember that time we got caught sneaking onto the launchpad in the middle of the night?"

"What," Tommy frowned, "you mean that job on Hera for Badger?"

"No, no," Frankie shook his head, "when we were kids. Back on Shadow."

"Shadow?" Tommy questioned, then, "Oh! Yeah!" He laughed. "That was hilarious!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Maura said, looking lost.

Frankie nodded at Tommy, "You get their attention. Once you have it, make for the south entrance. I'll follow to make sure you lose them." He turned to Maura, "You need to get in and get Jane. Once you get her, signal Serenity. We'll meet you on the other side of Shiva."

"But—" Maura tried.

"No buts," Frankie said. "Just do as I say."

Tommy giggled.

Frankie punched his brother's shoulder. Maura furrowed her brow, unsure why Tommy was suddenly being so immature. Of course, it made perfect sense as soon as Tommy turned the corner.

"Hey guys!" Tommy shouted. "Wanna see the moon?"

Tommy promptly turned, opened the back of his hospital gown and pulled down his briefs, showing off his pale, bare ass. Frankie snorted, trying to withhold a laugh. Maura rolled her eyes. Still, it worked.

"Who the hell is that?" One security guard said loudly.

"That's him!" Two other guards shouted.

"Well then get him!" Hoyt shouted with annoyance.

Tommy bolted down the hall, laughing wildly. His gown flapping in the breeze. The group of security guards followed, running right past Frankie and Maura.

Frankie looked around the corner. "He's headed the other way."

"Into Hall 9?" Maura said fearfully.

"No," Frankie shook his head, "Go now."

Maura hesitated. Yet again she didn't know if she'd see him again.

"Go!" he said, pushing her into the hallway. "Get my sister."

She nodded wordlessly as he ran off.

Xxx

"I'm picking it up again!" Frost said excitedly.

They had dodged the gunships, the three of which had gone after the remaining crybabies. Using their inertia and the gravity of Ariopolis, they had managed to swing around the moon. Once they were out of range of the gunships, they kicked in the engines and made for the medical facility. Within twenty minutes they were in range of Maura's signal again.

"Inside." Frost read.

"Inside what?" Korsak groaned. "Can't she be a bit more specific?"

"I told you," Frost said, "she can only input an incorrect code so many times. After that she'll be locked out."

"So why didn't you develop a better code?" Korsak mumbled.

"You really don't know anything about computers, do you?"

"Shut up."

"We have to figure she made it inside."

"Okay. Then what now?"

"We wait?"

"We can't do that for long."

"We leave and all four of them are goners."

"We stay and we're all goners."

Xxx

Maura's heart beat wildly in her chest as she entered Hall 9. Entering the code wrong several times had not helped with her creditability, but, thankfully, the clerk at the desk was not paying attention. He was clearly too invested in the video on his personal device.

She walked as calmly as she could down the hall. Everything in her wanted to run, to find Jane as quickly as possible, but now was probably the most dangerous part of the plan. She had no idea which room Jane would be in. She was lucky Frankie had managed to find the right hall—Hoyt's presence had confirmed Frankie had the right information. But it was Hoyt Maura was afraid of bumping into now. She had no way of knowing where he had gone after Tommy had ran off.

Just find Jane, Maura thought, trying to focus. She peeked into each window. Most rooms contained beds with sleeping patients, two of them were empty, none of them contained Jane. She stopped at the end of the hall. This door did not have a window. It was also locked with a security pad, unlike the manual locks of the other doors.

She looked behind her. No one was in this hall, unlike the other halls that were at least occasionally occupied with a clerk or security guard. She looked back at the security pad. There was no telling what she would find if she could even get inside. She hesitated for only a moment.

Slowly, she swiped her card. For a moment nothing happened. Then, a click, and a green light flashed from an indicator on the screen. She let out a breath she did not know she had been holding. Pulling the door open cautiously, she glanced inside.

Xxx

"She just accessed a special security lock." Frost said, his brow furrowing.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Korsak replied.

"Except it isn't on the system. As far as I can tell, she shouldn't have been able to open it."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know."

Xxx

"Where did that lunatic go?" One guard grumbled.

"Split up," another ordered. "Rorski, you head towards the North Ward, Xi, you head to the South Ward."

"What about you?" the first guard frowned.

"I'm going to find Lieutenant Hon."

With that, the three split up. Frankie stopped him down the hall, "Where did that patient go?"

"Who are you?" the security guard frowned. Frankie pulled him around the corner. The guard protested, "I've never seen you before—"

With that Frankie knocked him out cold, banging his head against the wall. He fell to the ground in a heap. "Let's just say you won't be finding Lieutenant Hon for a while."

Quickly, he pulled the unconscious security guard into the an empty office. He nabbed his walkie, I.D. card, and gun. He tied his hands together and gagged him with his wallet. It wouldn't stop him from being found, but at least it would take longer. Peering out the door, Frankie checked the hall. No one seemed the wiser, so he dashed down the hall at a controlled pace.

Xxx

"Jane!" Maura cried, running to her.

She was lying unconscious in a strangely bare surgical room. She was strapped to a table. A heart monitor and neutral monitors were to the left. On the right was another screen. The images were blurred, indistinct. Maura looked over Jane's pale figure. Her hair was a mess, dozens of electrodes attached to her head and chest. A saline I.V. ran into her left arm.

"What has he done to you?" She muttered, her hand on Jane's cheek. There were dark circles under her eyes and her skin was cold. She had lost a significant amount of weight. If it weren't for the monitors, Maura might have worried she was dead.

Tears slipped from her eyes, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I didn't know this was where I was sending you."

Jane didn't respond.

"We have to get you out of here." Maura said, looking over the monitors closely. "Your heart's weak. I don't know if…"

A mumbled sound came from Jane's lips. She twitched.

"Jane?" Maura whispered, petting her hair, "Jane, can you hear me?"

The brunette's hand clenched. A small moan escaped her mouth. Maura tucked the hair behind her ear. "Jane?"

Another escape of breath. Her hands twitched.

"Jane, can you hear me? You need to wake up."

Maura started pulling off the cords from the leads on her head. She whispered softly as she did so, hoping her voice would continue to stir her from her drug-induced sleep. When she pulled the I.V. from her arm, Jane winced, pulling her arm away instinctively.

"Jane!" Maura said, putting her hand on Jane's cheek. "I'm here. It's me."

The brunette opened her eyes. She struggled to focus her vision. Everything seemed to be swimming around her. There was someone in front of her. She tried to sit up.

"Here," Maura said, undoing her straps, "careful. Don't move too quickly."

"Who—" Jane's voice was hoarse. She blinked, her head feeling light. The room was still spinning. "Who are …?"

"Jane," Maura swallowed back sobs, "it's me, Maura."

"Maura?" Jane frowned. I know that name. I do. Don't I?

"Jane," Maura said, standing up, "I don't know how much you remember, but we don't have time. We have to get out of here."

Maura tried helping her up, but Jane backed away from her. She looked at Maura like a stranger. She looked at her with fear.

"Jane," Maura said, "it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

"You're …" Jane frowned, the honey blond finally coming into focus, "you're the woman."

"The woman?"

"The one—" Jane looked sick to her stomach. "The one he… but he …?"

"Jane," Maura said reaching out for her, "you've been unconscious for a long time, maybe the whole time you've been here. Whatever you saw, whatever you imagined, it wasn't real."

Jane reached out her hand, touching Maura's face. "You're … real?"

Maura nodded.

Jane scrutinized her face. Nothing made any sense. She had awoken somewhere entirely different. She didn't even remember falling asleep. She was just staring at the door, listening for that voice. And then she had awoken strapped to this hospital bed.

But it was her voice, Maura's voice that had been behind that door. Maura Isles, Jane thought. She looked into her hazel eyes, brimming with tears. Jane's heart fell, she's crying. The smell of gardenias started to bring back memories. She knew this person. She cared for her.

"Maur," Jane whispered, "what's wrong? Where are we?"

The honey blond could not help but laugh through her tears. She could see Jane in those russet eyes. She was buried deep down, but she was still there. Maura couldn't hold herself back, so she wrapped her arms around her tightly.

Jane hugged her just as tightly, if not more. She was real. She was here. Tears started to pour down Jane's cheeks as she buried her nose in Maura's neck. She withheld sobs, struggling to breathe. So many times she had watched her die. Over and over he had tortured Maura as Jane watched helpless, unable to block the vision from her eyes. No matter how much she shouted and screamed, no matter how hard she tried to rescue Maura, the result was the same: her bloody corpse falling to the floor.

"I'm sorry," Jane wept.

"Sorry?" Maura said, sitting back. "Sorry for what?"

"I tried to save you. Over and over. Just like he said. He made me watch it over and over."

"Jane," Maura said, wiping the tears from her cheeks, "whatever he did to you, whatever nightmares he inflicted on you, that's all they were. I'm here. I'm safe. It's over."

"On the contrary, the fun has only begun."

Before Maura could even turn towards the voice, she was snatched from Jane's arms. Maura tried to scream, but his boney hand covered her mouth. Within seconds he had a scalpel to her neck. Jane lounged forward, but as soon as she moved, he pressed the blade into Maura's neck.

"No," she sneered, "you stay right where you are."

"Hoyt, don't you hurt her!" Jane screamed. She clenched her fists. Her jaw tightened, "I'll kill you!"

"Will you now?" He snickered.

Maura's screams were muffled under his palm as he dug the scalpel deeper. Blood dripped from the wound. His grin widened as anger flickered in Jane's eyes.

"There it is…" He said with a satisfied smile. "Unadulterated rage. That's what I couldn't find."

Maura struggled against his grip. She withheld sobs if only to be able to breathe. She watched helplessly as Jane attempted to stand, her body weak from malnutrition.

"It's so much more enjoyable this way." He said joyfully. "Torturing you over and over just wasn't the same. It wasn't as … pleasurable."

"You sick bastard!" Jane yelled, her nostrils flaring, her fists clenching.

When she stepped forward, he dragged the blade across Maura's neck. More blood spilled from her neck, and Jane stopped.

"How quickly will she bleed out?" He cackled. "It's up to you."

Jane glanced into Maura's eyes. The honey blond stared back pleadingly. She tried to scream through Hoyt's palm, but he only gripped her face tighter, causing her jaw to ache. There was no way out of this. I'm sorry, Maura screamed in her head, praying Jane could see it in her eyes, I love you …

But Jane looked away. Maura tried to follow the quick movement of her eyes.

"What will you do this time, Jane?" Hoyt smiled. "Scream her name? Lunge to catch her lifeless body? Will you beg? Will you cover your ears and close your eyes? None of them worked before."

Jane's eyes were on Maura's now. She looked away. And then back again.

She keeps looking down. Down at what? Maura noticed.

"This time I'm going to kill you." Jane seethed, clenching her fist.

Maura peered down at Jane's hand. She clenched her fist at her hip. No, she's grabbing something. She lifted her clenched fist.

"Not before I enjoy myself with her." Hoyt sneered.

"Don't you touch her!" Jane screamed, making eye contact with Maura again, begging her to understand.

Suddenly, Maura understood. While still gripping tightly to Hoyt's arm with one hand, she reached into her pocket for the tranquilizer. It might not sedate him, but it was sharp. She took a moment to calculate the right place. She glanced at Jane again, who nodded almost imperceptibly. Jane placed her hand on the surgical tray next to her as if to steady herself.

"Oh," he chuckled, "I will—"

Maura thrust the hypodermic needle as hard as she could into Hoyt's left hip, right into the femoral head. He howled in pain, dropping the scalpel to the floor instantly. As he reached for his hip, Maura dived to the floor. Jane flung the heavy, metallic surgical tray directly at him. It hit him in right in the temple, causing him to fall back.

Before Maura could even look up, Jane crossed the room, leaping on him. He fell to the floor with a thud. Her hands went to his throat immediately. He coughed and grabbed at her hands. Undeterred, she squeezed harder. It was only when he grabbed at her neck that he was able toss her off and roll over on top of her.

"Jane!" Maura cried as Hoyt began to choke her, grinning as he drained the life from her.

Suddenly, he let go, falling over as Maura thrashed him over the head with the surgical tray. Groaning, he rolled onto his back. Before he could recover, Jane was on top of him again. She held his his own bloody scalpel high above her head.

"I said don't touch her!" Jane yelled, her hands coming down quickly, forcing the blade deep down into his chest. Blood spilled outward from his heart.

Maura gasped. She stared down at Hoyt's lifeless body. Jane didn't move.

Jane couldn't breathe. There was utter silence. She waited for the lights to go dark, for the cackle to begin again, for the nightmare to reset. Nothing happened.

"Jane?" a soft voice came from behind her.

"He's dead." Jane didn't know if it was a statement or a question. Is this real? She wondered.

Maura reached for her arm. "He's dead," she confirmed. "We need to go now."

Jane was pale, her eyes staring like a deer in the headlights. "Go?" she breathed, barely audible.

"We have to get out of here." Maura said, slipping her hand into Jane's. The brunette finally looked in her eyes—really looked. Tears poured from her eyes. Maura wished she had the time to hold her. "We have to go. Now."

Maura helped Jane to her feet. She was so weak, Maura had to practically carry her to the door. The only thing that had been holding her up was pure adrenaline. Now it was gone, and with it the ability of her body to compensate for the muscle loss.

"Maura?" Jane tried, but she shushed her.

"We have to get out of here." Maura said, peeking outside the door. If only I can figure out how, she thought frantically.

Xxx

"What do we do?" Frost demanded.

"There's nothing we can do." Korsak admitted.

"It's got to be Hoyt." Frost pleaded, "We have to do something."

"What do you suggest we do?" Korsak argued.

"I don't know," Frost admitted. "Wait! What about the—"

"How would we even launch them?" Korsak questioned. "Besides, it's a hospital for god's sake!"

"We don't have to actually hit anything. We just need the ward to be evacuated. We could drop them along the east gate."

"We still have no way of launch—"

"We don't have to! We can drop them."

"Drop them?"

"Like the train job!" Frost smiled. "Fly low. They're already in the cargo bay."

"You left 30 kilograms of TNT sitting out in the cargo bay?!"

"Where else should I have put it?!"

"Frankly, nowhere on this god damn ship."

"That shit was hard to come by!"

"For a reason!"

"Well," Frost shrugged, "at least you'll be rid of it now."

When he jumped up, Korsak stopped him, "Just… don't … don't tell Angela."

"I'm not stupid, Korsak!"

Xxx

Tommy ducked into a storage closet. Panting, he tried to catch his breath. The first ten minutes had almost been fun. Now he was starting to feel the pain in his lungs, and his legs. Tramping around half naked was doing no good to his feet. And he hadn't run this much since his school days. Probably not since the last time he pulled this stunt.

He peered out the cracked door. A guard ran down the hall, right past the closet and dashed around the corner. Tommy stepped out into the hall, looking both ways.

"You!" a security officer shouted. "Stop!"

Tommy went to run, but another guard came running around the corner.

"Duck!" Frankie shouted.

Tommy dived to the floor before he even realized what was happening. A gun went spinning over his head. Tommy turned back to see the brunette guard get hit square in the forehead with the butt of a gun. Before Tommy could get up, the officer had hit the floor. He lay there in a daze.

Immediately, Frankie swooped down, grabbing his brother by the arm and twisting it behind his back.

"Ow!" Tommy yelled, "What the fuck Fr—"

"Shut up!" Frankie hollered, cuffing him roughly. "You're under arrest!"

"Do you have to be so rough Fr—" Tommy complained.

Frankie twisted his arm harder, ignoring him. "You there!" He shouted at a couple of nurses looking on in horror, "See to him!" He gestured with a nod in the incapacitated guard's direction.

The two women did as they were told as Frankie shoved his brother forward, "Get moving Brown Coat scum!"

"What's going on here?" another security guard turned the corner, his gun pointed at the two of them.

"I'm arresting this traitorous piece of trash. What does it look like?" Frankie practically spat.

"I don't know you …" the guard frowned, pointing his gun directly at Frankie. "What Ward are you assigned to?"

"East Ward. Hall 9." Frankie growled. "And if you don't lower your weapon, I'll have the Warden on your ass."

The guard faltered for a moment, looking uncertain. "The Warden?"

"Yes! Now, go get Hon!" Frankie commanded. "He's going to have a field day with this one!"

"I—" he stuttered, "I don't know where he is—"

"Well, you better find him now, shouldn't you?" Frankie didn't even wait for the officer to respond. Instead, he roughly turned Tommy and forced him to march down the hall.

As soon as they had walked out of earshot, Tommy pulled away from his brother. "What the fuck, Frankie?"

"What?" Frankie said, pushing him forward, but a bit more gently now. "I had to make it look real."

"You enjoyed that didn't you?" Tommy said, glaring at his brother.

"Just turn around." Frankie said in a hushed voice. "We're not out of the clear yet."

[To be continued]