*WARNING* This chapter has some descriptions of Rachel's assault. It is stopped before they can get too far, but there are some descriptions. If this bothers you, feel free to skip/skim/ask me for a summary of what happened instead of reading.

Chapter 1: I Am The Fire

November 28th, 2013 - 2350 (11:50 pm)

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

The words ripped from his throat, filled with anger and terror, the moment he saw her on the other side of the door that he and Tex had just been shoved through.

Why is she here? Why did Mike allow her off the ship? Goddammit!

Ever since he had stood in front of her plastic lab in the Helo Bay and asked if she could make the cure aboard the Nathan James if she had to, he'd spent more time getting to know the British scientist. True, he'd spent most of that time appalled and yet secretly delighted that she seemed not to give a single shit about his rank or status. If she didn't agree with him, she let him know, and if she thought he was making a bad decision, she happily called him an idiot. He had never met a woman (or man) who was willing to go toe to toe with him despite his size and rank. She was deceptively small, physically, half a foot shorter than him and so slim he worried sometimes that she would break, but she was strong, determined, and possibly the smartest person on the planet. A whole hell of a lot smarter than him, that was for sure, and he was certain that she was going to save the whole damn world.

If she didn't die on this goddamned ship, that was!

Before the question was even out of his mouth, Rachel shrugged out from under the hand of the Russian soldier holding her. She ran forward, one hand going up and around Tom's neck while the other wrapped around his waist and settled on the small of his back. Her lips crashed into his, and he was shocked but immediately understanding as she pushed something (paper? Maybe. Also metal) against his lips with her tongue. He could feel her whole body against his. He reacted on autopilot, opening his lips and brushing his tongue against hers as he accepted the note. He leaned more heavily against her, her body warm and welcoming. He was enveloped in her warm, vanilla scent.

But the thing was.

The thing was.

The note was passed, tucked between his teeth and his cheek as far back as he could get it, but their lips remained fused together. He felt more than heard her breathing hitch, felt the desperation as her fingers curled in the hair at the nape of his neck and held on tight. The kiss lasted and lasted. He strained against the cuffs on his hands, wanting to hold her.

Eventually, what felt like an eternity later (though in reality was only ten seconds), the Russians rushed forward and pulled them forcefully apart.

"Now I understand why the good doctor agreed to pay us a visit!" Ruskov laughed delightedly. With a wave of his hand and a command in Russian, the guards pushed Tom and Tex back through the door.

"The deal was me for them! You gave your word you'd let them go!" Rachel yelled, her cheeks red and her her heart pounding as she stared after the retreating backs of her Captain and her friend.

"Not until I confirm you've delivered what I've requested," Ruskov said, a small smile on his lips.

Rachel stared at him, her breathing finally calming down as the adrenaline began to leave her system.

I passed the message. They'll get out. They'll be all right.

She rolled her shoulders, centering herself. Focus on the mission, she reminded herself.

"Well, I assume you have a lab."

November 29th, 2013 - 0030 (12:30 am)

Tom waited impatiently, tonguing at the paper in his mouth while the Russian guard in front of him slowly took the cuffs off of his wrists.

Behind him, Tex was already pacing.

"Unbelievable! I mean, I can't believe it. She kissed you! You're navy, man. Did you not get the talk? No fraternization with the ladies, buddy!"

Tom internally rolled his eyes as he reached into his mouth, rooting around for the note he had hidden in his cheek. He held the note in his hand, glancing up at the guard sitting ten feet away from him. He angled his body toward Tex and away from the guard as he unrolled the paper, carefully grasping the tiny, sharp piece of metal that had been rolled inside of it.

Tex finally caught sight of the paper in Tom's hand, his eyebrows raising as he quickly shot a look toward the guard.

"Ladder room. Port side, 0400," Tom read quietly.

"Do you know where that is?" Tex asked.

"I have an idea. First we gotta get past this guy," Tom said, nodding his head toward their Russian babysitter.

"And there's 2 guys on the p-way."

Tom clenched his fist around the paper, sighing loudly.

"Goddamn it. He had to send her!"

Tex took this as his cue to continue lamenting.

"Right? I mean, I was standing right there. She could have easily passed me the note."

"Tex," Tom interrupted gruffly as he glanced toward the other man. "0400. Tonight."

Focus, he didn't say.

"Got it," Tex said. He glanced at his watch, and then turned around in the small cell to begin figuring out a plan of escape.

November 29th, 2013 - 0320 (3:20 am)

Rachel was led into the lab onboard the Russian ship with Ruskov in front of her and two guards behind her. She clutched her case tight to her body, her heart thumping. She knew that she had made the right choice - coming on board, offering herself, was the best way to rescue Tex and the Captain. The only way, really. She knew it was the right decision. But she was terrified, and thinking about the gun at the bottom of her case didn't actually help with her nerves. She had never shot anyone, and she hoped she didn't have to start today.

"Well, Dr. Scott," Ruskov began, and Rachel felt a shiver run through her body at the sound of his voice. They had stopped walking, had entered a room much like the one on the Nathan James Helo Bay. A plastic, portable lab was set up with desks, the necessary equipment for production of the vaccine, and several beds inside of it. Another desk sat outside of the lab, and she moved toward it on instinct. Something to put between herself and her enemy.

She clutched her case tighter, then took a deep breath, trying to relax as the Russian Admiral spoke again.

"You say you have a cure."

"I do," she confirmed.

"Fantastic. I would like you to continue your work here. Anything you need, my men will get for you." Ruskov waved to the two men standing by the door. One was tall, with dark hair and squinty eyes. The other was shorter, stocky (all muscle, no fat) and giving her a look that made her blood run cold. Ruskov continued. "Have you used the cure on anyone yet?"

Rachel turned back to the Admiral. She shook her head. "No. I have not done human trials yet. I would like to continue testing with primates. I need to repeat the trial with more monkeys, make sure that the outcome was not just a fluke. After a few more rounds of testing, I would then search for candidates that were willing to undergo human testing."

"We will begin with human testing immediately," Ruskov decided, waving his hand as if dismissing her expertise. "I will leave you to set up. I will be back in an hour to check your progress. We will begin human trials tomorrow. Worry not, I will have volunteers for you by then."

"I can't start human trials tomorrow!" Rachel argued, setting her case down on the desk with more force than was probably necessary in her shock.

There won't be a tomorrow on this ship, she reminded herself. We're getting off tonight.

"You can, and you will. That will be all, Dr. Scott. Nikolai, Ivanov, make sure she does not leave this lab," he said, addressing the two men at the door. "If she needs anything, please relay the message to the bridge. If she is refusing to work, feel free to remind her whose ship she is on now."

He paused in the doorway, taking in the grin that spread over the shorter man's face. "Nikolai. No permanent damage, please."

The shorter guard, Nikolai, nodded, his smile not slipping in the slightest.

"Yes, Admiral," he acknowledged his boss.

Rachel gulped, her eyes darting down to look at her watch.

It was 0330.

She had 30 minutes until the cavalry came.

November 29th, 2013 - 0345 (3:45 am)

Tom and Tex walked carefully through the p-ways, the daughter and wife of the man who had betrayed them in tow. While Tom had no warm feelings toward the cowardly scientist, he was happy to rescue the innocent woman and child that had been used as pawns in Ruskov's despicable game.

Two of his crew walked in front of him, guns out, having arrived on the ship only moments before, and two more walked behind him.

"Dr. Scott is in the lab," one of the men informed him. "We have to get her, and then we're to rendezvous with the R.H.I.B by 0400. We have backup, including Lt. Green, coming in on the R.H.I.B."

Tom nodded. Since he and Tex had run into their own men, he had been able to breathe a little easier, knowing they had backup and that everything was going according to plan. Not that he wasn't going to give Mike a piece of his mind when he returned. Ignoring not one, but two direct orders. Damn it! He had ignored his wish for the ship to leave him and get away from the danger zone, and he had sent Rachel off ship! Into enemy territory! He -

Tom's internal seething was cut off when he heard a scream from down the p-way.

"Was that... ?" Tex asked.

"Rachel," Tom confirmed grimly.

November 29th, 2013 - 0350 (3:50 am)

"Nikolai," the taller Russian said nervously, shifting on his feet as the shorter man approached the scientist. "Admiral said only if she refused to work. She's workin', see?"

"Ah, you're no fun," Nikolai retorted, his hand landing on Rachel's shoulder. She flinched, brushing him off as she continued to unload the samples from her case (fake samples, of course; she was not planning on staying here long enough to need real ones). "She's such a pretty little thing. Bet she screams real loud."

Ice ran through Rachel's veins at the man's words. The look in his eyes had made her uneasy since she had first seen him, but now her heart was beating fast and hard, and her palms were sweating.

"I swear I'm doing exactly what the Admiral asked of me," she said defensively, moving to the other side of the table. She shivered, swallowing a cry of surprise when the man appeared behind her shoulder again.

"I think ... Ivanov, I think she just told me she wasn't going to do those human trial things! Didn't you hear her say that?" Nikolai asked, his eyes sparkling as he wrapped a hand around Rachel's wrist. She tugged to get away, but he didn't let her this time, holding on tighter. The taller man finally stepped away from the door, casting a final nervous glance behind him.

Wait.

The gun.

She might have to use the gun.

If she could just get to it -

"You know what? I think I did hear that. She told us no, huh?" Ivanov agreed, holstering his own gun as he approached. He reached out, plucking at the neckline of her sweater. "She is real pretty. Think the Admiral will mind if we rough her up a bit?"

Nikolai smirked. "Boss said no permanent damage. Ain't nobody ever been permanently damaged by having a little fun, huh, Doctor?"

Rachel winced, trying to jerk her body away from the man in front of her. Unfortunately, her movements only propelled her into the one behind her.

"Please, stop," she said in a small voice. She could feel the beginnings of panic building in her chest. Her arms and legs were warm, tingling, her chest constricting. Not now! She begged her body. She couldn't have a panic attack now!

November 29th, 2013 - 0357 (3:57 am)

"Dr. Scott!" Tom Chandler called, pushing to the front of the line of men. "Rachel!"

The lieutenant behind him grabbed his shoulder. "Sir! The XO said that we're to protect you! Behind me, please, sir!"

Tom ignored the young man, running faster as he heard another shout from his scientist.

November 29th, 2013 - 0401 (4:01 am)

Rachel was well and truly struggling now, tears streaming down her face as she was helpless to stop what was happening to her. The shorter man was holding her arms behind her back, laughing hot, wet breath in her ear as the man in front of her yanked at her sweater, tearing a line in it from the neck down to her belly.

"No! Stop!" she begged, kicking out at the man, trying to reach any part of him. She thrashed her head to the side, her face coming into contact with Nikolai. Without thinking, she opened her mouth and bit down on his hand as hard as she could. Coppery, warm liquid filled her mouth as the man behind her screamed, pulling his arm away. She ducked under him, running toward the door while the guards were distracted. She gripped her sweater with one hand, holding the two sides together, and reached out with the other for the handle on the door.

"Where are you going, sweetheart?" Ivanov asked, reaching out to grasp the neckline of her sweater. She was pulled backward roughly, away from the door, away from her chance of escape. Her sweater tore the rest of the way in his hand, and Rachel tried to use the distraction to shrug out of the arms of the garment, shivering as the cold air hit her exposed skin. The material of her tank top didn't cover much, and the ship's temperature was lower than on the Nathan James. She had barely shrugged out of the torn sweater before large, warm hands were on her skin once more.

"No, stop. Please, stop, don't - "

Her words were cut short as a hand wrapped around her upper arm, shoving her back and down. She hit the cold, concrete floor and yelled in pain as her head ricocheted off of the ground. She winced, her vision blurring.

"Boss said no hurting her!"

"She bit me! Bitch! She bit me!" Nikolai screamed, leaning down and using his weight to press Rachel into the ground. "Hold her arms. Little cunt, she's gonna get what's coming to her!"

Ivanov came over, taking both of Rachel's arms into his hands. She screamed, trying to free one of her arms. If she could just get out of his grasp, the door was so close. So close. Just a few feet. If she could get away, she knew she could outrun these two.

She swallowed bile as Nikolai grabbed the legs of her jeans, tugging them down and off. When they were free of her skin, she continued kicking out, landing several quick, hard blows to the man's arms.

"Stop! No! Don't, don't do this. Please don't," she begged, sobbing as Nikolai grabbed both of her ankles and pressed them forward, causing her knees to bow outward.

She felt exposed, was exposed.

Above her, the taller guard was transferring both of her slim wrists into one of his hands, his other hand reaching under her tank top to grope at her breasts. She flinched, her tears overflowing as he roughly touched her. She was sure she was still chanting, begging for them to stop, trying her hardest to kick or punch out at them. But she was physically much weaker than they were.

"She likes science so much, why don't we see how much she likes one of these?" Nikolai asked, using his weight to hold her legs down as he riffled through her case and held up a graduated cylinder. The other man laughed wickedly, encouraging Nikolai as he continued exploring under her tank top.

"No, no, no," she whispered, wept.

The guard by her feet reached up, twisting his fingers in her panties, yanking, tearing them off of her body.

"STOP! STOP! NO!" she screamed, her throat sore and hoarse.

They didn't listen.

November 29th, 2013 - 0409 (4:09 am)

Tom burst through the door of the lab, gun drawn, and immediately raised, aimed, and fired at the man holding Rachel's legs to the ground. The bullet hit right between his eyes and he dropped heavily to the floor. Rachel screamed again, not understanding what was happening, and pressed her thighs together, knocking the glass cylinder off of her leg and to the ground next to her torn and bloody jeans and panties. It shattered, and she jerked at the noise, cutting her legs on the glass. The soldier behind Tom shot and clipped the second guard in the shoulder, and immediately Rachel was up, scrambling against the wall, breathing in great, gasping gulps. Her eyes were wet, tears were streaming down her face, and she looked frantically between the men in the room.

"Rachel," Tex whispered, moving forward, his hand reaching out to touch her.

She screamed, clenched her eyes closed, and turned her face into the wall.

She wrapped her arms around her knees, making herself as small as she possibly could. Her brain knew that these men were safe. They weren't going to hurt her, but she couldn't get her body to calm down. Adrenaline was coursing through her. Her arms were shaking, her legs were trembling, and she couldn't take a deep breath. She kept trying, but each breath was shorter than the last, which was only adding to her panic.

Safe. They're safe. It's OK. Tom's safe.

Tom.

"Tom," she croaked, shivering, and he was there immediately, dropping heavily to his knees beside her.

"Rachel," he whispered, his eyes moist, tears threatening to fall. He immediately looked around for something, anything, to help cover her body and protect her. "Rachel, sweetheart, can I touch you? Is that all right? I won't hurt you, I promise. I won't hurt you," he whispered, his voice small and quiet as if he were talking to a frightened child or a wounded animal.

Someone handed him a sheet that they'd pulled out of the plastic lab. Tom shook it out, holding it in front of Rachel, waiting for her consent.

"Rachel, can I touch you?" he asked again, unwilling to move toward her without her permission.

She couldn't speak, but her brain and body both were in agreement.

She didn't flinch from him.

Safe. Safe. Tom is safe.

She nodded her head, reaching out to him. Tom breathed a deep sigh of relief, his heart beating fast as he inched closer, wrapping the sheet around her shoulders, tugging it tightly in front of her to cover her body. The soldiers around them were turned away, giving her some privacy, guarding the door and protecting them.

"We have to go, Rachel. We have to go now. We're late to our rendezvous, and those shots were definitely heard by Ruskov and his crew. Can you walk?"

She nodded, gripping his arm tightly and trying to stand to her feet. She took a single step and collapsed, crying out, her eyes clenched tightly as she waited for the floor to greet her. Instead, she was enveloped in warm arms.

Tom looked down at her questioningly, and she nodded, burying her head in his chest. He wrapped one arm tighter around her shoulder, and then slung his gun onto his back as he used his other hand to lift under her knees. He picked her up (she was so small. God, she was so small) and cradled her to his chest like she was something precious (she was).

"We're going to get you out of here. I promise. They can't hurt you anymore," he whispered, waiting for Tex and Lieutenant Miller to take the lead. He wouldn't be any use in a firefight. His arms were full, and he wasn't going to let her go. Two more soldiers brought up the rear as they headed into the p-way. Tom pressed his cheek to the top of Rachel's head, breathing in her soft vanilla scent as she trembled in his arms.

"I won't let anyone hurt you ever again," he whispered fiercely, and held her tighter to his body.

Never again.