The next eight hours continued without incident, and then everything went to Hell in a Hollis-shaped handbasket.
I still wasn't feeling well, and after managing to doze against the window for an hour, I somehow felt worse. Hollis' incessant prattling in the back wasn't helping anything, either. Bloody hell, he could talk about anything, all by himself. He was constantly commenting on the landscape, the weather, the names of the towns we passed…his German accent was rubbish, which was I'm sure most of the reason he even tried.
Jacques kept sending me concerned glances, and I even caught Vinny in the back sending me a glance in the rearview mirror. I could feel my breathing getting heavier, but I didn't know what was causing it. I hadn't been injured anymore than my arm, which ached considerably, but that was to be expected with all the moving around I did last night.
I leaned my forehead on the cool glass and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath through my nose. I was trying to keep alert, but the exhaustion was weighing on me. I'd managed to keep the others from noticing during our break a couple hours ago, but I'd deteriorated a lot since then.
What was wrong with me?
"You're not looking stellar," Hollis said from the back, and I heard him lean forward as much as the harness would allow, inspecting the back of my head. I shivered, but didn't give him any attention. "Need a hot water bottle? I've been told I'm practically a furnace."
I didn't respond. I wasn't not sure how much Vinny and Jacques understood, because they sent a confused glance our way, but made no comment. Vinny, who'd switched to the driver's seat after our last break, put a hand on my shoulder.
"Are you okay?" He asked in French, looking quickly between me and the road. French intelligence agents were much more openly concerned than English ones, apparently. That was both comforting and a hassle. "Do we need to stop?"
I shook my head, feeling a bead of sweat roll down my temple. I unconsciously gripped my arm, the pain nearly making me nauseous. "We can't afford to. How long until we stop again?"
Vinny checked the tablet on the dash giving us virtual directions, equipped with an internal encrypter to scramble the signal to any prying eyes, so they wouldn't be able to glean our location from it. "Forty minutes."
I nodded, closing my eyes and trying to calm my roiling stomach, clutching my arm. "That's fine. Bear can…look at me then."
Vinny, with one last concerned glance at my arm, nodded.
"Don't tell me you're sick, soldier boy," Hollis said, and though I was expecting a snide comment, it still made my head pound even harder. "You talked such a big game. You're gonna let a little something like this slow you down?"
"Quiet," Jacques said, his voice loud and commanding in the small space of the car. The rumbling engine wasn't helping my nausea any, but I refused, with all my remaining pride, to get carsick in front of this lunatic.
"Just concerned for the well-being of the fine young soldier," Hollis defended, leaning back. I heard a rustle of fabric and the clanking of the cuffs, but I wouldn't let myself look. If I didn't give him any attention, maybe he'd stop fixating on me.
I managed to doze for the next half hour, jostled into awareness only when Vinny gently braked, pulling into a lonely little gas station. I opened my eyes and blearily glanced inside in an effort to check for threats, seeing a single yawning store attendant behind the counter, reading a magazine with Slavic characters. We must have crossed into the Czech Republic, I thought dimly.
To be honest, I didn't even realize that Jacques and Vinny had gotten out of the car. I was too out of it to notice much. Even when Bear came around to my door and opened it, I didn't realize anything was amiss. If not for Bear's quick reflexes and the seatbelt, I would've fallen right out onto the cold pavement.
"Shit," Bear said, his face falling in concern when he saw just how out of it I was. "Jaguar? Jaguar, mate, I need you to wake up."
"Hm?" I said thickly, blinking. "M'awake."
"Lion, Tiger, I need some help," Bear called, clicking my seatbelt as I lay limp in the seat. I wasn't this bad a few minutes ago. What was going on with me? "I'm glad, kid, but I need you to stay that way. We're going to move you to the transport van and get you lying flat, so I can take a look at you. Shit, you're burning up…"
I thought I might have nodded. "Think it's…my arm…?" I said uncertainly, the fire in my arm seeming to be the root of the fire in my body.
"Your arm?" With dizzying speed, I was hefted into someone's arms and carted quickly across the pavement, before I was lowered onto the cool metal of the transport van's floor. Opening my eyes slightly, I saw blurred forms around me, recognizing Bear's frantic movements and Lion and Tiger's watchful gazes.
Man. My first SAS mission and I was already the damsel in distress. So much for proving myself as capable.
I made a sound of pain, tossing my head and hissing as Bear peeled the bandages away from the wound on my arm, letting out a string of curses that sounded nothing like the amiable, bouncy medic I'd come to know. I was too out of it to remember the pain management tactics I knew.
"Oh, Christ," Lion said, peering at the wound with morbid curiosity.
"He's borderline septic," Bear said, rummaging through the first aid kit at his side. "The knife must have been rusted, or coated in something we missed. He was fine just a day ago." He examined the wound more closely, and I flinched, the wound throbbing in time with my racing heart. "His stitches are torn—must've torn them last night, when we were attacked. Why didn't you say anything?"
I took a labored breath, staring at the swaying ceiling. "I…didn't know." No wonder I felt so off last night; it had been the beginning of the infection setting in, but I'd attributed it to the manifestation of my guilt after killing that man. "It didn't…hurt that much…"
"Should I call for a Med-Evac?" Tiger said quickly, phone in hand.
But I knew by the time the SAS or the DRM collaborated with the Czech government, or a nearby hospital (which was bound to be miles away, as we were in the middle of absolutely nowhere in the Czech countryside), got the transport here, and got me airlifted away somewhere, we'd be well past our allotted stopping time. With all the uncertainties that came with this mission, I didn't want to risk it.
"There's no time," I breathed, trying to sit up. A firm hand on my chest stopped that ill-fated endeavor, but I wasn't one to give up so easily. "Something's weird about this whole thing…we don't have…time to wait for transport."
"Jaguar, you're nearly septic," Bear stressed, eyes pinched in anger and concern. It had been a while since anyone looked at me like that. Tom used to do that, when I told him bits of my missions. "Your pulse is racing, your temperature is skyrocketing, and you're already having trouble breathing. This could be deadly."
"I've gone farther…with worse," I managed, dragging my good forearm over my forehead in an attempt to keep sweat from rolling into my eyes. "Standard antibiotics and some…fluids should hold me over until we're…done with the mission."
Bear scoffed and shook his head, sinking back on his heels. "I'll run a line, but I really, really think we should call a Med-Evac," he conceded, rummaging through the kit and emerging with a bag of saline and a needle with some tubing. "Lion, it's your call."
I glanced at Lion, who looked concerned, sending furtive glances my way and then towards the trucks. Despite that, I couldn't tell what he was thinking, and I didn't like it. Tiger watched on passively, eyebrows furrowed, looking between the three of us.
"It's not a good situation," I conceded, taking a heavy breath, my chest aching a bit as my heart rate sped up. "But we need…to get the package delivered."
"My men come first, not the mission, Jaguar," Lion said decisively, shaking his head. "I don't know how it was where you came from, but that's how it is in the SAS."
I closed my eyes, frustrated and tired. "That's…my point. If we…stay here too long…" I took a deep breath, and it was harder than it should've been. "…then no one's getting…back safely."
Bear busied himself with inserting the IV line, and handing the saline bag to Tiger, who held it up so the line would drip properly, but I could tell they were both watching Lion intently.
Lion, for his part, had his eyebrows pinched together in concern and deep thought, staring at a point in space far away. He looked out the back doors, where the Frenchmen were patrolling, getting food from the gas station, and refilling, sending us concerned glances as they did so. Vinny and Jacques were detailing the car with Hollis, keeping a watchful eye both on the package and the surroundings.
"We'll back you up, whatever you decide," Tiger said quietly, sending me a glance. "And you will too, Jaguar."
Sighing through my nose, I could only nod. "You're point. It's…your decision."
Lion shook his head. "We're calling you a Med-Evac. I told you we lost someone. I'm not losing another friend, especially not for a prick like Hollis."
I sighed in resignation even as Bear let out a breath of relief, situating more gauze and the suture kit for the patch job he'd try to do before the Med-Evac reached us. I ignored the flutter in my chest at the word friend. It had been a while since I'd had one of those, and hearing it confirmed was…nice.
Turning my attention back to the situation, I said, "At least…consider… leaving me in the gas station and…continuing on."
"No."
I sent him a look. "You didn't—"
"No, Jaguar. Not happening. I know it's America's slogan, but no man left behind, not on my watch."
I shook my head. "You're too damn…good for your own good."
He shrugged, sending me a worried smile. "Can't blame me for that, squirt."
I scoffed. "Squirt, my ass."
"Med-Evac will be here in forty minutes, maybe," Tiger said, his face grim. "The DRM said the Czech government will probably be…a little unhappy with them, because they didn't get approval; the original plan didn't take us through here, so they didn't think it was necessary. They'll be in a pissing contest for a while, but they swear they'll start negotiations soon."
"I'll go talk to Jules," Lion said, standing to leave. "Let him know about the change in plans. Jaguar, you gonna be okay for that long?"
I gave a half-smile and a thumbs up, but I wasn't feeling so hot. I could only hope they couldn't tell.
"You're the only guy I know who would go into septic shock and want to continue the damn mission," Bear mumbled, threading the needle through my arm for the first stitch. He may have numbed it. It didn't hurt as much as it should've. "We're having a discussion about your distinct lack of self-preservation the second we're back on base."
"I'm not septic yet," I defended weakly.
Bear raised an eyebrow. "You're on your way. Discussion is still happening."
Tiger gave a grunt of assent, watching Lion talk to Jules outside. I lifted my head a little to look; they were by the transport vehicle not containing Hollis, the other Frenchmen milling about, keeping watch. They'd long since finished pumping gas.
Forty minutes was going to be too long, especially since this was supposed to be one of our ten minute stops. It was the perfect ambush site: one single witness, easily disposed of, no passerby's, the middle of nowhere with no obstructions around…
"Oi," Bear said, shocking me out of my reverie. I was sweating again, and my eyes were slipping closed. I blinked heavily up at him, his blurred features a bit difficult to make out. "Eyes open. Stay awake."
I nodded sluggishly, glancing around. Tiger was somehow keeping a watchful eye on both us and Lion, and holding my saline bag at the same time. Bear put a hand on my forehead and I flinched, not expecting the cool touch. It felt good against my overheated skin; I resisted the urge to lean into his touch, like I had Jack's when I was younger, and she'd check for a fever.
"You're too hot," he mumbled. "How do you feel?"
"A bit better," I said quietly, because I knew that's what he wanted to hear. "The fluids…are helping."
He quirked an eyebrow. "You're a bad liar, kiddo."
I barked an exhausted laugh. "Sure." If only he knew.
"Talk to me about something. Whatever you want. I want you to stay alert," he said, taking the saline bag from Tiger. "Can you go find him a water bottle or something?"
"Yeah. Keep an eye out," Tiger responded, slipping from the van with one last backward glance.
"What do you…want me to talk about?" I asked, blinking sweat out of my eyes. I felt bloody awful.
"Anything," he said, holding the bag up a bit higher. "What do you like to do in your free time? Not that we ever have any."
I gave a breathless laugh. "Um…I like to…read, I suppose."
He nodded. "Tiger likes to read, too. I never liked it, but I suppose that's because I spent so much time reading textbooks." He gave me a half-smile, glancing worriedly at the opening of the van. "Lion's picky about his books. I guess—"
But he never got to finish, because at that second, a thunderous explosion shook the entire world. At least, that's what it felt like.
We had no idea where it had come from, but it was placed and detonated with enough force to send the multi-ton transport van groaning onto its side.
Bear and I were both thrown from out places on the floor, crashing into the side as the van capsized. The world spun violently for several seconds even after I'd stopped moving, my body throbbing from where it had slammed into the unforgiving steel. My ears rang from the shockwave, sound muted and fuzzy when it finally reached me.
Blinking heavily, rolling onto my side with monumental effort, I saw Bear lying a few feet away from me, still and silent. The saline bag lay forgotten a few feet from his hand. My vision swam, my head throbbing. Gingerly I touched my temple, only for my fingers to come away bloody.
I heard shouting and gunshots outside the van, but a quick glance revealed nothing but smoke and overturned vehicles. The storefront was demolished, from what little I saw. Bear and I were too exposed; we needed to get out of here, and I couldn't carry us both.
"Bear," I said, but I dissolved into a coughing fit, my heart beating sporadically and my lungs choking on the smoke and ash in the air. "Bear, wake up."
But he just lay there. For a second my heart skipped a beat, and I thought he was dead—he was very, very still. With another Herculean burst of strength and grit, I dragged myself to his side, shaking his chest. "Come on, man…"
There. A deep inhale, an exhale of breath. I put two clumsy, shaking fingers against his throat, and collapsed in relief when I felt a steady, strong heartbeat. Just unconscious, then.
Drawing in another ragged breath, feeling my strength ebb with each second, I felt around his scalp for a wound, and—yep, there it was, right at the back. It was a nasty headwound, bleeding freely, but his pulse was strong, and his breathing normal, if not a bit shallow. He'd probably have a hell of a headache and a moderate concussion, but he'd be alright, unless any complications popped up.
"Bear," I said again, shaking his chest weakly. Shit, this wasn't getting us anywhere…
Another round of chaos ensued outside, the ringing in my ears diminished to where I could try to make out words. Something about the package, enemies, and being surrounded. Well, that sounded bloody perfect.
I guessed our best bet, since I was bloody useless at the moment, was to wait here in the relative safety of the bullet-proof van until our allies could get rid of the enemy or come get us. I hated that those were the only two options, as I generally hated putting my life in someone else's hands, but I was barely conscious as it was.
I kept a hand on Bear's throat, monitoring his pulse in an attempt to feel useful. He was fine, and I hoped he'd stay that way.
Voices got closer to the opening of the truck, and I risked a glance, unable to tell whose voice it was. I couldn't tell who was speaking.
Someone had removed the gun from my waistband before they'd laid me in the truck, so I scanned the floor (well, what used to be the wall, and was now the floor) for it, only to see it lying at the absolute opposite end of the truck, having slid away from us when the truck had flipped.
It might as well have been a mile away.
I had a knife strapped to my ankle under my cargo pants, but I knew I wouldn't be able to hold out in a hand-to-hand fight. God, this sucked. Why had I thought the SAS was a good idea, again?
Shocked out of my musings by a clang in the open end of the truck, I whipped around fast enough to knock me flat, my head spinning. Struggling to get my arms under me, I looked up, hoping to see Lion or Tiger or one of the Frenchmen ready to drag us to relative safety, or at least give us some backup if we were ambushed.
My breath caught in my throat as I followed the orange pants up to the face.
Hollis' smug smile was swimming in and out of focus, but I would recognize it anywhere.
"Hey, soldier boy," he said, the chains gone from his wrists and ankles. "Looks like you're in a rough spot."
I swallowed, and out of sheer willpower, forced my swaying body up onto my knees, putting myself between him and Bear.
Before I could come up with a worthy retort, another man I didn't recognize appeared behind him, followed by a third, both toting machine guns. The were spraying bullets towards the edge of the building, and I could only assume that was were Lion and Tiger and the others had taken cover.
"Fred, we're taking some heavy fire," a man with a thick Irish accent said, glancing back. He caught my eye and looked quickly at Bear. "Hostages?"
"Yep," Hollis said, and my heartbeat quickened. I swayed where I was, wondering how quickly I could get to my gun—it was twenty feet away, and I knew I'd never make it in time, but I had to do something. "One of them is my special friend, and I'd hate to leave without a proper goodbye."
Bear was still dead to the world behind me, and I didn't want to let him fall into their hands when I was the only thing standing in the way. "Take me," I said shakily, barely able to get the words out. "But leave him."
"What a good martyr," Hollis said, peeking back out around the edge of the van, searching for something. "How long til the transport?"
"Two minutes," the other man said, Irish like the first. "Hollis, you really know how to land yourself in some shit situations, brother. This is a cluster."
Something about this was…off. This whole time, we'd been protecting Hollis from people out to kill him, so why…did this seem like a rescue?
In a sudden epiphany, it all clicked in my addled mind, and my eyes widened in realization. The way he talked so incessantly…the way they knew exactly where we were, all the time…
I was reminded of my exploding earring from Point Blanc, and it all fell into place.
"Your jewelry," I mumbled, sagging under my own weight. My arm burned fiercely, and my body ached like I'd just fallen from a third story window. "They're…"
This rescue had been planned since before Hollis was even captured.
"Oh, I knew you were a quick one," Hollis said quickly, jogging inside towards me. I tried to back up, but I could barely remain upright. He gripped my upper arm—the injured one—and I screamed in pain, latching onto him with my other hand in an attempt to fend him off.
"Don't make a fuss, and I won't do anything…unsavory, okay?" Hollis said with a smile. "And you're right, about the jewelry. I've been playing you for fools all along. Sorry, I know relationships are built on trust, but I don't think you would've cooperated with my friends."
The bar in his lip…the jewels in his ears…I'd be willing to bet my life the bar was a microphone of some kind, picking up the vibrations of his lips as he spoke, transmitting the sound waves to someone else. That's why he kept…talking about the landscape, the names of the towns. I'd be willing to bet one of his studs was a tracker of some kind, as well.
I was on the verge of unconsciousness when Hollis hauled me to a standing position, and I sagged in his grip, the pain of his hand around the infected wound overwhelming. "Take the other one," he said to one of the Irishmen. "Two hostages are better than one."
"No," I said quickly, not really knowing why I was so hellbent on making sure Bear stayed here, but it gave me something to focus on so I didn't pass out. I stumbled along as Hollis dragged me to the opening, supporting most of my weight. "Leave him…"
"I admire your tenacity, kid, but from a tactical perspective, two hostages are much better," he said distractedly. "And I doubt your buddies will be willing to blow our car with two of their friends inside."
Without preamble, he sent a heavy fist into my stomach. Normally, the blow would've been easily blocked, or quickly shaken off, but the infection was wreaking havoc on my body. The needle had been torn from my arm during the chaos, and I was getting worse. As it was, my spasming lungs couldn't inflate.
I collapsed to my side, unable to hold myself upright. Terror gripped me as unconsciousness slithered in, and I was painfully aware of how vulnerable I was, once again, to my enemies.
Well, despite my best efforts, at least I wouldn't be alone.
The last thing I saw was one of the Irishmen heaving Bear's limp body over his shoulder. I heard the squeal of tires, the rush of voices, and I felt foreign hands hefting me up as I slipped into unconsciousness.
My last thought were the overwhelming feelings of pain, failure…and dread.
A/N: I did a THING. You know, I'd apologize for the cliffhanger, but this is nothing compared to what I put my Whispers in the Dark readers through…
I hope you liked the chapter! I know Alex seems a little incapable in this chapter, but reminders—he's only 16, he's only human, and he's…well, a wreck. And I'd like to force my child to rely on the people around him a little bit more, so…we'll see if his new friends can live up to his expectations.
Anyways! Thank you to everyone who has followed and favortied, I appreciate you all! And to my reviewers, you're all wonderful: hunterjk123, Night Riders, Aism de Plume, Ichigo1217, Asilrettor, Guest, Guest, LoveRider, Buttermilkbells, Em0wolf, and Guest!
Guest (Beautifully written): Aw thank you so much! I'm so glad you're enjoying it!
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Thank you guys so much for reading, and hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review and let me know what you think, they make me very very happy. Until next time! Wash your hands!
