A Brief Respite
When they arrived at the Chapel, Ninja asked, "Do y'all have an interrogation room?" "No, we're not allowed to interrogate kids without their parents," Doug answered. Humming as she thought, the spy stated, "Then you'll have to cuff him to a chair at the table. I have to be the only one he sees, so y'all need to hide in Fuller's office until I tell you otherwise." Well, that made Fuller stop dead in his tracks, "No. We are not going to leave you alone with your abductor so you can torture him for information." "Please Captain, I know what I'm doing and I won't lay a hand on him." Ninja asserted, "And weren't you the one who said 'listen to Ninja and do what she says'?"
A sigh of defeat escaped his lips as Fuller consented, "Ok. Penhall, you move Smith. Ioki, you cover him, then you two join us in my office." "And make sure he can move as little as possible, Doug," Ninja added as she opened the door. While Penhall and Ioki moved Smith from the holding cell to a chair facing the door, Fuller adjusted the blinds in his office so they can see and hear what was going on but Smith couldn't see them.
After Doug and Ioki disappeared into the tiny room, Ninja entered with a commanding, almost regal, air. Casually strolling to the gas pump refrigerator, Ninja pulled out a Mountain Dew, she knew she'd need the caffeine if she was going to get through this, before sitting across from the one man who could help her finish her last mission. Playing Cat and Mouse can be very fun, especially if the mouse thinks he's the cat. Ninja mused as sat there, sipping on her soda and studying him, trying to find out what makes Derek Smith tick.
Unable to take the silence, the mouse spoke, "I'm not going to tell you where he is, Ninja, so you might as well give up now." "Oh, but don't you see?" Ninja smiled, rising from her chair, and started to walk around the table, "You don't have to say a word. Hadar will just kill you anyway." Smith's blue eyes grew wide because he knew her words to be true, he had carried out such orders himself, "I'm a U.S. Marine and I was involved in human trafficking, you have to send me to Leavenworth." "Do you really think he can't get to you in there?" The cat purred in his ear as her fingers barely brushed the back of his neck, making Smith jump as far as the cuffs would allow.
They continued this song and dance until Smith gave up Hadar's location, "His camp is 20 kilometers into the desert on the east side of Riyadh. I was to have you two there by Tuesday." Ninja smiled at her prize, I can finally finish this. "Y'all can come out now!" Ninja announced as her friends exited the little office. As Doug put Smith back in the cell, Ninja asked, "We ready to go?"
All six people had literally piled into Fuller's car to head back to the hospital to visit Tom when Ninja asked Richter, "How soon can we get a team on the ground in Riyadh?" "I'll have to make some calls but we might be able to get them there by Tuesday." "Good. I'm working on a plan but I'll wait until I know that we have some back up before explaining it." Ninja replied, staring out the window and counting the minutes till she can see Tom.
Fuller walked straight up to the front desk and asked the receptionist, "Do you know Tom Hanson's room number?" "He's in room 281. His doctor left a note for a Miss Turner." She said, placing a slip of paper on the counter before answering the phone and leaving the public servants to find their friend on their own. Taking the note from the counter, Ninja silently read it to herself, Officer Hanson is healing faster than usual but NO comforting tonight if you want him to be able to move tomorrow. "What's it say?" Doug asked as they stepped into an elevator. Ninja stuffed the note into her pocket and smiled, "Just a reminder, Penhall. Just a reminder."
Stopping outside the door, the young spy released a shaky breath into her hand to steady her nerves before entering. Tom was either unconscious or asleep when they walked in but, thankfully, he only had the standard IV in his left hand and an oxygen tube. Ninja moved a chair so she could sit right beside the bed as Fuller took the other chair, Doug and Judy hopped up onto the windowsill, while Ioki and Richter leaned on the walls. When she got tired of sitting, Ninja stood and started looking Tom over, making note of where his wounds were and what Doc might have done to treat them. Tom's wrists were covered similar to Ninja's and she slowly pulled the sheet back to see his chest wrapped tightly in nude-colored gauze. Doc must've given him some kind of painkiller. Ninja mused as she settled back into her chair and noticed that Richter and Fuller had switched places.
Reluctantly closing her eyes, Ninja gave into her exhausted body's demand for sleep while she had people to watch over her and her partner.
Gently shaking her, Doug said, "Ninja." "Hmm?" "We're going to get something to eat, just thought you should know. You want anything?" Opening her eyes, Ninja nodded, "Yeah, a sandwich, please. Doesn't matter what kind, just no tomatoes." "You got it. Be back in half an hour." Doug grinned as he left the room to join the others in the hallway.
Maybe five minutes after Doug left, Tom awoke with a start and began to thrash about, his heart monitor beeping erratically until Ninja gently placed a hand on his chest and soothed, "Shh, Tom. It's alright. Calm down, you're in the hospital, Hanson." Tom looked up at her with his big chocolate brown eyes as the beeping of his heart monitor slowed back down to normal and asked, "Can you lay down with me?" "Sorry, Tom, but I can't. Doctor's orders."
He gave the brunette a puzzled look while she fished the note from her pocket and handed it to him. After reading it, Tom scooted over a little and patted the empty space beside him, "Please, I just need you near me. And that chair isn't cutting it." "Ok, but it's just so you can sleep." Ninja sighed before crawling up next to him. Lightly draping her right arm over his chest and using her left arm as a pillow, Ninja nestled against him so she was close without laying on top of him like she had the past week. Who knew a week ago that I'd find someone to love in less than seven days? Tom smiled at his last coherent thought before the painkillers dragged him back to dreamland.
Hearing people enter, Ninja struggled to sit up without disturbing Tom. "Did you not read the note I left for you?" Doc asked as he shot a milky-colored medicine in Hanson's IV. "He read it too … and still wanted me beside him. Just be glad I didn't use him as a pillow. Is that my sandwich?" Ninja said, carefully sitting so as not to accidentally bump Tom and wake him up. "BLT no T. Judy thought it'd be light enough to not to make you sick," Doug answered, setting it down on Tom's movable table. Quickly tearing into her food, Ninja, not realizing how hungry she was, scarfed it down.
"Man, girl, when was the last time you ate something?" Judy asked, wide-eyed same as everyone else, even the two men who knew her best. Ninja shrugged and answered between bites, "Lunch... on Friday … I think." "That was three days ago, Ninja! How are you still functioning?" Doug wondered and she replied, "A person can only go three days without water, Penhall. By the way, can I have a glass of water?" Fuller filled a cup with the precious substance, brought it to her and she continued after taking a sip, "Thanks, Captain. One can survive three weeks without food, but with my training, it takes four or five weeks to starve me into submission."
Gently settling back down after finishing her water, Ninja laid on her right side, facing the window, with her back against Tom. Doc had left and brought back another IV tube, needle, and saline bag, "If you're leaving tomorrow an IV is the fastest way to rehydrate your body." "Right hand or left?" Ninja sighed like this was an everyday occurrence. "Left."
She held out the requested appendage and while Doc put the IV in, Ninja entreated, "Could one or two of you guys stay with us? Tom should sleep fine but I'm not ready to sleep without a guard until Hadar is either dead or in custody." "Me and Judy'll stay." Doug volunteered, wanting to keep the killer as calm as he could. "Thank you." She whispered, drifting into a dreamless sleep.
The morning sun was streaming through the blinds when Ninja opened her eyes. "I was wondering when you were going to wake up." Said a familiar voice behind her, causing Ninja to smile as she sat up. "You're one to talk. You couldn't stay awake for five minutes last night."
Just then Doc walked in, followed by Richter, Fuller, and Ioki, asking, "How are my two favorite patients doing this morning?" "A lot better. I almost feel like nothing happened … until I move, that is." Tom groaned as he tried to sit up. Chuckling at him, Doc said, "Just don't move too fast. Hopefully, we'll have you outta here by lunch." "On that note, do we have any back-up in Riyadh?" Ninja asked Richter as Doc removed her IV. "Yes and I even managed to dig up your old team. Care to share the plan?" The spy with seafoam eyes wondered with a raised eyebrow.
Ninja closed her eyes to collect her thoughts before explaining, "Me, Tom, and someone who can pose as Webb will use the tickets that Smith bought and fly to Riyadh. This is where it gets iffy because Hadar will most likely have some of his men there to escort us to his camp. Once there, it all relies on our back-up to get us and Hadar out before anyone gets killed."
Doc cast his dusky brown eyes over the strong young woman and the handsome police officer, "Officer Hanson cannot take a hit, no matter how soft, as it'll undo everything I just did. Do you two understand me?" Both nodded, then Tom tilted his head and wondered, "What exactly did you do to me?" Quickly sharing a worried glance with each other, the three government workers answered simultaneously, "You don't want to know."
"So you're saying you won't tell us?" Fuller questioned and Richter spoke, "Sorry, but some secrets need to stay secret as long as possible. Who do you have in mind for the pseudo-Webb, Ninja?" "Well, you look the most like him and I know you can protect Tom and get him out, no matter what." Ninja answered shyly at first but gained her warrior fire by the end.