Chapter One: Outpatient Surgery
"Were you this much of a sniveling cunt before the Compound V or is this the effect?" Butcher growled before he depressed the trigger on the detonator and watched the Supe's midsection explode from the C4 belt that Frenchie had wired together from phone charger cords.
"Goddammit Butcher, we needed to try and get some answers first. That's the fifth Supe you've blown up, you know how hard they are to get a hold of," Mother's Milk growled as he shook his head.
Butcher chuckled as he wiped grey matter from his forehead. "He wasn't going to give us anything, these fucking Supe's are all the same."
"How do you know? You didn't even ask him anything?"
"No, but I got this," Butcher said and tossed a laminated ID badge at MM's broad chest.
MM examined the badge, seeing it was an access pass for one of Vought's off-site research facilities.
"So, what, we're going to go walk right in the front doors?"
"Something like that," Butcher said with a smirk.
Both men looked to Starlight when she spoke from the doorway.
She couldn't conceal her disgust at the blown apart and remaining visceral stump of the Supe and averted her gaze up to Hughie as he came to stand beside her.
"I could go there, if I got stopped, I could say I was returning the badge, that I found it."
Hughie immediately began to protest and both Starlight and Butcher simultaneously interrupted him.
"Let me do this," Starlight murmured.
"She's a Supe, she'll be fine," Butcher grumbled and pushed past all of them.
Hughie followed him to the shabby bathroom as he wiped a damp cloth over the most obvious of the blood stains he could see and paused when Hughie didn't move from the doorway.
"Stop getting distracted, your bird wants to help."
Hughie blew out a breath and stepped aside so Butcher could find Frenchie and the Female and bring everyone together to discuss a way of getting into the Vought facility with the access badge.
Frenchie pulled up some info after hacking a Vought firewall and according to a glossary of Vought's offsite facilities, this particular badge granted access to a building that was classified as Medical Research and Development.
Frenchie continued to check the schedules of the various companies that hauled away documents to be archived or shredded and trash abatement.
MM noted a few things that would be needed with a stubby pencil on a yellow pad of paper.
Everyone gathered around the dimly lit table in the rundown safehouse. As MM outlined a rough outline of the Vought facility, putting x's on the entrances and rear access doors as well as the safety required fire escapes, Dr. Olivia Phillips pulled her luxury sedan into her reserved parking space behind the Vought Medical R&D building. She flipped down her visor and checked her teeth to make sure her breakfast bagel from the drive-thru espresso hut hadn't left a poppyseed lodged in between her front teeth.
Olivia dabbed on a fresh coat of peach gloss before pulling her purse and backpack from the passenger seat. She juggled her coffee as she clicked her key fob and the car beeped twice.
She adjusted the thin strap of the hot pink backpack over her shoulder as her high heels clicked on the pavement of the freshly paved lot.
Olivia gritted her teeth as she slid her access badge and heard her co-worker Craig's voice sound from behind her.
"Morning Florida," he drawled.
She fought to keep tension from making her shoulders rise and plastered a saccharin sweet smile on her face before glancing back at him as the door buzzed loudly as it unlocked.
"Good morning Dr. Dalton," she said and fought to not walk stiffly to the employee lounge and locker room as he called to her back. "Oh, come on, call me Craig."
Olivia stuffed her bags in her locker and slipped on her lab coat before draining the last of her now tepid coffee and taking the stairs down to the sprawling lab in the basement.
She was buzzed in by security and washed her hands thoroughly before grabbing her daily inventory sheets and reviewing the notes left by the night shift.
Olivia pulled a few cultured specimens from one of the deep-freezes according to an urgent work order from a Vought scientist on the third floor. She tagged the specimen and checked the task off her task list.
Doctor Olivia Phillips had no idea that in just a few hours, her life was going to be completely turned upside down, shaken apart and turned inside out.
Olivia was listening to a voicemail and didn't hear Craig until he tapped her on the shoulder.
She nearly dropped the phone as he held his hands up and pretended that he hadn't purposefully made his approach as stealthy as possible.
"How's it going Florida, what do you have planned for your Friday night?" he asked openly leering at her chest.
"I've asked you to not call me that," Olivia said stiffly and deleted the voicemail.
"Sorry, sorry," Craig said and leaned on the stainless-steel counter and pulled one of the ink pens from its mesh holder.
Olivia hated her pens getting stolen, so she decorated them with garish artificial hibiscus blossoms and gaudy feathers.
"Come get drinks with me tonight," he said easily and deftly twirled the blooming pen in his long fingers.
Olivia reminded herself to keep smiling, "no thanks. I'm driving to my parent's house this weekend, it's their anniversary."
"Bring me as your plus one," he quickly countered.
She shook her head as her smile started to fail around the edges. "It's just a small family get together; my mom hasn't been feeling well."
"You always have an excuse," Craig said snarkily and shoved the pen back in the crowded holder.
As Olivia took in a deep inhale as the head of Vought's R&D pouted, across town, MM, Butcher, Hughie and Starlight loaded into the dark nondescript van as Frenchie kick-started the foreign made motorcycle and the Female climbed onto the seat behind him, molding herself against him.
They started towards the Vought facility, obeying all traffic laws, and not drawing any unnecessary attention to themselves.
After checking to make sure it was Friday, they decided to approach through the delivery entrance.
There were several surveillance camera blind spots, but that facility wasn't considered high-risk for break-ins.
As the van and motorcycle closed the distance between themselves and the facility, in the basement lab, Olivia blew out a relieved breath when Doctor Craig Dalton was paged on the overhead system and he had to leave.
She tapped her fingers on the stainless-steel counter as she listened to the next voicemail message and looked up at her educational accolades in matte grey frames with a simple ivory mat.
"Dad says this job is just a stepping stone," she mumbled aloud, reminding herself that as soon as she logged enough hours she could get a better job in the main Vought laboratory downtown. She needed two-thousand hours with Dr. Craig Dalton before she could apply.
As she logged some chemical panel results from a high-pitched lab assistant in the downtown lab, MM and Butcher breached the service entrance and went to the right in search of the freight elevator that led to the basement as Hughie, Starlight, Frenchie and the Female took the second freight elevator to the first floor in search of the security office.
Olivia cranked the satellite radio station when one of best classic rock songs ever began to play.
As she sang along to the song in a blissfully unaware off-key tone, out in the hall, a security guard who was taking a smoke break returned early and turned the corner, nearly colliding with MM's formidable frame.
The fresh-faced guard pulled his firearm as Butcher raised his own gun.
Several gunshots were rapidly exchanged and called the attention of two more nearby guards who began sprinting towards the sound of gunfire.
MM's hand shot out and pulled the guard into a chokehold and easily snapped his neck, letting his body drop heavily to the gleaming linoleum.
Butcher and MM dashed into an alcove and exchanged gunfire with the two guards. MM threw a flash grenade down the hall and the inexperienced guards were too slow to react and shot wildly as the explosion disoriented them.
MM and Butcher's sites each found a guard and ended them efficiently with a shot to the head and heart.
Butcher staggered and dropped to one knee as his side felt like it was coming apart. MM saw the blood soaking through his ribbed, grey shirt and half-pulled Butcher to the closest open door.
Olivia nearly fell off her padded stool when MM practically kicked in the door, dragging a bleeding Butcher behind him.
She fumbled for the phone as MM slammed the door shut and engaged the deadbolt.
"Put down the phone," MM ordered calmly as he aimed his titanium gun at her.
Olivia nodded and replaced the phone and swallowed hard in relief when MM put the gun into his waistband. "You're a doctor?"
Olivia nodded, not trusting herself to be capable of speech.
"Do you have the supplies here to help him?"
"It's not really that kind of lab but there are some emergency supplies in the cabinet."
"Get them," MM shouted and Olivia scrambled to the cabinet and yanked out a plastic-handled case and nylon duffle bag of emergency supplies. She dropped next to Butcher as she yanked on a pair of snug-fitting green chemotherapy grade gloves.
MM watched Olivia as she yanked Butcher's blood-soaked shirt out of the way and pressed a large, square gauze to the bullet's entrance wound. MM dialed Frenchie and told them to pull the van around the back and that Butcher had been injured.
Olivia dug around in Butcher's side and eventually her gloved fingertips brushed against the bullet lodged in his belly.
"You need to keep pressure on this," Olivia said to Butcher as she needed both hands to get to the suture kit. The blood threatened to seep around her fingertips as she pressed a fresh white gauze to the wound.
Butcher looked at her and arched an eyebrow, his pupils seemed to truss her up and see inside her before he blinked and added with a ragged chuckle.
"I don't have time for that love," he grunted as he leveled his gun at the door as it was broken down and a pair of bulky guards rushed inside.
Olivia blew out a sharp breath and shifted until she could lean her hip against the bandage and hold pressure long enough to dig out a sterile needle and length of sterile suture.
Butcher tried to focus on the door and not the woman who within minutes of seeing him, had a gun pointed at her and was then saving his life. He let his eyes move over every bit of her exposed skin as she put several internal stitches to stop the bleeding and then stitched him close.
She felt herself flush at her uneven stitching. "It's been a long time since you were in clinical, you stopped the bleeding and that's what matters," she told herself.
Olivia looked up startled as a skinny pale guy with huge, unblinking eyes and a cute blonde dropped into the room from an off-white ceiling panel.
"What the fuck is going on?" Olivia murmured to herself, but Butcher heard her. He kept his expression neutral and tried to conceal the pain that was radiating from under her busy, gloved hands.
Olivia taped the edges of a thick absorbent dressing as the skinny guy and blonde each got on a side of her impromptu surgical patient and hauled him to his feet. She found herself walking with them as they scrambled out the rear of the building, pressing a sterile swab to the wound's seeping edges.
Olivia shadowed Butcher's half-carried steps until he helped half-slide himself into the back of a van and then started to back up with the intention of returning to the safety of the building.
"I'm going to need you to get in the van doctor, please don't make me repeat myself," MM ordered easily.
Olivia felt her bladder tighten at the emptiness in his words and nodded as she kept her eyes on MM's broad frame as she climbed into the back of the van.
The skinny guy climbed behind the wheel as the blonde got into the passenger seat. The muscular man pulled the van's doors closed and Olivia turned her attention back to the man she was pulling a bullet out of just minutes after seeing him for the first time.
Hughie pressed the accelerator and the van lurched as it gained speed. Olivia pressed two smooth fingertips against Butcher's neck and found his rapidly pounding pulse.
"Don't worry love, I'm still alive," Butcher murmured as he sagged against the bare metal floor of the van.
"This will sting," Olivia murmured as she started a saline IV on Butcher and only had large bore needles available that would part his flesh more than necessary.
She taped the plastic IV catheter in place and injected a broad-spectrum antibiotic, not trusting how sterile her technique was considering the field circumstances.
Butcher grunted and then fell silent as Olivia cleaned the coagulated blood off his side to make sure he had stopped bleeding.
Olivia glanced up at him, finding his eyes closed. "Are you with me?" she asked as she tore off a fresh strip of paper tape and affixed it to his side.
"Yes doctor, but I could use some mouth-to-mouth when you're done there," he murmured in a heavy, masculine tone despite the blood loss and ensuing state of shock.
Olivia shook her head and attended to the smaller wounds and lacerations Butcher had sustained as Hughie continued driving the van for another hour before pulling into a low-rent mechanic shop that would serve as the new safer safe house.
MM and Hughie flanked Butcher and moved him to an industrial green cot as Starlight held out her hand towards a visibly shaken and fish belly white Olivia.
"Hi, I'm Annie, I promise you're going to be okay. Just bear with us a while as we get things straightened out."
Olivia stared at Annie's extended hand before tucking her hair behind her ears and clearing her throat.
"Hello, Olivia, Olivia Phillips," she said and closed her hand around Annie's as she stood from the rear of the van.
Annie trailed her eyes over Olivia's blood splattered form. "Let me show you where you can clean up, I have some stuff you can change in to also."
Olivia felt a touch of relief as she followed Annie to the rear of the auto shop and a shabby bathroom with glorious soap and hot water.
Annie set a stack of clean clothes on the counter and hovered outside the door as Olivia took a long time cleaning up. She washed her hair three times and scrubbed her fingernails until the cuticles threatened to bleed. She turned off the water when it began to cool off and dried with the rough towels before slipping into knit pants and a long-sleeved thermal top and blue-grey hoodie with a local burger chain's brightly colored logo.
As Olivia got dressed, on the other side of the shop in a room that used to be the manager's office, MM adjusted the lumpy pillow behind Butcher's head.
MM paused and looked over when Olivia appeared in the doorway and moved to the other side of the cot. She peeked under the edge of the gauze dressing and nodded in satisfaction that the swelling had not increased nor a return of blood loss.
"Why don't you go clean up," Olivia said to MM, gesturing to his blood-stained hands and shirt.
"I'll stay right here, I swear," Olivia said dramatically and managed to keep from rolling her eyes.
MM finally nodded and went to clean up in the same cramped bathroom.
Olivia tucked the rough wool blanket around Butcher's side and felt how saturated his shirt was with blood, sweat and topical antiseptic gel.
She tisked to herself and rooted around in the nylon bag she had carried with her from Vought, the company's name in bold embroidery on the bag.
Olivia found a couple bottles of sterile water and spied a half-empty cardboard box of clean shop rags in the corner of the room.
She was tearing the cellophane seal on the first bottle of water when Butcher's pained groan broke into her thoughts.
"Am I going to live?"
"I think so, just don't aggravate the stiches by moving around too much," she cautioned before she laid the back of her palm against his forehead as she counted his respirations.
Olivia flinched as he shot out his hand and captured her wrist, keeping her hand pressed to his forehead.
"You should get more rest," she murmured as she tried to tug her hand free.
Butcher nodded in agreement and gave her wrist a final squeeze before releasing her.
The instant knot dissolved in Olivia's gut when he let go of her and she adjusted the linen up and around his shoulders.
MM reappeared at the very moment her phone chimed from deep inside her lab coat's pocket. He crossed the room in three long strides and yanked at her jacket, ripping the pocket until he could close his large hand around her phone.
He frowned as his eyes moved over the text message.
"Are you okay Florida? Call me ASAP," MM read aloud from the rectangular screen.
"Is that some fucking Vought code?"
Olivia shook her head and stared at her phone solidly in his grip. "It's a stupid nickname, that's my direct supervisor."
Butcher hovered between a conscious and unconscious state, but he heard the stupid nickname and tucked it away for later reference.
Annie rapped on the door jamb and broke the growing heaviness in the small room. "You should get some rest too, we'll take turns keeping an eye on him," she said authoritatively nodding towards the passed-out Butcher.
Olivia nodded and followed Annie to another room that had a couple chairs and broken-down sofa kept company by a buzzing, blinking vending machine.
She ate a bag of stale sour cream and onion potato chips and can of flat soda before curling up on the sofa with a similarly scratchy wool blanket that Annie had left for her.
Olivia settled on to her back and shifted uncomfortably as she stared up at the water-stained ceiling.
Her frenzied, stressed mind and physical shock response had her thinking of the most unimportant things.
"I forgot to mail the mortgage," she whispered to the empty room as she thought about the rectangular envelope on her hallway oak entry table. "Will I ever get to wear that new DVF to Caroline's wedding?" she murmured before sleep finally conquered her taxed system.
Hours passed as she slept, her future still murky and composed of the unknown.
