A/N: I was bored and pumped this out, I have no idea where I'm going with this story. I typically write plot points out and such for my stories, but this just wants to come out... kinda. Anyways read and review yeah? Also I don't own anything from Blacklist except for The Dire Wolf and Debbie and anyone attached to her.
The following week the Wolf sat at Lizzie's side, when the injured FBI agent was awake and Red wasn't around the two quietly talked. Red had an appearance to keep up so the Wolf had often left for no more than twenty minutes at the most there was one time where she had come back and was nursing an injured side and Lizzie had seen the wolf with her shirt off and from what she could tell her entire back was just one giant mass of keloid tissue and other markings as she worked to wrap her ribs. Lizzie had sat up using one arm when the wolf turned around she was bra-less but what she didn't expect was the entirely healed burns and other damages and the lack of two particular objects on the Wolf's chest.
"Nice to see you awake Agent Keene…."
"How did...?"
"Years ago, the fire did more than just burn me. When I awoke in the hospital I was told that I was left for dead and the explosion left me cooking on my own front. They were unable to save anything and I was left with a double-mastectomy and some very unpleasant burns. It took months and months to recover, however I knew that I would no longer lead a normal life and I'm honestly not ashamed of my body, the scars remind me why and how I'm here. I was able to get a few muscle grafts and more rehab, the pain is sometimes there but I tend to not think about it. Finishing with the wrapping the Wolf pulled on her button down shirt leaving the top two buttons undone.
"Despite everything, you persevered how do you get over the pain of loss?" Lizzie looked to her hands as the Wolf came over and sat on the edge of her bed placing her hands on lap with a look of concentration on her face.
"Well, depends on the loss and your beliefs." Lizzie looked up and frowned, the question was evident on her face as the Wolf offered her a raised corner of her mouth. "Belief in the afterlife, belief in a god, or gods. What you think you do in life and how it might affect your future, everything you do in life I believe is an echo of your past lives and who we were. The world sees in black and white, why?
The world is a palate of greys, some darker than the others or some lighter than the others. It's never about what is wholly good or bad.
I live by the principal that you cannot live in the light without being in the dark. You have to have one foot planted on both sides, because sometimes in life if you want to do 'good' and you know you can, but you can't do it in the light; do it in the shadows. For all my faults and all of my amassed kill count I protect those that truly deserve it. The light sometimes needs those that are purely light to stand with those in the true shadows." Cocking her head the Wolf knew that there was someone behind her and with Lizzie's attention on the Wolf, she could only hope that Red was listening in just as much as his daughter was.
"You know sometimes it takes a good person to become the darkness to set things right in the world. I am one of those. There are others too, but it takes a strong heart to not fall into that dark destructive pit to be what you are trying to fight against. I could have gotten really dark but I remembered the values in which I was raised. I used to be a protector and guardian in the light, there are ways of doing that but sometimes those that just about 'law', what's 'right', following the 'book'. You can only go so far before you have to court that darkness.
You asked how I dealt with my losses. I haven't, not fully. I am reminded every day I look in the mirror that my life has been forever changed. I am reminded that this body and who resides in it is fractured, broken but is slowly being rebuilt. The person I used to be is safely hidden away in my memory for I cannot let her go, she is a part of me. However I cannot let her out because that is where all the emotional pain is. You try to let go as best as you can, but if you cannot… you hide it away and you protect that part of your soul." The Wolf's eyes softened and Lizzie could see in those depths a fraction of who the Wolf used to be. The Wolf is a caring person, but how much care she shows is entirely under her control because she doesn't want to be attached to anyone else for the fear of losing them.
A throat cleared and the Wolf turned her head to Red who was standing at the door with a single flower, it a simple daisy and it made Lizzie crack a smile. Standing the Wolf moved away giving Red room to come over to the bed. Heading to her bag which had surprisingly not been noticed by hospital staff or the FBI, the Wolf opened the back putting away a couple small items before closing and locking the bag up. Dembe had followed into the room a minute or two after and the Wolf walked up to him and quietly told him that there was a body three floors up that needed to be dealt with and to call Red's cleaner. Looking to Red sit where she sat Wolf nodded to Dembe and walked out of the room seeing an FBI guard with their head turned away. Moving around in the hospital it was intriguing to know that the staff and the FBI hadn't noticed the Wolf's presence in the building, with the second attempt on the FBI agent's life and her subsequent minor stab wound she was nursing.
The Wolf wanted pulled her phone out and sent a text to one of her medical contacts in the building and was met in a private room in the clinic area. Sitting on the bed and leaning against the wall by the Otoscope and the blood pressure cuff she closed her eyes and listened in to everything around her and out the door. When the door opened the woman that walked in holding a blue bundle looked her friend over.
"Jesus Kamryn, I thought you would have left already. Your assignment was done."
"New job Debbie. How's Brian?" The woman shut the door and locked it before coming over to motioning the woman to open her shirt and take it off. Laying down the Wolf looked on as Debbie in surgeon scrubs and coat sat on a chair and rolled over. The woman snorted before giving a wry smile, Kamryn chuckled before grunting in pain as the doctor cut the bandage that Kamryn had set up around her middle.
"He's okay, building us a crib for the baby." Kamryn smiled and nodded, there were very few people in her life now these days that she was in contact with. Debbie was a former US Navy sailor that Kamryn had rescued during a fire and over boarding RIMPAC exercise. The US Sailors had no idea that one of theirs had been knocked over the side while Kamryn had been on watch had seen the entire thing. Typically you aren't supposed to jump off the side of a warship but Kamryn had done so after throwing a floating device out. There was no time for an alarm as Debbie couldn't tread water with the equipment she had on, pulling her up to the surface and pulling the ring over an arm Kamryn yelled out the man overboard. Kamryn had promptly moved to float on her back and kept an eye on Debbie and after they were rescued the US Sailor said she was indebted despite Kamryn having said no.
After Kamryn was injured after her first major assignment she had gone to a US hospital and found that Debbie had left and become a doctor and surgeon. Debbie quietly patched her friend up despite what she had heard about the Dire Wolf, there was a heart of gold in Kamryn even if her life had been turned upside down. No records were ever kept of Kamryn and Debbie was her personal physician if she was ever in town.
"Baby huh, how far along?"
"About thirteen weeks, going to keep it a surprise, the gender I mean." Debbie looked at the stab wound and saw that it wasn't as bad as it looked after she all but stabbed her friend in the leg with some painkillers so she could work. Seeing the patchwork scaring and burns made Debbie upset that the people that had done this were still out there and the police hadn't been able to find anything. Seeing that Kamryn was almost asleep Debbie turned a light on and shone it on the wound, being a medic on a military cruiser gave Debbie skills that many would need another set of hands.
Peering in the wound and dabbing up blood she saw that it mostly muscle damage and just short of breaching the stomach cavity. Kamryn must have stopped the blade from going and further but it would still need stitches and as she closed up her friend she saw her friend's face relax. She was younger looking when relaxed and not as serious, even the burns and the knife scar on the right side of her face didn't look as harsh. Once the stitching was done Debbie bandaged her friend and set about cleaning up her mess before she placed a hand on Kamryn's shoulder and shook her gently.
"Kam, Kam, time for you to get up. I left you some meds in a baggy along with some gauze and another wrap. If you have work to do, you should go and do it." Kamryn's eyes opened from the drug induced snooze she had just had.
"Thanks…" Pushing herself to a sitting position Debbie helped Kamryn dress and button back up before helping her friend to a stand and making sure she could.
"You know the drill, right now you need some caffeine to get your eyes to open more than a Chinese person. The painkillers should be wearing off in about thirty minutes that should give you time to do what you need before you crash out hard."
"Thanks… I need one more favor. I need discharge papers for the FBI Agent here in the hospital. I need her released in the next hour to so. There have been two more attempts on her life in this building, I don't want anyone else here getting hurt because of me and my job." Debbie nodded holding the bag out Kamryn who took it.
"I'll have the paperwork drawn up for her and make a false file for the Agent to last a few more days to buy you and them time to get to a safe house. As one of the main surgeons on that operation, she needs bed rest. Lots of it, she'll also need physio in about two months once the shoulder blade is fully healed. I'll contact you through the usual channels when we need her to come in for a checkup. Other than that, she's yours Wolf." Nodding tiredly Kamryn shook her head and took a deep breath before leaving with Debbie. They parted ways and the Wolf had walked back into the room with Red, Lizzie and Dembe, seeing the drugged look of the Wolf and the bag in hand Dembe came over but was waved off.
"Get her things, we're leaving within the hour. If you have a safe house that she can stay at for an extended period of time I suggest you get ready to stay there. She's had two attempts with the second being about three hours ago, I need her somewhere else where there would be almost next to no people.
"Wolf, are you high?" Red was blunt as always as Kamryn went to her bag and shoved the baggy she had into a pocket before standing to lean against a wall with her hand on her side.
"High is relative, pain free at the moment is the word I would use. You have about thirty minutes forty-five at the most before I crash hard and I will not be waking up until the next day. So as I said if you want me to maintain guarding her, get her things and be prepared to leave…"
"You can leave now, I bought you a window of fifteen minutes. Make sure you all clear out of this building by then or people will be coming after you. I don't have to remind you do I Wolf?" Debbie had walked into the room and nearly scared the daylights out of the occupants of the room. Red however was playing it off that he knew she was there, Dembe was glowering, Lizzie had paled and her heart racing and the Wolf leaned her head against the wall.
"No ma'am. Well you heard the doctor, let's vamoose." Taking the bag and slinging it, Lizzie was helped out of bed by the doctor and Red while Dembe had grabbed all of Lizzie's things. Within fifteen minutes they were in Red's car. Red was sitting beside Lizzie looking at the Wolf who was reclined in the front passenger seat drifting in and out. By the thirty minute mark the Wolf as she said had passed out and was sleeping fitfully. Going out of state, Dembe drove for hours as Lizzie while in minor discomfort was sleeping beside Red who looked out the window. One of the pit stops to stretch legs and get some food, Red with all his curiosity went to the passenger side door and opened it looking at Wolf and the fact that her arm was wrapped protectively around her middle. Gently moving the arm and seeing the woman wasn't going to wake up he lifted the jacket and shirt to see a slightly stained bandage. The Wolf had been injured, no wonder she was drugged up. Pulling the shirt down and the jacket Red shut the door and looked around in the small town they had pulled into. It was old and rustic so for the most part it was safe, but he wouldn't feel safe until he had Lizzie at the safe house. Dembe had come back out with bags of groceries and all of it was quickly stowed away and they were off again. It was late night before they came to the safe house and they pulled up to it. Dembe had gotten out and did a quick search before Red woke Lizzie up and he got her into the house. With enough prodding the Wolf woke up long enough to be helped into the house and into one of the other guest rooms before she passed out again with a massive duffle bag that had come from the car she had driven to meet Red.
When Kamryn woke up next she felt someone pulling at her bandages and warm hands and a cloth cleaning her side. Opening her eyes she looked up and saw Red looking up from his work. Shaking her head to clear the fuzziness from her brain, the Wolf looked at the man as he placed clean gauze over her stitches and taped it down.
"There was another attempt wasn't there?"
"Yes, two hours after you left the hospital. I managed to get the man into a stairway and he almost stuck me like a pig. He didn't get far though after I shattered his knee then this throat, these are experienced people. I'm pretty sure I know who it was that shot your daughter… don't have a name but he is that US Marine sharpshooter I was talking about. If I had to guess we didn't go dark enough and you somehow lucked out in being able to protect your daughter and hide her. They want us dead for the sake that we didn't convert over to the 'dark side'. God that sounds like a convoluted Starwars plot." Grunting the Wolf pushed herself to a seated position as Red sat back looking to the used medical items on the bed. Looking down she pulled the open lower shirt section closed and put a hand on her side looking at the man.
"I never thought that my life was played out such as it has. Of everything that I have done to date, they just used what skills I had, but the question is why?" Red said, more for his own loud loud personal thoughts than anything else.
"Couldn't tell you, you've been in this game longer than I have. Investment in the years of service into the system? Your quick learning ability? We all have skills that are unique. Information acquisition, acquisitions in general, being able to broker deals; those are your skills. You could turn the world on its head with your personality, you could destroy it and rebuild it.
Sniper has many uses but there would have to been something else that they would have needed or used. The guy that took the Cyanide for such a big man he was able to stealth his way into the hospital as well as move around in the ceiling. There must be a criteria they are trying to fill out, all soldiers, sailors, Special Forces, intelligence." Red looked at Wolf and cocked his head to the side, thoughts were running through his eyes as it looked like he was trying to remember something.
"Something you would like to share?"
"Not particularly at the moment. I have to make a few phone calls, Lizzie is in the room across from you, and the bathroom is down the hall and to the right. My room is the master down the hall, the rest of the information you need about this place is in a package the Dembe has created for you in the living room downstairs. Kitchen is stocked and there should be everything you need here, when we leave there is no other vehicle so you will be here until I return." The Wolf turned and got off the bed as Red held the towel with the used medical items as he stood and the two eyed each other before they left the room to go about their duties. The weapons case that the Wolf had was downstairs laying on a dining table with large envelope that she took and opened. Looking over the information she heard Red and his bodyguard come downstairs getting ready to leave.
"We'll be back in a few hours, latest will be tomorrow." Nodding the two men left while the Wolf pressed a hand to her side making a face and going into the kitchen. Checking the home over the Wolf went up to her room and hoisted her massive duffle onto the bed and pulled out a set of keys form her pocket and proceeded to open the locks then the bag itself. Having purchased the bag a couple years back the CAMS 2.0 5.11 bag was built to take a beating as well as haul everything. It was her work bag, her life and her kit. Opening the top panel to the main compartment, there were three separate sections one with a computer bag, the other compartment held a weapons cleaning kit hygiene items and the last one held her clothes.
Taking the computer case, weapons kit, and another kit box down to the dining table and where her other things where, she sat for about an hour with the open kit that held electronic sensors, lasers and security camera points that routed back to her computer and her phone. As she sat there fiddling with her gear the Wolf did not hear the soft padding of footsteps until she heard a soft groan. Lifting her head up the Wolf offered a smile seeing Lizzie up with her arm in a sling and wrapped close to her body to help with the healing.
"Hey, how are you feeling?"
"Like I've been run over a few times, where's Red?"
"He's not here, might have a lead but we'll see how that pans out. Glad to see you up, must have slept better than I did."
The Wolf chuckled and stood going to the kitchen getting the medication laid out her client. Taking the meds in hand and the glass of water laid out she went to the dining room and put them down on the dining table after pulling a chair out so Liz could see what the Wolf was doing. Watching the injured woman take her meds she went back to setting up her items as the two sat in companionable silence one watching the other working.
It was when the Wolf stood up that Liz watched her put little metal items around the windows, the doors. They were tiny looking with micro-holes in them, once the Wolf was back with the unused and yet numerous metal looking pills she kept her eye on the door and hit a button on the computer. A red grid spread in the frames where the Wolf set up the things before they disappeared from sight. The Wolf grabbed a nondescript ring and used a tiny pin on it and it flashed blue once before she held it out to Liz.
"Here put it on and don't take it off unless I say you can, this will help me keep an eye on whomever is in this house and the property. It a tracking tag of sorts that I had an old friend of mine create for me, these little pills basically tell me at any given location and point where you are. Anyone not wearing a marker shows up on the computer as well as my phone.
It is not GPS tracking so the Feds, government, unsavory people cannot just jump onto it. I wrote the program itself so I know its sound, I'm going to take a stroll outside and set up a few more of the larger sensors. When the others get back, they will be getting markers as well, mainly so I don't accidently shoot them when they come onto the property."
Liz nodded putting the ring on her right hand as her protector turned the laptop to face her, the Wolf picked up her gear and stepped into a pair of shoes before going outside and shutting the door behind her. It was chilly but it wasn't cold enough that it bothered her. After an hours of setting up the sensors, cameras around the property she returned to the house and saw Liz attentively watching the screen while rubbing her shoulder lightly. It was clear the FBI agent was in pain but there was the look of intrigue as was surprised when the Wolf shut the door to the house.
"Jumpy eh?" kicking off her shoes and setting them on a shoe rack the two sat watching the screen while just to keep her hands busy the Wolf was cleaning one of the three weapons she had stashed in the gun case. It would be a long afternoon when they had not heard from Red with what the Wolf remembered it might be the next day or two before he showed back up.
"What's for dinner?"
"What do you want for dinner?" the two women said at the same time before looking at each other and chuckling, the Wolf set her cleaned handgun down before standing. "Let's see exactly what Red left us hmm?"