"There's a time and place for everything, and I believe it's called 'fan fiction'." – Joss Whedon

A/N Hey guys. To anyone still reading this I'm sorry that it's taken me this long to update. I'm not going to give you a sob story; shit just happens and gets entwined in your life sometimes and you lose the way. I'm very lucky to have important friendships in my life that have pulled me back on course. I want to finish this and I promised my girl I would, I promise you Zoe scares me so it will happen! I'll pay for that later.

The insanely awesome and talented donteatblue beta'd this for me… "YOU'RE MY GIRL BLUE!" (anyone that's seen Old School will get that.)

The Otter's will keep me on my toes from now on, I hope you still enjoy and again thank you to all for your kind words.

GO TEAM OTTER!

Chapter 17 And the Oscar goes too…

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" The noise that currently filled the air was interrupted by the very agitated voice from one pissed off computer system. Zoe's foul mouthed language reverberated around the control room as the sound continued to fluctuate between a buzz and static through the speakers.

"You've gotta be shittin' me, seriously…SERIOUSLY please don't be real…A glitch. I'll take a glitch in my mother fucking perfect system. My wires are being screwed with because of the sand storm that's it…please!"

A human in this moment would be throwing things, possibly pacing up and down the control room. A panicked tantrum at what was being viewed on the monitors was what she wanted to do. Zoe though was a computer, all be it a highly intelligent AI system but still a program none the less. All the thoughts of a human but none of the physical attributes and in this moment she would give anything to be corporal. What she would give to run into that facility and drag her people out by their collars.

Zoe was just intelligence housed within wires and microchips, so she did the one thing her program allowed her to do…swear, shout and scream foul-mouthed comments into the radio hoping that somebody would hear her before it was too late.

"Helllllllooooooooooooo…dipshits, monkey boy…man-whore, somebody please answer. Why does this thing not have a fucking horn! What kinda vehicle doesn't have a god damn horn?!"

Zoe watched helplessly as the red dots on the radar became closer to their position. She made a note in her memory banks that if Teddy made it out of there alive she was going to tell her that if she was going to wire everything up through her to control then the transporter needs weapons…and a fucking HORN!

"I just have a few files left and then we're out of here."

Teddy shouted back to Arizona who was beginning to get very antsy, she could hear the gunfire. It had been going on for at least ten minutes now but it had felt like a lifetime. The fear of not knowing what was happening to Callie was driving her crazy. Even Mark had noticed her behavior and had come up behind her, placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, and whispered "The gunfire believe it or not is a good thing, worry more when you can't hear anything!"

That hadn't helped as much as he had hoped and just launched Arizona into another order of "work quicker Teddy!" Before she quickly changed her tone as she caught information on the screen. "Wait go back, what was that…yeah that?" The group looked up at the screen as the highlighted images of a document containing a picture and information on the 'First test subject Erica Hahn, Black OPS Specialist. Candidate has been chosen due to her exceptional service record and personal lack of emotion. Her superiors have stated she has no grey area, its right or wrong…she follows orders without question if it can be justified. Therefore we suggest she would be a perfect candidate for the Super Soldier Project.'

"Lexie can you remember that file, I really need to move ontothe next." Teddy smiled politely but it cracked quickly as her concentration went back to downloading the list of files that the girl had given her already, Lexie started to explain to the rest of the group what was in the file.

"Erica Hahn…let's see, she was one of the first to be put through the testing. The file said that the brain conditioning never went as well as they had hoped and her mental state had been brought into question as she began to show signs of an addictive personality as well as signs of obsession without the characterized negative effects normally associated with the disorder. She however showed great promise and as a result can be coerced with the right information therefore had been personally picked by the President himself…" Lexie read the memorized information that she had on the assassin before sarcastically continuing. "All the ingredients for a serial killer, let's just make her scarier by giving her the ability to kill you with a toothpick!"

"Okay, well we need to get you all out of here quickly so I can get back tohelp Callie and the rest. She might be first generation but we have seen what she's capable of..." Arizona was cut off by Mark.

"Yes that and…she has a complete lady boner for Callie?"

"Dimple and Dimples, there's a lot of static coming from the Transporter. I can't make out what Zoe's saying but if she's trying to get us I guess it be important." Cristina directed her comment to the group.

"All done, let's get this back up to signal range so it can be sent to the Major." Teddy held up the data key triumphantly as pushed away from the desk looking back at everyone when they hadn't moved all ready. "Come on, we haven't got all day people?"

"How much ammo have you got left?" Karev's voice was just barely heard over the continuing gun battle.

Callie looked wide eyed, pleading into eyes reflective of the very same emotion…Panic. The whites from their eyes could have very easily lit the room especially since the fire shots from the weapons continued to assault their very tight covered safety.

They had managed to dive for cover when the barrage of bullets wisped past body parts and implanted into the wall behind them. Karev continued to fire in retaliation and take cover behind an overturned metal table. Callie sat with her back against the remnants of what had been a brick internal wall, if she were standing it would have only covered her up to her midriff but she had crammed her frame behind it to create a shield. She quickly refilled her gun as she emptied her pockets of the remaining ammo.

"I have 3 clips left. Bailey, how are you doing?" Callie said without looking up.

"I'm going to see if I can salvage anything from the back room and see if there is a way out. I'll be right back." Hunt shouted as he crawled as low as he could over the rubble toward a hole in the wall.

Bailey sat rummaging in her rucksack trying to find anything else that would be helpful but when she hissed in pain Callie looked up to take a closer look at her friend.

"Bailey, are you all right?"

"Oh you know me, I'm fine Torres. I just need more ammo I'm out…Oh just give me a fricken rock to throw. I'm sure I can take out an eye." Bailey continued to shift through her bag using only one hand awkwardly. Callie eyed the woman suspiciously and that's when she saw the wounded shoulder as the red began to soak into the fabric and run extensively down Bailey's chest and arm.

Callie moved from her hunched position quickly grabbing Bailey's arm trying to get her to stop what she was doing. Callie ripped a bit of material from the bottom of her vest and placed it on the wound.

"Callie…PLEASE, I'm fine it's just a scratch!" Bailey pleaded with the brunette who continued in her current task ignoring her friend.

"Karev, keep them away…shout if you need my gun." Callie watched as Karev gave her thumbs up and a cheeky grin. Quickly turning back she reassessed the situation as her hand and piece of fabric were now saturated in the deep red liquid.

"It's not just a scratch and you know it you stubborn woman, you're losing far too much blood. I need something to cut the flow …give me your belt?" Callie motioned to the woman to let her get to her waist.

"Oh hell no, I'm not walking around with my trousers around my ankles…I'd rather bleed to death!" Callie gave Bailey an incredulous look, but Bailey's mirroring look just reaffirmed her stance on the matter.

"Fine then you tenacious woman!" Callie grabbed the rucksack from Bailey's hands and turned the bag upside down sending the contents spilling out across the floor.

"There's nothing in there of any use Callie!"

Callie just continued on, looking up quickly just to throw a raised eyebrow at the woman in defiance. She wasn't interested in the contents of the bag. When she had emptied it, Callie entwined the main part of the bag through the handles until the main area of the rucksack was a more manageable size.

She got as close as she could to the other woman and put a rucksack strap over Bailey's head at one side and under the woman's arm at the other. Once the main material part of the bag was covering the wound, Callie brought Baileys hands up to rest on the main part of the bag holding it in place. As she slid around to the back of her friend she scrunched up her face and mentally counted to three as she knew what was coming next.

"Torres…What are you…" Bailey's sentence was cut short and the noise of her voice displaced as a scream replaced it when Callie pulled the strap adjusters as tight as she possibly could.

When she was sure it was tight enough to stop the blood flow, Callie tried to pull Bailey into her embrace to comfort her but she was quickly met with the outstretched leg of one pissed off Miranda Bailey. Callie felt the blow and fell back giggling, her back hitting against the wall they had been hiding behind. With everything going on Callie and Bailey hadn't noticed that the gunfire had stopped, when they finally realized it was quiet they looked over to see that Karev was lying in a heap on the ground covered in fallen ceiling pieces. Just as Callie tried to shift herself off the wall to go see if Karev was fine, she felt the hands grab her.

By the time Bailey managed to shout Callie's name in warning the brunette was whipped over the broken wall and out of sight.

"Dr Shepard, pleasure to see you again. I hear you have some good news for us. I must say that was quick." Derek and Meredith turned to see a smiling Denny at the entrance to the lab. His smile only got wider when he caught Meredith smugly reply that of course it was quick my husbands a genius.

"Thank you for coming so promptly Mr. Duquette. I know the Major is a bit busy right now but I have this for him." Denny stood looking at Derek who stood smiling in triumph presenting a clear cylinder with some sort of vapor, to the confused man.

"A jar...of gas!?"

"Well…Yes, that's exactly what it is. Once inhaled it starts interfering with the XZn12 in the person's system and hey presto they start to see things as they should be. I mean you'll still get the odd nut that will think everything Burke did is acceptable but it will definitely help." Derek's smile faltered slightly when he saw the look of skepticism on the other man's face.

"But it's a jar of gas…maybe enough to sort one maybe two people at the most!?" Denny looked at the small jar intently.

"It's a concentrate, Denny. It's been designed to be attached to the city's air con so it will make it into every building in the Central Belt. Everyone on the outer belt is out there because they don't agree with Burke so this will be enough to do the Central." Meredith stood up from behind the desk she had been sitting at and took the jar from him.

"Meredith always a pleasure…ah look you do have legs, you were always behind that desk whenever I came to visit. The Major assured me you did but…"

"Denny! Stop talking. Luckily I was paying attention the last time the maintenance guy was bitching about the air-con system; he gave me a very detailed description of how the system worked…I was pretty sure that he was going to draw me diagrams until Derek phoned." Meredith smirked as Derek started to laugh.

"Yeah he was sooooo chatting you up, I heard him with the whole I make it possible for you to breathe clean air…yada yada yada."

Meredith swung the laptop around so that Denny could see the picture on the screen. "I've tapped into the security feed. The tricky part is the jar needs to get attached to the central water vapor release mechanism here." Meredith pointed on the screen showing Denny where it had to be attached.

"And how do we get it there?"

"See this is the tricky part and your problem now…we've done our bit. There is no way I can get back into that building…I didn't really hand in my notice in the most delicate of manners." Meredith's smile almost enveloped her face and she remembered what she'd done to Hahn.

"Okay, can you print that picture? I need you to come and talk through this with the boy." Denny smirked when he caught the look of confusion from Meredith.

"Mr. Duquette, I very much doubt this is a job for a boy…define boy?" Meredith questioned, this was a big job and a lot of pressure…surely not a job for a boy.

"You'll see, come on bring the stuff."

White knuckles held on tightly to the underneath of the seat. He had found it easier to put his head between his legs trying to stop his body from the violent rocking. He tried to continue singing along to anything that came into his head, even giggling at himself when he realised he had been singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Why had he let Denny talk him into one last mission, he had already completed his last one and he really didn't fancy going back to the central belt. Nobody knew he was a deserter, but still his nerves where playing up. This was such a big job but he knew he had to do this, if not for him but for his family…he was doing this to make their future better.

"Hatton…Are you okay back there?"

"Yeah Warren, I'm okay just might hurl on the boots but fine?" Sam tried to keep himself from being sick as they hit yet another bump.

"I'm stopping now anyway, you'll need to walk the rest of the way I don't want them seeing you get out a roadrunner, would blow your "oh I'm the only soldier left" routine! Denny said they'd left this guard post free of Resistance Fighters in case we had to get someone back in. Okay kid you're on your own from here…good luck!"

"Thanks Warren but could you do me a favour before you go?" Ben watched as the small framed boy knelt down picked up some sand and rubbed it into his red hair and onto his face, making sure to cover his uniform as well. "I need to look as though I've been through a fight and the Deadlands so I need you to hit me…in the face."

"Boy if I hit you, I'd knock you're scrawny ass out." Ben shook his head as he looked back at the boy trying to figure out if he could do it without hurting him too badly.

"Oh come on I'm tougher than I look…do you need me to trash talk your mother. Yo' you mama's so fat…" Sam didn't even get a chance to finish before the bigger man punched him on the mouth.

"Ow…I thought you didn't want to hit me?" Sam started laughing as he felt the blood flow from his nose and lip as he bent down and lifted some more sand into his cupped hand.

"Yeah well I didn't and then you had to go trying to talk to me like your black…white scrawny stick boy like you nah not on my watch…and don't ever say anything about my mother again! What are you doing now?" Ben blew out as he watched the boy look as though he was really regretting what he was thinking about before he brought the sand to his face took one look at Ben and then threw the sand into his face.

"Oh shit! That's nasty." Ben exclaimed as he watched the boy gag as he took in a deep breath of the sand and his own eyes began to water as he watched the red head's eyes become the same colour as his hair, red and bloodshot as the grit hit his eyeballs.

After Sam stopped gagging and coughing he looked at the shocked expression on Ben's face.

"What? I'm an actor dude…it's all about being one with your character!" Sam gave one last cough before he smiled at the other man.

Ben started laughing as he took in the view of the boy in front of him. He definitely looked as though he'd been in a fight with the Deadlands…and they most certainly won. Shaking his head he gave Sam a salute. Sam gave him one in return before running off around the corner towards the guards trying to perfect his wounded soldier routine.

Limping toward the guards with his hands raised above his head showing he had no weapons, four soldiers came out to meet him. "Hatton, Sir…last of Hahn's deployment…came to at the Duenna's mansion or what's left of it." And with that he coughed and fell to the ground closing his eyes. He stayed a still as he could when he was turned over and his hand was scanned.

"Information is correct, Sir. He is who he says he is…yes sir, right away sir." The soldier held his hand to his ear as his commanding officer spoke to him.

"He's to be taken to medical to get checked out."

And the Oscar goes too…Sam thought to himself as the soldiers dragged him in through the gates.

He kept low to the ground, moving like a lion stalking its prey. The gunshots ringing out kept his momentum moving forward, he knew that when there was silence that's when he should panic.

Owen was closest to the back wall when Hahn and her goons attacked. He knew that if they had to retreat further in, they had to make sure there were no other surprises waiting for them. So he had told the group that he'd go. When he'd got to the back room all was black except from some shifting light in the corner. Owen smiled as he moved towards the light watching the sand falling in as he started to pull at the wall he realised that the gunfire had stopped.

Realising the urgency Hunt broke off a metal leg from an upturned table and set to work breaking through to the other side. When the sand began to pour through and the cloud of grains hit the back of his throat and his eyes he blinked furiously as the rough substance made tears roll down his face trying to disperse the grit.

Once his sight returned, blurry but enough to see that the after effects of the explosives that Hahn used had rocked the foundation enough that the earth around the complex had shifted and fell enough that the once underground room had now become near the ground level. Owen couldn't contain the grin that grew upon his features until another rumble and the ground shifted again causing more movement around him.

Cursing to himself when he realised that the explosions had made the ground around the complex unsteady he whipped himself around towards the others. The need to get out of there had quadrupled.

"Son, you're lucky not to have a broken nose and you have a substantial amount of sand in your lungs due to your exposure in the Deadlands, but drink lots of water and that will pass. Your eyes will be sore for a few days while they re-adjust. Rest up Hatton, you'll have some time to yourself…things are pretty full on here at the moment. If you need anything just get one of the nurses. I'll come back to check up on you later." And with that the doctor left the room leaving Sam alone.

After a few moments Sam sat up and eased himself from the bed. Slowly making his way to the door way he checked to make sure the coast was clear and quickly got changed into the clean uniform that was waiting at the bed side. Once he was cleaned up, Sam took his water bottle off his belt, opened it and checked that the canister was still okay. Attaching it to his new uniform he made his way to the boiler room fitting in as just another soldier. The Major was right everyone was so occupied with the fighting happening outside the city's walls that no one suspected Sam.

Opening the door to the boiler room he entered and set about the instructions Meredith had given him. Connecting the canister, he opened the valve and sat back as he watched the vapour as it hit the water turn cloudy. He waited until the chamber went clear again and then hit the release button on the air con system and watched the water start to bubble. Smiling to himself he remembered that Denny had told him to get out when he had completed his task, but as he sat he had seen how easy it would be for someone to come and switch it off.

Sam took the decision as he scanned the room looking for things to barricade the door that he would stay and see this through.

Sitting down after successfully moving machinery that he never thought he'd be able to move himself he looked at his watch, typed in the code and released a sigh as his head hit the wall…His mission was complete and hopefully when he opened those doors again, it would be the start of a new day.