Infinity and Beyond
-Chapter 19-
Coup de Grace, Part Two
Mommy and Erik walk into a very big room where there's a lot of weird things inside. Mommy's still carrying me. "What are you doing?" Erik says.
"Looking for something that will help us." Mommy says as she looks around. She stops when she sees something that looks like a hard tube. "Halon gas."
"What's that, mommy?" My oval-shaped face frown as I tilt my head.
"It's a gas used to suppress fires. There's no residue that's why museums use it." Mommy answers distractedly. 'Suppress: to forcefully put an end to something.'
"Let me take look at that wound of yours." Erik says to mommy as he walks to a white box on the wall and takes out a small bottle.
"It's okay." Mommy says.
"No, it's not." I shake my head sadly. "Mommy's hurt." But mommy just smiles and rubs my head.
"I'm a doctor." Erik smiles.
"Doctor?" Mommy raises an eyebrow, as she smiles too. "Is that some honorary degree they give to princes?"
"Yes, I'm a doctor of the tango." Erik nods. "I served in the armies before. Now, sit down." He says to mommy as he points to an empty chair.
"Yes, sir." She sighs as she walks over to the chair before butting me back down as she sits down.
"Hmm, that's not so bad." Erik mutters, making me bite down on my red lips nervously. "You will need stitches though."
"Look, I want to tell you that Leila and I..." Erik continues. "It's not what you think. We fell in love before I got married to Kristina."
"I'm not here to judge." Mommy smiles and shakes her head.
"I know." Erik nods. "It sounds like a cliche. The affair with the assistant. But we've done nothing improper. I'll keep my vows, but this is why I must leave Kristina."
"Why did you marry her in the first place?" Mommy asks.
"My country needs inspiration." Erik says. "They're not getting it from their current political leaders, so I agreed to fill the role. Marrying Kristina, uniting the families give the monarch movement the push that it needed. I give up Leila for the good of my people. But there's not much I can do for them, if I can't be honest with myself."
"Don't underestimate people." Mommy tells him. She looks sad again. "All they really want is someone to believe in them. Someone who will fight for what they want."
Just then, mommy twitches and lets out a small gasp as Erik cuts off a thin string. "I'm sorry." He says quickly.
"It's fine." Mommy smiles a little as I slide my hand into her's.
"I don't have any aesthetic." Erik says, sounding sorry.
"It's okay." Mommy smiles sadly. "I've had worse."
I don't like it when mommy's sad, it makes me want to cry. "Does it still hurt, mommy?" I whimper as my eyes are starting to feel wet again.
"Shh, I'm okay, sweetie." She says softly as she gently pulls my head toward her and kisses me on the head.
"From doctors or other men?" Erik asks before smiling.
Mommy smiles back as she pulls me onto her lap again and hugs me close to her from behind. "You said that, Kristina knows about your feelings for Leila." Mommy says seriously.
"Yes." Erik nods. "Is that a problem?"
"Depends on how far Kristina's willing to take this." Mommy looks at him scarily.
I feel goosebumps pop up on my olive skin. "Mommy, is something scary going to happen?" I whisper nervously as my eyes are getting more wet and blurry.
"No, pumpkin." Mommy kisses me on the cheek. "Mommy's going to make sure that nothing bad happens, okay?"
"But mommy won't get hurt right?" I sniffle as tears starts falling out of my eyes.
"I'll be fine, sweetie." Mommy says softly as she picks me up and turns me around before kissing away my tears. "So, no more crying, okay?"
"Okay." I nod quietly...
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Mommy's taking a short silvery stick with a yellow and black handle and she's spinning it round and round on a tiny silver thing on the black walkie talkie as it's making funny sounds.
"The wheels on the bus go round and round..." I start singing quietly.
"Do you love to sing?" Erik asks me with a smile.
"Uh-huh." I grin before looking up at mommy. "Almost as much as I love mommy!"
I'm glad to see that mommy's smiling happily. "I love you too." She tells me softly before talking into the walkie talkie. "Attention, NYPD commander." She says.
"Okay, whoever this is, this is a reserved channel." A man's voice sounds loudly. "You're gonna have to back off..."
"I'm inside the museum." Mommy interrupts him.
"Identify yourself." He says.
"I'm your eyes on the inside." Mommy says before I stop listening because it sounds boring.
But I listen again when I hear Michael's voice. "Hello, Nikita." His voice always makes me smile.
"Michael..." Mommy says. Oh yeah, I think Michael's still a little mad at mommy...
"Walk out, now." Michael says.
"No can do." Mommy tells him.
"You know, if you play this game, things are going to get a little messy." Michael says. I tilt my head. Mommy's playing a game? What game?
"Things are already messy, Michael." Mommy says. "I thought you didn't take part in Percy's missions for hire jobs."
"I do what I have to do." He says.
"So do I." Mommy says. "You have to know that, right?"
"I came here to get my people out." He says.
"Let the prince leave safely then." Mommy says.
"I'm not negotiating." He says.
"Some prince, huh?" Mommy looks like she's going to cry soon.
I walk over to her and raise my arms up toward her. "Mommy, hug?"
"Come here." Mommy tries to smile as she bents down and picks me up. I wrap my arms around her in a hug. I really want to make mommy feel better...
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"What does the HO..." Erik starts, but mommy quickly shushes him as she's listening in on Michael's conversation...
"We've got to get out of here." Mommy says after a moment of silence before picking me up again. "Come on." She says as she leads Erik away...
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Mommy's holding me as she and Erik are running down dark stairs. But Leila's voice sounds loudly from somewhere. 'Speakers.' Computer mama tells me.
"Erik, I'm sorry." Leila says. "Sorry that you were forced to marry psychopath."
And then, a man's voice sounds. "Wherever you are, pick up a house phone."
Erik's about to walk over to a black telephone when mommy stops him. "Don't."
"Move." Erik says.
"They'll kill you both." Mommy tells him, making my tummy feel like feathers are floating inside.
"I understand that this woman's the person the prince cares about." The man's voice sounds again.
"So, I just stand by and let her die?" Erik yells angrily, making me squeeze my eyes shut and cover my ears with my hands. I don't like it when grown-ups yell, it's scary.
"If you pick up that phone, they're gonna know where we are." Mommy says loudly. Erik tries to walk past mommy, but she stops him.
"Take your daughter and leave." Erik says. "I'll face them myself."
"You've got five seconds before I shoot her." The man's voice says scarily. "Five... Four...three..."
"They're not gonna do it." Mommy tells him as she puts me back down. "Listen to me, she's their only leverage."
"I can't take that chance." Erik shakes his head and is about to head to the phone before mommy grabs him from behind.
"Two...one..." The man says before it's silent.
But a few seconds later, Alex's voice sounds. "Nikita, do you hear me?" Then, a pause, and then there's a really loud scream. I feel goosebumps pop up my olive skin as my legs feel like jello.
"Mommy, I'm scared." I start crying a little as I grab onto her jacket.
"Shh, it's alright, sweetie." Mommy tells me softly.
"That's one finger." Alex says. "I'll do that every minute until you pick up the phone. You do the math on how long you've got."
Mommy lets go of Erik and picks me up before picking up the phone. "Stop it." She says. "It's not helping anyone."
'Alright, this is how it's gonna go down.' Computer mama tells me what Alex is saying. 'You've five minutes to turn him over, then your time's up, do you understand?'
"I understand I'm gonna kick your ass." Mommy says.
'Well, you're welcome to come and try. Just three of us here. No problems for the famous Nikita, right?'
Mommy drops the phone before turning to Erik with me still in her arms. "There are three men coming, we've five minutes."
"Mommy..." I whimper tearfully. "This is scary..."
"Shh, nothing bad is going to happen." She whispers in my ear as she rubs my head...
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Erik and I are hiding in a corner as mommy jumps down and fights three people with big guns. I squeeze my eyes shut as I hear gunshots. I feel butterflies in my stomach. I hope mommy doesn't get hit.
"Stay here." Erik tells me quietly. "I'm gonna go help your mom."
I don't open my eyes, but I do nod silently. I hear Erik leave before more gunshots sound. I feel more tears fall out of my eyes as I bite down on my red lips.
I only open my eyes when I feel mommy pick me up again. "Mommy..." I cry quietly.
"Shh, it'll be over soon." She tells me gently before picking up the phone again. "It's over." She says into the phone.
'We're alone.' Computer mama tells me Alex's words again. 'Leila's coming your way.'
"Great." Mommy says. "Send her to the roof."
'Got it.'
"Hey, Alex." Mommy smiles. "Way to think on your feet, girl."
'I'm still thinking.'
"Oh, I hear you." Mommy says before dropping the phone again. Then she leads Erik towards the roof with me still in her arms...
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"Erik!" We hear Leila shout from behind us. We turn around as Leila runs into Erik's arms. Mommy quickly covers my almond-shaped dark brown eyes with her hand as they kiss. Ew, cooties...
"Guys, we have to go." Mommy says before uncovering my eyes. "Head straight for the cop cars, okay? Do not surrender to the FBI." She says as she leads them to a very long and scary ladder.
"What about you two?" Erik asks.
"We don't mix with the police." Mommy shakes her head.
"Will we see you again?" Erik says.
"Hopefully not, for your sake." Mommy says before smiling. "Fight for what you want."
"I'll if you will." Erik says to mommy before looking at me and patting me on the head. "You make sure to give your mom lots and lots of love, okay?"
"Uh-huh." My oval-shaped face grin happily. "I like to give mommy lots and lots and lots of love. It makes me really happy!" I tell him before he follows Leila down the ladder.
Mommy laughs lightly, but when I turn to look at her, I see a few tears falling out of her eyes. I raise my hands and wipe them away gently. "Where does it hurt, mommy?"
"I'm okay, honey." Mommy smiles sadly as she kisses me on the lips. "It makes me happy to give you lots and lots and lots of love too..."
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"Alright, sweetie, you need to put this on, okay?" Mommy says as she helps me put on a helmet that looks like a giant bug's head.
"What's this helmet for, mommy?" I ask with a frown.
"Mommy's gonna do something." She tells me. "And it's bad if you breathe it in."
"Where's mommy's helmet?" I say worriedly.
"I've got this, honey." Mommy says as she hold up a very big dark cloth. She wraps it around her nose and mouth before picking me up.
She runs to a huge metal thing and pulls down a stick-like thing before the room fills with white smoke. Then, she runs off with me still in her arms.
"What is it?" I hear Michael's voice after a few moments. I want to get up to say hi to him, but mommy stops me.
"Don't move." She whispers very quietly to me before she takes out another piece of cloth and uses it to choke and knock down a man in black wearing the same bug head-like helmet I am.
Then, she picks me up again before we quietly gets out of the building...
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I've fallen asleep on the way home. I wake up to the feeling of mommy's hand brushing my curly dark brown hair out of my face.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" Mommy says softly.
I open my eyes a little as I whine sleepily. "Mommy, are we home yet?" I try to rub my eyes awake.
"Oh, honey." Mommy laughs a little. "We've been home three hours ago."
"How long is three hours?" I ask with a yawn.
"It's a long time, Infinity." Alex smiles after she puts her cellphone back into her pocket. 'She was on the phone with Michael.'
"He was going over the debriefs?" Mommy asks Alex.
"Yeah." Alex says quietly.
"Good, let him." Mommy says. "We won this time. There's no getting around that."
"I know." Alex smiles happily...
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Author's note: Alright guys, here's another chapter. And please do review, contrary to what you might believe, reviews do motivate me to write more.