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Date Posted: 04:11:41 02/07/09 Sat
Author: taurus2124
Author Host/IP: CPE-124-188-9-106.nsw.bigpond.net.au / 124.188.9.106
Subject: Chapter 194
In reply to: taurus2124 's message, "The Rising Dragons - continued" on 00:39:04 01/31/09 Sat

Chapter 194


Operations and Madeline watched the drama with Michael unfold before their very eyes. For someone who had appeared exhausted but nothing much more than they’d seen before when he’d returned from missions, came as a surprise. This turn of events was most unexpected. Michael had always appeared so resilient and even when he’d been injured before had managed to brush off the severity of any injury. This time apparently he had not been able to do so. Their minds had been preoccupied with how he’d been relating to Nikita’s problems and the setback to the Rising Dragons’ mission rather than focusing on what he had obviously endured at the hands of the triad. Perhaps they had judged him too harshly in their need to find anything that would indicate that his relationship with Nikita had deepened on the mission. Maybe his actions were just merely trying to cover up his own frailty. Michael Samuelle always seem to be invincible ... this showed that he was in fact mortal like all other Section operatives. He had dodged many a bullet and endured torture before ... so what had changed this time? They would need to read Jasmine’s debrief and in turn Michael and Nikita’s to find out what really had happened to their two operatives. They would leave their judgement until then. But right now they had a problem ... a big problem.

“His condition?” Madeline asked worriedly trailing her eyes over an incapacitated Michael Samuelle lying on the gurney.

“He’s got a bad bullet wound that seems to have penetrated the chest area. It’s bleeding profusely. He’s unconscious and appears to be barely alive.”

The reply was not what they wanted to hear.

“What? ... That can’t be!” was Operations’ shocked retort. Despite what his feelings were towards Michael, he certainly didn’t want to lose him this way and meaningfully declared, “This man cannot die.”

“Of course sir.”

The Med-Lab technician turned to his colleague who was waiting with Nikita to help assist him. “We better stabilize him quickly. Put some pressure on that wound.”

In urgency they both started to carry out their emergency procedures on the patient.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lying on the gurney, Nikita was frantic with worry at the course of events taking place. She turned her head to try and see what was going on but her vision was impaired by the bodies of the two medical technicians and she was unable to see what they were doing to Michael.

“What's wrong?” She called out ... but no one answered, they were both too busy attending to Michael.

An awful feeling of dread horribly centred in the pit of her stomach. Struggling with her restraints, Nikita tried to break free, but was helpless to do anything. She couldn’t move as the Medical technician had strapped her to the gurney. Michael’s name echoed from her lips. He had done everything for her ... been her protector on this retrieval mission and much, much more. It was inconceivable to think that Michael was in greater danger than anyone first thought ... He was such a chameleon that he never showed his emotions or distress at being injured. He had obviously tried to shield her from any worry about his own condition ... and now ... she might lose him.

Tears welled in Nikita’s eyes as she managed to catch a glimpse of him on the other gurney. “Michael,” she whispered.

It couldn’t be this way. If he died then there was no reason for her to go on living. She would step in front of the first bullet shot at her by a hostile.

Michael must live. Madeline and Operations could induce her with drugs because she would be so suicidal if she lost him... but it would be to no avail. Her heart would be broken and she would lose all will to live without him. He had to live. He must live ... they had to do something. Nikita knew that if this moment came, Michael could live without her a lot better than she could live without him. Oh! This was so much more torturous than any of the treatment that the Rising Dragons had meted out. Michael was her life. Her life was nothing without him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The medical tech worked furiously. With stethoscope checking Michael’s vital signs he turned to his partner. ““What have you got? Pressure? ... Pressure?”

“Blood pressure’s dropping. 30/50,” his co-worker replied.

Alarmed at the rapid rate of decline in Michael’s condition every second they delayed here was crucial.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Damn it, do something!”

The gurney rocked as Nikita strained to see Michael better. Her heartbeat was racing with anxiety. She could see the medical people frantically doing their job, but Michael looked ashen. He was not moving. She started to freak out when she heard what they were saying.

Nikita cried out with a gut wrenching wail on her lips. “NO! NO!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Suddenly she felt the prick of a syringe. Her eyes darted up to see one of the med team inject her with some potent drug.

“This is just to help you get through this.”

She felt the wheels of the gurney moving just as drowsiness rendered her unconscious. Nikita’s eyes closed. Her last conscious thought being of the man she loved. If Michael was to die she would never be able to get over his death ... never.

“Come on, let's go, let's go! Come on, let's go! Damn it, move it!”

The medics yelled out orders as they rushed Michael and Nikita past where Operations, Madeline and a shocked Birkoff were standing. With urgency, the Medical personnel hurriedly wheeled the two injured operatives away to Medical, as the worried onlookers looked on in alarm. They needed to have them attended to as quickly as possible especially Michael. Time was of the essence ... he was in need of immediate surgery.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Madeline and Operations were still rooted to the spot where they’d stood and watched the drama unfolded. Michael and Nikita were in good hands. Medical would do all they could and more to keep them alive ... or else suffer the consequences. Madeline saw a bitter irony in the events that had just taken place. Had Michael and Nikita just turned the tables on them? Had they just lost the upper hand over their two recalcitrant operatives because Michael was injured and might die? She vowed and declared there and then that if he was to die it would be on their terms and NOT Michael’s. They would choose the time of his death ... the when and the where, and Section One Medical was not where that operative would die tonight. Section had not reached its End Game and they needed both Michael and Nikita to be firing both barrels at the Rising Dragons. Death then was not an option. Failure was not an option. Recovery for the both of them was the only option.

Perhaps the psych evaluation could wait, Madeline thought. Some downtime would be more appropriate right now to put them both back on the road to recovery. She and Operations would have to review their strategy where both Michael and Nikita were concerned. She would need to think of another plan to test their loyalty to the Section ... but it would be when they had both recovered from their ordeal.

Where they went from here all depended on the outcome of Michael’s condition. They could ill afford to lose him at this crucial stage in the Rising Dragons’ mission. They would have to reassess and re-profile the mission should Michael die ... not to mention but the fallout from such a scenario would be catastrophic. Nikita would be a basket case ... useless without Michael’s guidance. There was so much at stake for them. George would not be happy, neither would Center. They would be back to square one and that would not be acceptable.

Things were certainly going from bad to worse.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Once Michael and Nikita had been rushed down the corridor in the opposite direction towards Medical, Walter and Jasmine walked up to Operations. Madeline felt the ramrod stature of Section’s leader as he tried to absorb all that had just taken place. Just what had happened to Michael? Madeline and Operations watched them approach. The two leaders gave them both the look to say what they required. Answers ... they needed answers.

“What happened?” Operations demanded wanting to know why Section’s best operative was wounded and how it had occurred. If Michael had failed in the execution of his duties he needed to know … for he may have to make some hard decisions about his future after all. He’d seen the shape that Michael was in when the Med-tech had wheeled him past. He was as white as a sheet and now he’d been told he was on the brink of death. He needed to know what had transpired at the monastery.

As Walter stepped forward next to Operations, he felt several pairs of eyes on him. He particularly felt the tension radiating from Birkoff who stood to one side behind Madeline’s shoulder still shell shocked at what had just happened. Although he avoided contact with his eyes, Walter could feel his buddy watching him with anticipation.

“The whole damn thing was bad right from the start. Michael took a shot meant for me. He lost a lot of blood.”

“I could see that … How many?”

“Too many … they had contingency.”

Turning his gaze on Jasmine he asked somewhat fatalistically. “So how did we do?”

“No losses to operatives.”

“Yet ...” was his cryptic but potent reply, “... and the prime targets?”

“They all slipped through except for Simon Ma. Michael took him out. The others escaped before the assault.”

A disgusted look appeared on Operations' face. “How?”

“We're still not sure … but the teams didn’t arrive in time.”

“In other words, a complete failure.”

“We did pick up Michael and Nikita.” She replied looking at Operations.

“Obviously you have a lot to say in your debrief.”

Suitably chastised she replied. “Yes sir.”

A silence echoed around those gathered. Walter and Jasmine were fearful of saying anything that might lead to a tirade of ire from their leader, so they stood silently and said nothing. The quiet was broken only when Operations spoke once again. Despite his earlier retort and condemnation towards her, their leader held out a laurel branch with his next remarks. “Well done. You still led your team with competence.”

Surprised at his remark, Jasmine replied in a similar vein, “Thank you sir.”

“We downloaded everything you sent us from the jet. Birkoff has the audio and tapes from the mission and Comm. is putting it through analysis now.”

He turned to look at Birkoff who was standing to the side. “When you get something substantial, call me.”

“Yes sir.”

She watched as Operations once again turned his attention her way. “Would you like me to debrief now or in the morning? I have written my report but I just need to go over it.”

“Very well I expect your debrief in thirty minutes … The sooner you get started, the sooner you get out of here.”

“Yes sir.”

Jasmine then moved off to join the rest of her team who had long ago headed for munitions to return their equipment and left Walter to cool his heels and wait for whatever Operations would say to him.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Play on text from … Verdict, NW, LFM PWF and FLYF

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