Revelation (M/F) (F/M) - A sequel to Devastation

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Caesar73
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Post by Caesar73 »

Pretty intense again :) Poor Amy. And poor Kate. Kate is in no Position to do anything right no. If Amy craves in, Kate is helpless. I feel sorry for her. Will Amy really betray all her friends? Amy is in a reallly tight spot, but doing that to someone, who is helpless? Please spare Kate, [mention]wolfman[/mention] :) And a grandiose cliffhanger again!
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Post by wolfman »

As the clock on the bedside table shows six AM, Sasha wakes with a start, looking up into her fathers sleeping face. Gently, she climbs off of Steve's lap and quietly makes her way to the bathroom. She pads quietly across her room and eases the door open to the en suite before slipping inside.

She looks at her reflection in the mirror and stares, at her blood streaked clothing, "What have I done?"

Sasha rapidly pulls off her clothes, dumping them in a pile in the corner and turns on the shower. "Kate looked so helpless when they wheeled her away. She only got hurt because I did something stupid. I have to see her again. I need to make sure she is ok." She resolves as she steps under the hot jet, rubbing her hands over her skin feeling the now familiar bumps of countless scars from Price's assault.

She picks up a wash cloth and begins to scrub her skin, "I could have got everyone killed." She scrubs harder and harder until the pain is too much to continue. Sasha collapses on the floor of the shower and sits under the jet of water and closes her eyes, letting the jet cleanse her body, whilst her mind remains sullied. "I can't get the image of Kate out of my head." She remembers the fear she felt, holding a scalpel in her trembling hand, knowing that Kate's survival rested in her hands.

"Sasha, you did a dumb thing, but you helped to fix it." An echo of Kate's voice bellows in the back of her mind. "You messed up. Big deal. You can either feel sorry for yourself, or make it right. Choose."

Sasha nods to herself and rises to her feet. She quickly towel dries herself and sneaks back into her room. A moment later, she has quietly dressed in white tracksuit trousers, a sweatshirt and trainers. "I will check on Kate, then I will make breakfast for everyone and talk to Steve about how to fix this."

Without a word, she slips out of the room and heads to the clinic.



Dani lazily wakes, "Oh my days, that was the best nights sleep ever." She stretches under the silk sheets and surrenders to their luxurious feel. "I could sleep forever." She snuggles under the covers, deeply inhaling the scent of the fresh silk.

"I see what Sasha means about it being crazy around here." She chuckles to herself. Her smile fades, replaced by a wistful look of sadness, "It is nice to actually feel wanted. Everyone seems nice."', she shakes her head bitterly, You bastard, Malcolm. Why did you have to lie to me?"

Her musing is interrupted by a noise from another room. "Sounds like someone is up and about." She thinks getting up slowly to investigate. Dani quietly opens the door a crack and peeps into the hallway to see Sasha, slip out of the suite. "Where is she going at this time of the morning?" She asks herself.

She looks back at the wonderful bed and shakes her head in dismay, "I am so sorry, you have been a wonderful bed, but I have to leave you. I will be back as soon as I can."

"The last time she went off on her own, she nearly got herself killed." Dani thinks in a moment of indecision, before pulling on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that Louise left out for her and grabbing a pair of ankle boots. "I had better make sure she stays out of trouble." She thinks with a smile and a shake of the head.



Sasha enters the large dimly lit clinic and tip toes through it's corridors looking for her aunt. "Maybe I should wait until there are more people about to ask. But, I need to see her."

She rounds a corner and sees a chink of soft light, spill under a door halfway between her corner and the window at the end of the corridor. "This is it. I really hope she is ok."

Sasha approaches the door slowly, listening to the tones of a hushed conversation within the room. "I think that is Kate and Amy.  I am so pleased Kate is awake." 

With a deep breath she knocks the door softly and waits a beat before entering. She feels a wave of disappointment and relief pass through her as she sees that the man in the bed in in fact Garvey and not Kate.

"He is out cold, must be due to the medication." Sasha thinks stepping into the room tentatively. She tip toes to the side of his bed to look down at the sleeping man. "He is more bandages than anything else. What a mess."'

She leans down gently and places a soft kiss on his cheek. "I am so sorry Garvey, I will make this up to you."

Silently, she says a prayer for the man and makes a discrete exit from his room, to continue her search.



Amy spins around surprised and stares at Sasha, when she steps into the room and closes the door. Sasha finds her view is partially blocked by Amy. "I am so sorry. I had to see you Kate and make sure you are ok." Sasha says, nervously, "I am so sorry, you got hurt."

"Bless you Sasha.  I am ok, thanks to you.  Amy filled me in on how brilliant you were. I am so proud of you." Kate says, trying to keep calm, "Amy is just about to change my dressings, would you mind coming back in a bit? ", thinking to herself, "Please just go and don't look back, Sasha." 

Sasha steps forward unconsciously, getting a slightly fuller view of Kate, "No problem. I will pop back in a little while. Do you need anything?" She says, with a smile turning to leave. Amy lets the tension drain from her shoulders as she watches the slim young woman reach for the door handle.

"Not really, sweetie.  Although, if you come back with a strong black coffee, I will love you more than I do already." Kate says, keeping her voice even. 

"No, problem at all.  Love you too Auntie Kate."' Sasha stops and turns back to Amy with a chuckle, "I can't believe you strapped her down to stop her from smoking."

Amy feels her eyes well up as she lunges at Sasha. The younger woman slams against the door, dazed. Amy grabs Sasha's legs and pulls her towards the middle of the room, "Why did you have to see?" Amy whispers, pulling a pair of large zip ties from a large pocket in her trousers and yanking Sasha's arms behind her back.

Sasha lashes out and kicks as hard as she can, but she is no match for the medics combat training. She cries out in frustration, when she feels her wrists secured behind her back. Amy grabs an absorbent pad from her pocket and stuffs it into her captives mouth securing it in place with another zip tie. "I am so sorry Sasha."

Sasha keeps kicking and squirming to stop her legs being tied, until Amy straddles her legs and pins them together and to the ground. Amy climbs off of Sasha and sidesteps away from her, leaving her thrashing on the floor.

Kate stares at Amy and Sasha wide eyed, "Tendon damage my ass. No way you could do that with a bullet hole in your arm." Kate thinks warily. "What the hell is going on?"

Amy leans against a wall staring at Sasha and Kate as they lay bound before her. Spent she whispers "I am so sorry." She reaches up trying to dry her eyes and casts her gaze to the ceiling, as if looking for spiritual guidance and asks "What have I done?"

"You tell me." Dani says, sharply from the doorway, seeing her aunt and sister tied up, "And it had better be good."
View my latest story, Revelation, here;

https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719


To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
Caesar73
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Post by Caesar73 »

Dani to the rescue :)
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Post by Caesar73 »

I do not feel sorry for Amy in the slightest. She obviously lied to Kate about her Injury. She definitivly had a choice. She choose to betray Kate and delivering her in the hands of their enemy. A wounded friend. Helpless. There is no excuse for that. Mitigating circumstances? Maybe. Honestly: I hope she gets a thorough ass kicking by Dani. Free of charge.
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Post by wolfman »

All eyes snap to Dani. Sasha sees a hardness in her sisters eyes, she has never seen before, as Amy sets her stance and lunges for the newcomer, with a powerful right hook, whispering "I am sorry." 
  
Dani sidsteps left batting the fist away, then driving a fast right jab into Amy's solar plexus, forcing the air from her lungs. 

As Amy pitches forward, breathless, Dani turns placing a hand on the back of her neck and shoving her forward, slamming her into the wall, thinking, "Thanks Steve, that worked as well on Amy, as yours did on me". 

Dani springs forward and delivers a punishing brace of jabs to the base of her rib cage, then kicks the back of her legs hard.

Amy slumps to her knees, as the former Naval Police Regulator searches her and retrieves her suspects zip ties, a large calibre derringer and a small set of clippers. 

Amy lashes out backwards at Dani, as soon as the younger woman takes the zip-ties. 

Dani drops all but one of the ties and grasps the last one between her hands, parrying the blow and yanking Amy's arm behind her, with a painful elbow lock. She fastens the tie around Amy's wrist and pulling it as tight as her strength will allow. "Behave. Allow yourself to be restrained or I will pin you down and make you watch your hand turn purple." Dani hisses.

Amy nods defeated and allows Dani to bind her unresisting wrists behind her back and bind her legs at the ankle.

"If I were you, I would be glad there's not one of these around your neck." Dani hisses into Amy's ear, in a low voice, dripping with menace, cutting the over tightened tie,  "I am going to make sure that they are ok. If you move, I will destroy you. Nod if you understand."



Amy nods and remains still and feels Dani's hand move from her shoulder. Sasha looks up smiling, as Dani aproaches her and crouches at her side.  Gently, Dani helps her to sit and puts a supporting arm around her shoulder, while she frees her sisters mouth and removes the pad.

"Thank you Dani." Sasha says, swallowing hard, "I am so sorry for leaving you in the woods."

Dani hugs her tight and whispers in her ear. "Thats not important, right now, are you alright?" before, using the clippers to free Sasha's ankles.

"I really am sorry. Were you ok?" Sasha asks, warily.

"Steve came before anything too bad happened."' She shrugs, "I guess we are square." Dani says, with a wink, squeezing her sisters shoulder, "Although, you owe me a car.", she whispers, softly into her ear.



Kate watches the two sisters, as they catch up, "Amy is secure, no need to rush them." She thinks with a smile, "They are so alike and so different. Sasha is so thin and pale. Dani is darker haired, toned and a bit more tanned."

Propping herself up slightly, Kate feels a twinge of pain in her back and grunts softly. She hears Dani say, "There you go, just rub your hands together for a few moments to get the circulation going. I will just quickly make sure Kate is ok."

Kate smiles, as her savious steps into view, "You must be Dani. Nice to meet you."'

Dani moves quickly to her side, "Hi Kate. Nice to meet you too." She pauses awkwardly, "Sorry it is not under better circumstances." She says working on the straps pinning her down, "Are you alright?"

"All things considered, I am doing pretty well thanks." She nods to Amy, who is still kneeling, bound and tembling, facing the wall, "Better than Amy is to be fair. Impressive work. Will she be alright?"

"If she tells me what I want to know and behaves herself, there is a chance she will live. What is going on in here?" Dani asks confused at Kate's concern.

"She was being blackmailed to abduct me, Sasha came in at the wrong moment." Kate explains, gently.

"Probably connected to the first kidnap attempt at the airport. Too much of a coincidence, to be unrelated to every thing else going on." Dani infers, with a shrug.

"'That would make sense." Kate says with a nod, before continuing with a look of concern, "Any chance you could check the restraints on Amy? She may not be a bad guy here." 

Dani has a moment of indecision, weighing up options, before turning to Amy who is still still kneeling by the wall, shaking. With efficient hands, she reapplies Amy's bindings, wincing at how tight they were. "Sorry about that. Are you ok?"

Amy nods meekly, "Somehow, I think I am." She flexes her back gingerly, "Damn, you hit hard."

"Kate says you are being blackmailed. Is this true?" Dani asks pointedly.

"Yes." Amy hangs her head in shame, "If I don't Kidnap Kate, videos of an old love and I will be released. I don't care about me, but she has worked so hard to get where she is. It will destroy her."

Dani cuts her ankle bindings and helps her to stand before guiding her to a chair. She pulls a chair opposite Amy and leans forward, looking silently into her eyes, after a moment, she breaks her silence, "Stop me when I am wrong. You came here, found Kate out cold and strapped her to the bed, before telling her what was going on. Sasha came in and you needed to stop her before she raised the alarm. If I hadn't come in, you would have left them both here, safe in the knowledge that Kate would explain what was going on. You thought that, as your blackmailers were giving instructions to you, there is a chance that they are watching this place. So, you would then have gone out front, somewhere prominent, and blown your brains out. Eliminating their need to release the footage, saving your friend and giving us the information we need to get those responsible." 

Amy hangs her heads softly crying, Dani places a gently hand on her knee and whispers, "Does that about cover it?"

Amy nods, looking up at Kate and Sasha, "I am so sorry, I didn't want to hurt anyone."



Kate looks at Dani and nods, "Dani how did you know?", thinking, "She is analytical like Steve and I. With her ability to handle herself, she is so much like a young me."

Dani does not take her eyes off of Amy, "First, when you were out cold, she didnt just whisk you away. Second, you are strapped down, but your mouth is uncovered, indicating that she wanted to talk about something. Third, she kept Sasha quiet, but wasn't worried about you calling out, after telling you what was going on. Forth, no chloroform, or wheel chair to get you out of here." 

Kate raises her eyebrows and nods in admiration, "Impressive."

Dani picks up the derringer and examines it, confirming that it is loaded, "I only have one question."

"What would you like to know?" Amy says, looking relieved. "If you can help protect Jen, I will tell you anything you want to know.

"What have you done with Amy?" Dani asks, without emotion, pointing the gun at Amy's chest.

"What?" Kate asks, considering the implications of the question.

With ice in her voice, Dani speaks slowly. "I watched the footage from the helicopter, Amy got hit in the arm by a ricochet that went deep. But she fought with no apparent impediment and when I yanked her arms behind her back, she didn't even wince. More to the point, I know from experience that Sasha wont give up without a fight." Dani watches her prisoner, shift uncomfortably. "Also when I sat down just now and leaned in close, I caught the faint smell of latex."

Amy fixes Dani with her gaze and smiles. Behind her back, she twists the charm on her bracelet, activating a low level electrical current, which turns the thin memory metal of the band, back into its original bladed form.

"But why the charade?" Sasha asks.

"'A distraction. Feed us a story, make us try to find Amy's old love and work out how our enemy got the videos. Send us running round in circles and wasting our resources on a lie, whilst forces unseen approach and pick as apart. All for the loss of our most trusted medic, who apparently martyred herself to save her former love. Maybe even take a chance at scooping everyone up at Amy's funeral." Dani explains.

"You did ask me to interrupt if you were wrong." Not-Amy says, in a seductive, low voice, "We hadn't considered the funeral angle. I must say, you are good at this game, if we were hunting you down, I would offer you a job."

Dani ignores the comment and continues, "Let me guess, you were going to dump her body out front and disappear." Dani extrapolates, "So who are you really?"

"'I am the friend who dooms you. The face in the crowd. The friend who kills. The one you turn to for help, who helps themselves. The knife in your back" Not-Amy says.

Dani sighs, "Was hoping for a name actually."

"You may call me, Lady Chameleon." She says, as she feels her wrist bindings yield to the blade in her hand, and she deactivates the blade, slipping the bracelet back onto her wrist.

"Charmed I am sure, M'lady." Dani says, coldly, as she gets up, keeping the gun trained on her prisoner.
View my latest story, Revelation, here;

https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719


To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
Caesar73
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Post by Caesar73 »

So I stand corrected :) Amy is indeed a victim - and Lady Chameleon is dangerous as hell. What a twist, I did not expect that. Great work!

Her Cover is down, will she still try to execute her mission or try to escape? Surely she will try to surprise Dani. I hope Dani never lets her guard down. But Sasha is free know, so it is two against one know, even if she is able to surprise Dani.
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Post by wolfman »

The Chameleon purses her lips as she looks around the room. "So Danielle, what happens now?"

"We find somewhere dark and damp for you and then we find out everything you know." Dani says, leaning forward with the derringer.

Without warning, the Chameleon lashes out with blinding speed with her right hand, forcing the gun across her body. Dani pulls the trigger of the weapon, surprised that her prisoner is free. The hammer drops on the Chameleon's finger harmlessly. As the Chameleon's right finishes its arc, her left streaks forward, grabbing and twisting the barrel, to reclaim the pistol from Dani's grasp.

Dani kicks down hard on the floor and slams herself back in the chair, pitching it backwards. As it hits the ground she rolls back and comes up in a combat crouch. To see the Chameleon taking aim at her.

"No!" Sasha screams, reaching back from her perch on the edge of Kate's bed, to grab and fling the first thing that comes to hand at the Chameleon's head. The moment the object is in the air, Sasha throws her body over Kate's to protect her.

Catching the movement from the corner of her eye, the Chameleon snaps her aim away from Dani and shoots the rapidly incoming object from the air. The hollow point bullet pierces the bottle easily, continuing its journey to rest in the wall, through the spot Sasha head occupied a split second before.

The transfer of kinetic energy from the round to the liquid bursts the container in a mist of alcohol based hand sanitiser, to be ignited by the last remnants of the rounds muzzle flash.

The Chameleon howls in pain, as flaming liquid coats her head and shoulders.  Discarding the pistol, she grasps at her face pulling off the burning latex and dropping it on the floor and tears off the t-shirt and latex padding underneath.

Kicking the mask and clothes towards the privacy curtain around the bed, the Chameleon fixes Dani with an icy stare, Amy's eyes, peering from a strangers face. The dim overhead lighting casts a dull glow over her bald scalp, whilst the sunken cheekbones and absence of a nose, lend her face a corpselike air. "The last time I faced someone, undisguised, it was your father. You should be honoured that it will be the last face you see." She stands resplendent, her black bra, in sharp contrast against her pale white skin, ripling over whip cord tight muscles.

The Chameleon activates the bracelet, turning it into a razor sharp, ultra thin, instrument of death in her hands. The two women approach each other cautiously. Dani eyes the blade suspiciously, "Memory metal eh? Too flexible and thin to be much use for stabbing, that is a weapon to slash with."

Kate does not speak, as she circles around the fallen chair thinking, "Modified her looks to be able to disguise herself better. Probably been at this a long time, those muscles look sculpted by a lifetime of training. Since losing the mask, even her body language has changed, there is a hard edge to her movements that wasn't there before." She feels the colour drain from her face as she comes to a stark realisation, "She moves like a female version of Steve."



Sasha rolls from the bed noticing that the burning mask, has ignited the privacy curtain and the flames are starting to grow. She pulls the curtain down and pulls the blanket from the bed to attempt to smother the blaze.

Dani doesnt take her eyes off of the Chameleon as they circle, "Sasha.", she says calmly, maintaining a ready stance, "The smoke in here might damage Kate's lungs.  Can you get her out of here?"

"What about the fire?" Sasha protests, "What about you?"

Dani swallows hard and lies to her sister, "The fire will burn itself out and I will be right behind you."

"Dani, take your sister and get out of here." Kate says, wishing she was fit enough to help.

Dani stares at Lady Chameleon, matching her movement for movement and step for step as they circle. "If I step away now, we all die." Dani says, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside, "Kate, I am sorry we did not get longer, I think I would have liked that. Can you please look after Sasha and keep her safe for me?"

Kate's heart sinks with the realisation that Dani is right and that the young woman knows, how outmatched she is. Fighting back tears, she speaks softly, "Sasha, can you help me please? I know where we can wait for Dani."

"We can't leave her, Kate." Sasha pleads weakly.

"Dani needs to focus and we are a distraction. She cannot do this, with us here." Kate says, hating herself.

Sasha stands in a moment of indecision, before approaching Kates bed and wrapping an arm around her aunt. "One move and I will kill you all.", the Chameleon says, fixing Sasha with an icy stare.

Dani flicks out her arm putting her left hand between the Chameleon and her sister, clicking her fingers.  The Chameleon's gaze snaps back to Dani, "Right now, she is not your concern, M'Lady. Take your eyes off of me again and I will end you. You will not harm my family." Dani hisses with malice, before calling to her sister, "Sasha, it's ok. Get Kate out of here. I will be fine."

"That's it.  Focus on me and let them get out of here." Dani thinks, watching the gleaming arc of the knife as the Chameleon sweeps it back and forth, "I have failed at everything I have ever done, All I can hope for is to buy enough time for them to be safe." She thinks of her parents and her mother's gentle smile and nod's gently, "I will see you soon mum."



The two combatants, stand with eerie stillness, each waiting for the other to make a move.  The soft click of the door, signals that Sasha and Kate have left the two alone. The dim lights of the room, cast a diffuse light on the acrid smoke from the burning plastic of the mask and privacy curtain.

"You have spirit Dani, I will give you that.  When the time comes, I will not enjoy taking your life." The Chameleon says. "But, rest assured that time will come. You will all die in time, Steve, Kate and his children. One by one."'

"I appreciate your candor." Dani says, spotting the smoke gathering across the ceiling, whilst thinking, "We can't stay in here much longer, this smoke is going to get bad."

Dani maintains a half crouching stance with her hands raised in defense. While the Chameleon stands tall and proud, with her left hand raised and open, with the memory metal blade in her right, sweeping slowly back and forth.

"Her eyes are red, she is suffering from the smoke." Dani notes, also seeing her foes face turn red. "She is presenting the knife to draw my attention. She wants me to go for it."

The Chameleon begins to cough, after taking in a lungful of smoke laden air. Dani takes a chance and closes the gap between them to deliver a snap kick to the Chameleons ankle and a flurry of powerful jabs to her face, whilst bobbing and weaving. On the defensive, the Chameleon, begins ducking back, bringing her hands up and deflecting the onslaught, before slashing down with the knife.

Dani lunges forward, inside the blades arc and thrusts an elbow hard at the Chameleon's solar plexus. Her foe crouches slightly taking the blow to her sternum, then springs up delivering a thrusting headbutt, bloodying Dani's nose. 

With streaming eyes, Dani takes advantage of the Chameleon's proximity and laces her fingers behind her foes neck and pulling her face down sharply into a rising knee, forcing the Chameleon to stagger back, off balance.

Dani rugby tackles her foe, tackling her to the ground, sending the blade skittering towards the door. Dazed, the Chameleon lands on her back underneath Dani. The young woman tries to straddle the Lady and pin her down, but the Chameleon punches down hard on top of her thighs, momentarily stunning the muscles in her upper legs. 

The Lady reaches up and brutally pulls Dani down on top of her. Dani tries in vain to push herself up and away, thinking, "I should have kept her at arms length.", as the Lady holds her tightly with her left arm in a vice like grip and begins to ravage her lower back with powerful blows. 



With a cruel smile, the Chameleon shoves Dani off of her and rolls to her feet. Dani twists her body trying to sweep the Chameleon's legs from under her, but her beaten back and numbed limbs are to slow to move. The Chameleon fixes Dani with a malicious grin, as she circles the prone young woman, "Despite your best efforts, you are down and I am standing. You did better than most, just not good enough. I wonder if Sasha will fight like you."

"Fuck you, you freak. I will die before I let you touch her." Dani spits the words angrily at her foe.

"Then you will have to die. Wont you?" The Chameleon advances rapidly and launches a flurry off kicks at Dani's body. Through the rain of painful kicks, to her stomach and lower chest, and powerful punches to her face, Lady Chameleon continues to mock Dani, "You did well kid. I have dealt with all of your siblings. Better than all of your siblings, put together." Smiling maliciously, as her boots punctuate every word, "But you are just not good enough."

Dani begins to laugh, through the pain, eliciting a look of confusion from the Chameleon, causing her to pause, "What is so funny?"

Dani defiantly raises her head to her attacker, and speaks slowly, panting in pain between words, "All your preening and bragging means nothing.  Steve will kill you without breaking a sweat."

"Steve will die and I will barely break my stride." Lady Chameleon sneers.

"He is a lot tougher than me and I broke your stride, you delusional, deformed failure." Dani laughs.

Lady Chameleon's eyes flash with anger and she draws back her left foot and launches a powerful kick at Dani's head. Dani catches her assailants foot, holding it with all her might and refuses to let go, resisting its owner's attempt to free it. "Now or never." Dani thinks, drawing her legs towards her body and launching a devastating, two footed kick to the kneecap of her foes right leg.

The foot she holds, bucks and twists, as the Chameleon drops to the ground, left foot forward and right leg forced way back, in a brutal version of the splits. The injured woman drops vertically down and lands hard on her groin, grunting in pain. Dani pressing her advantage, grasps her foes left ankle under her armpit and drops backwards, rolling to the side, painfully twisting the Chameleon's foot with a crack.

Dani does all she can to ignore the pain of the blows she has sustained and shoves the howling Chameleon's foot away. She sits up briefly and drops onto her foe driving an elbow into her ribs aiming for the spot she struck during the arrest of Not-Amy. "I can't take a chance, if she gets out of here, she will be a threat to anyone she comes across." She thinks, punching her foe, will all the force she can muster.

Dani is on her knees, trying to pin the Chameleon down with her right hand, as her left punishes the ribs and stomach of her foe. The Chameleon, rallies herself and pushes up hard seizing Dani's neck with both hands and squeezing with talons like steel. "Dani, you are an exceptional foe. I underestimated you. I am sorry."' The Chameleon says, with an almost sorrowful tone.

As dark spots form before Dani's eyes, she grasps her foes chin and places a strong hand on the back of her neck. "I am not sorry about this." She whispers, twisting, with every ounce of her failing strength, snapping her foes neck. She holds the Chameleons head at the tight, unnatural angle for a few moments, before she checks her pulse and is satisfied, that she is dead.

Dani staggers to her feet, battered and bloodied, standing in the smoke filled room, as the sprinklers engage, to dampen down the flames licking at the walls and ceiling. She scoops up the Chameleon's knife and works out how to deactivate it, before she shambles towards the door, clutching her ribs. "Whatever else happens, everyone is safe from you."
View my latest story, Revelation, here;

https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719


To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
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Post by Caesar73 »

Dear [mention]wolfman[/mention] this is a hell of ride you put us through. This fight Sequence is one of the best I read - ever. The scene reminds of Lee Childs Reacher Novels. Dani was incredible brave!
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Post by Bandit666 »

I have to admit I totally agree the fight scene, the writing overall worthy of Lee Childs and others besides. It seems I wander off for the shortest of times and the tale moves on at great pace. Thanks for your efforts and constant development
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Post by wolfman »

[mention]Caesar73[/mention] [mention] Bandit666[/mention]

Thank you for your kind words gentlemen. I am glad you are still enjoying this tale. Rest assured, there is a lot more to come.
View my latest story, Revelation, here;

https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719


To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
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Post by wolfman »

Sasha pushes Kate, in the commandeered wheel chair as fast as she safely can, through the smoke filled clinic. Coming to a rest in the reception area. "Kate are you ok?" She pants, pushing the button for the lift. 

"I have been better, but I will be ok. Can you please hit that red button behind you? We need to raise the alarm." Kate says, struggling to breath.

Sasha smacks the button and continues watching the corridor, past the reception desk and waiting area, with worried eyes, thinking, "Come on Dani. Where are you?"

"Where is she?" Sasha asks, watching the thin wisps of smoke start to drift down the corridor.

"I don't know darling. She wont be far behind us." Kate says taking Sasha's hand.

The wait in agonising silence for the lift, Sasha trembling as she watches the corridor. "I hope she is not too long." Sasha asks, swallowing her fears.

Kate cannot bring herself to speak, she struggles slowly to her feet and takes Sasha in her arms and the two stand in motionless, in their own thoughts.



Dani stumbles from the room and braces her back against the wall for a moment, breathing through the pain, feeling every blow that Lady Chameleon landed. She catches her reflection in the observation window of the room opposite her "I look like shit. Black eyes, bloody nose and that cut above my eye will be a problem." She flexes her back slightly, "Urgh. I am willing to guess that I am one big bruise under this T-shirt. She did a real number on me." She closes her eyes, trying to block the image of Lady Chameleon's dead face from her mind and focus.

"For the Chameleon's ruse to work, she wouldn't be able to kill Amy in advance. If she were killed in advance, an autopsy would show that, so she would need to be alive right to the last minute." She shakes her left hand and tenderly flexes her fingers.

She rests her head against the wall for a moment, watching the smoke begin to pour out of the room as the fire crackles behind her, "To minimise the chances of being caught out, she would need to minimise her time as Amy, so would probably have taken her recently. The Chameleon would need to grab her and hide her quickly. Stop standing here, bleeding on the floor and move yourself girl. You need to find her." She says to herself.

Dani moves as quickly, her aching limbs will allow from room to room, without sign of Amy. The siren of the alarm and red lights makes her think she is in a horror movie. Each empty room, heightens her sense of disquiet. "Maybe, I am wrong."

She bursts into a treatment room seeing the bed empty, but stops herself before she leaves, seeing a half used roll of industrial shrink wrap. "That doesn't fit. No need for that in a medical facility." She thinks stepping into the room.

Dani steps up to the door for the en suite bathroom and tests the door. "Locked." She observes, casting her eyes around the room for something to open the door with.



"Oh, shit." Sasha says out loud, "Garvey!" 

"What about him?" Kate asks, as the lift pings behind Sasha

"He is out cold in the clinic, he wont be able to get out." Sasha says, panicked.

"Don't worry darling. Help will be here soon." She says, edging Sasha towards the lift, "We have to get you out of here."

"There's no time, Kate." Sasha says, hurriedly, "Look at the smoke." She closes her eyes, bracing herself, trying to remember where he was. 

"Sasha, there is nothing we can do." Kate pleads, trying to hold on to Sasha.

The young womans eye open, burning with determination. She steps back from Kate and guides her aunt back in to the wheel chair, before firmly saying, "He is in here because of me. I have to fix this."

"Sasha, no! Come back." Kate calls after Sasha, as she sprints off, taking a spare wheel chair and heading back into the smoke filled corridor.

Kate leaps up from the chair to pursue her, only to be knocked back down, by a lance of pain from her back.



Dani finds a coin in a bedside table drawer. "That will do." She takes the coin firmly in hand and inserts it in a slot in the door handle, and uses it to turn the lock, "Yes." She exclaims as the lock yields.

She pulls the door open and raises her hand to her mouth in shock.

On the floor, writhes what appears to be, a person in a foetal position wrapped from head to foot in the industrial wrap she spotted.  She crouches by the side of the wrapped, struggling figure and cradles its head. "You are safe now. I am going to cut you free and get you out of here."'

As the wrapped figure mewls softly, Dani takes out the Chameleons knife and deploys the blade. Carefully, she begins to slice through the wrap, "Well this wouldn't leave any ligature marks and she is ready for transport." She thinks to herself.

Working as quickly as she can without cutting the wrapped figure, she unwraps and pulls the wrap from figures head, revealing Amy's dishevelled face, hair plastered to her skin with sweat. The medic looks up with tearful eyes at her battered and bloody saviour, gasping for breath, "What is going on?"

"Long story.  Short version, I am Dani and we need to get out of here." Dani explains, "I'm sorry, that there isn't time to tell you more, but there is a fire and the sprinklers are only slowing it down."

Amy nods in reluctant agreement, "I was attacked by me." She says, in a faraway tone, with a look on her face reflecting the strangeness of the sentence.

"I know, how scary this all must be. I need you stay very still." Dani says in the calmest voice she can muster, placing a hand on her shoulder, before cutting her body and legs free.

"Oh God, Kate." Amy says fearfully, looking pleadingly at Dani, "We have to make sure Kate is alright."

Dani finds the knife makes short work of the wrap as she removes the last of it from Amy's legs "Don't worry." She says putting a hand on the medics knee, comfortingly, "She is safe." 

Amy sits up awkwardly, using her good arm to steady herself, she looks at the pile of discarded industrial wrap on the floor and the smoke in the corridor and smiles weakly, still in shock "Thank you Dani." She say breathlessly "I thought I was going to die."

"We are not out of the woods yet. Shall we go and get some fresh air?" Dani asks, gently.



Sasha eyes stream from the acrid smoke, as she bursts through the door to Garvey's room. He slumbers where she left him earlier.  "Don't worry, I will get you out of here." She says, coughing.

When she parks the wheel chair by the side of his bed, she is struck by the size of the heavily muscled man. "He is massive. How the hell am I going to do this?" The slim, malnourished girl asks herself, spotting a couple of spare blankets on the bedside chair.

She grabs the first and folds it into a long strip. Sasha hugs him, as tight as she can and pulls back lifting his shoulders.  Before her strength fails her, she slips the blanket under his neck. Taking the ends, she moves to the foot of the bed and pulls hard, she turns red and the veins on her neck bulge. Slowly he rises until he is seated on the bed.

Sasha pants hard wrapping the other blanket around his lower legs. Holding the neck blanket and the leg blanket, she slowly pulls him, still seated until his feet point to the chair.  She turns the chair so that it is at a right angle to the bed and puts the brakes on. 

Taking the blankets in hand once more, she breathes heavily, "I hope this works." She says softly as she starts pulling backwards slowly, putting every ounce of her ninety pound frame into moving the massive man.



Despite the water from the sprinklers in Kate's room, the fire still burns.  The lifeless eyes of Lady Chameleon stare unblinking at the flames licking the emergency oxygen cylinder, under the bed. The pressure gauge on its side, reads three times the pressure it showed an hour ago. With a flash of light and an almighty crack, the oxygen within the cylinder ignites due to the temperature of the gas.



Dani guides Amy, in a half crouch under the worst of the smoke, with a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Not far now." She assures her.

She hears the boom of the oxygen explosion and shoves Amy to the ground, laying on top of her. Amy doesn't even have the chance to scream, before a fireball passes over the two of them.

The fireball flashes over quickly, but it's passing is marked by the roof tiles burning, windows cracking and the wall coverings smouldering, threatening a massive conflagration.

Dani climbs off of Amy and quickly rolls her onto her back, brushing hair from her face, "Are you ok?" She asks.

Amy looks into the young womans eyes, in pain, "Please. My leg."

Dani looks down and sees a smouldering shard of metal, embedded deep in the back of Amy's left calf.  "You have a metal fragment sticking out of your leg. It looks like it has cauterised it, so it is no bleeding, but I am not sure about pulling it out, in case it causes a bleed."

"I dont think I will be able to walk either way. Leave it in." Amy says feeling sick, she looks Dani in the eyes, "Leave me here and get help, I will slow you down too much."

Dani pulls out the knife and deploys the blade. Amy's eyes well up with fear, "W-what are you going to do?"

"Whole place is on fire, you stay here, you die." Dani explains, "'I am not going to leave you behind." 

Amy watches as Dani swiftly cuts the legs from her jeans and slashes them into strips. Her hands move with elegant precision, she uses the denim strips to anchor the metal in Amy's leg in place and prevent it from moving.

"That should stop it working lose, until we can get you properly looked at." Dani says, getting to her feet and extending a hand to Amy.

"Oh Dani, we have to warn everyon. There is someone running around, who looks like me.  I have no idea what she is planning." Amy says, taking her saviour's hand and gingerly standing, without putting any weight on her injured leg.

"Yeah, I know." Dani says, putting her arm under Amy's and around her back to support her weight, "We met."



The loud crack of the explosion, shocks Sasha into ducking involuntarily. She checks herself and breathes deeply, trying to calm her nerves, "This was a dumb idea."

Sasha quickly checks that Garvey is ok and heaves again with all of her might to get some momentum behind the unmoving chair. "I don't know if I can do this." She pants, struggling to move the seated man.

She collapses to her knees exhausted, "I have failed. I left Dani to face that woman on her own and even though I managed to get Garvey in the chair, I can't move him.."

Sasha looks down at her hands, cursing herself for not being stronger. Her eyes are caught by the edge of one of her scars, revealed when she holds out her hands, "Fuck no!"' She cries, angry at herself, "I faced Price, I am alive and he's dead. This is just a walk. I can do this. I screwed up and Garvey got hurt trying to save me, I will not let this man die without giving everything I have."

She steeles her nerve and rises to her feet once more, grasping the handles of the chair. The young woman  hangs her head and shakes it sorrowfully, before reaching down and disengaging the brake. 

Sasha facepalms herself and shakes her head with a chuckle, "Dumbass." She thinks, steeling her nerves and rising to grasp the handles of the chair. Putting her whole body into moving the heavily loaded wheel chair, into the flaming corridor, her heart leaps when, slowly, the chair starts to move.
View my latest story, Revelation, here;

https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719


To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
wolfman
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Post by wolfman »

Louise wakes with a start, hearing a loud bang from below her. Foggy from waking she gazes around the room and bites on of the bandages on her hands and pulls.  "Something is popping off." She thinks in the quiet room.

Steve bursts in to the bedroom. "Thank God you are ok. Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, sounded like an explosion.  Where are the girls?" Louise asks, sharply focused. With a final tug, She bites hard and pulls the last of the bandages off with her teeth.

"No sign of them. What the hell is going on?" Steve asks, looking more worried than Louise has ever seen before.

Louise picks up her phone and checks for alerts, her eyes widening in horror, as she sees the situation at hand,  "There's a fire in the clinic and explosion in Critical treatment room."

"Kate." Steve says, his stomach feeling hollow, "Can you co-ordinate with site services and security? I am going down there."

"I am coming too." Louise says, pulling on a pair of jeans, over the panties she slept in.

Steve rushes to her side, kissing her softly on the lips, "I love you, Mrs Marks. But I can't ask you to come."

"You never have to.  I will follow you into the gates of hell." She says snatching up a shirt.

"I hate rushing out before seven." Steve says, trying to make a joke.

Louise turns to him and takes his hand. He stares into her eyes, as she says, "They will be ok."

"I hope so." Steve says, whilst thinking, "I dont know what I would do if anything happened to Sasha or Dani. I barely know them, but they are my daughters."

As they head towards the lift, Louise begins rapidly messaging key members of the team and setting up a response for the incident.



"I can't leave them and I am in no shape to go after them. I feel so useless." Kate thinks, switching her gaze between the lift and the corridor. "Please be come back safe."

She turns startled as the lift doors open, spilling out half a dozen security personnel in full fire fighting gear. The lead operator sees her and moves to her side.

"Pierre, Dean. Look after this lady, get her to triage in the lobby and treat her for possible smoke inhalation." He barks, prompting two men to move forward.

"No, I am Kate Shaw, Nirvana Group Head of Security.  We need a forward command post here." Kate says firmly, her voice rasping slightly from the smoke, "There are at least three people in the clinic, one patient and two young women. Condition unknown. Be advised a possible enemy combatant may also be present."

The lead operator nods, as Kate speaks, listening to what she says, "Thank you ma'am. We have a second team on their way and I will request armed support, we will wait for them before we proceed.  We will not take any chances."



Steve and Louise step out of the lift, into a dark mire of red light and gathering smoke, the distant crackle of numerous fires and the hiss of sprinklers within the clinic, provide a constant soundtrack. A security team in fire fighting gear wearing oxygen tanks are being briefed in front of the door. Louise cuts through the team with elegant grace, followed by Steve. When they are clear of the men, they see Kate briefing two security officers wielding shotguns.

"Kate!" Louise calls, rushing to her side. "Thank God you are ok."

"I am so glad to see you, are you ok?" Kate asks, struggling to remain standing.

Steve puts an arm around Kate and helps her to sit, "Kate, what's going on?"

"There was a woman who called herself Lady Chameleon, disguised as Amy. She had me strapped down, and was planning to send us on a wild goose chase before leaving Amy's body on the front lawn. Sasha came in at the wrong moment and then Lady Chameleon grabbed her. Dani arrived and subdued her. She got lose and pulled a knife, Dani stayed to buy Sasha and I time to escape. We haven't seen Dani since.  Then we got here and Sasha went back into get Garvey out." As she speaks tears form in her eyes, until she looks into Steve's pained eyes, and the floodgates open. She weeps,   "I am so sorry, I have lost them."

Louise puts her arm around Kates shoulder and gently says, "It's ok Kate, the girls will be fine." She looks up at Steve for support and sees him staring looking thoughtfully, at the smoke filled corridor.

Steve speaks softly, "We have to arm the team going in. Lady Chameleon is a highly skilled combatant."

"You know her?" Louise asks.

"Mistress of disguise and a top flight hand to hand combatant. I trained her, she was one of my best students.  When in disguise, she fights like the person she is disguised as. Provided the disguise stayed in place, Dani has a chance." Steve says, in a disconnected tone as he considers the possibility that Dani may be badly hurt.

The bottom falls out of Kate's heart, as she mumbles "Sasha set fire to her mask and Lady Chameleon tore it off.  That's how the fire started."



Steve places a hand on her shoulder and looks her in the eyes, "I am sorry Kate, I need to be sure that is it you." He says, solemnly, "The day after we kidnapped you, you called your boss. What did I do to you?"

Kate looks at Steve and nods, "Fair enough." Understanding why Steve needs to know, "You stuck your finger down my throat and tipped a jug of water and wet toilet paper on the floor and told me to cough."

"What did you say to me then?" Steve asks, starting to relax.

"I cant remember exactly, but it was along the lines of, 'I am glad I said sickness and not diahorrea.'" she says, weakly smiling.

Steve smiles back relieved, "If you had, said that, you would have had to use your own finger."

Softly smiling, Louise looks up at Steve, "Do you need to check I am, who I say I am too."

Steve shakes his head with a smile, "No one else, no matter how good the disguise, could make me feel the way you do."

"Get a room you two." Kate says, with a lop sided grin, watching the newlyweds embrace.



Louise, Steve and Kate look up as the Chateau's security chief announces, "Thermal sensors show the majority of fires are out, just reflares and smoke to deal with now."

"Looks like they are going to move in, I am going with them." Steve says, firmly, "I have to find my girls."

"Steve, I-" Kate stops, seeing a commotion in the corridor.

They watch open mouthed as a wheel chair emerges, with the Garvey slumped in the seat. Sasha pushes with all her strength to move the big man, her whole body trembles with the effort, as she struggles to put one foot in front of the other.

Steve rushes forward and catches Sasha as she collapses from the effort. He holds her close, cradling her in his arms, "Oh my brilliant, wonderful, beautiful girl. I thought I had lost you."

Sasha  weakly looks up at Steve and mumbles, "Will he be ok dad?" Steve looks down tearfully smiling and nods.

"Yes, sweetheart, thanks to you." Steve whispers as she buries her head in his shoulder.

"Is Dani back yet?" Sasha asks with wide, hopeful eyes.

"Not yet." Steve says, holding her close.

"Do you think she is ok?" She asks, swallowing hard.

"I have a feeling she is." Steve whispers, feeling the part of his heart that Dani calls home, is still occupied.

Sasha snuggles into his arms and whispers "Me too."

Louise wheels Kate to their side, as Sasha buries her head in his shoulder. She catches his eye and with hope in her voice, asks, "Is she ok?"

Steve nods gently, rocking her back and forth tenderly in his arms. "It's her." He mouths, before kissing the top of her head.



Dani fights to keep Amy on her feet as they continue to plunge through the smoke, "Come on Amy, we are nearly there." She says, encouraging the injured woman.

She begins to cough and feels her grip on Amy slipping. "No, not now, we are so close." She says gritting her teeth.

Amy fights to hold on and manages to stand, when Dani adjusts her grip. "Please don't leave me." She says weakly.

Dani feels her legs shake as she keeps Amy upright and continues to half carry her towards the lift. "Hold on Amy, I will get you there if it kills me."



Garvey wakes slowly, roused by the sound of movement around him. His gaze rests on Steve and Sasha, "Woz goon on?" He slurs, the drugs still hard at woke in his system.

Steve looks up at the wounded man, "The clinic has been on fire and Lady Chameleon is here. She was last seen, facing off against Dani."

Garvey cracks his neck and straightens his back, now fully alert, "Oh Shit. Are you sure?" 

"Kate confirmed it." Steve advises, in a serious tone.

"Get me a twelve gauge and a radio. Lets go get her. We can't have a repeat of Athens, not here." Garvey says, cracking his knuckles.

"Easy big guy, you are in no shape for this." Steve says, shaking his head.

"Steve, behave yourself. Even half dead, I am better than these boys you got running round here." Garvey says, experimentally flexing his injured shoulder and leg. He winces a little and rubs his hand over his face and looks around quizically, "How did I get here?"

Steve looks down at his daughter, snuggled against him, "Sasha got you out."

Garvey raises his eyebrows and smiles, "Thank you Sasha, I owe you one."

Sasha looks up beaming at the big man, "It's my fault you were here in the first place.  I just couldn't leave you."

Garvey chuckles and shakes his head, "Aint your fault kid. You didn't pull the trigger." He looks at Steve, "A wise man once said, 'Dont blame yourself for the actions of others.', you did what you felt was right.  No shame in that. We all made a choice to come get you, knowing the risks."

"He's right you know." Kate says, squeezing her shoulder.

Sasha nods resting her head on Steve's shoulder, "Where is Dani? Do you think she is alright?"

"If your sister, is anything like you, she will be ok." Garvey nods, solemnly. 



"Come on Amy. We are nearly there." Dani pleads as Amy's strength starts to failed her.

"With the pain and the smoke I am done, I just can't." Amy mumbles, the last of the strength ebbing from her limbs.

"I can hear voices, we are so close." Dani says, with tears in her eyes. 

Her aching limbs move slowly, She feels Amy go limp and she fights to hold on to her. "No." She says defiantly, turning to face her companion and   Throwing her arms around her waist. Amy bends forward, her muscles limp. Dani, takes a breath of cleaner air nearer the floor then shifts her grip on Amy, holding her around the knees and letting the medic flop forward onto Dani's shoulder.

On shaky legs she stands, steadying Amy on her shoulder.  Dani staggers on step at a time towards the voices she hears.

"Please let me do this one thing." She prays silently, as each step, feels like a thousand yards. Everything is in focus, the soft huff of Amy's breath, the feel of her companion's weight on her shoulder, the burning in her legs, the stench of the smoke, the wailing crescendo of every injury she has sustained.

In her mind, the world stands still, as she inexorably advances towards help and safety. In her mind, the swirling smoke and constant downpour of the spinklers, blocks everything else out as she grips the woman next to her in an unyielding grip. "One foot in front of the other and repeat until you drop, or you get where you are going."



Sasha leaps from Steves arms without warning and charges towards the smoke. Steve is on his feet and moving, before anyone else can react.

Dani hears the voices of the security team, but is too weak to call out. Her legs start to shake. "We arenearly there Amy. Stay with me." She thinks, her heart sinking. Amy stirs next to her and moans softly in pain. Dani grits her teeth, and hisses, "Come on.", to herself, as she gives one last push.

Sasha runs hard towards the legs she saw under the smoke, all her aches forgotten. She looks over her shoulder to see her father three steps behind her, "It's Dani." She cries.

Dani hears her name and smiles to herself, "Sasha!" She calls out, seeing two shapes in the smoke approaching her.

As Dani emerges from the smoke, Sasha stands open mouthed at the bloody and soot blackened face of her sister, carrying Amy, with single minded determination.

Dani sees Sasha and winks with a smile. "Is Kate ok?" She asks breathlessly.

Sasha nods and smiles back, choked up with tears she cannot speak. She jumps, startled as Steve gently sqeezes her shoulder.

He looks at Dani, with fresh eyes, seeing for the first time the strength within her and nods with a smile. "Are you ok Dani?" He asks, softly. "Do you want me to take Amy?"

"I want to see this through." Dani responds softly, but firmly.

Steve nods and puts his hand around Sasha. "You have got this Dani. Lead the way."

"He respects me enough to let me finish, instead of taking over." Dani realises, slowly walking towards the makeshift command post. She feels the comforting warmth of Steve's hand, on the small of her back and sees the warmth in Sasha's eyes and knows with all her being that she is no longer alone in the world.



All activity and commotion in the command centre ceases, as all assembled, turn to watch Dani emerge from the corridor. Kate weeps tears of joy, seeing her niece standing tall, handing Amy over to the medics and allowing Steve to help her into a wheel chair.

Steve takes Dani's hand and kisses her knuckles tenderly. "Good to have you back."

The chair starts to move and Steve looks up at Sasha as she starts to push, "Are you sure?"

Sasha flashes Steve a cheeky grin "No worries, she is a lot lighter than Garvey."
View my latest story, Revelation, here;

https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719


To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
Caesar73
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Post by Caesar73 »

I'm out of superlatives now, that is for sure :) What intensity, the relations between the characters. New roles for Steve, Louise and Kate. Steve as father, Louise as wife and head if Nirwana, and Kate as aunt and chief of security.
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wolfman
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Post by wolfman »

The high vaulted ceiling overhead, has never born witness to such a scene in the Chateau's long history. The polished marble floors are swarming with security personnel in fire fighting equipment and medics tending those in their care. Temporary screens between beds, give those recovering some measure of privacy, filter some of the light in the large open space. 

Kate slowly walks with the aid of the walking stick Steve used during his recovery. With confident, but small steps, she makes her way through the triage area, surveying the scene around her. She spots louise and waves with a smile.

Louise waves back with a smile, keeping the phone to her ear, "Lock down the building. Find the medical team that were supposedly on duty and get me confirmation on when the clinic can be back up and running." Louise says sharply into her phone.

She paces back and forth as the person on the other end of the line speaks, "No, Don't give me that. Our director of security was attacked in one of our facilities and several people have beeen assaulted on site. The evacuation remains in place until the site is secured."

"How bloody dare you?" Louise says firmly, in a slightly raised voice, "The safety of our guests and employees is my highest concern. An intruder broke in and attacked our Security Director whilst she was recovering in the clinic, following her intervention to rescue a guest of this facility from a hostile party. I will be ordering a full review of security protocols across all sites, to ensure that there is no repeat of this." She pauses, nodding in agreement to the response on the line, "Of course, we are working closely with local and national authorities to bring those responsible to justice." 

Kate winces, glad she is not the unfortunate individual quoting regulations to Louise on the other end of the phone.



The former Chief Inspector, smiles at the sight of Garvey sitting with Sasha explaining how she helped him get out of the clinic and pensively looks away, at the sight of Steve drawing a curtain around Amy's bed.

"Feel like I have run a marathon." Kate thinks, as she plants herself in a chair next to Dani's bed and catches her breath.

The young woman smiles at her visitor, sitting up in bed. "How are you doing?" Dani asks brightly.

Kate leans over from the chair and hugs Dani warmly. "Fine thanks to you. How are you?"

"I am basically a walking bruise, but I am ok." Dani says, unable to make eye contact.

Kate looks at her seeing her folded arms and legs tucked up to her chin, "You were incredible this morning." Kate says gently, "You saved a lot of lives."

"I just got lucky." Dani says, almost seeming drained.

"I have watched the footage of the fight and the way you got Amy out. There was a lot more skill and tenacity at work than luck." Kate says, with a hint of admiration, "I have worked with some of the best firearm officers and special forces operatives in Europe over the course of my career and any of them would be proud to put in a performance like you did this morning."

"Please don't say that." Dani says on the verge of tears.

Kate leans forward in her seat, "Hey, I'm sorry." She says softly, "I didn't mean to upset you. What's the matter?"

"It will sound stupid." Dani protests, unable to make eye contact with Kate.

"You saved my life. I owe you everything I do from this moment forward. You stood against one of Steve's best students and not only survived but won. Even though we have never properly spoken, I am proud of you." Kate says, earnestly. "You have no idea, how good you are."

"It's just." Dani pauses, unable to say the words.

Kate slowly rises from the chair and sits on the bed taking Dani's hand. "It's ok, I am here for you Dani, you can talk to me."

In a tiny voice, she whispers, "I killed that woman and don't feel anything. What does that make me?"

"Twelve years ago, first day on duty as an armed response officer.  We got a shout to a domestic disturbance in Slough. My partner and I got there and it was carnage. We kicked in the door and this Guy took a machetè to his girlfriend after an arguement. There was blood everywhere and he was standing there like a psychotic butcher. Weapon in hand, eyes bulging, teeth bared and screaming like a banshee. I ordered him to put down the weapon and it was like a red rag to a bull. He flew across the room at us screaming and swinging that massive knife. My partner froze but I just reacted." Kate says, with an inscrutable expression on her face, "Two rounds, centre torso, just like in training. He was gone before he hit the ground. I ran to the girlfriend and held her guts inside her while my partner snapped out of it and called it in.  I was fine, did the paperwork, sat with internal affairs and went to counselling and it was like nothing happened. A week later, I got off shift, went home and put a microwave lasagne on."

"I don't follow what you mean." Dani says confused.

Kate smiles weakly and continues "I underestimated how hot it was, when I took it out and I dropped it on the floor. I stared at the mess and it was like I was back in that house. The meat and sauce looked like the blood leaking from the man I shot. In that moment, I felt the life that I had ended. It might not hit in the heat of the moment, but when all is quiet and you least expect it, thats when it comes."

"How did you get over it?" Dani asks, worried.

"'I remembered the girl who would have died. I may have taken a life that day, but she lived because of me. It helped me to make peace with it." Kate winces as she leans forward, looking Dani in the eyes, "You saved a lot of lives today. Don't let that thought go." She reclines back in the chair, "If ever you need to talk, you can always come to me."

Dani smiles warmly, "Thanks Kate, you have no idea how much that means to me."

"Anytime day or night. I am here for you. Just like your father and Louise are." Kate says softly, resting her hand on Dani's, "When all this is done, It would be nice to have you around, unless you have other plans."

"I have no idea what I am going to do. Everything I owned was in the car and I have no money in the bank. I screwed up my exams and got kicked out of the Royal Navy Police. I have got nothing." Dani says, sadly.

"It is a shame that you the Navy Police didn't work out for you. For the record, I was impressed by the way you broken down her cover story and the truth, you would have made a hell of a detective." Kate says, nodding in quiet admiration.

"Tried to join the police, my grades were just good enough, but I didn't have enough life experience.  Thats one of the reasons I joined the Royal Navy Police." Dani explains before, smiling at Kate, "Thank you."

"I believe in you Dani, I will support you if you want to retake your exams and go to University. I still have a lot of friends on the force, if you ever wanted to try again to join the police, I would back you to the hilt." Kate says, without irony.

The young woman's lip quivers, "But, I barely know you. Why would you do all that for me?"

Kate hugs Dani and whispers in her ear, "Because, you are family and you deserve it. You don't have to be alone."



Garvey sits back in his bed and smiles down at Sasha. "Still can't believe you managed to move me." The wounded man says shaking his head in disbelief at the tiny girl, "You saved my life. How did you think of that way of doing it?"

"Just remembered something Kate said, 'Think of where you are and where you want to be and then, do what you can until you get there or something changes." Sasha explains.

"'Wise words." Garvey says, considering the philosophy.

The soldier sees Sasha rocking slightly in the chair. "How are you holding up?" He asks, concerned for his saviour.

"Ok I guess." Sasha says, losing a little of her smile. "Just feel a bit weird."

"Bit shaky, restless, nervous for no reason?" Garvey asks, with a knowing smile.

"How did you know?" Sasha asks, surprised.

"Adrenaline comedown. You are going to be ok. Just take it easy and try to relax a bit." Garvey says, sagely.

Sasha looks up at him, "Not sure I can. I still feel quite wired."

Garvey looks at the young woman, concerned, "You have had a rough few days love. You'll be ok. Just remember to eat and drink and make sure you rest when you can. The body and mind are remarkable things, they can heal a lot with time." He smiles gently at Sasha. "If you need to talk, I will always listen."

"Thanks Simon, but you don't need to listen to me whining on." Sasha says.

"Knock that on the head, young lady.  I am still breathing in and out because you saved my life. You can bend my ear whenever you want." Garvey says, with a fatherly smile.

"Thanks uncle Simon. Thank you for coming for me when I went to Medteqniq." Sasha says, reaching out and squeezing his hand.

"No drama. You are one of us. We look after our own." He says warmly. 



Amy weakly opens her eyes, finding herself gazing lazily up at Steve, "Is it over?"

"For now it is." Steve says, softly, "I think you should take the rest of the day off."

"Gee thanks boss." Amy says with a weak laugh. 

"I am really sorry Amy, but can I ask you something?." Steve says, watching her reactions.

"Yeah sure." Amy says, suspiciously.

"I need you to think back to when Harris shot me with the crossbow bolt. How many stitches did you put in, when you treated me?" Steve asks, in a gentle tone. "You are meticulous, you should know."

Amy looks up at him warily, "What is this about? What is going on?"

"Lady Chameleon impersonated you.  I need to know, that you are you. You wouldn't note down the number of stitches, but you would know."

"Initial treatment I put in twenty three micro stitches on the top of your leg andthirty three underneath. Same again first time you popped your stitches. After that, I switched to mesh and medical glue, to reduce the damage to your skin." Amy answers, closing her eyes to remember.

Steve closes his eyes and nods, to himself, "I am so pleased to have you back."

"Good to be back boss." Amy says, warmly, "By the way, who is Dani?"

"My daughter." Steve smiles proudly down at her.

"She is quite something." Amy says, with a tear in her eye. "Refused to leave me behind, even though I was hurt and would slow her down. I could see how hurt she was and it was like she didn't care. She is just like you."

With a touch of sadness, he looks over at Sasha and Dani as they tightly hug each other, "I don't want her to be like me. I want a better life for her and her sister."
View my latest story, Revelation, here;

https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719


To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
wolfman
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Post by wolfman »

"Are we ok?" Louise asks putting the phone back in her pocket, and smiling at Steve.

Steve embraces her warmly and kisses her lips with the hunger of reunited lovers, "Before anything else, I need to tell you that I love you and I missed you last night, Mrs Marks."

Louise sinks into his arms and returns his kiss, their bodies melting together, "I missed you too."

"I wish we had time for more." Steve, says rubbing that back of his neck.

"Me too. They do say that, children often get in the way of a couples love life." Louise says with a cheeky smile.

Steve looks into her eyes, "Are you still ok with Dani and Sasha being here?"

She squeezes his arm and kisses him on the cheek, "They are a part of you and I love them for that. They are both so sweet." Louise gazes at her husband, and beams at him, "I have seen a new side to you since they arrived. You are a great father." She says softly, suddenly unable to look him in the eyes.

"Lou? What's wrong?" Steve asks, sensing the heaviness in her heart.

"It's nothing. Its just, I see you with them and." Louise's tears take the rest of her words from her.

"Oh Lou. I am so sorry for all this." Steve whispers gently into her ear. "I forgot how hard this must be on you."

"I am ok." Louise says, drying her eyes, "I just wish we could have children together."

"So do I, Lou." Steve says, kissing the top of her head, "'So do I." 

His heart weighs heavy in his chest, as he holds his wife close and comforts her. "I would tear down the pillars of heaven to cure her of the evil her sister wrought upon her."

Louise rests in Steve's arms, under the main window overlooking the grounds of the chateau, "Sorry to have a wobble. You are so good with those girls and it just hit me a little hard."

"We have never really talked about children of our own.  When this is all done, I think we should look at the options." Steve says, kissing the top of her head.

"I would like that." Louise says warmly, taking a deep breath to centre herself. "Lets focus on where we are and getting the bastards behind this."

"Are you sure you are up to it?" Steve asks, concerned.

She nods and smiles, "We are clear of guests for the day, the clinic will be up and running within two days, however, we can offer some treatments later today. The board are not happy, but accept the outcome. They are behind me for now, but, we need to end this before we are hit again." Louise explains, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

"I am thinking we take the fight to them. Hit them in a way that they won't suspect until it is too late." Steve says, thoughtfully. 

"What do you have in mind?" Louise asks, bracing herself for a declaration of war. 

"It has already begun." Steve says, deep in thought.



Thibault LeFevre, leans back in his chair, within the security booth at the main gate of Medteqniq, "This is the life. Got off lucky last night. Literally dodged a bullet." He chuckles to himself, as the phone rings beside him. He turns to answer the phone, not noticing the middle aged black man in cleaner's overalls, cap and face mask, walk nonchalantly past the window of the booth.

Mike Ryan walks with a practiced grace, timing his steps, ensuring he does not need to rush or slow down, to catch the outer door, with a gloved hand, before it closes.

He crosses the high walled lobby of the building, subtly angling the peak of his cap to block the overhead cameras and leave his face in shadow from the harsh lighting above.

With practiced efficiency, he retrieves a cleaning trolley from a supply cupboard behind the reception desk, just like the plans he reviewed last night indicated.

The executive who entered the building before him, does not feel the ID card lifted from his pocket, as he pushes the button calling the lift. He sips a bottle of water and looks impatiently at his watch, unaware of the man in his blind spot.

A small gathering of office workers wait at the entrance to the lift, following their early morning dash for a coffee, before they begin their day in earnest. Ryan slips out of the door remaining at most in the periperal vision of the employees.

He pockets another pass card. Slipped unnoticed from the pocket of an employee carrying a tray of drinks and chatting to his colleagues. "With his hands full, he will not be reaching for his card any time soon." He thinks, using the executives card to open the door to the server room.



"Security not too bad on the way in, but if this goes pear shaped, leaving will be an issue." Mike Ryan says, standing in the server room. 

He removes a small atomiser of perfume from the inner pocket of his overalls and sprays one pump of scent with a swish of his arm. Returning the atomiser to his pocket, he pulls out a sealed zip lock bag and opens it, counting to ten. The smell of the fish head, lingers faintly in the air, even after it is returned from whence it came.

Ryan takes out the two large capacity hard drives and plugs them in to download the companies entire database and encryption keys. "Shouldn't take too long." He thinks, picking up the mop and beginning to clean the floor.



"Another couple of minutes and we should be clear." Ryan thinks checking progress on the drives.  Hiding them once more he takes up his mop and continues.

The door opens quickly and a man staring down at a tablet walks in. He looks up startled, "You are not supposed to be in here." His voice is nervous, his slight Marseille accent betraying his roots.

Ryan quickly appraises him, "Posture indicates, a lot of time hunched at a desk, lack of tan indicates indoor lifestyle.  Far from home, working in IT, I would guess. So far he has only seen the mask and cap."

"I am not the only one." Ryan responds in perfectly accented french.

The IT man's eyes widen with fear, "What do you mean?" He asks unsure of this man's intent.

"Some asshole from upstairs, brought one of the marketing girls in here last night and I have to clean it up. I hate this job." Ryan says bitterly, "I wish I was back in Martigues, less money, but at least I was not cleaning up like a brothel keeper. This is the third time in as many weeks."

The IT man nods grimly "I wondered what the smell was. Animals, don't they know that there is a lot of sensitive equipment in here."

"These people don't care. The bark at the little people and do what they want." Ryan says, scrubbing at a spot on the floor. 

"You are not wrong there." The tech nods again and checks the temperature and humidity of the room, "Hey, when you are done, can you let me know so I can get a dehumidifier in here?"

"Sure, where will you be?" Ryan asks, looking up at the tech.

"Next door, booth on the right." The man calls out as he leaves.

"No problem." Ryan says, drying and polishing the spot, he has been scrubbing.

Ryan packs away the cleaning gear back into the bucket of the mop and checks his work.  He checks the hard drives and secretes them inside his clothing.



Ten minutes later, after notifying the IT technician that he was done and a discussion about how hard it is to get a decent Pieds et Paquet in Paris, Ryan is standing in a stairwell. Far from cameras and prying eyes, he quickly changes his face mask and dons a pair of steel rimmed spectacles, tucking the previously mask and cap back in the inside of the overalls. Moving with graceful precision, he slips out of the cleaners overalls, leaving him wearing black trousers and a salmon pink shirt. He climbs onto the hand rail of the stairs and lifts one of the ceiling tiles, slipping his folded overalls and hard drives, into the gap above. 

He makes his way to the twelve floor, emerging from the stairwell into a lab. At an easy pace, Ryan takes a labcoat from a peg and uses the coffee guys ID card to access the lab. 

No one reacts to his entrance into the room. Two female asssistants, sit together working on a computer model of some sort. Another male assistant cleans glass wear in preparation for use later that day. The last man is reviewing samples for reactivity through a microscope. 

He walks over to the medical supplies fridge and pours a little water onto the condensor unit, while the assistants continue oblivious.



Ryan walks up to the secured clean room door at the other end of the room and enters the code, that has been helpfully written on a post it note and stuck to the glass. He shakes his head and opens the door.

A heavily bandaged man lays in a bed with several, IV's feeding into his arms. His eyes are closed and his breathing steady. A nurse checks his pulse and temperature, noting down the results on the clipboard in her hands.

Silently, Ryan crosses the room and looks over her shoulder at the chart, before returning to his original position.

"Interesting. Looks like this man was injured last night in the helicopter explosion, third degree burns over the majority of his body." Ryan thinks to himself. 

"Nurse, how is Mr Reynard, this morning?" Ryan asks, in French with a soft Bordeaux accent.

 "Very well doctor. He is responding well to treatment and we are seeing significant tissue regeneration around all injury sites and his vital signs are strong and steady. If he continues to progress at the current rate, he will be able to leave in a day or two."

"I am no doctor, but that is fast, especially given the nature of the injuries." Ryan thinks, nodding calmly.

"Very good. Is he on the latest iteration?" He asks, firmly.

The nurse checks the charts and nods, "Yes. He is on twenty milligrams of PCS twenty two, every two hours in saline."

"That is very reassuring." Ryan says, with a nod, "In your opinion, what should be the next step?"

"Well we are looking to do a direct injection of two hundred milligrams, and a high yield protien mix to fuel tissue regeneration." The nurse says impatiently, flashing Ryan a look of disdain.

"My apologies.  I am not here to test you one what we will do." He says reassuringly, "I am interested in what you think we should do next, given your experience."

She straightens her uniform and smiles beneath her facemask, "'I think the most we could safely push to, is three hundred milligrams, but the patient would require constant monitoring to ensure that their body temperature is maintained and a direct feed of high yield protein to prevent ketosis."

Ryan nods sagely, "Risky, but possible. What are your thoughts on maintaining temperature?"

"I would connect the patient to a dialysis machine and fit a cooling jacket, around the tube supplying blood back to the patient. That way you cool the core rather than cooling the from the outside in, with ice baths"  She explains.

Ryan nods, slowly, mumbling, "Interesting." And exits the room without acknowledging the nurse further.

"You're welcome." The nurse huffs under her breath when she is alone in the room, "Doctors are all the same here."



Ryan clicks the ice off of the top of the condenser and moves behind the assistant, cleaning glass. He turns a Petri dish upside down andd places it on the edge of the drying area, with the small chunk of ice next to it. He places a glass beaker on top of the petri dish balanced on the ice.

He steps back and waits by the fridge, watching the other occupants of the room. The glass cleaner stares at a recently cleaned test tube and once happy that there are no streaks, places it on the drainer and selects the next item to be cleansed. The modellers, nod as they look at the screen, as they near completion andthe last man switches slides in the microscope with tired precision.

Ten minutes later, the ice has melted just enough to shrink a little and become slick. The beaker atop the ice and dish, slips and falls with a crash to the floor. In the still quiet of the room, the noise is deafening. All eyes snap to the shattered beaker. Harsh words are exchanged and muttered insults pepper the rest of the day. None of the occupants of the room, notice that the man who wasn't there, had left and five bottles of PCS twenty were missing.



Ryan walks down the street away from the building, dressed in cleaners overalls his cap and the mask he first used to enter the building. In his pockets are two fully loaded hard drives and a chilled case containing five stolen bottles.



Two hours later, Ryan slips into the Chateau unnoticed by the security team. He glides around the periphery of the triage area, taking a bottle of water from the bar in the lobby.  He sits on a stool in the midst of the chaos and sips the cool water. All the while he watches the scene before him.

"Kate is moving with a stick, but at least she is alive." He thinks quietly, "Tough as hell. Cannot believe that she got shot last night and still looks stunning.  If only I was ten years younger." He sips the water admiring Kate, "Who am I kidding, even if I were ten years younger, she would break me in two."

He snaps his gaze away and spots Steve and Louise, deep in conversation and quietly says to himself, "That looks serious.  Shame I would have liked to catch up with them, before I head off."'

Ryan stands and drops two Euros on the bar, and heads up the main staircase. Just one more ghost, to add to all the others in this old building.



Eating a slice of left over pizza, Ryan deposits the PCS twenty and a note with instructions in the fridge of Steve and Louise's suite. "World changing medicine in exchange for cold pizza. Fair trade, as far as I am concerned."

He takes out one of the hard drives and deposits it in the rooms safe. "Well that's me done here time to make a move." He says under his breath, "Be back soon mate."

Ryan walks down the drive way to the facility and sends a simple text to Steve, "Hi mate, phase one complete, check your safe and fridge. En route to phase two. Will catch up for a beer soon."



He slips the phone back in his pocket, unaware that when he folded the hand written note, with the instructions of how to administer the PCS twenty, the ink smudged. Now, the 300 mg, reads 900 mg.
View my latest story, Revelation, here;

https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719


To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
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slackywacky
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Post by slackywacky »

300 mg vs 900 mg... that could be dangerous. Okay, time to be boring... great chapter yet again. Some day I will come up with something more special to describe your work.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment.
Slackywacky, also @DeviantArt

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wolfman
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Post by wolfman »

Sasha watches as Kate leaves Dani's side and nervously approaches her sisters bed. "Hello you. How are you doing? I hear you dragged Garvey out." Dani says with a smile.

Sasha flashes a weak smile and asks, "Can I talk to you please?", she wipes her hands on her smoke soiled, tracksuit trousers, and shifts her body uncomfortably.

"Oh Sasha, no need to be so formal. Come and sit, we need to talk." Dani says warmly.

Sasha quietly sits, with her hands folded in her lap "I still feel really bad about leaving you in the woods. I am sorry."

Dani sighs and sits up on the bed, running her fingers through her hair. She fixes Sasha with a steely glaze and speaks softly. "You tasered me, you tied me up, you stole my car and left me there. A wild boar came and began sniffling my leg like it was a starter and I was so numb from the cold, I wouldn't have felt it if it had taken a chunk out of me."

Sasha's lip trembles, as she mumbles, "I am sorry."

"Dont be sorry, I am grateful." Dani whispers, with a smile.

Sasha looks up confused, "I-I don't understand."

"It gave me a chance to see Steve, for who he really is and not the man I had been lead to believe he was." Dani says warmly, "And when you got back and Steve scooped you up and brought you to the room, I got the chance to see how sweet Lou is."

"What are you saying?" Sasha asks, wide eyed.

"When I turned sixteen, mum and dad took me out for a birthday meal, nothing fancy, just a meal at a local pub." She gives a distant smile, "It was quiz night and we got every question wrong on purpose. We laughed all night." Dani pauses, eyes moistened by tears, centring herself, lest they over come her, "On the way home, we were on a lonely stretch of road and this yellow BMW comes out of no where. Slammed into the side of the car and sent us down into a ditch." She chokes back tears, before continuing in a distant voice, "Didn't even stop. I got out through the back window, but I couldn't pull them free. Their legs were pinned, the doors were wedged by the sides of the ditch. There was no signal and nothing I could do, but watch. They bled to beath before anyone came. I have been alone since that night." Dani pauses, staring at the ceiling, before turning her gaze to Sasha, with a tearful smile.

"I will always miss them, but because of you, I don't feel alone anymore. I have a sister, a father who seems to be very different from what I thought, a step mum who is very sweet and an aunt, who is on my side." Dani places her hands either side of Sasha's face and smiles, "You have given me so much, you never need to apologise to me again. Thank you Sasha."

Sasha's lip quivers and shakily she sits on the bed next to Dani, tentatively putting an arm around her shoulder.



They sit quietly together, lost in their own thoughts, watching the staff bustle about their duties in the makeshift medical centre. Sasha dozes on Dani's shoulder, Dani leans back onto the bed supporting her sister and closing her eyes.

She wakes sharply a few minutes later, after the fight with Lady Chameleon plays through her mind.  She pants, covered in sweat.

Sasha sits up and turns to Dani, her face a mask of concern, "Are you ok?"

Dani takes a deep breath and looks at her sister, "I have something, I need to say to you. Something you need to hear."

Nervously, Sasha meets Dani's gaze and bites her lip, "Go for it."

"When you decide a course of action, you do it and nothing stops you." Dani says, with a gentle smile, "I screwed up. I should have checked Lady Chameleon better when she was restrained. I let my guard down and she got lose. I looked down the barrel of that gun and saw my life flash before my eyes.  Then you didn't hesitate, you didn't flinch, you didn't falter. You saved my life and threw yourself over Kate without thought for yourself."

Sasha opens her mouth to speak, but Dani silences her with a finger gently pressed to her lips, "I need to finish." Dani says softly, before continuing, "You tried to put the fire out and you got Kate out of there. At that moment, you did not hesitate, fail or falter and you ran back into a burning clinic, to save a man three times your size."

"I guess so." Sasha mumbles.

"I mean it, when someone elses life is on the line, you do whatever can to save them. You are better than you give yourself credit for. I believe in you." Dani says, placing a hand on Sasha's upper arm and smiling at her. "You need to start believing in yourself too."

"I believe in you too." Sasha says with a gentle smile, "I have watched the video of you fighting Lady Chameleon.  You are such a boss."

Dani looks away and shrugs subtly, "I have never killed anyone before."

Sasha looks around to make sure no one is listening and whispers to Dani, "When I crashed into the van at the airport, the van drivers neck was broken. Lou made out that he went for a gun and shot him, but, I know he was already dead from the crash."

"How do you know his neck was broken?" Dani asks, stunned.

"He was almost looking straight behind him." Sasha says, quietly. "I think Lou shot him, so I wouldnt know I killed him."

"Why would she do that?" Dani asks, shaking her head.

"Not sure, but I would guess she did it, so I wouldn't have to live knowing I killed someone." Sasha says, thoughtfully.

"Deadly sisters, eh?" Dani asks with a lop-sided smile.

Sasha chuckles, warmly, "The deadliest.", she smiles at Dani,  "How long have you got to stay here?"

"Dunno, I am a bit sore still but, feel alright. Not seen a medic for a little bit." Dani shrugs.

Sasha's smile fades a little, and she nods, "Fair enough, I was hoping we could get a bite to eat and talk."

Dani flexes her shoulders and cracks her neck, "Sounds good to me. Shall we head up to the suite? There should be some cold pizza left."



Steve paces by the main window of the suite, in an agitated state, "Kate this is too risky. We don't know what this will do." He throws up his arms in a gesture encompassing the recently set up medical bed and dialysis machine.

"You can't do this alone, Steve. You need back up." Kate says, placing the prepared syringe on a tray by the bed. "Ryan's note was clear, both on dosage and aftercare. I do this, then all of a sudden you are not alone, if they come tonight."

"He wont be alone. I just need absorbent pads and a pair of gloves and I am good to go." Louise says, firmly.

"'We need to protect those girls. The more hands we have on deck the better." Kate says, Itching to get back into the field.

"Let's at least wait until Bryce gets here.  He is in the air and due onsite withing the hour." Louise says relenting slightly. "Don't forget, Dani can handle herself.  I am willing to bet that she is as good with a gun, as she is unarmed."

"Better to hold her in reserve." Steve says. "If trouble comes, she is the last line of defence." 



Dani and Sasha sneak in to the suite and listen to the discussion from the kitchen.

"What do you reckon?" Dani asks, biting down on a slice of cold pizza.

"'Our siblings have died for this. I am not sure how I feel about anyone using it." Sasha says, uncomfortably.

"I know what you mean, but Kate has a point, if they come, the more active shooters we have the better the chance of repelling trouble." Dani offers.

"Do you think they will come?" Sasha asks, biting her lip.

"By now they will have realised that Lady Chameleon has either been captured or killed. If she had a support team, they have probably gone to ground and are watching us." Dani thinks aloud, with a faraway look in her eyes, "'I don't know if they will try a direct action or something more indirect. Either way we need to be ready."

"Sounds like it is getting heated in there. I think we need to try to calm things down." Sasha says warily, as a seed of an idea forms in her mind.



"Steve, I love those girls too. Don't make me stand by and watch.  You know trouble is coming." Kate pleads, with her brother.

"And I love you Kate, that is why I cant let you try." He says extending an open hand towards the syringe, "Not without knowing if it is safe."

Sasha and Dani, exchange a look of raised eyebrows, as they carry the remainder of the pizza in and lay it on a table near the window, listening to the discourse.

Steve looks up at them and smile, "Hello ladies." He frowns slightly, as he looks at Dani, "'Are you sure you are ok to be up and about?"

Dani sits on the sofa next to Louise and rolls her shoulders, "I am a bit bruised, but ok."

"I am glad you are alright." Steve struggles to find the right words, as he thinks of the footage of the fight, "I had a feeling that you would be able to handle yourself, but I must say, I am surprised by just how good you are."

"I have been doing Ju Jitsu since I was six years old and I learned a lot from my instructors in the Navy Police." Dani says, unable to look Steve in the eyes.

"It is never easy when you take a life. I know how it can weigh on the mind. If you ever want to talk, I will always listen." Steve says, in a gentle tone.

She looks up at him, looking tired, "I just don't know how I feel about killing another person." Dani says,

"I don't know what's coming, but chances are things will get rough. If you want to run, I understand and we will give you anything you need." Steve says gravely.

"I'm beginning to think, I have a reason not to run. Despite everything, I feel at peace here with you all. I would like to stay if you would have me." Dani says, her eyes moistening.

The tension appears to leave Steve's body, as he smiles and joins Dani on the sofa, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I would love you to stay." He says, smiling an looking over at Sasha, as she perches on the bed, " Both of you."

Sasha smiles back at him, "I am sorry for all the trouble I have caused. Thank you for letting me stay."

"We are family, you are both welcome as long as you wish."' Louise says, warmly.

"Thank you Lou." Sasha says, before turning to Steve, clenching her right fist to stop if from shaking, "If I may say so, You and Kate are both right you know?"

Steve looks at her quizically, "How do you mean?"

"We need Kate fit and well, but it is not safe to use the treatment without testing." Sasha responds, beginning to sweat.

"Trouble is there is no way around it." Steve says, rubbing the back of his neck.

Sasha sways slightly on the bed, "There is a way."

Kate watches her closely, "What do you mean, love? Are you alright?"

"I am the most expendable and have some injuries from the past few days, try it on me and see if it works." Sasha says swallowing.

"No." Steve says firmly, "Not an option."

"Steve." Kate says wide eyed, staring at the empty syringe.

"I did it when all eyes were on Dani." Sasha whispers hoarsely, her face turning red as sweat begins to soak her clothes.

"No, no, no, no, no." Steve shakes his head in disbelief, leaping from the sofa and rushing to her side. He places gentle hands on her shoulders and can feel the heat of her body, through the tracksuit top. "What have you done?"

"I am not a soldier like all of you, this is all I can do to help." Sasha says weakly, feeling the room spin. 

Kate pulls out her phone and dials Amy's number, praying she answers quickly.

"Oh Sasha, why did you do this?" Steve asks Sasha, feeling Louise's arm slip around his shoulder.

The young woman begins to tremble, "Everyone has put their necks on the line for me. It's my turn now."

Steve catches her as she slumps forward. Gently, he lifts her onto the bed and lays her down. "She is burning up." He thinks to himself. 

Her eyes widen with fear as she stares at and whispers "Dad. I'm scared." Her eyes flutter closed and her body is gripped by convulsions.



The room begins to darken slowly as the sun goes down.

No one moves to put a light on.

Everyone is gathered around the now motionless figure on the bed.

Tears streak every face. Pain rules every heart. 

Steve hears a voice in the distance and turns slowly to it's source. Dr Bryce is at his side speaking somberly, but he cannot hear the words from his lips.

"Please, Mr Marks." Dr Bryce softly pleads, "You need to let her go."

"No, she is just resting.  Look at how peaceful she is." Steve says, gazing down at Sasha's face and brushing a strand of hair from her eyes.

Dani rises shakily and steps over discarded medical equipment moving around the dialysis machine, to put an arm around Steve. "Dad." She says in a voice hoarse from tears, "She's gone."

Steve looks up confused at Dani, then he looks down at Sasha. 

Dani stares at her sister, "I told her to believe in herself. This is my fault."

She flinches as Steve turns to face her, wrapping his powerful arms around her. "No darling, You didn't do this. She followed her heart. You can't blame yourself." Steve says softly, nodding to the doctor.



With reverential care the exhausted doctor, wraps Sasha's body in a white silken blanket. "I tried everything I knew, but it wasn't enough. I have never seen anything like it.  Her pulse was almost three hundred beats per minute for almost four hours. I suspect that her constant convulsions, have torn most of the muscles in her body. She literally tore herself apart before her body just gave up. Poor little bugger."

Steve touches his arm, as he is about to cover her face. Dr Bryce steps back nodding and mumbling, "Of course."

Steve leans down and kisses his daughters forehead, "Love you Sasha. I barely knew you, but you touched my heart, you sweet, wonderful girl. I wish we'd had more time together."

One by one, Dani, Louise, Kate, Amy and Garvey all pay their respects, all feeling the loss in their own way.

Once all have stepped away, Dr Bryce covers her face and gently wraps her head.



Unable to move or speak, Sasha screams silently and still, a prisoner in her own mind, as the bed is wheeled from the room, "Please help me, I'm not dead."
View my latest story, Revelation, here;

https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719


To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
Caesar73
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Post by Caesar73 »

That was incredible. I really thought, Sasha was dead, but that end, Sasha is alive ... but nobody has a clue. How terrible . You develop your characters in an impressive way, how they interact, how they grow as individuals as as familiy, friends, as group.
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wolfman
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Post by wolfman »

Steve hugs Louise tightly with his left arm, with Dani nestled into right hand side. Steve gently strokes Kate's shoulder, as she sits next to Dani, comforting the young woman.

Louise gets up slowly and heads to the kitchen area. The deafening silence of the room is ripped asunder by the low rumble of a kettle being boiled. 

Dani squeezes her aunt's hand, unable to get the images of Sasha thrashing out of her mind.

Kate stares out of the window, recalling the first time she saw Sasha all that she achieved, in the few short days, she has known her "So much promise. I can't believe she is gone."

"Neither can I.  I still feel her, in here." Steve says wearily, tapping his chest above his heart.

"Me too." Dani says choking back tears.

Louise sets the tray on the table, passing everyone a cup of steaming hot tea with honey.

"Thanks Lou." Steve says, in a faraway voice, before taking a sip

"I just feel so useless." Louise whispers, slumping back onto the sofa.

Steve pulls her close and kisses the top of her head, "So do I." 

Dani sits forward and sets her cup down, "This is not right." She says softly, "Sasha wouldn't want this. Throughout her life, she endured so many hardships and she stayed sweet and kind and always put others first. She wouldn't want us to be like this now."

Steve rubs the small of his daughters back gently. "Normally, I would suggest we all get drunk and howl at the moon, but, It just doesn't seem right somehow."

"She was a pure soul bless her. Only one of us without blood on her hands." Kate says softly.

"No she wasn't." Dani says, to the surprise of Kate and Steve, "The driver of the van at the airport died when she rammed them."

"No, he tried to pull a gun and I was forced to shoot him."' Louise says, from behind her tea cup.

"It's ok Lou. She saw the state of the driver and knew his neck was broken." Dani says awkwardly, "She was grateful you tried to spare her by shooting him and making out you killed him."

"I didn't want her to have to live with the guilt." Louise says, sadly.

"She was so brave." Steve says, with a smile of admiration. 

They all quietly nod in agreement and sink back into their own thoughts.

Louise's phone chimes softly, she snatches it up and stares at the screen, "Armed men have been spotted in the woods."

Steve slowly rises to his feet, fuelled with a slow burning fury, that builds in his heart, "They picked the wrong night to come."

"Yes, they did." Dani says, standing firm next to her father.

Looking at Dani's smoke stained clothing and bare legs from where she sliced up her jeans, Steve turns to her and says "You are not going out dressed like that. Get changed." 

Dani looks at him questioningly, her eyes following him as he crosses the room and opens the one door, she has not opened.



In the icy cold of the kitchen's large walk in freezer, Sasha lays unmoving.

In her mind she is screaming.  "Help me!!!! I am not dead. Please come back."

It has been hours in the darkness, Sasha can feel her body again, but it refuses to move. "What is happening to me?" She begs, wordlessly. Wishing that someone could hear her.

For Sasha, the silence of the room is torn asunder, by a thunderous thump. Sasha's mind is filled with the memory of her parents smiles, on her eleventh birthday.

Another thump and her mind is flooded with memories of the night Price attacked her.

Thump. Memories of her parents dancing with her on the beach.

Thump. Memories of driving with Kate.

Thump. Visions of herself and Steve as they walk around the lagoon.

Thump. Remembering the peace she felt when talking with Dani, as she told her to believe in herself.

Thump. The feeling of pure joy the first time she did a perfect pirouette.

Thump. Sitting up with her dad to watch old martial arts movies.

Faster and faster they come, until they become a relentless crescendo in her soul. Each beat bringing a new memory.

With a scream, she wakes.



"Now you are dressed for a night out." Steve says, with an approving nod at his daughter, from the entrance to the panic room.

The room has a simple layout, narrow entrance, communications suite on one side wall, medical supplies on the other, weapon and equipment racks at the back, next to a door for bunks and comsumables.

All present are dressed in black fatigues with kevlar interweave, bullet resistant vests, snug but confortable gloves with half a pound of powdered lead across the knuckles and heavy boots. Each has a gun at their hip and another under their arm.

Dani adjusts the helmet she wears, but leaves the faceplate open, "Might not be drinking tonight, but I will be dancing and howling at the moon."

"If we shout loud enough, Sasha will hear us in heaven and know our love for her." Steve says, in a somber tone.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kate asks, pulling a sniper rifle from the rack.

"We are more vulnerable when we are on the move. I would guess they will commit a lot of their forces.  If we can hold here, we will buy ourselves time to regroup." Steve says, watching the security system, showing the groups of men in the trees as they appear to be preparing to converge on the Chateau. "All staff are in secure panic rooms and are safe, even the security ops have been pulled back. We can move fast and hit hard."

"That is not what I mean Steve." Kate says, lighting her first cigarette since getting shot. "We have taken a beating over the past couple of days. Emotionally, we are running on fumes." She exhales with a small cough

Steve looks upon the weary faces of those around him. "I have lost one daughter tonight, I don't want to lose anyone else."

"What's the plan?" Louise asks, taking a carbine from a rack and loading it.

Steve stands eerily still as he plays through the options in his mind. "Kate, rooftop with Collins and Garvey. Lou with me. Dani hang back and patrol the perimeter of the building, be prepared to deploy if required"

Dani nods, silently as Steve continues, "Ground floor has been locked up tight, but the doors and windows are not hardened, so if hostiles get to the building, they will get in. Main power will be cut soon, so no lights, but cameras and emergency power will stay online on separate curcuits." He pauses, looking into the eyes of everyone present in turn, "There is a lot of open ground out there, rooftop team will engage at range and slow hostile progress. Louise and I will engage and fade to thin their numbers. Ideally, we want to slow them down and thin them out to the point that they are forced to retreat. Dani if they get past us, you need to stop them. If we get overwhelmed, we will fall back to you to regroup." 

Dani smiles, "I can handle that." She says over her shoulder, as she loads and checks a carbine and straps a sawn off pump action shot gun to her thigh.

"What about Callsigns for the op boss?" Collins calls out over comms.

Steve thinks for a moment, "For this operation, callsigns as follows, Collins you will be Emu, Garvey Eyeball, Kate Seer, Louise Queen, Dani Angel, I will be." He pauses, looking at Louise, who mouths a word that makes him smile, "Zeus."

Steve hefts a carbine and checks the sights, nodding to himself. He gazes at the faces of those present and speaks, calmly, "We have been hurt.  It is time to share our pain."



Sasha writhes in darkness, her body straining against its silken cocoon. She rolls her shoulders and bends her legs testing the limits of her movement.

"Ok Sasha.  Focus on what you know." She thinks, trying to make sense of where she is. "Everyone thinks you are dead, but you are alive.  Something is wrapped around you. It is cold and under this blanket, you only have your panties on. What would Kate do?"

An image flashes in her mind of Dani saying, "Believe in yourself."

"This is not about what Kate would do, she isn't here.  This is about me and my choices." She lays back on the metal table for a moment. "Get yourself free, get clothes, warm up, find everyone. " She decides, rolling to the side to try to unwrap herself.

"That was dumb." She thinks, after landing with a solid thud on the metal floor. "Although." She whispers to herself realising, that her arms are not as tightly pinned within her cocoon.

She rolls herself on the floor, away from the the table and feels the silk loosen further until she is able to free her arms. 

She makes short work of the rest of her wrappings with the use of her arms, but as soon as her head is free, takes a deep breath and forces herself to relax, "I can't see." She thinks, her breathing, quickening until she see a single small green LED. "OK." She thinks, calming herself once more, "It is cold in here.  It makes sense that they put me in the freezer. That light will be above the door"

Sasha wraps the silk blanket around herself for warmth and gets to her feet, The freezing cold metal of the floor, stings her bare feet, as she makes her way to the green light, slowly feeling in front of her , she makes sure she doesn't walk into anything.

With only the thin silk blanket for warmth, she shivers, feeling goosebumps all over her body. "This will become a problem soon."

Her hand touhes a solid surface and she stops moving forward.  Probing fingers reach out in the darkness until she find a peice of metal that could be the handle.

She pulls hard and nothing happens. "Ok, stay calm." She whispers to herself, pulling again with the same result. Sasha nods to herself, and pushes, rewarded by a rush of warm air against her face as the door yields to her.



"All units this is Seer, They are on the move." Kate says from her roof top vantage point at the highest point of the Chateau. " I confirm two teams, one from the west fifteen strong, one from the lagoon numbers unknown, at least twenty strong."

"'Understood, Emu, engage west team? Seer lagoon team." Steve orders,"Queen and I will engage lagoon team. Angel set up a welcome party near the south side of car park."

"The lagoon team has formed a loose skirmish line and are moving three at a time, seemingly random pattern while the others cover." Kate says, keeping an eye on the advancing team.

"West team on rapid advance.  Looks like they want to set up a beach head. Emu engaging now." Collins says, pulling the trigger and seeing the lead man of the west team fall. "Contact. West team taking cover."

Dani crouches behind a low, but thick stone wall, "Confirm that Emu, I have eyes on and can engage from my current position. Angel holding for command."

"Emu confirming your position. If you follow that wall away from Chateau, it curves around and you will be able to get behind them unseen." Collins reports, as Kate fires behind him.

"Angel, you are clear to advance if you deem it safe to do so." Steve says, as he sees a man drop, when he broke cover, "I believe in you Angel."

Louise elbows Steve in the ribs and even though the faceplate on her helmet is down, he can sense her giving him a smile and raising her eyebrow.

Dani smiles to herself and keeps low, as she begins to slowly advance along the wall.

"Zeus be advised, lagoon team are changing formation. Crescent moon, headed your way." Kate advises, narrowly missing an advancing trooper."

"Roger that,  Falling back to higher ground before engaging." Steve advises.



The kitchen is in darkness, The sign above the emergency exit, bathes the room in a faint green glow. Sasha flicks the light switch and frowns, "Power is out." 

The only sound in the room is a gurgling from her stomach. "Feels like I haven't eaten in days." She says, thinking out loud.  She sniffs the air, detecting the scent of food and spots a large pot on the stove. Tentatively, she crosses the room, moving slowly and feeling in front of her to avoid bumping into anything on the way.

With cautious fingers she toughes the side of the pot, "Hot but not scolding." Sasha takes the spoon from the pot and gingerly tastes the beef stew.

When the first drop touches her tongue, he senses blaze with the sensation and taste. Spoonful after spoonful, she wolfs down the stew, until she can eat no more.

As she eats, the aches in her body fade and she feels a strength she never knew existed, fill her body. Sasha leans back on the island behind her, sucking in deep lungfuls of air.

She looks up towards the ceiling as she hears a distant gunshot in the still quiet of the Chateau.

"OK. Power out and I hear gunfire. Something bad is happening." Sasha thinks, heading back to the freezer to hide.

"No." She tells herself, "You came back from the dead for a reason. You cannot hide from this."

She turns and heads for the door of the kitchen, "Stay low, keep moving and get to the suite." She decides, pulling the blanket around herself for protection and opening the door.



"Steve." Amy says in a pained voice over her headset.

With a frown of concern wrinkling his brown Steve responds, "Amy?"

Shakily, she speaks, "I am in the panic room with the medics" She coughs, spitting blood from a cut lip onto the floor. "'As soon as the doors closed, some men drew weapons and took us hostage. We are all tied up on the floor."

"Amy are you hurt?" Steve asks, concerned.

"I-" She is cut of by a loud thud, followed by a rustling noise.

"Amy? Come in? Report?" Steve calls out over comms.

"That's enough out of you, love." Lund's driver says, wearily into the headset. "Listen up, I don't want to kill anyone today. You and your team have ten minutes to lay down your weapons and surrender to my men. Failure to comply will result in the reluctant execution of one hostage every five minutes until you do."

"If you harm anyone, I will come for you." Steve says, in a low voice.

"Let me be clear, while you have been out and about, we have taken this panic room and are sweeping the building. If you try anything, retribution will be swift and undeniable." The driver says, coldly.



"Stop right there." A mans voice says behind her.

Sasha freezes at the foot of the staircase in the main foyer and turns slowly. The pale moonlight streaming through the large windows, bathes the man in an eerie glow, as he steps from behind a privacy screen in the makeshift triage area, not ten feet from her.

He raises his handgun, "Drop the blanket and show me your hands." The moonlight glints on the polished slide, as he stands firm, aiming at her heart.  He is motionless, his body armour and dark fatigues, making him look like a memorial to a war never fought.

Reluctantly she complies noticing three things, once she raises her arms. First, she sees the leer on his face as the blanket drops. Second, she notices the bulge in the mans trousers as his manhood stirs. Third, she sees that her almost pure white arms, bear no scars.

"Happy birthday Az." The man says, licking his lips and stepping forward, with a look in his eyes likea wolf, seeing a crippled rabbit.

Sasha stands perfectly still, despite the racing of her mind. "No, please no." She pleads with her eyes. "What happens next is up to you, Sasha.", she thinks, grimly.

"Shhh baby, Az will be gentle with you." The man says, holstering him weapon and reaching out to cup her breast.

The touch of his fingers on her skin, galvanises her into action. Her hands are a blur, lashing out and shoving the man, with a strength she never knew she had. He stumbles back, his spine hitting the corner of a steel table with a crack.

He collapses to the ground, staring at his lifeless legs. Slowly he turns his terrified gaze to the pale white woman standing over him. He flinches as she reaches down and plucks the gun from its holster and snatches his spare magazine.

Sasha checks that there is a round in the chamber of the gun and ejects the magazine. She throws the magazines across the room and drops the weapon in the broken man's lap. "You have one round, up to you how you use it." She says turning her back on the man and slowly ascending the staircase, leaving her blanket behind.

The sound of the gun shot echoes deafeningly in the silence of the hall. Sasha stops walking and waivers slightly, before exhaling slowly. To any who would see her she would appear, as a naked ghost floating above a dead man.

"The shot will draw others, if I take the stairs to the suite I will be exposed." She turns to look at the dead man, grateful his face is in shadow. "Will take too long to get his vest off and I have no idea where the magazines for the gun landed."

"I will be too exposed if I try to get to the suite and I would guess that if there are armed hostiles walking the halls, everyone is out. I need to get some clothing and get out of here." She thinks to herself and she keeps low and heads towards the Chateau's, sporting concession.  

She makes her way, ducking behind tables and weaving through the screens privacy screens. Images of Kate, Steve, Dani and Louise fill her mind and she whispers, "I am coming, I have no fear, only purpose."

In that moment, Sasha feels a change in her soul, as the woman whose parents were murdered, whose body was ruined and used and whose baby was cut from her womb, finally releases the pain in her heart after a lifetime of fear and becomes at peace with herself.
View my latest story, Revelation, here;

https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719


To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
Caesar73
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Post by Caesar73 »

So it is now Sashas turn to save the day! Those turns and twists are incredible. I so hope, Lunds driver gets what he deserves, a bullet between the eyes preferably.
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wolfman
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Post by wolfman »

"Angel, heads up, west team advancing on your position." Collins says over an alternate frequency on their comms. "Move or you will be cut off."

"Affirmative, Emu." Dani quietly says, as she ducks away from the low wall and puts her back to a tree, looking for the next spot to move to.

All head turn towards the Chateau at the sound of a handgun being fired. "Shit, looks like he is not waiting for us. We need to end this." Steve says, switching the standard box magazine for the carbine, to a hundred round drum.

A unanimous response of, "Affirmative." Rings out over the comms.

Steve looks over at Louise, who has also switched to a drum magazine.  She nods and gives the thumbs up. In wordless unison, they break cover and charge at the skirmish line of troops.



Dani takes a deep breath, to centre herself and darts from cover. The team advancing on their position, duck behind trees to take snap shots, trying in vain to halt her rapid advance.

She rolls avoiding a burst aimed at her head, coming up into a crouch and sending a tightly grouped three round burst in response, ending the exchange. 

Dani, sprints to the edge of an outbuilding, pausing at the corner for a moment to catch her breath. Weapon ready, she rounds the corner to face three men lined up against the wall in single file, waiting for her only twenty feet away.

The first two men raise their weapons, while the third, reaches for his vest.

Dani hoses the fire team down with a long burst from her carbine and sprints towards the treeline beyond them.

The third mans lifeless hand flops on the ground, releasing the grenade he was about to throw, its spoon pinging off unnoticed by Dani, as she approaches at speed. 

Dani screams as she is engulfed by light and pitched sideways into a tree.

Collins stares in disbelief at Dani's motionless body, he keys the microphone on his comm unit and says, "Angel down." 



Steve charges forward like an engine of destruction, remorselessly ending the life of any man he sees, on his relentless death march. Louise runs alongside him, providing suppressive fire, preventing too many of their opposition from popping their heads out at once. Bullets harmlessly strike around them almost as if afraid to hit the two warriors.

"Emu, report on Angel's condition and location." Steve says, filled with a need to get to his daughter.

"She is by the equipment building out towards the playing field." Collins says, putting his eye to the scope of his rifle. "West team have surrounded her and removed her weapons and armour. She is shaking her head, she is alive. Suspect she is in a bad way though, she took a quite a hit." 

"Can you engage the west team?" Louise asks, unleashing a hail of bullets over the head of a man ducking behind a wall.

"Negative. The have handcuffed her and are taking her into the building. I don't have a clear shot. Will monitor and look for targets of opportunity." Collins explains.

"Understood, we will attend when clear." Steve says, grimly.

"Steve, when we are clear, I will go for Dani, you need to help the hostages." Louise, calls over comms.

"Negative, we both go for Dani, then the three of us hit the panic room. I will need you with me." Steve lies, desperate not to lose another daughter today.



Sasha crouches silently in the sports concession, while a two man team, moves past the entrance. "Ok, they are nearly gone. Looking around here, there is no type of armour, and the closest thing to a weapon is a pocket knife. I need speed or stealth, preferably both."

She looks down at her hands, examining the sturdy one inch steel, climbing hooks anchored to a metal plate in the palms of the fingerless gloves. "Not much of a weapon, but at least I wont drop them."'

When the men are out of sight she stands and tentatively walks over to the track suits, when she is stopped in her tracks, by the sight of her reflection in one of the shops full length mirrors.

She gasps, no longer seeing the malnourished and slashed body she knew, but instead seeing, flawless almost white, pristine skin, over sharply chiselled muscles. "That stuff must have repaired all damage, every blemish and scar not just my arms.  I must have torn my muscles to shreds convulsing and now they are repaired." She shakes her head and tears her gaze away from her reflection turning to a clothing rack, "'It must have over-taxed my system and my body shut down before I cooked myself. But once in the freezer and my temperature dropped, the healing could continue." She smiles to herself, "That's why I was so hungry. All the protein was burned up with healing."

Sasha dons a pair of white cycling shorts and a matching lycra crop top. "I like that." she thinks, reaching for a loose fitting, long, white coat. cutting her finger on a sharp shelf edge in the process, "Lou needs to have a word about that." She thinks looking for a first aid kit fruitlessly. Giving up, she looks back at the wound to see it close before her eyes, "Shit, I must have that stuff in my system still."

She grabs an empty water bottle off of the shelf and tips in some protein powder and tops it up with a bottle of water. After a good shake, she takes a sip, grimacing at the taste. "Top up the tank a little."

While she drinks, Sashas eyes fall on a two foot long box tucked under the counter and smiles, thinking "Speed."



"Guv. The guys are getting slaughtered out there." Jackson says, concerned.

"Tell the skirmish team to fall back to where Higgins has the girl and get Higgins to set up a welcome party for any who follow." The Driver says, before turning to survey the scene beefore him. "They have switched frequencies so we cannot monitor them any longer."

He stands at the far end of the panic room with his men in a loose line. Fifteen feet in front of him is a line of the facilities medics, on their knees, with their hands cuffed behind their backs and black bags over their bowed heads. Beyond them, the open door to the panic room, a natural bottleneck for any attacking force.

At his side kneels Amy with her hands cuffed behind her. Her blonde hair is in disarray and partly stuck to the sweat on her brow, her normally pretty face contorted in pain from her injured arm. 

"Your friends have switch frequency, what is the new one?" The Driver asks, pulling her head back by her hair.

"Fuck you." She says defiantly, spitting in his face.

He calmly, wipes his face clean and stoops down to her seizing her injured arm and ripping off the dressing. She screams in pain when he jabs his thumb into the wound and demands, "Tell me."

She wails loudly, her body filled with pain, that it is too small to contain, "No!" She screams through her tears.

He twists his thumb viciously, doubling her over in pain. "Give me the frequency, or this will get much worse."

The men with him exchange unconfortable glances, none of them comfortable with this treatment of a hostage. Unable to stomach the scene any longer they look away. Staring out of the door into the inky blackness of the darkened corridor beyond.

Amy sobs uncontrollably on the floor, unable to escape her tormentor. The driver straddles her back, pinning her arms painfully. "You are asking for this. I am going to jam te blunt end of a pen into your arm and wallop it with the butt of my pistol, until either you tell me the frequency or, the pen goes through your arm." He hisses, venomously.

"Guv?" Jackson asks fearfully, staring down the corridor.

"What?" The driver, bellows furiously at the man.

"What the fuck is that?" Jackson says pointing with a shaking finger.

The Driver looks down the corridor in the direction the man is pointing and his eyes widen with shock.



Kate slumps next to Collins and they watch the carnage below. "I have never seen anything like this." Kate whispers, astonished by the sprinting man, who seems unable to miss, charge towards the storage building. Followed by one of the few individuals in the world who can keep pace with him, keeeping the heads of hostiles down until Steve is ready to dispatch them.

"I wont lie, neither have I. I have seen Steve on operations countless times, but never seen them work together like this. I have given up trying to take hostiles, as soon as their heads pop up, they are put down before I can draw a bead." Collins says with a shake of his head. "I hope he gets to her in time."

"What do you mean?" Kate asks, fearful of the answer.

"Dani had a grenade go off next to her and she hit that tree hard. I am no doctor, but for most soldiers you are looking at career ending injuries." Collins says, sadly. 

"Heads up." Garvey calls out, "We are about to have company, they are trying to break down to door to the roof."



Dani is woken by a shooting pain from her back. she attempts to raise her hand to her head to help with the ringing in her ears, only to be thwarted by the steel handcuffs securing her wrists, behind her back  She looks down at herself and realises that everything apart from her jumpsuit and boots have been removed. She also notices that the right side of the suit has been heavily scuffed. "Must have been a grenade. Nothing feels broken or bleeding and I am alive, so the gear did its job."

She can hear the sound of gunfire nearby from an automatic weapon. "Sounds like the guns, Dad and Lou are using."

Her senses begin to clear and she sees six men with their backs to her, all crouching in various positions aiming at the door. "Dad and Lou are heading into a trap."

She tries to scream a warning, but the large cloth stuffed into her mouth and held with duct tape wrapped around her face, reduces her cries to little more than a whimper.

"Not on my watch." Dani thinks, reaching into her back pocket and closing her fingers around a familiar little friend.
View my latest story, Revelation, here;

https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719


To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
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slackywacky
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Post by slackywacky »

Will Dani succeed? The next chapter might tell us. Good chapter.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment.
Slackywacky, also @DeviantArt

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wolfman
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Post by wolfman »

Dani pulls the key from her pocket and quietly, unlocks her handcuffs, thinking, "Amatuers." She reaches up to remove the tape from her mouth and stops herself, "No time." She thinks, feeling how much tape has been applied.

Slowly and quietly, she gets to her feet, hearing the sound of gunfire sounding closer outside. "I only have one shot at this."

In a slow crouch, she advances towards the closest man on the left side of the room, keeping low and staying in his blind spot. Breathing slowly through her nose, she smells the sour sharpness of his sweat. He adjusts his hold on his rifle slowly and presents the opening Dani had been waiting for.

Her right arm snakes under his right armpit and up to his left shoulder to pull his knife down out of its sheath in one fluid move.  Before the man can react, she thrust the blade upwards, under his chin and up into his brain. She drops to the ground with him, as he gurgles his last and seizes his assault rifle.

Two of the men on the right side of the room begin to turn at the sound of the mans sickly, last breath and his collapse, but their progress and that of the third man, is cut short by a long burst, stitching across their bodies as if they were one body.

The last two men on the left side dive in opposite directions for cover. One behind a tractor, crouching behind the engine block, the other behind a rack holding cricket equipment. Dani rolls back away from the man she has been using as cover and stops with her back to a wall, crouching, weapon ready. The tractor man risks a burst of automatic weapon fire in her direction. 

She rolls forward on instinct seeing the burst go wide and is on her feet and running.  She pegs the cricket man through the rack with two bursts and launches a burst towards the tractor to keep the shooter behind it's head down. The weapon clicks empty and she discards it, picking up the pace, seeing the mans legs start to move to where he can shoot.

The shooter raises his weapon and pops his head around the side of the tractor, ready to fire, at the moment Dani leaps.



"Zeus, gunfire from the shed." Louise calls out as she and Steve stop sharply and hug the back wall of the storage building.

He nods, and using hand signals to suggest that they split up and take opposite directions around the building before they rendez-vous at the entrance.  She nods her assent and they silently turn their backs on each other and advance rapidly, as the gunfire in the shed, reaches a crescendo.

Ten seconds later they are positioned either side of the door.  Louise holds up three fingers. Steve nods.

Louise closes her fingers one by one as a count down to their forced entry.

Three. A burst of fire from inside

Two. A heavy thud.

One. The door burst outwards, as a man is rugby tackled through it, by a woman half his size but twice his ferocity.

Steve lifts his faceplate and smiles, "'Hello Angel." He wipes a tear from his eyes

Dani gives the thumbs up, before savagely punching the man until he passes out. Breathing hard through her nose, she takes the mans knife and cuts the tape from her mouth. "Hi dad. Hey Lou."

She spits out the cloth in her mouth and takes Steve's left hand to help pull her to her feet. "No time to sit around we have a room full of hostages to save." Steve says with a wink, earning a laugh from his daughter.



Sasha's head snaps up as she hears Amy's first blood curdling scream. "No! That sounds like Amy." She thinks to herself standing gracefully. "This is not about hiding.  Someone's life is at stake. I have been given a second chance at life, I will gladly give it to save another." Sasha quickly looks arround the shop and thinks to herself, "Stealth is for those who want to hide. I have been hiding all my life, afraid.  Now is my time to step into the light."

Swiftly she moves towards through the concession snatching up two emergency beacons, a hair tie and a powder based fire extinguisher for electrical fires.

"I am not a soldier like dad, Lou or Dani and I am not a cop like Kate. The closest I have come to martial arts is watching old films late at night and taking ballet lessons. But I have studied how the human body works under physical stress and know how to get the best out of it. I know exactly what I can do." She leaves the store, heading toward the source of the scream at a full sprint.



Sasha stops at the corner of a corridor leading off from the main lobby area and peaks around to see people on their knees in a room at the far end and hear the screams of Amy's torment.

"About eighty feet." She nods to herself and pulls the trigger on the fire extinguiser and secures it with the hairtie. She lays it on the ground and lets it fly like a missile towards the crowd. "It wont go all the way, but will buy me time."

She closes her eyes and activates the strobes of the emergency beacons, selecting a rapid pattern and hurling them into the corridor.

"Here we go." Sasha says sweping around the corner and sprinting at speed.



The Driver looks up anxiously, at the cloud of blindingly white, flashing mist filling the corridor and gets to his feet taking aim down the corridor. "Incoming."

Sasha launches herself forward. Usually she is fast, but the spring loaded stilts strapped to her feet, tale it to an insane level.  She bursts from the cloud at over twenty miles per hour, hurtling towards the confused men raising their weapons.

The men stare wide eyed, the strobe beacons turning the vision of Sasha streaking towards them, into a slow motion nightmare. "Fire." The Driver screams.

The air is filled with the thunderous echo of weapons fire. Sasha kicks off with her left foot. She bounces right and then kicks off of the wall, to twist in mid air, sailing over a barrage of gun fire. She then kick back from the left wall to bounce back to her feet. She runs, bounces and flies down the corridor feeling the breeze of bullets as they skim past her.

Her face shows calm, but her heart sings with joy at unleashing her power without fear. Everything she learned about the human body during her Sports Science studies, she now feels, as she dances around streams of bullets arching around her.

The men in the room fire wildly down the corridor over the heads of the covering medics. The Driver watches the impossibly fast figure streak, skitter and zig zag towards them inexorably and begins to pray. "Please God, I don't ask often and I never ask for much. Give me the strength to survive this night."

The Driver fires, trying to draw a bead on the demon closing on the room. Sasha flinches for a moment, feeling a sting at her side and her back. Not enough to slow her down, but enough for her to notice. As she crosses the threshold of the room, she somersaults forward over the hostages at almost thirty miles per hour. 

She plants her knees in the chest of the man with the large handgun and blood on his hands, slamming the climbing claws repeatedly, into the sides of his neck.

Sasha rides the man to the ground, feeling a satisfying crunch from his ribs as he lands. She sharply opens her arms, ripping the palm hooks out of his neck, spraying the men either side of her in their former leaders blood and brain matter.



Sasha pushes herself back and rises up once more on the stilts. She stares straight ahead, fighting to remain calm, whilst inside, she is giddy with excitement and fear.

She stands resplendent, the white of her clothing, contrasting sharply with the blood of the dead man on the floor. She points to the nearest man and waggles her finger, without looking at him, "You have a choice. You can pull that trigger and hope that the bullets that come out, manage to do what all the others fired at me, have failed to do." She says calmly, before letting an edge creep into her voice. "Or, you can lay down your weapon and do as you are told."

Jackson watches as a bullet hole in her side closes before his eyes and nods. Slowly, he lays his machine pistol on the ground and signals to his men that they should do the same, before putting his hands up. One by one, his colleagues follow suit until all have disarmed themselves.

"Very good gentlemen." Sasha says, retaining her compusore and turning to face the men, "Who is in charge here?"

Jackson steps forward and nervously speaks, "You are?"

"Good answer. Who led your operation?" Sasha asks, warmly.

"He did." Jackson says, pointing to the broken dead man on the floor.

"Interesting. You seem like his second. What's your name?" Sasha asks, keeeping her voice even, despite her inner delight.

"Jackson." He answers, frightened to look her in the eye.

"Well Jackson, can you stand the rest of the men onsite down and order them back here?" Sasha asks with a gentle smile.

He grabs his radio and nervously says, "Yes ma'am."'

"Thank you." Sasha turns to the other men, "The rest of you, release the medics then kneel facing this wall and wait to be handcuffed. You." She pauses pointing to one of the attackers, then nodding to Amy. "Release her first.  Will the first three medics released please look after Amy?"

Sasha breathes deeply and calms her nerves, astonished that her orders are being followed.

Jackson puts down his radio, "Excuse me, ma'am. I have spoken to five out of six men on patrol inside and they are on their way back. I am not getting any response from the men outside."

"The sixth man is dead in the triage area." She says in a matter of fact tone, "Please join your colleagues."



Satisfied that the men who held the medics hostage, are restrained under armed guard, Sasha removes the dead man's shoulder holster and adjust the straps, before doning it and holstering his Desert Eagle. "Just have to learn how to shoot it properly." She thinks, to herself watching the corridor.

Two men walk towards the panic room with their hands raised bearing no obvious weaponry. "Everyone. Move to the nearest side wall of this room." Sasha commands, to ensure that no one waiting in the corridor has line of sight on any of the medics.

The men enter the room and Sasha directs them with a wave of her hand, where the assembled medics, were waiting to restrain them. She moves to the opposite side of the entrance and hugs the wall by the door, watching the men get handcuffed.

She breathes out relaxing a little. She clenches her fist, to stop her hand from shaking. "Three more to go."



Sasha hears a faint click-click from the far end of the corridor. She sees one of the medics begin to cross the room, in line of sight for the corridor and dives at them as a burst of submachine gun fire scars the wall behind where they were walking. 

She hits the ground and rolls.  "Cover me." She calls out, bouncing twice on the stilts and then sprinting into the corridor.

Gunfire from behind her zips around her, forcing those the other end of the corridor to keep their heads back. Sasha draws the massive black handgun and once she is twenty feet away from the corner, she drops to the floor at speed and slides the rest of the way.

She slams into the back wall and fires wildly at the two men to her left, rapidly emptying the gun. The man to her right aims down at her and opens fire. Instinctively she rolls away, followed by a menacing trail of hot lead. She feels her back touch a wall as the mans weapon clicks empty.

He scrambles to reload his weapon, fearing his foes speed. Sasha throws her empty weapon at the man, striking him hard one the forehead, staggering him. She pulls the quick release on the stilts and jumps to her feet, leaping at the man. She pirouettes in mid air, striking his temple with the hard bone of her ankle sending him crashing backwards, against the wall he sought cover behind.

He raises his hands in a daxed boxing stance and throws punches wide, unable to focus. Sasha catches his right wrist with alighting fast right hand and places her left against his elbow, She pivots sharply, slamming the man face first into a wall and letting him slide down it to the floor.  Sasha moves fast, using his handcuffs to lock his hands behind him, before disarming him and taking his keys.



She picks up her handgun and holsters it, before dragging him to his feet and retrieving her stilts. She marches him back into the panic room to the applause of those present. Amy hugs her, as the medics drag her prisoner over to join the others. "Well done Sasha. That was pretty amazing. That is all of them, camera and motion sensors, show all clear. Your dad will be so proud." Amy holds out a headset, "Channel 21. Callsign Zeus."

She inserts the headset and listens for a moment.

"Seer reporting." Kate says, in a cautious tone, "Hostiles trying to take the roof have disappeared, they may be heading your way Zeus."

"Roger that, Seer, we will be on alert.  We are at main doors and about to enter.  Maintain position, we will come to you. We will head to panic room first."

Sasha gulps, "Pheonix reporting, Panic room secure. Indications are, building clear of hostiles, direct confirmation required."

"Pheonix, Identify yourself." Steve says recognising the voice, but not daring to hope.

"Dad." Sasha says, fighting tears. "I am alright. I not scared anymore."
View my latest story, Revelation, here;

https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719


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https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
Caesar73
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Post by Caesar73 »

Wolfman, you did it again. I always are awestruck by your action Sequences. Great job!
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wolfman
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Post by wolfman »

Steve leads the way towards the medic's panic room, stepping over two bodies, riddled with bullets. His eyes widen, as he turns the corner, to survey the approach corridor, "It's like a war zone." He thinks, looking at the bullet holes in the walls, floor and ceiling the length of the corridor.

They walk past the spent fire extinguisher in silence. Dani pushes past Steve and sprints towards the room, seeing Sasha as she steps out of a side room. Sasha hears her name being called and turns to see her sister and screams "Dani.", as she runs to meet her.

They meet at the threshold of the room and hug each other tightly, "I am so glad you are ok." Sasha says, between tears of joy.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again." Dani says, holding her sister tight, frightened to let her go for fear of losing her.

"I wont, I promise." Sasha says, warmly.

"What happ-" Dani stops, noticing Sasha's skin and body. "Damn girl, you look fantastic. What happened to you?" She asks open mouthed.

"That injection, sent me into overdrive and my body went into a kind of hibernation.  When I was in the freezer, it seems that it started itself up and repaired me completely. Dr Bryce said the levels of chemicals in my system are dropping and I will be able to get a sun tan, but the other changes are permanent." Sasha says biting her lip.

"Wow that is awesome." Dani beams at her sister. "I am so pleased for you."



Sasha and Dani feel Steve's arms wrap around them both and hug them tightly. "Sasha I am so pleased you are ok. I thought, I had lost you."

"I am so sorry dad. I wont do anything like that again." Sasha says, sheepishly, "It was really stupid, even by my standards."

"Not much, their boss had a bit of a fall and the others kind of gave up." Sasha says embarrassed.

Steve gently kisses the top of her head, "I am so glad you werent hurt.", he says, his voice filled with relief, "You look great."

"How come when Sasha wears shorts into combat, she looks great, but I am not allowed to?" Dani giggles.

"Yours were scruffy." Steve says, chuckling. 

"Harsh, but fair." Dani says, with a grin.

"Lou!" Sasha calls out to her step-mother, opening one of her arms to let Louise into the hug.

"Hello darling, Good to see you looking so well." Louise says joining the hug and kissing her cheek.



"I wish we had longer, but we had better start thinking about clean up and what to do with the bodies." Steve says, letting his daughters go, keeping an arm around Louise.

Sasha turns to the prisoners, "Jackson." She shouts, "How did you lot get here?"

"We came by truck." Jackson answers, fearfully.

"Is your ride still waiting?" She asks, with mock impatience.

He nods, "Yes ma'am"

"Good. Get them on the radio and tell them to come to the main entrance. The rest of you will collect the bodies of your comrades and take them back to Medteqniq." Sasha orders the prisoners.

"And why would we do that?" Sneers the man, she overpowered in the corridor.

Before Steve can speak, Sasha responds, calmly, "Because, I have seen your faces and know your smell and if you do anything other than instructed,." She pauses for effect and adds a hard edge to her voice, "I will come for you."

The prisoners all turn a little pale and exchange nervous glances, before all responding, "Yes Ma'am."

Steve looks at Sasha concerned, and whispers, "What the hell happened here?"

"Nothing really." Sasha says looking away.

"Rubbish. You are too modest." Amy says, nursing her freshly bandaged arm, "Sasha was amazing."

"What actually happened?" Steve asks Amy, with a new found admiration for Sasha. "Amy's normally neat blonde hair is untidy and she looks exhausted." He thinks, sadly.

Amy hands Steve a tablet, "Better you see for yourself."

"Are you alright, Amy?" Steve asks concerned, taking the tablet.

"I am good, just tired. It has been a brutal day and I still have a load to do." She says, wearily.

"No you don't Amy. You need to rest. Take some downtime, you have had a rough day. We will cope." Steve says, gently. He hugs her gently and softly says, "I am glad you are ok."

Amy opens her mouth to protest, but knows he is right. She nods quietly, "'Thanks Steve." She says, collecting her jacket.



After they have all said goodnight to Amy and hugged her goodnight, Steve, Lou and Dani gather around the tablet. Steve presses play and they watch in silence, open mouthed. As the recording ends, Steve turns to Sasha to see her hugging her knees across the room. He passes the tablet to Louise and softly says, "Give me a minute."

He walks over to Sasha and gently wraps an arm around her shoulder. "That was certainly something. Must have been terrifying for you."

"Worse for them." Sasha says, "I saw the video. I saw how I looked. I thought I was a monster for what Price did to me, seeing that, I really am a monster."

"No." Steve says slowly, in a soft voice, "You are not a monster. I will admit, I would have been scared in their shoes. But being scary doesn't make you a monster."

"You get scared." Sasha says surprised, "I didn't think that was possible. You seem so strong."

"Bravery is not about, never being scared. It's about feeling fear and acting in spite of it." Steve admits, nudging his daughter.

"What's the most scared you have ever been?" Sasha asks, looking up at her father.

"Cooo, that is a tough one. Either the day after I proposed to Louise and she got kidnapped, or watching Dr Bryce trying to save your life after you injected that stuff." Steve speculates, squinting, as he thinks back.

"Really? They are the most scary things?" Sasha asks in disbelief.

"I have faced stolen helicopter gunships in Afghanastan. Been low on ammunition and hunted by an army of men in the heart of Africa. Stood alone in the grasslands of Iowa against men with flamethrowers. Swam for miles in shark infested waters after being shot. Fought with werewolves in the Norwegian tundra by the light of a blood moon. But the thought of losing you, Dani, Lou or Kate scares me more than any of that." He says, squeezing her shoulder.

She looks at him with raised eyebrows, "Werewolves. Really?"

"Errrr yeah. Contractors from Werewolf Military services." He says looking her in the eyes. "I have seen the worst the world has to offer and how dark a persons heart can become. You have not got their darkness, you are a beacon of light, sweetheart. Real mosters take lives without thinking. You risk your life and save others without thinking. You are not a monster, you are an avenging angel and a saviour." 

She smiles up at him and nestles into his arm.

Steve taps the gun at her side, "When do you want some lessons for that cannon?"

Sasha appears confused for a moment, "I forgot I was carrying it." She smiles weakly, before she looks away from Steve and says "I am not sure I want to learn how to shoot."

Steve squeezes her shoulder and kisses the top of her head. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but the door is always open."

"When I killed the man I took the gun from, I felt his death and could make peace with it, because I stopped him hurting Amy. But when I killed the two men at the end of the corridor, I just pulled the trigger over and over until they fell. I felt nothing. That really scares me. I don't know if I want to use a gun ever again." Sasha says, with a tear in her eye. 

"I can appreciate that, it can seem so surreal, wiggle  your finger and someone over there falls over. Some people never make peace with that." Steve says gently, drying her eye with a tissue, "It's alright, no need to cry."

"I don't want to let you down." Sasha says in a small voice.

"Oh Sasha. Don't be daft. I want you to be your own woman. Don't worry about trying to please me. Be true to yourself." Steve says, with a gently smile, "I will always be proud of you."

"There is one thing I would like to learn." Sasha says biting her lip, "Could I learn martial arts instead?"

With a smile and a wink, Steve says, "I think that can be arranged."

"So. Level with me. How did it feel dodging all of those bullets?" Steve asks, smiling.

"I didn't." She says, nervously.

Steve looks at her, concerned, "What do you mean?"

She awkwardly looks up at him, "I didn't dodge them all, I got shot nine times." She admits, "Dr Bryce has checked me over and says, there is no sign of any damage or bullets in my body."

Stunned by the matter of fact way she told him, he can do nothing, but hold her close and softly kiss the top of her head.                    



After a few moments, Dani andd Louise join them, "Whew." Louise says, exhaling sharply, "We are in good shape."

"Yeah?" Steve asks, smiling up at her, as he puts an arm around Dani.

"Clean up underway, camera footage being edited to show a fireworks display in synch with the shots and explosions onsite. Clinic still on course to be up and running for the morning and all bodies should be cleared off site within the hour." Louise says, with an air of relief.

"Sounds good, Ilike the firework display idea." Steve says, with a nod.

"Dani's idea, synched with the original pattern of gunfire, each camera will see flashes from outside and the ones that are outside will show a display." Louise says, squeezing Dani's shoulder.

"Just makes sense, if anyone comes snooping around." Dani says, "Where is Kate?"

"She is going to the suite. Garvey and Collins will be maintaining watch from the rooftop with a security team." Louise says, hoping Kate is ok.

"Sounds like we are all set up here, shall we join her?" Steve asks, smiling at Dani and Sasha.



As they leave the panic room, Sasha taps Dani on the shoulder.

"Are you ok?" Dani asks turning to her sister.

"Yeah, I would like you to have this." Sasha says holding out the shoulder holster with the large handgun secured in place. "It is more your style than mine."

"Are you sure? You earned this." Dani says, eyeing the holster.

"It is one of the few things I have, that I have earned for myself. But I am not comfortable with it." Sasha says, smiling, "I want you to have it, it would do more good in your hands."

Dani accepts the holster and shrugs into it, "Thank you Sasha. I don't know what to say. I have always wanted one of these."

Dani slips Lady Chameleon's bracelet off of her wrist and holds it out to Sasha, "I think that this is a bit of you. Press here to deploy the blade."

Sasha takes the weapon with excited hands, deploying the blade and returning it to bracelet form a few times, before slipping it onto her wrist. "That's awesome. Thank you." She says beaming, as she hugs her sister.

"Deadly sisters. Armed and dangerous." Dani says, returning her sisters hug.
View my latest story, Revelation, here;

https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719


To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
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