Action, Reaction and Consequences Ch. 09

If you haven't followed this story, don't want to go all the way back to the beginning, hit chapter six which has a fairly comprehensive run down on the story up to that point.

Most importantly, my thanks go out to Tim1135 for tidying up my work plus run some alternatives past me which have been incorporated into the final release. I also want to thank Frank; he has provided help in parts where I have no knowledge!

I think of Literotica as a hall of mirrors. Some may be reflections on reality others so distorted they are, literally out of this world. And in between, mirrors that contain every type of glass that's distorted the reality or reflected in darkened glass. Most importantly, how ever you look at it, it's not real. Just a reflection of some sort.

This is a continuation of tale that turned dark, but there are some chinks of light beginning to show through the darkness in this chapter. There isn't much in the way of sex in this part, there is a couple of sentences around coercive sex and a couple more generalised sentences around sex acts.

This really is fiction. If you think that all stories on Lit should be absolute mirrors of real life then skip this one by, it's not for you. If you don't like dark stories, it's not for you What it is, is a tall implausible tale, and nothing more.

I'm a Brit, so it's English, English in most parts.

There is a final part to this story, I promise it's days and not weeks behind this release. It's finished and is a short chapter currently being scrutinised by my good friend Tim prior to release.

So, here we go...

<<<Actions, Reactions and Consequences Part VIIII>>>

Matt was in a rowing boat. He thought he was on a lake, as the water was tranquil but, he couldn't be sure. It was dark, with a swirling mist so, he couldn't see clearly from his location. But, there were voices calling him...or at least, he thought they were. They weren't quite clear enough to understand. He looked around, looking for a shoreline however, the mist was too dense. To his amazement, a woman was walking across the water, through the mist towards him. As she got closer, it was Tanya, wearing a flowing white dress, smiling happily at him as she drew near. He wanted to reach up to touch her but found he couldn't move; in fact, he couldn't do anything other than stare at her.

Still smiling at him, she brushed her long hair from her face. She leant down into the boat, reaching out to put her hand flat on his chest. As she did, the pain was immense and he closed his eyes to try and help blank the pain. As the pain subsided, he opened his eyes. A woman with short blonde hair and covered in tattoos was sneering at him, her eyes black, like coal. She raised her bloodied hand to her mouth and took a bite from Matt's heart before tossing it into the water. She then slowly sank into the water, never taking her black eyes from him as she disappeared from sight. The mist became denser until it choked all of the light and started to fill his lungs, making it hard to breath. Matt found himself in darkness, struggling to breath. His eyes closed...

"OK everybody, clear!"

The paramedics moved away from the broken body as the first jolt from the defibrillator discharged into the body causing muscles to react to the electrical charge. The machine recharged and they tried again to revive the body. Still no reaction. They tried one last attempt - a weak pulse was present in the body. Over the next few minutes, various drips and injections were made before the body was moved into a waiting ambulance. Ashen faced, the Fire Station Commander spoke to the paramedics as they began closing the rear ambulance doors.

"Do you think he'll make it?"

As they shut the doors, one of the paramedics spoke.

"If I was a betting man, I wouldn't bet on him making it as far as the hospital".

With that, the ambulance took off, as further emergency vehicles continued to arrive at the site of the unfolding tragedy.

In her home in Essex, Tammi woke up with the sickness that now plagued her every morning. Like most mornings, she turned on the TV to catch the news as she drank her glass of water. The volume was off but, the text highlights scrolled across the bottom of the screen. It looked like there had been an explosion somewhere that had wrecked several buildings. As the camera panned around, it showed a badly damaged fire engine, as various emergency personnel moved around the collapsed buildings, like ants over a pile of sugar. A knot formed in her stomach as she turned the volume up.

Apparently, a fire crew was searching the building when there was an explosion, potentially a gas leak. There were reports of one fatality, and five Firemen in hospital with various injuries, including one in a serious condition. She sat down and started to feel a sense of dread began to fill her mind when she realised it was in London. She knew Matt was now in London and prayed it wasn't his Watch. She was frantic, she needed to find out more so, she started to flip through the channels. When that failed, she started to check the internet for more.

When Mickey came into the kitchen, he looked at the TV screen and turned the volume up. After a few minutes, he looked at Tammi.

"What a bunch of stupid twats, eh? If you're gonna play with fire then, you'll get burnt one day. Looks like someone got burnt."

He looked at Tammi with a twisted smile. She wondered, had Mickey looked further into Matt's life and done this to get rid of him? He'd taken Matt's mobile phone that night several weeks back, and Lucas had accessed it. They have enough detail about Matt but, of course, Mickey didn't know exactly how much information Lucas could lay his hands on.

Mickey wanted Tammi to accompany him to the club today to review the marketing strategy so, she had no option but to go. She would do her damnedest to keep track of the story.

The gurney was pushed quickly through the entrance to the accident and emergency section of the hospital and staff moved around with haste, but focus. Matt was taken straight into theatre where, a surgical team was waiting.

The surgeon looked down at the figure laying prone before him. He didn't hold out much hope but, he pressed on, determined to do all he could, though the odds were stacked against him. He knew the young man had been caught in an explosion and a building collapsed around him. He had been found under debris with a wooden beam across his chest. A lung had collapsed and most of his ribs were broken. His leg was broken and he wasn't sure they could save it. Somehow, he'd lost his mask in whatever had happened and had a large contusion to his head. His skull had a nasty depression fracture which looked bad enough to have possibly done some brain damage. He started issuing instructions as the medical team diligently went to work to try and save the man laying before them.

Later in the day when Tammi arrived home, she turned to the BBC 24-hour news channel. The explosion was still big news and a picture was shown on the screen of a Fire Brigade Watch Team. The next photo was of a man that died then the next picture felt like her world had collapsed. It was a picture of Matt. She pressed the volume button up to hear what was being said. As the newsreader's sombre voice outlined what had happened, she sat on a chair, trance-like.

Tears rolled down her face, she looked across at Mickey. He walked up to her, pulled her up and hugged her, being surprisingly compassionate.

"OK, I may not have liked him but that's some tough shit Tammi. I hope he pulls through."

They may have been the words that left his mouth but, they didn't echo his thoughts. This may be better than him dying if he ends up a cripple or even brain dead. As he held Tammi in his arms, she couldn't see the shit-eating grin plastered across his face.

That same morning , Mr. Smith sat eating his light breakfast at home watching the news as the story unfolded about a possible gas leak. Noting where this was and looking at the carnage on the TV, he started to think this may not be a simple accident. Within a few minutes he had logged in through his Government portal to see what the status was.

"Jones, I don't care where you are but, I want you in the offices this morning. I think we need a long overdue chat about where our relationship will be going."

He hadn't answered his phone when he called Mr. Jones but, he also knew he would materialise at some point today. He sat adjusting his plans, looking at the pluses and minuses at keeping the current two pieces in play a little longer, before they opted for operation 'Doomsday.' It was currently in the planning stages and had sent jitters through the handful of people involved. It may be the only way to put this open sore of the country's, to bed.

When Smith and Jones met, it started as a vitriolic meeting. Eventually, it calmed down as they started to each make their point. Jones was angry he'd been kept in the dark over what the hell they were looking for. Smith, over the fact Jones was making substantive decisions, which could be detrimental to the outcome. They still withheld some information from each other though.

"Listen, he had started to involve his whole Watch in making plans to grab Tanya. I'm not entirely convinced that another spook outfit within this building had thrown his pal Mark in there to hedge their bets. You know the way it work, keep the other crew in the dark. It was Mickey's crew that dug most of this information up. That's why we went for the whole lot of them."

Smith thought about it. When things took too long or didn't go to plan, it wasn't uncommon for another part of the Government to get involved. With what was at stake, Jones may be right.

"What about her pregnancy, how the fuck did that come about?"

"OK, I'll give you that one, I should have spoken to you beforehand. Look, she isn't getting any closer. For fuck's sake, look how far she's gone down the rabbit hole with what Mickey's done to her, as she's trying to succeed. She isn't ever coming back. We both know that. Don't forget, a few weeks back she threatened to walk, I can see cracks in her behaviour and I think, at some point, she'll blow. With a bit of luck, carrying Mickey's kid may just give her that last bit of a bond for Mickey to let on. We can get this shitty SD card and all move on."

Smith thought about the statement that Jones had made. It did make sense. This was going to be the final roll of dice whilst they planned 'Doomsday'.

Jones threw a bone to Smith. The Russians had thought they could easily ship weapons into Europe, then to the UK but, they'd been driven by greed, been too eager and lost the shipment en route. They were now shipping smaller consignments into Rotterdam so a single shipment could be made from there. The downside was, it was going to take time.

Plans were being made to ensure that the truck would pass through into the UK seamlessly. When Jones gave the list of weapons that were likely being shipped, Smith was shocked to see the types of equipment. It went way beyond street level stuff, being the kind of kit that a terrorist organisation could only dream of getting hold of. This could make dreams an unsettling reality.

He agreed to tell Smith when and where this delivery would be made so they could swoop in and squash it, possibly even put Mickey in a corner where he would give up this SD card for his freedom. Jones stated it would take a few months before it would all happen as there were some complexities that needed to be solved. But, it would happen. Mickey had already made a substantial downpayment to the Russians. As Jones discussed this, Smith now had the ultimate scenario to run operation 'Doomsday' successfully. He had every angle covered. It was now a waiting game.

After being admitted to the hospital Matt had stayed on the operating table for over eight hours. He died and was revived twice and was now in an induced coma to give parts of his body a chance to heal. The plan was to leave him, for a short period of time, to then determine if, and how badly, his brain functions had been affected. The doctors concluded that they would leave the prognosis for several days before deciding on the next steps. That included removing the life support system that was keeping him alive.

Deep inside Matt's brain, some activity was taking place. Receptors were reacting to a voice. He could hear Tanya crying, telling him she wished she had never left him. He had no idea if this was real or imaginary. He could only process the information in a most simplistic fashion.

She sat holding his hand, as the machinery beeped and hummed, either helping to keep him alive or monitoring his progress. All the time the monotonous beeping continued, meant things were good. As she sat, telling him she wished she'd never left him that day and she did truly love him, she pleaded for him to come back to her. She knew he probably couldn't hear her but, she felt compelled to tell him. She made a terrible mistake when she abandoned him and now, she desperately wanted to put it right. A nurse came in and spoke.

"Aren't you tired? You've done your nine-hour shift and you've been sitting here for a further five hours. The records say he had no next of kin...are you...?"

"I'm his girlfriend...well, that's not strictly true. I was his girlfriend...once but, we lost our way and then each other. I had no idea he was here until I saw the news. He has no relatives so I...I...we will pick up where we left off when he wakes up. Fate has done this for a reason."

The nurse looked at her fellow nurse's lanyard to catch her name.

"Ann, there's no next of kin noted, would you like me to enter your details?"

Ann smiled, nothing would make her happier at the moment.

When Ann came to visit the next day, a policeman sat outside Matt's room. He was the only victim from the explosion still in hospital. She had to sign a register and prove who she was but, the Policeman would not divulge why or how long he was going to be there. It was all completely odd and somewhat unsettling. For the next four weeks, a policeman was sitting diligently outside the room. Depending on her shift pattern, she either went in before or after work and for a large chunk of her days off. She was alone and wanted to grasp whatever may happen, as soon as it presented itself.

Matt was still in a coma when, his colleague, Mark was laid to rest. There was a huge turnout, including a large media presence. It turns out Mark had served in the SAS with his twin brother, who had died on patrol with him. On that fateful day, Mark had seen his brother's life extinguished right before his eyes. An improvised explosive device was set off when he and some others were alongside the beehive it had been placed in.

Despite being wounded and in shock, Mark provided covering fire, which had allowed several of the men present at the funeral to live another day and not die alongside his brother. After the incident, like any war, it was the never-ending feeling of guilt, that hung around Mark's neck, like an albatross of shame. He lived with it every day he was alive. After leaving the army, he took his solace in becoming a Fireman. He could save and not take, lives.

Some of the people present at the funeral now knew this was not an accident, it had been premeditated. They were waiting for Mark's colleague Matt, to come out of his coma. They were sure that he was tied into this tragic event.

Back in Bournemouth, Tanya's old boss Graham read about what had happened to Matt. He knew this was no accident. He had already done some covert digging into Tanya's new life and had taken a few days off, here and there, to track her. With what had now happened to Matt, she must surely see that she needed to step back from the madness she has wrapped herself up in. He knew that she kept an appointment at a nail bar, every other week, at the same time. He felt this would provide the most opportune moment to intercept her.

Tammi parked her car in the public car park then, walked down onto the small high street, towards the pedestrian crossing. As she reached the crossing, a man with a flat cap bumped into her. When she tried to change direction, he did the same, At the last minute, he lifted his head so she could see his face. Graham. He told her to step into the pub, which she did. He motioned to a corner at the back and he ordered two cups of coffee. He sat with Tanya, ready to try and reason with her.

The nail bar was directly opposite the pub. Rita, the nail technician, had seen what had happened and became suspicious. She immediately rang the owner of the nail bar.

"Sorry to disturb you Mickey but, someone just intercepted Tammi and guided her into the Rose opposite. I didn't recognise him so thought I'd best tell you."

Two minutes later the phone rang in the Rose pub. Mickey asked the landlord to quietly lock the front door, if anyone was in there, persuade them to leave within the next ten minutes. If the guy with Tammi tried to leave, stop him, any way he can.

The landlord walked over to the two old men that came in every day to sup on a few pints before the horse racing got underway and they'd walk to the bookmakers. He told them he needed to turn the power off and gave them twenty pounds to go down to the bookmakers early. They necked their drinks and eagerly waved goodbye.

Shortly after, Mickey walked in via the back door with one of his enforcers, a very large man called Claude. It was during the last couple of seconds of the conversation taking place between Tammi and the man that had intercepted her that they realised, Mickey was there. Mickey sat and shuffled in next to Tammi, letting Graham see the gun in his body holster. Claude sat in next to Graham and rifled through his pockets, pulling out Graham's wallet. Mickey opened it, looked at Graham, then Tammi, before taking a photograph of Graham's Police warrant card. He sent the photograph to Lucas Jones, telling him to make his way to the pub as quickly as possible.

The conversation was simply an interrogation. Why was he here? Why had he cornered Tammi? What did he want? Graham had to think quickly as soon as he saw Mickey. Because of the conversations he had with Matt, he said he was his friend and suspected that it had been no accident. He knew Matt had seen Tammi in the club and was here to ask if she knew if someone was after Matt. He swore blind it was completely unofficial and nothing to do with the Police. If they looked at the warrant card, they would see he was way out of his jurisdiction.

After Lucas received the call from Mickey, he immediately called Mr. Smith and broke the news regarding Graham.

"Get rid of him. Only him and make it an accident. I want you to make it quick. I have respect for the man and I'm sorry he had to poke his nose in."

And that was that. A death sentence on Graham had been passed in a simple phone call. The only bit that bothered Lucas Jones was, how much Mickey may have found out or started to piece together. When Lucas arrived, Mickey and Tammi left the pub. Tammi looked back at Graham with sorrow in her eyes.

At 11.30pm that night, the driver of the express train from Southampton to London, just caught a glimpse of a person sitting on a foot crossing. Despite blowing the horn continuously and slamming the brakes on the train, he heard the dull thud that every train driver dreads. He picked up the radio and told the signaller to declare an emergency, he had just run someone down.

When the Police arrived, they found the last dregs from a bottle of whisky and a handwritten letter. The letter said he couldn't face the thought of pending retirement and he had kept his depression to himself. He loved his wife and was sorry for the inconvenience he had caused. The letter, whilst in his hand writing, had been written under the influence of the same drug administered to Matt over a year ago. The level of alcohol would easily mask, even the most persistent pathologist, from discovering the truth.