Becca XXX - Hard Time Ch. 16

Sasha's injuries appeared to be superficial. Most of her cuts were from glass fragments from what I could see. None of her wounds were deep and she wasn't bleeding profusely, but I couldn't tell if she had any internal injuries. A blast like the one she'd been subjected to could have done unseen damage including severe concussion which was probably why she was unconscious.

"We need to get her to a medic," I said. "I'm going to radio for help."

"Please hurry. I don't want to lose her."

I pressed my throat mike and tried to get Whitehouse on the net.

"Whitehouse, this is Becca. Can you hear me? Over," I said calmly.

"That's a good copy. Are you ok? Over," he replied in my ear.

"I'm fine. Hamilton and Sasha are still alive, but I need a med-evac. Sasha is unresponsive. Over."

"We're on our way. We've just made it to a skiff boat. Liberty is a trained medic. We'll get to you as quickly as we can. Over," he replied.

"Copy that. Out."

I took my attention from Sasha and looked back up at Charles to tell him the good news, but the scene had changed.

He was now pointing a gun at my head with a satisfied smirk on his face. My eyes flicked to the UCP next to Sasha and back up at him. It was too far away to make a grab for it - he'd shoot me before I even got close.

"Don't!" he snapped. "Get up slowly and move away from Sasha."

I rose up slowly, hoping that Whitehouse and his team would get here soon before this guy got the revenge he so desperately wanted against me.

"Move away from the weapon," he flicked his pistol in the direction of the stern.

I didn't have a lot of choice so I reluctantly obeyed. I was so angry with myself for dropping my guard for a split second while I'd checked on Sasha. I should have known that this asshole had a trick up his sleeve.

"You're my ticket out of here," he began to explain. "I don't want to have to shoot that pretty little face of yours, but I will if I have to. Are your men on the way to help her?"

"Yes, but they're not going to take too kindly to you pointing a gun at me," I replied. "I may be able to get you out of here, but not like this."

"Shut it," he shouted, making me jump. "Like I said - you're my ticket out of here. You're going to persuade them to let me go."

"Why would I do that?" I smirked. "You're on our most-wanted list and have been for some time."

"Because you fucking idiots have no idea what's going on. I told you; we have a common enemy."

He wasn't his usual composed self. He knew he was bargaining for his life, but it gave me an opportunity to interrogate him for more information, despite him being the one holding a gun on me.

"The Russians?" I replied.

"Exactly. I told you they're already on British soil. They're up to something big, but I don't know what."

"You're going to have to give me a lot more than that," I laughed. "What are they doing in our country and where are they?"

"I can tell you where they are, but we're still not sure what they're up to," he snapped, glancing out of the window as he heard a boat approaching.

I heard it too.

"They are going to board this vessel and kill you unless I tell them otherwise," I pointed out. "Plus, they are not that bothered about collateral damage," I nodded over to Sasha. "Tell me what you know so we can stop the Russians. If we're all on the same side as you say, what difference does it make who takes them out?"

"All I know is that they are in Cornwall," he admitted.

"Cornwall? What the fuck are they doing down there; having a holiday?" I joked.

"I'm not telling you anymore until Sasha is safe," he replied.

As he said that, I heard the skiff bump against the boat. My earpiece sprang into life as they boarded the ship.

"Becca, we're on target. Where are you? Over," said Whitehouse.

I couldn't respond even if I wanted to. Charles was jumpy to say the least and if I moved my hand to press the mike button, he might shoot me.

"I can't see any viable reason why the Russians would be in Cornwall," I kept him talking. "What's their target; military bases; GCHQ? There's not much else down there."

"There's a lot more down there than you think," he blurted. "You have no idea."

"So, you do know what they're doing," I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Becca, we're entering the lounge area. Over," Whitehouse must have realised something wasn't right, but he was keeping me updated.

"OK. I may have an idea about what they're doing down there, but I'm telling you nothing until Sasha is safe."

"She'll be safe. You have my word," I replied, talking a little louder to try and let the CIA team know where I was. "Tell me everything you know."

He went quiet, looking sheepish and refusing to implicate himself.

"Wait... are you involved in what they're doing? Just like you were with the dirty-bomb plot and the deal with The Patriots? Have you caused this problem?" I quizzed.

He stuttered to respond as though he wanted to tell me but daren't.

"You treacherous mother fucker," I chastised him. "What have you sold them?"

He was about to respond when all hell broke loose and Whitehouse and his team bomb-burst through the door.

"DON'T MOVE. DROP YOUR WEAPONS," shouted Liberty. "CIA."

"STAND DOWN. HANDS UP," bellowed Pentagon.

"DON'T SHOOT HIM," I cried turning to face them with my hands out.

Confusion and panic set in and Charles was waving his gun around wildly, not knowing who to point it at for the better.

"STAY BACK. I'LL GO QUIETLY ONCE MY DAUGHTER IS SAFE," he yelled back.

"DROP IT. STAND DOWN."

"YOU FUCKING DROP IT. ALL OF YOU," he shouted back.

Someone was going to get shot by an itchy trigger finger at this rate. The situation needed calming down. I stepped forwards between the CIA team and Charles, trying to shield him from being shot.

"STAND DOWN. WE NEED HIM ALIVE," I snapped at the men who were now pointing their guns at me.

"BECCA, MOVE."

"NO. LOWER YOUR WEAPONS."

Thud - thud.

Two shots rang out in the room and we all looked at each other. I didn't know who had fired or who had been shot, but I knew it wasn't me. I checked myself over and knew I was still in one piece. I turned to see Charles clutching his neck as blood sprayed all over the floor and wall. I turned back to the CIA men and they all shrugged at me.

"Who took the fucking shot?" I gasped.

"Not me."

"Not guilty"

"Me neither."

"It wasn't me."

We all looked bewildered until I heard the gun clatter to the floor from the corner of the room.

It was Sasha.

She'd picked up my UCP from the floor and fired two shots straight at her father.

"Someone had to do it," she murmured, barely conscious. "Fucking asshole had it coming."

She passed out on the floor again as Whitehouse ran over to Charles and kicked the gun away from him. There was no way Charles was in a fit state to use it, but he wasn't taking any chances. I ran over to join him as Charles lay dying on the floor, spurting blood all over the tiles. Sasha's bullet had grazed his neck and punctured his artery.

He was gurgling and slipping in and out of consciousness, knowing he was about to die. It felt very fitting that his abused daughter had been the one to end his life, but I still wanted more information out of him before it was too late.

"What's the target? You're going to die Charles. Do the right thing and help us to stop the attack," I shouted. "What's the target?"

His voice was strained and he was struggling to speak, but he made an effort none the less.

"Tell... Sasha... I... forgive... her," he whispered, barely audible.

"I will, I promise. Come on Charles, tell me the target," I cradled his head to try and comfort him.

"Tell... her.... I... love... her," he croaked.

"The target, Charles. What are the Russians doing? Give me something," I repeated.

"Se... Se... Sen," he was trying to tell me something with his dying breath.

"Se? Sen? What are you trying to tell me? Come on Charles," I was desperate now.

"Sennen... Cove," he uttered his last words and then died in my arms.

His eyes rolled back in his head but stayed open, staring blankly at the ceiling. Charles Hamilton, the leader of The Generals, a known terrorist and my nemesis for the last few years was finally dead.

"FUUUUUUCK," I shouted to the sky in frustration.

"Becca, it's mission accomplished. We need to get out of here... now," said Sullivan, pulling at my arm. "You've got all you could out if him."

Liberty and Capitol were already picking up Sasha and preparing to move. I took one last look at Hamilton and closed his eyelids with my fingers. I felt numb and frustrated, but also satisfied that this guy was finally out of the picture.

Sullivan pulled me up and we made our way back out the way I'd come in. The fire was burning more ferociously at the back of the ship and the boat was listing to the stern. It was definitely taking on water and we needed to leave before it sank or exploded or whatever these things do when they catch fire.

"He's about to get a Viking burial," laughed Pentagon.

"It's more than he deserves," replied Capitol. "But at least it's over. Well done Becca."

"Well done Sasha, more like," I snorted. "I guess she got her revenge."

We made our way to the skiff and lowered Sasha into the boat before speeding back to the shore. We made it to the beach and drove the skiff straight up onto the sand. The men carried Sasha back to the house and started to assess her as she lay on the dining room table.

"I think she's going to be fine," said Liberty. "Most of its concussion and shock."

"I'm not surprised," I sighed. "She's been through a hell of a lot tonight."

"We all have," replied Sullivan. "You're a hell of an operator, Agent Becca. It's been a pleasure to serve with you. If there's anything we can do to repay what you did here tonight, just say the word."

I thought for a moment and then a smile slowly crept over my face.

"Well, actually there is," I smirked............

Epilogue

Back in the UK the tropical skies of the Bahamas had been replaced with grey skies and rain. It was quite a contrast, but at least I had some down time before being deployed to Cornwall.

Two weeks had passed since we'd flown back on one of Hamilton's private jets, which I guessed now belonged to Sasha. As the sole heir to Charles' empire and fortune she had inherited everything including the Hamilton Group. She had made a full recovery and had told me that she wanted to do some good in the world, now that she was the owner of such a powerful company. Her name had been cleared with the police, thanks to Lexa and Ethan, as had mine. Sasha didn't seem to have any lasting mental trauma from what she'd experienced or from the fact that she'd shot and killed her father, but time would tell. These emotional scars always took a while to surface and I guessed she was pushing it down deep and locking it in a box just as I did with all of my emotional baggage.

This mission had been a real test for me and I now had more traumatic images in my head to keep the rest of them company. Being covered in blood while wrestling with a bear-sized man might have been The Crow's fetish, but it was just another memory I wanted to forget.

My debrief had been thorough and Lexa and Ethan had both congratulated me for a job well done. It was nice to be appreciated even though no public recognition would ever be given. Our work continued in the shadows while the normal people of the world went about their business with no clue about how close we'd come to nuclear war.

It was an empowering feeling.

Despite the leader of The Generals being eliminated, we all knew that we hadn't heard the last from this mysterious group. They may have been dealt a devastating blow, but I was sure they'd regroup given time. Knowing that Ethan had been a co-founder had cleared up my suspicions about him and I just hoped he was now on the right side. A lot of my trust had been restored, but not all.

The news reports were still discussing what had gone on in the basement at Bronzefield. The failings in the prison service and the abuse and rape of female inmates wasn't just contained to Bronzefield; other UK prisons were also implicated. More arrests had been made nationwide and the whole system was under close scrutiny, but I wasn't holding my breath that anything would change. Once one asshole was removed, another one usually took his place to continue their abuse of power under a different name. The Nigel Fisher Foundation had been closed down and many of its members, who hadn't burned to death in the fire were now in custody. The reports had also said that the three fugitives who had escaped from the maximum security prison after the fire, had all been apprehended and no further enquiries were necessary.

I found that strange. I knew that my name and Sasha's had both been cleared, but The Crow was still at large. Maybe after I'd told the authorities that she only killed rapists, they'd decided to leave her to it. Her whereabouts were currently unknown.

There was no mention on any of the news channels about the explosions or gun battle on Hamilton Island. Even the international news hadn't reported on it. It just showed me how powerful the CIA were in that they could silence the media so easily. Sullivan and his team had gone back to the states for their debrief and I had vowed to keep in touch with him. It always paid to have an extra source of intel, especially one as powerful as the Central Intelligence Agency.

I thought about all of these things as I meandered my way through the back streets of the city towards my destination. There weren't many people about, mainly due to the weather and I enjoyed the brief solitude before I entered the gym.

The gym was pretty busy, but I wasn't here to work out; I was here for a meeting.

"You call that a fucking squat," I joked as I walked through the door and entered the weights room. "Get your ass to the floor, you lazy bitch."

"Becca? Oh my god, Becca? It's really you."

Naomi shrugged her bar-bell off of her shoulders and it bounced hard on the rubber matting. She ran towards me with her arms out to the sides and threw them around me in a big hug. She almost knocked me over she was so excited.

We parted and kissed each other hello while she calmed down a bit. She was sweaty from her workout and looked as sexy as ever. The gym was fully equipped and full of women of all ages working out. I could smell the pheromones filling the air and just seeing her name on the wall made me feel so proud of her.

"Naomi's Gym." I said out loud, reading the neon-pink sign on the wall. "Is that the best you could come up with?"

"Fuck you, bitch. I think it has a nice ring to it," she giggled.

"It does... and you deserve it," I slapped her on the ass playfully.

"I can't thank you enough for getting me out of Bronze," she purred. "Dare I ask how you did it?"

"It's probably best if you don't know," I laughed. "Let's just say that someone in Langley owed me a big favour. The CIA can be quite helpful if you know the right people."

"The CIA? What the fuck?"

"It's a long story," I laughed. "Buy me dinner and I'll tell you what I can."

"It's a date."

"Make sure you shower first though, you sweaty bitch," I joked. "Now, where is she?"

"She's upstairs as you'd expect. Follow me, I'll take you to her."

Naomi and I left the gym via the staff door and walked up a flight of stairs. There was a huge metal security door at the top and Naomi banged on it once before letting herself in with a coded keypad.

We entered the room which felt a lot cooler than the gym thanks to the air conditioning. It was well lit and spacious and the back wall was filled with computer screens. No expense had been spared thanks to a generous donation from Sasha. This place was a state-of-the-art hackers dream and we had the perfect person to run it.

Arrow.

"I love what you've done with the place," I said loudly, trying to get her attention.

Arrow was sitting cross-legged on her chair typing like a crazy person at her keyboard.

"Wait one," she said, not taking her eyes from the screens.

Numbers and illegible text filled most of the screens which meant nothing to me. Arrow's persona was exactly as I'd remembered from prison. She still lacked her people skills, but if you put her behind a computer, she shone like the star she was.

She finally finished what she was doing and turned to face me.

"Who's Agent Sullivan?" she asked, looking her usual confused self and not bothering with any pleasantries.

"Arrow!" Naomi snapped at her. "What did we say about your manners?"

"Oh yeah. Sorry. Hi Becca," she smiled briefly. "Who's Agent Sullivan?"

"It's lovely to see you again too, Arrow," I smiled back. "Where did you hear that name?"

"I didn't hear it. I read it on my release papers," she shrugged.

"What release papers? How did you get hold of them?"

"I may have hacked the prison database to see why I've been released," she said sheepishly. "His name was on my paperwork. It said that I've been released as a matter of national security... which is weird, because that's why I got banged up in the first place."

"It doesn't matter who he is," I replied. "You are assigned to me and I'm now responsible for you. You know why you're here."

"What do you say, Arrow?" prompted Naomi.

"Thanks... I guess," she rolled her eyes like a stroppy teenager.

I had set all of this up. During my assignment I'd decided that I was fed up not seeing the bigger picture. I knew the reasons why I was only told what I needed to know by Lexa, but I'd been frustrated about being kept in the dark. I thought I could work more effectively if I had my own team behind me and this was the perfect opportunity.

After we'd rescued Sasha from the sinking ship, Sullivan had asked me if there was anything he could do for me in return for my service on the island. Everything had fallen into place and I'd taken him up on his offer there and then. I told him that I had two friends in Bronzefield who didn't deserve to be there and asked him if he could get them out. Forty-eight hours later they were free with no questions asked. Naomi's sentence was quashed under the guise of self-defence and Arrow had been released after Sullivan had assigned her as my responsibility.

As soon as Sasha was awake and back in the land of the living, I'd told her that my plan was to carry on working for The Facility, but that I also wanted my own intelligence team working for me when I needed it. She thought it was an amazing idea and offered to fund the whole operation. She paid for Naomi's Gym which was now a front for the business, but the real work would be going on upstairs with Arrow at the helm. I hadn't told Lexa anything about it and I planned to keep it that way for now.

"Right then," I said, putting on my authoritarian voice. "We have and unknown number of Russians somewhere in Cornwall. I'm being deployed there next week to Sennen Cove with another agent. I want to know everything there is to know about who these people are. We need to know potential targets and we need to figure out what they're doing down there. What have you got for me so far, Arrow?"

Arrow flexed her fingers, smiled at me and then stared back at the screens.

"OK, boss," she replied. "Watch me work........."