Chapter 8: After Action report

Near Present day – October 17th{br}After battle, sometime before dawn
Location Unknown

I slowly came to. My ears were filled by the roar of a helicopter in flight. I had taken a tourist chopper ride once when I had been married and remembered how noisy it had been when I had lifted off the headphones. The loud noise was wooden though ... like I was drunk or numb. I felt numb all over. Aside from the aircraft noise, I could also hear someone speaking loudly.

“ ... stabilized and will likely live. Over.”

There was a pause. I realized that the voice was that of a woman. It sounded familiar to me for some reason. I registered the voice speaking again.

“ ... shows signs of being fully imprinted. The asset says she held nothing back. Over.”

Again, there was a pause. I tried to open my eyes. It was a struggle. My brain returned to just listening to the voice.

“Possibly, once he is out of surgery ... if he is allowed surgery. Will he be allowed surgery? Over”

That sounded grim. Who was the woman talking about? I tried to remember what had happened. Why was I in a helicopter? What had happened?

“Affirmative! We will do what we can. Thank you! Medic out.”

I felt someone touching my neck. Whoever had touched me must be checking my pulse. I then felt the hand move and check the mask that I just realized was strapped to my face. With a shock I realized that they had been talking about me. I had been hurt! Suddenly, it all came back to me. The secret tunnel. The shooting. The black dressed attackers. The girl!

I surged to get up but felt restraints holding me back. KATERINA! Was she ok? I managed to get my eyes open. Where was she? Was she ok? I saw a face above me looking back at me intently. It was not my woman!

“Dylan! Relax. You were shot but we have you stabilized. Stop struggling!”

I knew that face. What was her name? Liz! It was the doctor who had visited me over seven months ago for my first checkup. I calmed down a bit. Maybe she could tell me about Katerina. As I stared at her trying to form the words to ask her, I noticed that Liz was wearing either dark tactical gear or a dark flight suit ... Maybe both.

I shifted my eyes and tried to see who else was in the chopper with us. Where was Katerina? Off to the side I saw a strongly built black man. He also looked familiar and was dressed in dark tactical gear. I saw he was clutching a rifle and watching me with concern. Security Guy! I remembered him from my first interview in Cleveland.

I scanned my eyes around further. There were three others, two man and a woman, who were also dressed in tactical gear and armed. They were also looking at me with concern. Where was she! Katerina! I heaved against my restraints a second time.

“I’m going to have to sedate him!” Liz said, looking over and behind me. “Asset! Can you keep it under control? If you can, get over here and try to calm him down!” She turned to the others, “Put your filters back on just in case!”

I looked over at the armed people and they were all donning respirator filters. Liz also moved back and put on a respirator. I kept struggling until I felt new cool hands on my face. I looked up to see the upside-down view of an angel. Despite the angel wearing headphones I could tell instantly that it was her! She was safe. She looked concerned and sad. I calmed immediately.

“Oh, Dylan I am so sorry,” she said in her accented English.

I was so relieved to see her safe. I was also confused why she was so sad?

“Calm down baby. They are going to fix you back up. I’m here. Can you relax for me?”

She kept stroking my face with her hands. I remained locked onto her gaze. I saw Liz in my peripheral vision doing something with a needle, sticking it into a hanging I.V. port. My god Katerina was beautiful. I had never felt such emotions welling up inside. I loved her so much. Her face grew distant like it was receding down a long tunnel. I faded away.

October 21st{br}Location Unknown

I gradually woke up. I could hear the blips of medical equipment. I noticed I had a breathing tube down my throat. The room was dim and I was alone. Memories came back. The compound. The strange night ending in the gun battle in the underground chamber. Meeting and falling in love with Katerina. Making love to her ... wait, did we make love? I struggled to remember the details ... maybe fantasy was blurring with reality. I remembered coming awake in the helicopter. I remembered Liz. I looked around the empty room. Where was Katerina? She must be away somewhere. Was she ok? What if she wasn’t ok?

I started to struggle as I worried about my love. The movements caused electric shocks of hot pain to flare from my shoulder and thigh. The beeping sounds increased, and an alarm began to blare. After a minute where I struggled in agony against my restraints, someone entered the room.

“Dylan! Calm down. You are safe. Katerina is safe! Stop struggling.”

The strange lady injected something into my IV. Someone else entered the room. The first woman turned away to speak to the new person.

“He’s awake and as bad as ever. I’ve given him a sedative. I think we have to start with the treatment.”

I tried to listen to their conversation, but everything grew dark and I was again out.

I woke. The room was bright but sterile. The beeping of the medical devices I remembered from before was gone. The breathing tube was also gone. I carefully turned my head a bit to look around as I tried to focus my eyes. I saw that the medical devices were off and pushed away from the bed. There was one chair in the corner of the mostly empty room but that was it. At least there was a small window. Through it, I could see a cloudless blue sky but nothing else.

I thought about calling out but decided to wait a bit instead. I needed to think. I remembered the recent events including the gun battle and the young woman. I remembered shooting and killing two men. I remembered getting shot twice. I remembered the helicopter flight and my first awakening which must have been after my surgery. I remember how I had panicked and thrashed. What had I been so worried about?

It was the girl ... Katerina. Why had I gotten so upset about her? My thoughts were a bit detached. I realized I felt little emotions about the memories of my recent events. Did any of it matter anymore? I was alive and breathing. So what. It was no big deal.

I tried to lift my uninjured arm and it was not restrained. I looked and saw the signs of bandages which must have covered and IV entry. The IV was gone. No wonder I was a bit hungry and thirsty. Nothing sounded appetizing though, so I did not act on my hunger. I looked at my left shoulder and saw that it had a large bandage and my arm was attached to a band wrapped around my abdomen with Velcro. I pulled up the sheet and saw that I was naked. My right thigh was covered in a large dressing.

None of that seemed worrying to me, or even interesting if I was completely honest. I relaxed back and decided to rest a bit longer. I must have dozed just a short while before I woke again realizing that I needed to take a leak. Looking over where I expected to find it, I found the call button on its cord. I reached over and pressed the button.

Five minutes later a very relaxed younger male orderly entered the room.

“Hello! I see that you are awake,” he said too cheerfully. “I know you must have questions, but before you speak I was told to tell you the word discretion. I don’t know why or what that means but I was also told to keep interactions with you to the minimum. With that said. How are you feeling and how can I help?”

We managed to get my injured body into the bathroom where I could finally take a leak. My dick stung a bit when I started which meant that I had recently had a catheter removed. After I was back sitting in the bed, my orderly left to get a tray of food. I also had a large container of water which I could freely sip from.

As I waited for my food to be delivered, I noticed that everything still seemed dull ... wooden. I realized that my physical senses were find, it was my mind that seemed to be processing things differently. Life seemed dull and routine, maybe boring. I had no curiosity of where I was or how I was recovering.

The next day I had my first visitor. I would later learn that it would be my only visitor.

“Oh shit!” I said out loud when she walked through the door. Ms. Draper actually chuckled a bit at that.

“Well Mr. Clark. It seems you have ignored my instructions to remain unnoticed and unseen. What are we going to do with you?”

I just looked at her for a long moment. Finally, I replied, “Right now, I could not care less.”

“Yes,” she replied almost sadly. “That is the main side effect of the treatment we have been giving you.”

I had quickly realized that they must have done something to me. I knew that what I was feeling, or more correctly, what I was not feeling, was unnatural. Before I could ask for details Ms. Draper spoke up.

“Mr. Clark, I apologize in advance for the crudity, and perhaps the theatrics, of this request, but...” she paused, reached into her purse and retrieved a plastic baggy which contained some sort of clothing, and tossed it to me, “ ... smell these.”

I held up bag and saw that it contained a small pair of panties. I looked at her with a disbelieving expression. I also noticed that she had stepped back to the doorway.

“Go on! Open the bag up and give them a good sniff!”

Oh well. I did as she asked, opening the bag and holding up to my nose. I caught the familiar sent of a woman. I felt a tiny stir in my loins and in my brain. Katerina came to mind. I set the bag down on the bedspread and stared off into space for a long moment. Feelings churned inside ... but they were muted, subdued. I remained calm.

Ms. Draper just stood there observing me. Her face betrayed nothing.

“You can keep your gun holstered Ms. Draper. I’m not going to lose it.”

She gave me a small smile and opened her closed fist, revealing what she had held concealed. I saw a small syringe. She put it back in her purse.

“I ... apologize for that Mr. Clark. I had to be sure the treatment was working. I am happy ... and saddened to see that it has,” she said.

“What did you treat me for?” I asked, even though I had a hint.

“Why true love Mr. Clark. True and everlasting love and devotion. The treatment which you have received and must continue to receive is the antidote, so to speak.”

I just looked at her blinking, trying to understand what she had said.

“I don’t understand,” I said.

“That is understandable. Please reseal the bag tightly.”

I did so and held it up for her to see. She took a deep breath, approached my bed and took the bag from me before retreating back to the doorway. She then continued, “I would guess that you must have some idea about what has happened to you. Go ahead ... speak your suspicions freely. You have already been judged and pardoned.”