Chapter 35

Present – Maria – In the equipment room

I've got the blood flowing into Jens, pressure applied to the wound using a wood clamp (which of course my Princess Boss complained about), the chest tube is in place working great and the color has returned to her face.

Bernie and Liz come back and Liz asks, "Will these drugs help?"

I check them - they are Keflex and morphine so I reply, "They are perfect, thanks for your help." I add the Keflex to her normal saline IV bag, check her respiration and give her a shot of morphine.

Liz questions, "What now?"

I reply, "Well, we've controlled the bleeding, and added more blood; now we just have to wait for rescue. Liz, will you and Ivan watch my Princess Boss while Bernie and I work on the ventilation duct?"

Liz suggests...

Present – Liz – In the equipment room

I suggest, "How about when I'm in between checking on Jens, Ivan and I make some food for us. I bet we could all use something to eat."

Maria and Bernie agree, "Wow that would be great!"

Ivan adds, "I hungry too."

I begin to hunt for some food, find some MRE's and comment, "It looks like all we have in here are MRE's."

Maria complains, "I will eat any of those except that damn fucking hotdog - that is one of the nastiest and greasiest MRE's available."

Ivan remarks, "She say many, many bad words so my ears hurt!" Luckily this time Maria is busy and didn't hear him.

As Bernie and Maria are tearing into the ventilation duct, I grab three MRE's making sure not to select a hotdog one! I pick the meals along with the heaters and ask Ivan, "Do you know how to make an MRE?"

Ivan proudly says, "Yes. Papa and Unca Ben teach me well and good, I will help."

We get the MRE's open and begin to heat the entrees when Maria swears...

Present – Maria – In the equipment room

"God damn! I know what the fuck that explosion was, it was something sealing off the ventilation duct."

Ivan complains, "She should not use God's name in vain, she will go to hell."

I get ready to let Ivan have it, then I remember Mabel's admonition about not swearing in front of him. Hells Bells - it's second nature with me! But I decide to apologize, "Sorry Ivan, but sometimes I use bad words when I am upset."

Ivan makes the sign of the cross and answers, "You are forgiven. Sometimes Papa is the same, especially when he hits big finger with hammer."

I begin to chuckle and figure the old fart has it worse than I do then Liz asks, "So we're trapped down here?"

I answer, "Until someone gets some heavy equipment up here this is our new home."

Liz continues, "What about Jens?"

I walk over, check her vitals and explain, "Well, with all the medical equipment we have down here, she should be fine for at least a day or possibly two."

Then I question, "How is it we have lights down here? They went off after the blasts but now we have them again."

Liz says, "He-- heck if I know."

I decide I need to try to wake Jens to see what's going on with the lights...

Present – Jens – In the equipment room

Someone is lightly slapping my face saying, "Wake up." I complain, "I just might do that if you stop slapping me." I open my eyes and see Maria, Liz, Bernie and Ivan. Ivan beams, "Maybe I should kiss the Princess to make her feel better?"

My first response is to jump his ass for calling me a princess, but better judgment takes hold. I cough a little (it hurts like hell) and state, "That's okay Ivan, not now but later."

Maria asks, "Jens, what's going on with the lights, they originally went out but they are now back on."

I think for a moment, listen and say, "Well, I don't hear the backup generators, besides I think the killer bees took them out, so we must be on battery backup."

Liz questions, "How long will they run?"

I think and reply, "They should be good for about six to eight hours but don't worry we have a hell of a lot of flashlights in the cabinet over there."

I croak, "Is that food I smell?"

Maria answers, "Yeah, we're making some MRE's"

I suddenly remember we never made it to the mess tent and state, "I'm hungry as hell, how about making one for me?"

Maria counters, "Sorry Jens but you need an empty stomach for your surgery."

I question, "Well can't I at least have a chocolate chip cookie and a drink of ginger ale."

Maria counters, "Sorry Jens you're NPO."

Ivan quickly jumps on potential availability, "We have cookies? I love cookies."

I fight, "That's right, but they are mine. And if I can't have them nobody can have them."

Ivan complains, "I not know princesses are so grumpy."

I laugh, "Well, when it comes to my chocolate chips cookies I am real grumpy."

Ivan shocks us when he says, "I think you are Princess Doody Head."

We all begin to laugh (which hurts like hell) and I ask, "Isn't doody a bad word?"

Ivan informs us, "Much better than other words for doody. I use other words and Mama use nasty soap in mouth."

We chuckle again and I relent, "Okay Liz, you can share one of my chocolate chip cookies with Ivan."

Ivan pouts, "I no want Princess Doody Head's cookies I make my own RECON cookie like Unca Ben teach me."

I ask, "Ivan, did Unca Ben teach you how to make MRE's?"

Ivan boasts, "Yes he teach me how to make any MRE even nasty Captain Upchuck Chicken MRE taste well and good."

I smile and think what a wonderful father Ben would be...

Present – Jack – In prison at the cabin.

I reply to Masha, "It sure as hell is who you think it is! Now I know why all this bullshit is happening. The bastard is here with hopes of recapturing Ben."

Masha informs me, "Do you know he is no longer a Marine? He now works for a three letter branch of the federal government."

I answer, "Hell yes I know that! After Banzai pulled his ass out of the destroyed Humvee and saved him, he couldn't walk. But even when he was a Marine, we wondered if he was more spook than Marine and it looks like we have our answer."

Masha shows some concern, "Jack, he is a very formidable adversary, we need to be extremely careful with what we say to him."

I declare, "He needs to be fucking careful or I will kill his ass..."

Present – Masha – In prison at the cabin.

I need to deflect my husband's rage so I change to another subject, "I was informed that Stacy Summers is in charge of the recovery operation in the tunnels."

Jack spurts, "What the hell! Who brought her ass into this mess?"

I answer, "I am not certain but apparently she has the required equipment on its way. Were you successful with the ventilation duct?"

Jack sighed, "Fuck no! When the machinegun blew up it completely closed off the shaft."

We watched as the man dealt with the twins, Alexi and Todd. He then confronted Linus in the mess tent and finally he rolls toward us in his wheelchair. I caution Jack, "Control yourself..."

Present – Mike (formerly Major and then Captain M) – At the cabin.

I recognize some serious threats which need to be dealt with in the proper manner, so I roll my wheelchair toward the Sedankina twins, their brother and (I can't believe my luck) a seriously wounded Todd.

I approach, stay a safe distance away and order the Captain, "Make sure to search them thoroughly and remove anything that even vaguely resembles a weapon."

He begins the search and as expected he finds on the girls many throwing stars and darts, several short knives and Irina's katana. On the boy he takes his rifle and a pistol; from the unconscious Todd, he takes his bow, many throwing knives and a sidearm.

I roll closer and taunt just Miranda (because Irina is unconscious), "Miranda, it's so good to see you again. However it looks like this time the odds favor me."

Like the excellent trained operative that she is she controls her emotions, "Mike the pleasure is all yours and none of ours."

Her brother adds, "You sir, are a barbarian."

I laugh, "I might be that but I hold your futures in my hands. I could have you deported."

The Captain interrupts, "Sir they have diplomatic passports, I'm not sure you can do that."

I smile without any sincerity and say, "Yes, of course they do. Please escort them to the CSH, restrain them to the beds for their safety, and post and armed sentry on each of them. They are a critical risk to the successful completion of our mission."

The boy complains, "I have no medical issues therefore I do not require restraints."

I shrug my shoulders and modify my command, "Then handcuff him to his sister."

I watch and I'm satisfied as Irina and Todd are loaded onto stretchers and Miranda and her brother walk to the CSH.

Present – Mira – Heading to the cash

The captain's men were not totally thorough in their search of Ira and myself since they missed two of the most powerful weapons in our arsenal. Indubitably their oversight was the result of our tessens¹ appearance as innocuous fans. This was a common amateur mistake which we had used many times in our past to our advantage.

¹ Tessenjutsu is the martial art of the Japanese war fan (tessen). It is based on the use of the solid iron fan or the folding iron fan, which usually had eight or ten wood or iron ribs. The practitioners of tessenjutsu could, with sufficient diligence, acquire a high level of skill. Some became so skilled, in fact, that they were able to defend themselves against an attacker wielding a sword, and even kill an opponent with a single blow. Apart from using it in duels against enemies armed with swords and spears, the skilled wielder could also use it to fence and fend off knives and poisoned darts thrown at him. Like a sword, the tessen could be dual-wielded to parry with one hand and attack with the other.

I acquired Alexi's ocular units and could tell he realized this and also that he concealed some weapon on his corporeal self. This I found most interesting because it was another new skill which he had acquired...

Present – Linus – Rescuing the survivors

I had been busy saving the survivors of the blast and with the battle of the false Marines over I had focused all my energies here. Mabel comes over and whispers to me, "Linus, look at what they are doing to our Marines."

I observer and see they have locked all of them into a hastily constructed concertina wire enclosure. I sure as hell didn't like the looks of things and whispered back to Mabel, "I think I need to get the hell out of here before I'm included in this bullshit."