LockDown Ward
03.05am Monday
Clay was at the soda machine when the alarm sounded, he dropped the can of soda it's contents splashing on the pale linoleum floor, and raced towards Casey's room.
AJ had been in the bathroom, but came rushing out at the alarm's sounding. Standing in the door of Casey's room, they checked on herSshe was still breathing and appeared to be fine.
"What the hell is the alarm for?"
He asked Tim.
"It's the guards alarm...looks like we have company."
Tim un-holstered his weapon and moved towards the heavy steel doors where the Marine Guards had been posted.
He looked through the bulletproof glass window and saw the two guards, laying about 4 feet from the door in a pool of blood.
"The guards are down."
"Down as in..."
"Most likely dead." Tim said." I think it's safe to assume that Bytchkov has located us."
"Where's Anya?" AJ asked.
"She's here with me."
Clay said holding Anya on his lap.
"Clay I want you to stay with Casey and Anya, AJ you stay with them too, Rabb , Mac you come with me and lets see if we can find out where Bytchkov is. Porter, can you get hold of Langley and get another Sweeper team in here... I want this son of a bitch gone."
Porter nodded and walked towards the nurses station to call for help.
AJ, Clay and Anya made their way into Casey's room.
"Is Fish Cough coming?"
Anya asked AJ as she sat down on the chair by Casey's bed.
"Fish-cough...yes, he is. But we're not going to let anyone hurt you are we Webb?"
AJ said as he checked his daughters IV tubes adjusting them slightly..
Clay shook his head, a nasty feeling gripping him.
Bytchkov was one of the best sweepers the KGB had ever had, he hadn't been lying to AJ when he said that he made Palmer look like an amatuer.
Bytchkov was a master of disguise, a deadly assassin without conscience...a man who enjoyed his work.
If he wanted them dead, odds were, they were going to die.
"He's a bad man isn't he Clay?"
Anya asked him taking hold of Clay's hand.
"Yes honey he is, but he won't be able to get to us here."
He tried to sound reassuring, but even to his ears it sounded fake.
He looked at AJ who paced nervously by the door, watching Tim and the others as they walked away down the corridor.
"What's wrong AJ?"
"Nothing, I just check for Bytchkov."
AJ said as he looked down the corridor towards the main doors of the lockdown ward.
Clay looked again at AJ, something was wrong.
The way AJ had annunciated just then had sounded almost like...
Clay's blood ran cold as he took another look at AJ, he hadn't noticed in all the confusion before but AJ's usually impeccable uniform hung more loosely than it had before and the collar of his shirt seemed too big for his neck.
Pushing Anya behind him and over towards the window he moved to Casey's side, careful to keep himself between Anya and AJ.
He quietly drew his weapon so that it was centered on AJ.
"Drop your weapon Bytchkov"
He said softly to AJ
AJ turned around, and Clay noticed the eyes immediately and wondered why he hadn't noticed before.
AJ's eyes were a clear brown colour, but the eyes that stared back at Clay from AJ's face were a deep blue/green glittering with menace and evil.
"Or what, you'll shoot me Mister Webb?"
Clay clicked off the safety on his weapon with a harsh 'snap' and nodded.
"Don't think I won't you bastard!"
"If you shoot me, Agent McDaniels will never wake up."
Clay looked from Bytchkov to Casey who's breathing had become more harsh in the last few minutes.
"What have you done to her you sonofabitch?"
"I've injected her IV bag with a penicillin based poison...unless you give the girl Agent McDaniels will be dead within the hour."
"Penicillin never killed anyone...you're bluffing."
Clay said desperately hoping he was right.
"Unless they were highly allergic to it...like McDaniels is. Right about now she should be experiencing heart palpitations, followed by a cardiac arrest and then inevitably...death."
"Fix it...or I'll shoot you Bytchkov...I mean it!!"
Clay yelled.
Bytchkov smiled at Clay, the glittering menace in his eyes deepening.
He was enjoying Clay's fear and it showed.
From Clay's position by the bed, out of sight of Bytchkov, he held the buzzer for the nurses station in his hand, tapping out an SOS...he just hoped his mother was still there..