LockDown Ward
Monday 03.12am EDT
Porter Webb sat at the nurses station, the phone to her ear as she spoke to the Op Centre at Langley.
"Yes, they're needed immediately...I understand...thankyou."
The light flashing on the control board to her right caught her eye.
"Doctor what does that light mean?"
"That's the nurses signal Ma'am...it means attendance needed."
The Doctor said as she got up and prepared to make her way to Casey's room.
Porter watched the signal flash on and off in a signal of three long then three short beats.
An SOS...from her son no doubt.
"Wait...Doctor I need you to find Agent Fawkes, get him back here immediately, tell him I have located Bytchkov in the ICU room."
"But the signal..."
"The signal was for me,now go."
As the Doctor scuttled away to find Tim, Porter opened her purse her searching fingers encountering the cold steel of a small hand-gun.
She had thought she would never need to use this ever again, thought it to be part of a world she had left behind many years ago.
She was wrong.
She primed the small pistol, and waited, the phone still to her ear as she prayed that Tim would hurry.
From his position in Casey's room, Clay saw his mother look towards the board with the flashing light and send the Doctor away from the desk.
Help was on the way.
"What do you want Anya for?"
He asked Bytchkov, still pointing the pistol at him.
"For the missile codes Agent Webb, you know why!"
"The codes are fakes...we've checked them against our database!"
"Impossible, I have M...I have it on excellent authority that the codes are indeed real. I would not have been sent out after them otherwise."
"Unless maybe, your colleagues wanted to get rid of you?"
Clay said trying to find a weak chink in Bytchkov's armour.
"Get rid of me...Nicholai Bytchkov?" Bytchkov laughed. "If they wanted to do that...who would they send...a sweeper?"
"Maybe they're counting on one of our sweepers to take you out?" Clay said nonchalantly.
"Your sweepers could not catch a cold...let alone catch me." Bytchkov laughed.
"And yet," Clay said with a smile. "I have you in my sights right now,one shot and I could end your life."
"But you will not Agent Webb, you need me to keep your Ms McDaniels alive. You will not shoot me." Bytchkov said sagely, as he leaned against the door.
"She was almost a worthy opponent she took out all of my men but me. It's such a shame that she could not finish what she started don't you think? Would you like to hear how she struggled Agent Webb. How even when I threw her through the window and out onto the porch she got up and came back at me again, or maybe you want to know how she looked when I punched her in the face..."
Bytchkov watched Clay's face become a mask of rage and smiled. "No, you would most like to hear about the way she looked when the bullet ripped through her side, yes?"
Clay itched to shoot Bytchkov, to end his life with the same lack of mercy he had shown Casey, but Bytchkov was right, Clay needed him alive to save Casey's life.
Shooting this killer may take away any chance Casey had of surviving.
It was a chance he was not willing to take.
Out of sight of his adversary , the hand he had been signalling his mother with, was now holding Casey's IV tube folded on top itself, blocking the toxic medication from reaching the drip in her arm.
"You're a sick bastard Bytchkov, how do you live with yourself?"
"The money Agent Webb...the money!" Bytchkov smiled.
"How much are they paying you for this...the Russians?"
Clay said trying to get Bytchkov to reveal his employer, while Bytchkov was a skilled assassin, the man lacked any real intelligence.
"Russians? You think the Russians could afford me these days?"
Clay shrugged.
"Maybe, depends if they thought the ends justified the means."
"They never think the ends justify the means...it's why it is still a POOR country Agent Webb!" Bytchkov said with a smile.
"The people I work for are much more powerful than the KGB...in fact you have a lot in common with the man I work for."
Clay looked at Bytchkov, thoughts of the first night at 'Orion's Reach' with Anya came flooding back. ***Who assigned us this case** Casey had asked.
**Dep Director Myers...requested us specifically***
"Myers!"
Clay said as he watched for any reaction in Bytchkov's eyes.
Surprise flared for a moment in the glittering green eyes staring out of AJ's face.
"Myers?" Bytchkov echoed casually. "Who is this Myers?"
Clay smiled at Bytchkov, he could tell by the look in Bytchkov's eyes that he had been right.
Deputy Director Myers was the mole in the Agency, he had payed Bytchkov to kidnap, and then in all likelyhood dispose of Anya Fielding.
Now all Clay had to do was prove it.
Doctor Janice Markham made her way down the corridor towards the steel security doors.
She had been a Navy Doctor for 15 years and in all her time at Bethesda she had never been involved in so much as an argument let alone anything more serious.
She had searched the last three rooms and had not seen Tim Fawkes or the two others with him, but this was a secure area and they couldn't be far away.
A muffled thump from the mens bathroom caught her immediate attention.
Unholstering the sidearm all the staff carried in this secure ward, she made her way into the mens room.
There on the floor, bound and gagged with a nasty looking welt on his forhead was Admiral Chegwidden.
She knelt beside him and removed the gag.
"Where is Clayton Webb?" He rasped at her.
"In with Miss McDaniels, the little girl and...and...you Sir."
She said as she undid the gaffer tape binding his hands and feet.
"And Tim? Agent Fawkes?" He asked.
"He went out in search of Bytchkov...are you alright sir?"
Janice asked as AJ stood up to his full height, shaking his head to clear it of the dizziness that engulfed him.
"Yeah, just forgot I'm not 25 anymore. What about Porter Webb..is she still here?" He asked.
Janice nodded.
"Agent Webb sent an SOS signal to her and she sent me in search of Agent Fawkes...I was trying to locate him when I found you Sir."
AJ smiled at the doctor.
"What's your name?"
"Janice Markham Sir."
"Well Janice...I owe you a beer when we get out of here. Now I need you to find...."
His speech was interrupted by Tim Fawkes, barging into the mens room followed closely by Harm and Mac.
"AJ I thought I told you to...Jesus H. what the hell happened to you?"
Tim said looking at the quickly darkening bruise on AJ's head.
"Nicholai Bytchkov, that's what! He's pulled a Palmer on us, he's in there with Casey and Clay and Anya posing as me." AJ said with a grim look. "Clay's got him pegged though from what I heard, he alerted Porter and she sent Janice to find you, which is what she was doing when she found me in here and set me loose."
AJ looked down and found himself standing in just his shorts and t-shirt and for the first time in years Tim saw an Admiral blush.
After locating AJ a pair of dungarees and a spare weapon, and alerting Porter of the change in situation they formulated a plan of attack.
5 Minutes Later:
Tim & Mac walked back to the ICU room where Casey was being held.
"AJ, I haven't been able to find Bytchkov, I suggest we get Anya and Casey out of here as soon as..." He saw Clay holding a gun on AJ and frowned. "What's going on here...Clayton...."
With lightening reflexes Mac disabled Bytchkov and had him pinned to the floor in seconds.
Harm and AJ were quick to add their weight to the struggling mans back as Mac pinned him down and handcuffed him.
"He's injected her IV bag with some sort of poison." Clay said to Janice as she walked into the room. "I've been squashing the tube so that no more could get in, but her breathing has changed and I don't know how long it was in there before he told me..."
AJ dragged Bytchkov to his feet, staring the shorter man in the eyes, he ripped the mask off his face. "What poison is it Bytchkov?"
"Just one of the usual ones" Bytchkov said with a sadistic smile.
"You have three seconds to tell me before I tear out some vital organs."
AJ said softly so that Anya couldn't hear him.
"You can't kill me Admiral...she'll die if you do!"
AJ moved closer to the now sweating face of Nicholai Bytchkov.
"I didn't say anything about killing you...I just said I'd rip out some vital organs.By the time I'm finished with you, you'll be wishing you were dead...now what poison did you give my daughter?"
Bytchkov looked into the eyes of the Admiral and knew with absolute certainty that this man would do exactly as he threatened.
"Penicillin. I've given her penicillin." He said softly.
AJ backed away from Bytchkov and watched as Janice and her team unhooked the IV bag and administered an antidote to the penicillin.
The Sweeper team from Langley arrived a few seconds later and took possession of the prisoner.
"Keep him under triple guard postings constantly...no-one in or out. And I mean no-one understand?" Tim said with a look that brooked no argument.
"Yes sir."
Tim walked back into the ICU room.
"How's she doing?" He asked AJ.
"Janice says she'll be OK, apparently Clay stopped most of the drug from getting to her when he folded the IV tubes." He ran his hand over his face. "He just keeps on surprising me that one!"
Tim smiled.
"She's gonna make it through this AJ, she's tough!"
AJ nodded, wishing he could be convinced that Casey was going to be OK.
"I want 5 minutes with him." He said softly
"Bytchkov?" Tim asked looking at his old friend.
AJ nodded
"No you don't AJ...he's not worth your career."
"What's my damn career got to do with anything? My daughter is laying in a hospital bed, in a coma because of that bastard and I want his guts for garters." AJ yelled.
"AJ, I don't think Casey would want you to give up everything you love to avenge her."
Tim said softly.
AJ looked at Tim.
"5 Minutes."
He said as he walked out the steel doors, past the sheet covered bodies of the murdered Marine guards, onto the fire escape and out into the cool night air.
ICU Ward
Bethesda
04.10am
Clay had been sitting by Casey's bedside with Anya for the last 45 minutes.
Casey's breathing had returned to normal shortly after the antidote had been administered and the soft bleeps and beeps of the machines were lulling Clay to sleep, a kind of macabre normality in all the excitement.
He was drifting to sleep, his hand, as always, holding Casey's, when he felt her fingers curl around his.
His eyes flew open and he sat upright, nearly knocking Anya off his lap in the process.
"Casey?"
He whispered, wanting so desperately for it to be more than just a muscle spasm.
"Case, can you hear me?"
There was a flickering behind her eyelids, but she didn't move.
"Case, if you can hear me I want you to squeeze my hand again."
He said softly.
He waited, hoping, praying.
The seconds ticked by, 1...2...3....each one seeming to be a hour.
Then...her hand squeezed his softly.
He looked down at her, a smile lighting his face that few had ever had the pleasure of seeing before.
Her eyelids were taped shut, to protect her eyes while she was in the coma and he watched as she struggled to open them.
"Hey...shhh...don't try and open your eyes, they've been taped shut. I'm going to call the Doctor."
Her hand tightened on his, a physical reminder of the promise he'd made her at 'Orion's Reach'.
"I'm not leaving, I'm just going to press the buzzer."
He said with a smile.
Anya opened her eyes and looked at Clay.
"Is Casey awake?"
"I think she's waking up now, why don't you go and tell Harm and Mac." He said softly.
Anya nodded and ran out into the hall.
Clay called out to Tim who was standing outside the door.
"Tim, get AJ now."
Tim poked his head in the door and saw Clay holding Casey's hand firmly in his and her fingers wrapped around his and he sprinted out the door to the fire escape.
AJ stood out on the stairs, staring out at the dawning day and praying that Casey would live to see a sunrise with the people she loved.
"AJ...." Tim said breathlessly as he ran out onto the fire escape.
"What...What is it..."
"Casey...coming out of it..." Tim panted.
AJ's face split into a grin as he raced inside to the ICU ward.
Dr Janice Markham walked into the ICU room expecting the worst.
Casey had been through hell in the last 24 hours and her body was unlikely to be able to absorb the shock of the penicillin.
But when she walked into the room, Clayton Webb gave her a smile she would have paid money to see on a movie screen and held up his hand.
"She squeezed my hand and she's trying to open her eyes."
He said barely able to contain his excitement.
"OK, well we'll take that tape off and see if our patient has rejoined us shall we."
Casey gave Clay's hand another squeeze and he smiled.
AJ got there just in time to see Janice take the tape off Casey's eyes.
A few seconds later, Casey's dark gold lashes fluttered open and revealed a pair of lucid blue eyes.
"Welcome back." Janice said with a smile.
Casey's eyes fluttered shut again, and then opened.
She moved her eyes towards the jug of ice water sitting on the bedside stand.
"Water...your throat must be parched from the oxygen."
Casey's eyes smiled at the doctor, Janice poured Casey a small glass of water, lifting her head just enough to take a small swallow.
"You're voice will be a little husky for a while, but it should be back within a few days. And you'll probably be feeling very tired soon, you have to keep resting, let your body heal, it's been under quite a strain the last 2 days."
After a few more checks were run, Janice took a blood sample and left the room.
Warning the others not to overtax Casey.
Tim , Harm and Mac, said quick hello's and left to sit in the waiting room.
AJ and Clay stood on either side of her bed, watching and smiling.
Casey's muscles were weak, she felt as helpless as a kitten and she wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around both her father and her partner and tell them that she loved them.
But right now she could do little more that smile, and whisper.
"I'll wait outside." Clay said with a smile.
"Clay, you don't have to...." Aj said softly.
"Yes, yes I do, you need time alone with your daughter." He said.
"..snoop"
Casey whispered from her bed, a small smile on her face.
Clay tossed her a carefree grin and walked out into the waiting room humming a tune to himself.
Harm, Mac & Tim watched Clay walk out of Casey's room smiling and wondered, not for the first time if they knew this man at all.
They watched as he pulled Anya onto his lap and began telling her a fairytale.
His choice was apt.
"Sleeping Beauty."
AJ sat by Casey's bed, it seemed ominously quiet in here now without the bleeps and beeps of the machines.
He wanted to say so much to her, but didn't know how to start.
"Dad?"
Casey whispered, tears in her eyes.
AJ looked into Casey's eyes, his own filling with tears and he said softly.
"I'm so sorry, for lying to you all these years. It was wrong, you should have known from the start."
The tears flowed unchecked down his face.
"Sera and I...we were in love...it was wrong how it all happened....But I don't regret it at all,not for a minute...because it gave me you."
Casey touched his face, wiping away the tears.
"SEALs don't cry remember."
She whispered with a smile.