The click of the
handle echoed around the empty room, and Andrea paused for a moment with her
hand on it, the faint sound seeming deafening in the silence. The only other noise in the near-darkness
was her own breathing, that too seeming to be much louder than normal. Realising it was all just her paranoid imagination
she continued on, pulling open the door to the cabinet and retrieving the
contents inside. She flicked on a small
torch briefly to scan the files and verify that they were what she had come
for. Ascertaining they were, she placed
them and the torch in the backpack she had with her, slinging it over her
shoulders.
Standing up, she
pulled back the sleeve on her black jacket to make a quick check of the
time. She was still running to
schedule. Despite the fact that the
mission seemed to be running smoothly and to plan she couldn’t help feel
uneasy. Or maybe it was because
it was running so smoothly. It was all
too convenient – she’d not encountered any guards, no unexpected alarms had
gone off, the documents had been exactly where they were supposed to be. She didn’t really know why they had needed
her to perform this mission at all, in fact, any regular covert soldier could
have done what she was doing. Rather
than reassure her, that only led her to become more suspicious and as she left
the room she was half-expecting some alarm to suddenly start blarring out,
accompanied by flashing red lights and a horde of enemy troops converging on
her. Yet the corridor was as empty as
when she had come in.
Andrea still
crept cautiously back along it to the hatch where she had entered. Her fingers were just on the metal when the
loud rat-a-tat of bullets being fired broke the calm. Andrea fell back as they impacted the wall where her hands had
been seconds before, sending up a shower of paint and concrete. Not even having time to look at who was
firing, Andrea turned and started sprinting down the corridor in the opposite
direction, a hail of bullets following her booted feet the whole way. She frantically shot round the corner at the
end, skidding to a halt and pressing herself up against the wall. She risked a quick look back around the edge
of the wall, almost having her head taken off by a fresh round of shooting.
Ducking back out
of sight, she deduced that there had been at least a half-dozen of them, so
taking them on directly wasn’t an option – she might be able to take out one or
two with the element of surprise but then the others would shoot her for
sure. Instead Andrea carried on running
down the side corridor, breaking radio silence since it seemed the mission was
blown out of the water anyway.
“Unit one to
support, I’m under fire,” she said, out of breath from running, “I need an
alternative route out!”
The answer was
muffled slightly by static, but Andrea couldn’t fail to detect the anxiety in
Kate’s voice. “Hang on, we’re
working on it now!”
“Work on it
fast…shit!”
Andrea just had
time to throw herself to the floor as a rocket shot straight past her head,
exploding on the wall behind her.
“Andrea!
Andrea! What’s going on?”
Andrea uncovered
her head, seeing the soldier who had fired reloading his mortar down the
corridor ahead of her.
“Andrea!”
“It’s all right,
I’m here,” she quickly reassured the frantic Kate, “Hang on.”
Andrea leapt to
her feet and into the air, though there wasn’t much room in the enclosed
space. She shot down the corridor in
the soldier’s direction. He was still
shoving his rocket down the tube, glancing up at her as he fumbled with
it. Andrea urged her body on, knowing
she had to get to him before he loosed the weapon; she would stand no chance if
he hit her directly.
He had it up on
his shoulder…his finger was on the trigger…just a few more feet…
Andrea cannoned
into him, knocking the weapon from his hand.
A swift following blow to the back of his head rendered him
unconscious. Only now she could hear
the sound of more booted feet hurrying in her direction, from all
directions. She urgently surveyed her
surroundings, but there was no obvious way out. In which case she would have to make one. At least she now knew that pummeling a wall
with her fists wasn’t going to break them, after her experience in the fire
back on Duransay.
Andrea didn’t
hold back as she smashed into the nearest wall, barelling straight through it
to the room beyond. It was dark inside
and she could still hear the approaching troops, knowing she didn’t have much
time.
“Support? Any word on that way out yet?”
……………
Kate heard
Andrea’s voice back on the line, heaving a huge sigh of relief. When she had heard the sound of firing and
explosions on the communications link her first thought had been to dash to
Andrea’s rescue. However, she had the
slight problem that she wasn’t alone in the support helicopter. Most notably
Lieutenant Chadwick was with her, studying her every move and word. She hadn’t wanted him along at all, but for
some reason Miss Kaminski insisted she took her second in command. She wondered if there was some connection
between the two of them – was Chadwick spying on her for Kaminski, or was she
just being paranoid?
Kate looked over
the shoulder of Private Ramis, who was busily studying Andrea’s location and
options out of the enemy base. Andrea
showed up as a small red dot on the schematic, her internal tracking device
allowing them to keep tabs on her position.
“All right,” Kate
said over the radio link, “We have a route for you, you need to…”
Suddenly the
harsh sound of more gunfire broke in on the radio. That was followed by the sound of scuffling and grunting before
the line went dead.
“Andrea!” Kate
cried futiley into her radio. When
there was no answer, she immediately swung round to the pilot. “Get us down there now!”
Chadwick was by
her side quickly. “Are you sure that’s
a good idea, our orders are to wait here…”
“Sod our
orders!” She looked to the pilot again
who appeared to be waiting for the outcome of their discussion. “I said get us down there!”
“Yes, ma’am,” he
replied, turning back to his controls and launching the helicopter into a swift
downward course.
Kate had to grab
for something to hold onto as the craft lurched violently, Chadwick not
managing to do so quickly enough and ending up in a heap on the floor.
“This is as close
as I can get us safely,” called back the pilot, once they had levelled off near
the ground.
“All right, I’ll
head in on foot from here,” Kate said, hurriedly pulling on the rest of her
equipment and grabbing her automatic rifle.
“On your own?”
Kate looked
sternly at Chadwick as she fastened the straps of her backpack, pulling them
tight over her camouflage jacket.
“I only meant I
should come with you,” Chadwick added, picking up his own weapon.
“You should stay
here,” she replied, surprised that he was willing to put himself in danger for
either her or Andrea’s benefit.
However, she didn’t really want him with her in case she needed to use
her powers in some way.
Chadwick merely
went over to the door, sliding it open.
“I insist,” he stated.
Cursing him, but
knowing she didn’t have time for a debate, Kate grabbed her helmet and hopped
out the door and down onto the sand, immediately falling into a crouched
position, gun at the ready. A muffled
thump behind her indicated Chadwick had done the same.
The sand whipped
viciously around, stirred up by the blades of the helicopter and Kate had to
squint to see anything through the cloud of debris. What was more distinguishable was the sound of far off
gunfire.
The pair of them
hurried across the rocky ground in the direction of it, stopping every once in
a while and scanning the surroundings to check they hadn’t been detected. The terrain was rough but provided them with
few possible hiding spots should they be noticed. Finally they reached the top of a ridge, giving them a view of
the base down below.
Kate had time to
see the plumes of smoke rising up from before a loud whooshing gave her just
enough warning to leap out the way of the incoming rocket. The explosion sent up a pall of dust and
debris, Kate rolling away back down the slope, surmising someone down below had
spied them. Rising to her feet she saw
Chadwick who had obviously not been so fortunate. He was still on the ground, looking dazed, his jacket singed from
where he had been caught in the blast.
Out of the corner
of her eye, Kate could now see the enemy troops on the top of the ridge closing
fast on Chadwick.
“Chadwick!” she
shouted, running in his direction and starting to lay down some covering fire.
He heard the
shout and began desperately gropping round for his weapon as bullets pinged
down around him from the enemy soldiers.
Kate could see there were just too many of them for her to take out with
her gun alone, especially when a jeep also drove into view. Throwing her gun to the floor as she ran,
she raised her hands instead.
The concussion
waves swept up over the sand, knocking all the approaching troops to the
ground. Kate prayed she had judged it just
right not to kill any of them. The jeep
was still coming, though, and she stopped by Chadwick’s side, concentrating on
sending out a more forecful wave which flipped the vehicle over.
Now the shooting
had stopped momentarily she had time to check on Chadwick. However, when she reached down to him he
recoiled backwards staring up at her in stunned horror. His mouth opened and closed a few times but
no words were forthcoming. Kate latched
onto his jacket, dragging him up.
“Chadwick!”
snapped Kate trying to break him out of his stupefied trance. He was firmly rooted to the spot, though,
staring disbelievingly at her, or more precisely at her hands.
Kate grabbed his
arm, trying to haul him away, but he was far too well-built for her desperate
tugs to make much of an impression. The
deafening boom caught them both off-guard and suddenly Kate found herself flung
through the air, landing heavily on her back in the sand with Chadwick’s burly
form crashing down on top of her. Kate
gasped as all the air was driven from her body.
She could only
lie there, taking a few ragged breaths, as Chadwick attempted to get off
her. Kate’s vision was blurred by the
sand whipping up off the ground and the sound of bullets ricocheted close by.
Where was this
place? She thought dazedly, Afghanistan? Iraq?
It was hard to
think with all the noise, the sand in her eyes and clogging at her throat. She rubbed at her head, trying to gather her
thoughts, remember what it was she had been doing while the bullets and explosions
echoed around.
They had been
ambushed by Iraqis…No, that wasn’t right…
As she rolled
over and rose into a crouching position the tightening in her chest was
painful. Looking down at her hands she
saw the blood on them, falling back in shock.
Her father…his
blood…
The ground
started shaking, her teeth banging together as the sound of rumbling grew
louder. It stirred her slightly from
her daze and she looked to the ridge above their position in time to see a tank
cresting it. The barrel of the gun was
levelled directly at her and Chadwick, about to blow them to kingdom come, when
all of a sudden the tank tipped up on its side. Clearly visible through the swirling sand was a figure all in
black pushing it over before it came crashing down the slope. The vehicle tumbled hapzardly over a couple
of time before coming to rest on its roof, its gun pointing impotently in the
wrong direction.
Then all of a
sudden Andrea was there, kneeling down beside Kate.
“You managed to
get out?” said Kate, stating the obvious, but too relieved to see the other
woman to care. Andrea was caked in sand
and dust but otherwise looked fine.
“Yes,” replied
Andrea, looking anxiously at Kate’s head, “Are you all right?”
Kate felt at her
temple, seeing the blood on her fingers and realising the source was her own
head wound. “Yes, I was a bit confused
for a moment, but I’m fine,” she reassured Andrea. “Still we ought to get out of here as quick as possible,” she
suggested, attempting to rise to her feet.
Andrea instinctively reached out to help her up, Kate grateful for the
aid when her legs wobbled for a moment; the explosion must have rattled her
more than she had realised.
“Chadwick,” she
called to the Lieutenant who was staring dumbly at her again. “Chadwick!” she shouted, though he barely
flickered at the raised tone.
“She…she…she has
powers,” he stammered, talking to Andrea and pointing a shaking finger at Kate.
“Yes, I know,”
said Andrea, “Now come on,” she added trying to pull him along.
“But…but…”
“Oh for god’s
sake,” cried Andrea as he still refused to move. Balling her fist, she punched him swiftly across the jaw, laying
him out with one blow. Then she picked
him up and hefted him easily over her shoulder. “All set?” she said, turning to Kate.
“You could have
picked him up without knocking him out,” noted the other woman.
“I could have
done,” agreed Andrea unrepentantly.
Kate gave an
amused shake of her head, immediately wishing she hadn’t when a jolt of pain
stabbed at her forehead. She saw Andrea
looking questioningly to her, but forestalled any more quesitons as to her
well-being by taking to the air, Andrea quickly following on.
………….
Kate watched the
other occupants of the room filing out at the conclusion of the meeting, still
unable to believe what had just happened.
She was at Chicksands, the headquarters for the Intelligence Corps, and
had fully expected to be in a great deal of trouble when she had been summoned
there almost as as soon as they’d got back from Afghanistan. She’d barely had time to get her head wound
seen to, before she’d been on a helicopter again, this time heading for
Bedfordshire.
Her sense of
foreboding had only been reinforced when she’d entered the conference room to
see Anna Kaminski amongst those present.
Also there was Colonel Parsons and several other high-ranking members of
the Corps. Kate had actually felt
vaguely disturbed as she sat on her own on one side of the table with the
others arrayed opposite her, though tried to put that down to her aching head.
It appeared
Chadwick hadn’t wasted any time bringing her power usage to the attention of
her superiors, most likely thinking they didn’t know about it. The fact that they were already aware of her
superhuman nature didn’t make it any the less of a breach of orders that she
had used those abilities. Chadwick
himself was called in at one point to give his account of what had happened on
the mission. Somehow he managed to omit
any mention of her actually saving his life in that recounting. Kate could see that Kaminski was making
furious notes throughout and was most interested in Chadwick’s testimony.
Afterwards Kate
got to give her version of events and the ‘jury’ retired to consider its
verdict. Left alone in the room, Kate
had got to her feet, wandering distractedly around and inspecting the photos of
various squadrons and regiments on the wall.
As with all official military photos everyone stood stiffly to attention
and she had felt tense just looking at them.
The desire to run a finger round her own starched collar, easing it away
from her skin for a moment had been too strong to resist.
She had wondered
what she would do if the outcome went against her. Would they transfer her, suspend her, possibly even court-martial
her? None of those prospects was
particularly appealing, especially when she took into account the fact that she
would have to leave the base on Duransay and more importantly Andrea. Would Andrea come with her? Would she give up using her powers as she
would be required to do if she did?
Kate thought she knew the answer, hoped she knew the answer, yet she
couldn’t help the small pangs of doubt that had pricked insidiously at the back
of her mind. They had only been
together for a short time after all.
Before her
uncertainties had the chance to escalate further the sound of the door opening
had indicated that the disciplinary panel was back. When they proceeded to inform her that, rather than been
disciplined, she was actually receiving more responsibility, she’d had to ask
for confirmation. A telltale sign that
it was indeed the truth was the look of digust on Kaminski’s face as the
Colonel told her the wishes of the Unit’s overseeing committee. Kate had little doubt that Kaminski would
have been opposing what the Colonel had to say the whole way, but it seemed
that, luckily for Kate, he still had more influence than she did. At least for now.
The committee had
decided that having an “asset” like Kate and not making full use of her was
counter-productive, so now she was not only the commander of the base, but she
was also the field commander of the superhuman operatives, free to use her
powers on the base and on missions as she saw fit. Kate had tried to restrain her elation, thinking it wouldn’t do
to look too pleased for herself. She
hadn’t been able to resist a snide look at Kaminski, though, the other woman
seething quietly on the end of the table.
She couldn’t wait to get back to the base and tell Andrea all about it,
though it would be interesting seeing how everyone else reacted.
The only
potential problem on the horizon was the intimation that now she could lead the
superhumans in the field, then they would be able to undertake more military
operations like the one they’d just come back from. Kate supposed she would just have to cross that bridge when she
came to it – there was no point throwing up obstacles when she didn’t need to.
As the members of
the panel left, Kate saw that the Colonel had lingered behind, presumably
wanting to speak to her in private. He
waited for the door to shut behind the last of them before he looked to her,
still sitting on the opposite side of the table.
“Well done,” said
the Colonel, dipping his white haired head.
“I’m sure I have
you to thank for my reprieve,” noted Kate.
“Not entirely,
but you were lucky, Kate, you know that,” he said, “It could so easily have
gone the other way with your track record.
This is definitely your last chance though, even I won’t be able to
protect you if there are any more…incidents.”
“I know,” agreed
Kate, “It could have backfired on me badly, but as I said to the panel before I
can control my powers properly. The
Iraq incident was an aberation. A
tragic aberation, but still not reflective of my abilities and the power I have
over them.”
The Colonel
nodded his head thoughtfully as she spoke.
“I just hope we’re not about to have a repeat of that whole Dixon mess,”
he said solemly.
Kate was taken
aback by the unforseen turn in the conversation. “I beg your pardon?”
The Colonel
stared directly at her. “You and Andrea
Hallstrom.”
Kate knew her
breathing had shortened, praying that she was showing no outward sign of her
shock.
“I don’t know
what you’re talking about,” she said as evenly as she could manage, though her
mouth was suddenly dry.
“Don’t take me
for a fool, Kate. There have been
things said.”
“By whom?” Though she asked, Kate suspected she knew
exactly who had been throwing round accusations, and they weren’t very far from
that room.
“That doesn’t
matter,” replied the Colonel, “What matters is how this affects you.”
“What I get up to
in my own time is private,” Kate informed him with a touch of indignation
colouring her tone. The Colonel might
be her friend, but she didn’t take kindly to anyone telling her who she could
be involved with.
“Only when it
doesn’t affect your command.”
“And this
doesn’t,” she stated, “I can keep my personal and professional life
separate.”
“Really?” he
questioned, “And that’s why you were so quick to take in the backup chopper on
that mission was it? Nothing to do with
a personal desire to save Miss Hallstrom?”
Kate exhaled
slowly, giving herself time to formulate her answer. “I admit that it was a personal desire,” she said eventually,
“The same as it would be for anyone under my command who was in trouble. I’m not in the habit of abandoning my
people.” The explanation sounded
plausible, though the Colonel’s original take on it had probably been closer to
the truth than Kate cared to admit.
The Colonel
studied her across the table, his pale eyes boring into her, assessing her
answer. “All right. I can’t tell you who you should associate
with in your free time,” he said eventually, “I just want you to be careful, discrete.”
“And I will,”
Kate insisted, relieved that she seemed to have got away with this one as
well. It must be her lucky day, she
considered. “I’m the first person to
know about the pitfalls after what happened with Dixon.”
“You would think
so,” the Colonel concured, “Though I have heard some other disturbing things,
making me think your loyalties aren’t quite as clear cut as they should be.”
“I beg your
pardon?” asked Kate, unsure where the Colonel was going with this. Wherever it was she was starting to feel
decidedly uneasy. She knew the Colonel
well enough to be able to tell when he had something heavy preying on his
mind. To confirm this he got to his
feet now, pacing away from her to stare out the window at the trees beyond.
Finally he spun
back round, his hands held firmly behind his back. “The warehouse accident,” he said slowly, “Now as far as I can
recall, I specifically ordered you to leave it alone, yet now I find you’ve
been secretly digging into it.”
Kate gulped
nervously, wondering how the Colonel had come by that information and knowing
at the same time she could hardly deny it.
Instead she kept silent.
“That wouldn’t be
for a particular person’s benefit would it?” added the Colonel pointedly.
Kate thought that
silence was still her best response, while at the same time maintaining an
even, unreadable expression.
The Colonel’s
eyes narrowed at her continued reticence.
“I don’t like having to repeat myself,” he said in low tones,
“Especially not when it’s an order, but I’ll tell you again – leave the
investigation alone.”
“Why?”
The Colonel
looked vaguely shocked that she had chosen that moment to speak up, and with a
challenge at that. “Kate,” he said with
obvious warning in his tone.
“Come on,
Colonel,” said Kate, looking to reach out to him, “Surely this isn’t your
doing. It’s Kaminski isn’t it. What is she up to?”
The Colonel
turned back to the window, making Kate think she had been pretty close to the
mark with her deduction. His hand came
up to stroke thoughtfully across his chin while Kate waited in anticpation – he
was close to revealing something interesting, she could feel it.
“What I am about
to tell you is classified at the highest level, do you understand?” said the
Colonel, still staring away from her.
When he did turn his look was as deadly serious as perhaps she had ever
seen it. “You are not to disclose this
to anyone else,” he said, “And I mean anyone.”
Kate knew exactly
who he was talking about – he meant she wasn’t to discuss it with Andrea. Kate merely nodded in reply, thinking she
would wait to hear what he had to say before she committed herself verbally.
The Colonel
crossed over to take a seat next to Kate, the leather creaking in the otherwise
silent room as he lowered himself into it.
He fixed his eyes on her and Kate felt the urge to shift in her seat to
try and ease some of the tension that was pervading her body.
“Cowley,” began
the Colonel, saying the name of the man Andrea’s police team had been pursuing,
“As you might have suspected he was the one responsible for the warehouse
accident.”
Kate nodded,
waiting for him to continue since she didn’t think that was what he really had
to tell her at all.
“We know who he
is,” added the Colonel.
Kate looked at
him curiously. “You know? Then why didn’t you…”
“He’s Adam
Dixon.”
Kate was glad she
was sitting at that moment, because otherwise she might have fallen down. “Adam…?”
she repeated dumbly, her thoughts and and emotions in free fall.
“Yes.”
Kate couldn’t
take it in, her words coming out falteringly, all her normal composure shot to
pieces. “But…I thought….”
“That he was in a
high security facility?” the Colonel finished for her. “He was meant to be.”
“Adam, Adam
caused the accident?” repeated Kate in stupefaction, as much for her own
benefit as a question for the Colonel.
Maybe if she repeated it enough times it would begin to make sense. She had thought he was safely locked away
somewhere, that he would never trouble her again, but yet here he was worming
his way back into her life.
“Yes he did. As you mentioned he was supposed to be in
military prison. Unfortunately he
escaped while in transit some nine months ago.”
“Nine months?”
said Kate incredulously, only capable of parroting the Colonel’s words
stupidly, unable to believe this was the first she’d heard of it.
“Since then he’s
been building up his criminal empire under the pseudonym of Cowley, though
there is intelligence to suggest that he’s part of some wider organisation who
have an interest in superhumans. As you
know only too well, when at the superhuman research unit, Dixon was providing
information to outside parties. We
believe he carried on those associations when he escaped.”
Kate did know
only too well, since Adam had been doing it right under her nose. “For what purpose, and what has this got to
do with the accident?” asked Kate, finally managing to find her voice now the
initial shock had subsided, to replaced by the faint stirrings of anger.
“Superficially
their interests are the same as us – research and investigation of superhuman
powers. Only their driving force is
money, rather than anything altruistic.
Basically Dixon and his companions will use superhumans and their
knowledge of them in any way they can, but in order to do that they need
superhumans. He’s hardly going to use
himself as a guinea pig for any experiments he might want to attempt.”
“Experiments?”
repeated Kate, not liking the sound of that.
She had been aware that such organisations existed, having once warned
Andrea about them before, but this was the first time they’d actually gotten
close to one.
“Indeed, and not
the sort of experiments we carry out at Duransay. I’m thinking more along the lines of the sort of thing you might
do to lab rats.”
Kate winced at
the comparison, especially as she was one of those potential rats. Suddenly a sickening thought hit her, Kate
hardly daring to voice it out loud.
“The warehouse, that was an experiment?”
The Colonel
nodded grimly. “The delivery from
eastern Europe that the police were investigating was actually constituent
parts for a gas Dixon was developing.
We believe this gas was designed to be fatal to humans but leave mutants
untouched. The warehouse was his first
test of that gas.”
Kate could only
stare back at him, too horrified to say anything at all.
“So you can see
why it’s more important than ever for us to identify and hold onto any
superhumans first. And we need to make
sure security at the base is tighter than ever, though we do have our
suspicions that some information is still making its way off.”
Kate shook her
head, trying to digest everything he was telling her. “How long have you known about this?” she asked, “Why didn’t you
tell me before?”
The Colonel
didn’t answer straight away, his eyes flicking to the floor before he regained
eye contact.
For a moment Kate
wondered at his nervousness, and then it hit her. “You think I could be the leak?” she asked in utter
consternation.
The Colonel
looked uncomfortable at the suggestion.
“We did think it a possibility,” he tried to explain, “You two
were…close.”
Kate got to her
feet, agitatedly walking across the carpet, pacing the room. Of all people to doubt her, she never
thought one of them would be the Colonel.
“You don’t need to tiptoe round it,” she said, her voice now taking on
an accussatory edge, “We were lovers and I bitterly regret that now. I was still hurting from the death of my
father, and he filled a hole in my life.
I guess I let that cloud my judgement, stop me for seeing him for what
he was until it was too late. But I
certainly don’t hold any flame for him now,” she insisted, stopping to face the
Colonel. “He betrayed me, I’m hardly
going to be helping him am I?”
Again the Colonel
looked perturbed by the subject matter.
Possibly Kate’s blunt confessional was too crass for him. Kate didn’t really care, though, still
smarting from the fact that he could even think she might have anything to do
with Dixon.
“Andrea should
know about this,” Kate noted, since the Colonel seemed to have gone quiet,
“She’s been desperate to find out more about the accident ever since it
happened.”
“She’s the last
person you should be telling.”
“What?” cried
Kate, amazed at his audacity after what he had just accused her of. “You want me to keep it from her? I can’t do that.”
The Colonel got
to his feet too, puffing out his chest slightly. “That’s an order, Major.”
Kate ignored the
unsubtle attempt to intimidate her.
“And why shouldn’t she know, why are you covering this up? If you’re worried about the reputation of
the Corps or the army or something then I’m sure she can be trusted not to
spread it around publicly.”
“This isn’t a
debate, Major,” he said, deliberately using her rank again, “I’ve made my
decision and you are not to tell anyone about this.”
“But…”
“I said it’s an
order,” instructed the Colonel, his voice rising noticeably to cut her
off, “Or have you forgotten what those
are while you’ve been running the base?”
“No, I haven’t
forgotten,” replied Kate, still staring defiantly up at him. She was on the verge of insubordination, she
knew, but she didn’t give a damn.
“Good, because
this is just what I feared when I mentioned personal involvements.”
Kate seethed
internally at the fact that he would bring it back to that. “It’s not personal,” she stated resentfully,
“I would want to tell Andrea if she was any of my operatives, I think she has a
right to know.”
“And what is she
going to do with that information?” asked the Colonel, “It’s not as if we know
Dixon’s whereabouts right now. Most
likely she’ll go charging off on some futile crusade to find him and then what?
Kill him?”
That dashed cold
water in Kate’s face. She had never
considered exactly what it was Andrea planned to do when she did find out the
truth behind the accident. They had
been so busy concentrating on the difficult task of just getting the
information she hadn’t pondered the consequences. “I think you might be underestimating her,” Kate said in Andrea’s
defence, “She did used to be a detective, don’t forget, maybe she’ll discover
something we’ve missed.”
“Perhaps,”
allowed the Colonel doubtfully, “But more likely she’ll let her personal
feelings regarding this cloud her judgement.
You said yourself how desperate she was, and she’s not exactly been
known for her calm temper. Not only
could she jeopardise our ongoing investigation but also it could be dangerous
for her.”
The cold water
was now a full of torrent, chilling Kate right to the core. “What do you mean by that?”
“I told you that
Dixon needs test subjects,” outlined the Colonel, “Think how happy he would be
if Andrea blundered straight into his hands.”
Kate didn’t even want
to think of it, not if what had happened in the warehouse was any indication of
the sort of thing Adam was willing to stoop to. She had seen the pictures of those police officers, their faces
contorted in death masks of agony.
“All right,” she
finally conceded, “I won’t say anything to her for now, but only because I
don’t want to place her in danger, not because I agree with any of your other
reasons.”
“Your objection
is noted.”
“And I want to
know as soon as you find out any new information,” Kate quickly added.
The Colonel eyed
her with a mixture of annoyance and anger.
“I didn’t realise you’d suddenly acquired some extra pips or crowns on
that rank slide?”
“I haven’t, but
at the same time I certainly haven’t lost my principles.” She let the scathing remark hang in the air
for a moment. “If that’s all?”
“Yes, you’re
dismissed, Major.”
……………
Kate wandered
back to her quarters the conversation of the day before with the Colonel still
playing over in her mind. It had been
hard when she had got back from Chicksands, not telling Andrea what she had
discovered about the warehouse accident.
All the way back she had pondered over whether to tell her, despite the
fact she had told the Colonel she wouldn’t.
In the end she had resolved that she would obey his order for now, but she would be keeping close tabs on the
investigation from now on. As soon as
they uncovered any new information, such as Adam’s actual whereabouts, then she
would reassess her position. The
Colonel did have a point that at the moment it would do Andrea little good to
know Dixon was responsible, beyond winding her up further since she wouldn’t be
able to do anything about it.
Having made her
decision didn’t make it any easier facing Andrea, especially not when she was
so thrilled to learn of Kate’s reprieve in terms of her job and her new role on
the base. All the time Andrea was being
glad for her, Kate couldn’t help feeling like she was betraying the young woman
in some way. She didn’t like the guilty
sensation and prayed that the investigation into Dixon progressed quickly.
At least she
didn’t have the added burden of having to pretend she didn’t have any powers
anymore. First thing that morning she
had conducted a briefing of the entire base staff, informing them of the
outcome of the meeting at Chicksands and her new active commanding role. To say the stunned silence that greeted her
announcement had been deafening would have been an understatement. For a moment she was worried that she had
somehow diminished herself in the eyes of the personnel.
However,
afterwards enough people had come up to offer their support to reassure her
that it shouldn’t be a problem. There
were still a few dissenters, most notably amongst Chadwick and his allies, but
the Lieutenant didn’t really have a leg to stand on now he had been made to
look a fool at the hearing.
Once in her
quarters she headed straight for the bathroom and turned on the taps of the
bath. She still felt like she had sand
in all sorts of places she shouldn’t after rolling about in it out in
Afghanistan and hoped a long hot soak would make her feel more human
again. Looking in the mirror, which was
quickly steaming up, she peeled off the dressing from her right temple,
tentaively touching the broken flesh underneath. It didn’t look too bad, she surmised, discarding the old dressing
in favour of airing it for a bit.
She had just got
her uniform off when the sound of the chime disturbed her. Emitting a curse she grabbed her robe and
headed back out into the living area.
The harsh words quickly died on her lips when she saw Andrea on the
threshold holding a large bunch of red roses and wearing a huge grin. Her other hand was hidden behind her back,
while over her shoulder was slung the strap of her violin case.
Kate quickly
hauled her inside, making a swift check of the corridor outside before closing
the door.
“It’s all right,
no one saw me,” noted Andrea.
Kate looked
quizically at the roses and then up to Andrea’s face.
“Ah, yes, these
are for you,” said Andrea, as if she had forgotten she was holding them, “Happy
birthday.”
Kate merely
looked stupidly at her.
“You forgot your own
birthday?” Andrea deduced in some
amusement.
“I was rather
pre-occupied with other things,” Kate noted by means of explanation, realising
that Andrea was indeed right, it was the 20th of July.
“Lucky you have
someone to remind you then.”
Andrea offered up
the roses again and Kate took them, taking a moment to have a customary sniff
of the flowers. She was raising her
head to ask where on earth Andrea had got them from, when the younger woman
suddenly closed the distance between them and wrapped her now free hand around
Kate’s waist, pulling her close. Kate
just had time to get the flowers out the way before Andrea’s lips pressed
against her own. Kate sunk into the
embrace, closing her eyes at the luscious feel of the lips.
Eventually Andrea
released her, Kate having to take a deep breath to compose herself before she
spoke. “Happy birthday to me!” she said
resoundingly.
Andrea laughed,
bringing round her hidden hand which contained a bottle of champagne. “Sorry I couldn’t get you a real present,
but my shopping opportunities are somewhat restricted.”
“Don’t be silly,”
said Kate, accepting the bottle and heading to the kitchen area to fetch a
corkscrew and glasses, “It’s hardly cause for much celebration anyway, being
thirty-six.”
“I see what you
mean,” agreed Andrea seriously, though Kate could see the obvious amusement behind
her eyes.
“Excuse me,” Kate
objected indignantly, uncorking the champagne with a loud pop, “But that’s the
point where you’re meant to interject with ‘thirty-six isn’t that old’”
“Ok,” said Andrea
with a shrug, “Thirty-six isn’t…”
“It’s too late
now!” interjected Kate, “Just shut up and drink your champagne!” Kate handed over the slender glass, keeping
hold of her own one. “To being old!”
she toasted ruefully.
Andrea stalled
her before she brought the glass to her lips.
“To being old…gorgeous, wonderful, amazing, brilliant and downright
sexy!”
Kate smiled at
the additions, chinking her glass against Andrea’s and swallowing some of the
dry-tasting liquid.
“Actually,” said
Andrea, placing her glass down on the kitchen counter, “I did have a sort of
home-made present for you.”
“Oh yes?”
“Maybe you should
sit down on the sofa?”
“Hmm, this
present sounds interesting,” noted Kate, raising an eyebrow suggestively.
“You are
incorrigible,” remarked Andrea with a shake of the head, following Kate over but
remaining standing as she lowered herself expectantly onto the cushions.
Andrea took the
violin case off her shoulder and placed it on the coffee table, drawing out the
delicate instrument. After a couple of
checks of the strings she brought it up to her chin, nestling it into
position. “This is a small something I
wrote for you,” she remarked.
Kate raised her
eyebrows appreciatively. She knew
Andrea could play wonderfully, but had no idea that she actually composed
pieces too. As soon as Andrea started
she realised that she did that equally as brilliantly as she played. The melody was exquisite, in equal parts
haunting and uplifting.
She watched
Andrea for a while, her eyes closed as she was consumed by the music, her
fingers dancing nimbly over the strings.
She looked like she was somewhere else altogether, the only time Kate
having seen a similar expression on her face being when Andrea was asleep. Taking her cue from the other woman, Kate
closed her eyes to drift along with the lilting music, allowing it to wash over
her and filter into her every fibre.
She was sad when the final notes echoed out across the room.
Opening her eyes
again she could see Andrea waiting anxiously for her verdict. “That was…” Kate couldn’t find the
words. Nothing seemed appropriate to
convey the swell of emotion it had stirred within her, made all the more
poignant by knowing it had been specially written. “…Amazing,” she settled on in the end.
“Really?” asked
Andrea finally sitting down too and putting her instrument back in its case.
“Yes,
really! And you wrote that for me?”
Andrea actually
looked somewhat embarassed now, glancing down at her hands. “Yes.”
Kate reached out
to tilt up the young woman’s chin, finding it rather sweet that even someone
like Andrea found it hard to accept a compliment. “Thank you,” she said simply and sincerely before leaning over to
tenderly kiss the younger woman.
“Did I catch you
in the middle of something?” wondered Andrea, running an absent finger along
the neckline of Kate’s robe. Her
teasing of it made it gape open even more than it already had been, Kate
feeling the faint prickling of arousal as her nakedness underneath became
exposed.
“Oh god, yes,”
said Kate, remembering what she had been doing prior to Andrea’s arrival, “I
ran a bath, it’s probably cold now.”
“Would you like
some company to warm it up?”
Kate
grinned. “That would be great.”
Kate grabbed her
hand and led Andrea through to the bathroom, taking a moment to add some more
hot water before they got in. As she
leant over the bath to turn the taps, Andrea peered over her shoulder, pressing
up against her back, Kate’s bottom melding into Andrea’s groin.
“How comes you
get a larger bath than the rest of us?” wondered Andrea, her breath hot by
Kate’s ear.
“I am the
commander of the base, it should have some perks!”
“I can think of a
few others you enjoy too,” noted Andrea, sliding her hands around the front of
Kate’s robe and under its folds.
Kate just about
managed to fumble the taps off again as Andrea’s fingers saught out her breasts
under the soft material. Resting her
head back on Andrea’s shoulder she sighed at the intimate touch, her nipples
quickly stiffening despite the steamy heat of the room. She could only stand it so long before she
was compelled to swing round and grab Andrea into a fiery kiss.
Unfortunately
Andrea didn’t seem to have been expecting the sudden movement, and as their
lips melded together they overbalanced, both of them flopping into the
bath. The water sloshed out over the
sides, running across the tiled floor as they thrashed about to right
themselves for a moment, Kate eventually giving up and leaning back against the
side of the corner bath, laughing to the ceiling. Andrea finally managed to sit up between Kate’s legs. Kate bit her lip at the sight of the
bedraggled young woman who was still fully clothed and pushing her now soaked
hair away from her face. Kate’s own
robe floated loosely about her body and she eased it off her shoulders, dumping
it out of the bath where it made a wet, resounding slap on the floor.
“I suggest you do
the same,” Kate suggested, “Unless you particularly like taking baths in your
clothes?”
Andrea started
peeling off her clinging shirt. “You do
realised I’m going to have to stay round here until they dry now,” she
reasoned, “Unless I go for a naked dash back to mine.”
Kate considered
it, a smile spreading across her face at the image it conjoured. “As much as I’d like to see that, I think I
can bear the hardship of having you stay over for the night.”
“Wow, it must be
progress,” noted Andrea, now onto her trousers, “Are you sure you want to risk
the gossip?”
All the other
nights they had spent together had been round at Andrea’s quarters, Kate
thinking it would be easier to excuse her presence there than vice versa should
anyone spot them. However, she was sure
one night at hers wouldn’t be too problematical.
“I think I can
handle it,” she said, her voice becoming more husky now Andrea had finally
removed all her sodden clothes allowing Kate’s eyes to roam over gorgeously
naked skin. Kate slinked across the
bath, slipping her legs either side of Andrea’s slender waist. The water trickled from her fingers as she
drew them out of the water and ran them up Andrea’s back and on into her
hair. Once there she eased the younger
woman’s head down so she could slide her tongue across Andrea’s parted and
eager lips.
Andrea’s own
hands were under the water, presently tracking a sensuous trail up Kate’s
thighs. Kate groaned loudly as they reached
her hips and then swept downwards towards the temptation that lay there. Their bodies slid hotly against one another
as Andrea pushed forwards, slipping her fingers inside Kate, the bath water
mingling with the juices pumping out over the probing digits.
Kate hungrily
kissed Andrea again, her fervour building as she felt the rhythmic caress
within her. Her own fingers dug sharply
into the young woman’s slick shoulders, seeking some purchase to brace against
the raging fire threatening to consume her already.
The pants and
gasps echoed around the bathroom from both of them as the swirled round in the
hot water, locked together in a frenzied dance of lust. Kate’s groans grew louder and more intense
until suddenly she let out an actual scream of release. She collapsed forwards, her head nestling
into Andrea’s shoudler for a moment as she let the amazing feelings wash over
her.
Eventually she
had gathered enough of herself back together to lean back. “Now that is what I call a birthday
present,” she noted saucily, “Though I believe it’s normally cusotmary to thank
the gift giver too.”
Kate slipped
round behind Andrea, her hands sliding round her waist and up over her chest
where she gently squeezed both of Andrea’s breasts. The soft mounds just poked up out of the water as Kate leant
back, Andrea easing back on top of her.
“You must have
really liked that gift,” noted Andrea raggedly.
“I liked it a
lot,” agreed Kate, swirling her fingers around the erect nipples, pinching
them teasingly. The touch illicited a
wanton moan from Andrea, stirring a further flush of arousal in Kate herself
who was unable to prevent her own corresponding sigh.
Andrea squirmed
against her, her back rubbing against Kate’s own tender breasts as Kate’s right
hand trailed back over the smooth abdomen and on under the water, seeking out
the sticky warmth below. Andrea
juddered anew as Kate flicked on past the hard nodule at the apex of her sex,
and on into the soft folds beyond. Even
taking into account the bathwater, Kate couldn’t help gasping at the wetness
between Andrea’s legs - first one, then two, then three fingers easily slipping
inside the young woman.
Kate had to crane
round slightly so she could plunge them right in, twisting them slowly deep
within Andrea and garnering a fresh groan of delight with each movement. Andrea gripped tightly onto Kate’s knees
that lay either side of her as the first throes of orgasm started to ripple
through her body. Kate sensed the
tightening of the muscles around her fingers, the grip almost vice like by the
time Andrea was arching back and crying out Kate’s name.
Kate eased her
fingers out, wrapping her arms back around Andrea as she residually
trembled. Leaning back once more she
rested her hand on the bath edge, stroking the soft strands of Andrea’s hair
where they lay against her chest.
It was only when
she suddenly jolted that Kate realised she had almost nodded off in the
bath. The dead weight lying atop her
chest suggested that Andrea already had.
Kate eased herself round slightly so she could look at Andrea’s face,
sliding away a few damp trails of blond hair.
She was feeling the familiar swell of love within her when out of
nowhere other thoughts started creeping into her brain. These were much less pleasant, being reminders
of how she was lying to Andrea and keeping secrets from her. Kate frowned at the unwanted instrusion on
the otherwise beautiful moment, trying to push them away, but now they had
gotten even the slightest of holds she couldn’t stop their insidious progress.
………
Andrea’s eyes
flicked open seeing Kate staring down at her with a serious, contemplative
look. Her blue-grey eyes weren’t
focussed on Andrea at all, looking at some faraway point or thought. It seemed to take a moment for Andrea’s wakefulness
to register and she could have sworn Kate almost jumped when it did.
“What is it?”
asked Andrea, wondering at the odd reaction.
“Nothing,” Kate
said quickly, “You just surprised me.”
Andrea studied
her for a moment, unconvinced that was all it was. “Busy staring were you?”
“Would I?” said
Kate innocently, the playfulness edging back into her tone.
Andrea
smiled. “Yes!” she cried, flicking some
water at the other woman.
Kate immediately
splashed her back which was the cue for a furious round of tit-for-tat until
Kate finally caught Andrea’s hands.
“All right, all right, I may have been staring a little,” she conceded,
“Now, how about we get out before we turn into a couple of prunes?”
Kate offered her
a fluffy pale blue towel which Andrea gratefully accepted, stepping out of the
bath and gingerly making her way across soaked floor, fetching up her dripping
clothes as she went.
“How about a
drink?” offered Andrea, “Coffee?”
“You read my
mind,” said Kate with a smile, taking the clothes off her to hang up. Andrea watched her closely for a moment,
unsure what had prompted the strange look on Kate’s face when she had woken,
but supposing whatever it was Kate had dismissed it. Deciding to do the same, Andrea wandered over to the kitchen,
Kate eventually reappearing carrying a robe for the young woman.
“You have a
spare?” asked Andrea curiously, quirking an eyebrow as she looked at the silky
garment.
“I like to be
prepared,” replied Kate nonchalantly, trying to maintain an even expression as she
held it out. Andrea kept her stare
sceptical until Kate caved in. “Oh all
right,” she conceded, “I brought it for you, just in case…well…you know…”
Andrea chuckled
at Kate’s disassembling, thinking it cutely peculiar in the normally
self-assured woman. “In that case I
best put it on,” she said, dropping her towel and extending her hand to take
it.
Kate suddenly
seemed reluctant to hand it over, her mouth gaping ever so slightly as she
stared at nearly six feet of naked flesh exposed to her. “Actually I’m not sure it’s your colour,”
she noted thoughtfully after a moment.
Andrea sighed and
gave up trying to take it, folding her arms across her bare breasts in a show
of exasperation instead. She just about
resisted the urge to tap her foot as she waited. “I’m not sure I can make your coffee nude,” she mulled , “It’s a
bit dangerous mixing naked flesh and hot water.”
Kate quickly
thrust the robe back at Andrea. “Oo,
you know a woman’s weak point.”
“More than one of
them,” agreed Andrea with a quick raise of the eyebrows as she pulled the sheer
garment on. It rested softly against
her skin, Kate giving a quick appreciative stroke of her now covered arm before
she went to relax on the sofa and await the drinks.
“You know I still
can’t believe how well things went at Chicksands,” Andrea remarked
conversationally from the kitchen, “There weren’t any questions asked about the
sabotage on the base at all?”
Kate craned her
head round. “No, they’re happy that we
caught the person responsible for that,” she replied, “Unless you’re still
making out it was Chadwick who masterminded it after all?”
Carrying the mugs
over, Andrea remembered that she hadn’t mentioned the incident with Chadwick
and the projectiles on the beach.
Unfortunately, when she had gone back to the launchers both he and the
projectiles were gone, so she had no sort of evidence. It occurred to her that he might still have
them, or possibly other interesting evidence in his possession. Chadwick was just the sort to foolishly hang
onto such things as a memento. If she
could get a look around in his quarters then maybe she could bring something
concrete to Kate rather than her continued speculations.
“He’s not exactly
my favourite person either at the moment,” continued Kate while Andrea
deliberated, “But I don’t think he would stoop to sabotage.”
“We’ll see,”
noted Andrea, “If he is the sort then now is just the sort of time that he
might do something. Snitching on you
lost him a fair bit of respect in the eyes of the other soldiers, and it didn’t
do him any good either. I’m sure that
has to be galling for him. I bet he was
rubbing his hands in glee, thinking he was going to get yout job, whereas
instead your position’s stronger than ever.”
“Well, I wouldn’t
exactly put it like that,” Kate said to temper her words, “I do still have my
somewhat colourful track record to live down.
The Colonel intimated that I was lucky this time, and that I might not
be quite so lucky next time.”
“I don’t suppose
you had the chance to do any other digging while you were there then?
……….
Kate shifted
uncomfortably as Andrea asked her question, all her doubts and fears from when
she had been watching Andrea in the bath tumbling back in on her.
“No, the
opportunity didn’t really present itself.”
It wasn’t a direct lie – she hadn’t had to do any digging after all, the
Colonel had come flat out and told her about it. That small consolation didn’t really make her feel any better
about the deception.
“Oh well, I guess
they’ll be more chances. Especially now
we have that informant and our lead.”
“I don’t know,”
said Kate, trying desperately to think of a way to curb Andrea’s enthusiasm or
at least get off the subject. The
degree of awkwardness she felt whenever Andrea brought it up was intense. “We’ll have to see how things go. Give it a bit of time for the dust to settle
and then hopefully we can start probing again.”
Andrea looked
unconvinced. “If you think that’s
best?”
Kate could hardly
believe that Andrea was leaving it up to her, feeling awful about using that to
her advantage. “I do.” The sense of guilt within her was painful.