NationStates Jolt Archive

[OOC: Yes, the title was ripped from a similar thread (http://www.forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=413691) by Roach-Busters.]

Kampala, Allanean-liberated Uganda

1 August 2007, 2145 hours

It was a dark and stormy night. Then again, every night was a dark and stormy night for her. She had lived in fear of the Canadsteinian Intelligence (http://www.forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=526132)'s Special Agents Department ever since she had given information to the National Police that they had kidnapped the staunchly anti-Catholic Defence Minister. But today was especially bad for her.

Not only had she been relieved of duty due to her condition, but today was nearly nine months - the average human gestational period - since she was raped by a Kraven soldier in Norska, Kraven Arterus. (http://www.forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=11988968&postcount=62) She had been unconscious at the time, and did not know the true origins of the thing growing within her stomach. She had figured at first that it was a hormonal glitch, then that she had been artificially inseminated by one side or the other for some bizarre experiment. She knew that she didn't get pregnant naturally; it had been three years since she had gone all the way with someone last, and had tried not to think about this day or where the baby had come from.

It started when Nadia had just come out of the shower and gotten ready to go to bed. As she finished drying her straight, shoulder-length blonde hair and brushing it, she reached for her bath robe and then felt it - a popping sound, the gushing of watery fluids onto the linoleum floor, then her powerful abdominal muscles clenching involuntarily as if to squeeze her intestines out. Having lived in a state of semi-denial regarding her condition, she had been caught completely unprepared by her current ordeal.

In a panic, she grabbed the robe, staggered out of the room while putting her robe on, and into her bedroom, where she picked up her cell phone and dialed the EMS.

"I'm going into labour. It's my first baby, and it's huge." She staggered over to her front door, crying, and unlocked it to admit the EMS. Knowing her call was being traced, she didn't need to give her address or phone number. "I'm losing a lot of blood. The contractions are almost constant, I..." Nadia collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

Ten minutes later, the EMS arrived, opening her unlocked door. They picked up the unconscious young woman, put her on a stretcher and took her out of her apartment into the ambulance.

---

2 August 2007, 1000 hours

Local Hospital

"Oh my God, he's hideous!" a nurse shrieked after the ordeal was finished. The mother was barely conscious, exhausted from the ordeal and had had to be medicated to get the baby out. She did not hear the remark, or at least it did not register with her. The baby was very large - 6.3 kilograms, or 13 pounds, 14 ounces - over ten percent of the mother's pregnancy weight of 136 pounds.

However, the baby's size was not the worst part. He was 2'1" (25" / 63.5 cm) long and had thin black hair, very pale skin, and sunken gray eyes. To the shocked nurses, he looked like an alien freak, not a cute, cuddly baby.

The shocked OB dried the child, placed him in Nadia's arms, and she held him instinctively, still exhausted from the delivery. She was still half asleep, and did not register the unusual features of the child...

"How's the mother?" asked a less shocked nurse.

"Well, we administered a powerful experimental topical muscle relaxant," said a young doctor. "Otherwise, we'd have had to do a C-section, or she'd have been torn open. That's the biggest baby I've seen in all the time I've been in med school. Got to be over six kilos. The mom's fine, but I don't think she'll react too well to the child."

---

3 August 2007, 0030 hours

A piercing scream emanated from the maternity ward. The baby, shocked by the sudden shrill sound, wailed uncontrollably. Nurses rushed in, thinking that something was seriously wrong with the mother.

Nadia was crying and struggling to speak. A nurse picked up the infant and held him. "Miss Sklenova, what's the matter?" she asked.

"The baby... my baby... he's..." Nadia couldn't finish speaking for crying. It had dawned on her that it was a Kraven baby.

"A Kraven baby," said the nurse as Nadia wailed again. "There is nothing inherently wrong with being Kraven. Many Kraven people gave their lives to overthrow Father," she said.

Nadia cognitively understood. She had fought alongside the rebels, and as a Communist was vociferously opposed to racial discrimination. But she had not, to her knowledge or with her consent, engaged in sexual relations with a Kraven male. She had thought she had been artificially inseminated as an experiment (she knew her own government had obtained Kraven DNA), but her mind had blocked out the idea of a Kraven baby. The revelation hit her like a ton of bricks.

She continued crying inconsolably to the point that the nurses ran biochemical tests on her to rule out postpartum depression or a hormonal imbalance. It was decided she was suffering from a severe psychological shock. She would be taken to the psychiatric wing...

---

4 August 2007, 1615 hours

Psychiatric Wing

A Kahanistanian captain sat outside Nadia's door. The young woman rarely spoke and cried a lot. She also wasn't eating much and was occasionally administered intravenous nutrients to keep her from starving before they could figure out how to help her.

After two hours of abject boredom, the officer got up and knocked on her door. "General Sklenova, do you mind if I talk to you?" She might be in mental care, but she was still a high-ranking officer and he would treat her with the respect due one.

Nadia's response was brief. "OK."

Captain Harold Jorgenson entered the room. It was a single-bed dormitory-style room, very spartan and had all the amenities of a standard mental health facility of Kahanistan - a curtained-off corner with a bathroom and shower, a bed, and this one afforded an outdoor view, not that there was much to see.

Nadia sat on the bed in a red jumpsuit, the kind worn by military and ex-military psychiatric patients. Her face was expressionless and she seemed very depressed.

"Where's my baby?" asked Nadia. She may have suffered a nervous breakdown initially, but she was still concerned for the welfare of the child, no matter what race he was. She had carried him around in her body for nine months, after all, and it showed - she had gained a small amount of weight but was still relatively slim, around 54 kilos and 165 centimetres.

"He's still in a nursery," said Captain Jorgenson. "We just want to make sure you're all right. You seem very depressed. Of course, we also want to know where the baby came from." Knowing this would be the hardest for her to talk about, he gently wrapped his arms around the older woman, holding her closely. "What can you tell me?"

Nadia let the tears fall. "I really don't know," she said. "All I can say is I learned I was pregnant about six months ago, when I was in Xirnium on a diplomatic mission. I suffered an emotional shock and I was diagnosed as pregnant then, and a lot of my clothes didn't fit any more. I was three months along then."

So, she became pregnant in Kraven. The doctors had taken DNA samples from the baby, and it seemed to be a natural birth. Captain Jorgenson knew that the mind could block out painful events, and was forced to face the possibility that Nadia had been sexually assaulted in Kraven territory.

He hoped that DNA samples would enable them to identify the father and have him sent to the Kahanistanian government. They could determine if it was rape.

---

6 August 2007

KAMPALA (AP) - Nadia Sklenova, the hero of the Invasion of Xirnium and Kraven Wars, has given birth to a 6.3 kilogram boy last week, 2 August 2007.

Sklenova, 33, has so far been unavailable for comment, and had previously stated she had no idea where the baby had come from. She is believed to still be in the hospital recuperating.

Rumour has it that the baby is Kraven. "We are taking these rumours very seriously," said an unnamed Communist Party source. "If it turns out that Miss Sklenova... collaborated with the Kraven Corporation, and God help us, actually spread her legs for a Kraven soldier, well, that will be the end of her career as a politician, and probably of her career in the military. I doubt she'll survive the charges."

A more radical source from the party alleges, "It's all a conspiracy. The Kraven DNA that the government bought, it's all a plot by the Zionists to smear the Communists as Kraven collaborators, and infect Communist women with Kraven children. The Jews are clearly behind this."

Michelle Norris,
Kahanistan People's Choice

August 10, 2007, 1030 hours

Local Hospital

A man with a bowler hat and a three piece suit stood in front of a hospital. The man looked he came straight out of the late 19th Century. He adjusted his hat and looked into the hospital's lobby. It was no random hospital, but the hospital where General Nadia Sklenova was being held. The man looked up at the hospital and let out a deep sigh. He took a step and stood there for a second. Thoughts were racing through the man's head. He wondered if he should enter.

Gathering his courage he continued his walk forward. The doors opened and the man entered. His head moved around to view the lobby. It seemed like any other generic hospital. Then he remembered something. His hand maneuvered to take off his bowler hat. Elegantly he moved up to the front desk.

"Hello, I am wondering where General Nadia Sklenova's room is. I request to speak to her." the man said.

[OOC: Would it be safe to presume that this thread is an open role-play?]

[OOC: Yes, very open. I was hoping some old RP partners would show up, but that seems to not be the case.]

IC:

"Well, we'll need three forms of ID, a fingerprint check, and a retinal scan," said the armed guard at the desk. "There have been threats by National Socialists to kill her for giving birth to a non-white child, and by anti-Kraven militants for giving birth to a Kraven child. Of course, you'll have to submit to a weapons check and cavity search. Some of the threats came from former DAKI personnel, so we're taking every precaution to lock this place down."

DAKI was the Directorate of Anti-Kraven Intelligence, set up to combat Kraven imperialism and disbanded after the fall of Father, the megalomaniacal AI that once ruled Kraven, and its members shifted to other directorates within Kahanistanian Military Intelligence or the Special Combat Service, special forces.

"Anything to make sure that this hospital is a safe place." The man said with a smile.

His hand went into his pocket, and produced a mess of papers. The man set down his driver's license, passport, and a Canadsteinian birth certificate. All of the IDs were real and showed the correct information, except for the name. The IDs identify the man as a certain Hugh Mercer. If the Kahanistani were to do a background check they would find Hugh Mercer a law abiding citizen and a reporter, for the Kingston Whig-Standard. Mr. Mercer was a just another citizen.

"It is pathetic that people would go after this poor women just because of her baby. But sadly most people do not think the way I do. So what is next the gun check or cavity search?" Mr. Mercer asked.

"Kingston Whig-Standard..." said the guard. "I had you pegged as a Praetonian, until I saw your ID. Well, the gun check is easy enough, I just run a metal detector over you, then I X-ray you, then I stick a gloved hand up your arse."

The security officer spoke with a straight face. "We don't like media people here, they always try to get our staff to violate confidentiality. Just last week we sacked a doctor after we caught him making 'sexy time' with a young girl working for Kahanistan National News. She had his head so deep in her cleavage it didn't look like he had a head, I swear." He made Borat's "sexy time" gesture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Boratisms#Borat_gestures_and_body_language) as he said "sexy time."

"I guess that some reporters will do some unpleasant things to get a story. Honestly I think that it is quite sad if you have to do things like that. Yes you get a story, but you lower your creditable and sense of honor. I rather just do it the old fashion way. Some hard work will not kill you." Mr. Mercer said as he collected his documents. He was ready for the gun check, but stopped the guard for a minute. "Are you serious about the sticking your hand up my bum hole?"

Introducing the el presidenta of Mesotarian,

I think its a first step in future reasearch on genetic engineering. It will also be a stepping stone for future medical advances. I support this project in hope it will be a step towards world peace. I will donate 10,000 dollers to this project and a sulute to this monstrocity, I mean, beutiful creation of science.

Your freind, el presidenta

"Dead serious," said the guard. "How else am I going to know what kind of bomb you've got hidden up there?" He put on a pair of thick polyethylene gloves, then picked up his metal detector to scan the Canadsteinian. "Do you know how many Muslims live in Kahanistan...? Oh, sorry. Your people probably don't find it so funny. Well, I assure you that very few Kahanistanian Muslims are terrorists."

"Well, when there are confidentiality laws on the books, just plain hard work won't cut the mustard, if the source won't talk to you. This is the least of what goes on in the media. I heard a case of a girl felching her source's... oh, God, better not get too graphic. Well, there are a lot of times when their sources have to violate the law. For example, in Amestria, it's illegal for military personnel to talk to the media at all without permission, and there are stiff penalties in place to enforce that. Needless to say, our media haven't been able to get anything from the horse's vagina... er, mouth, on what goes on over there. But people in other countries are often more than willing to set aside censorious laws if they get a good fuck."

He ran the metal detector over the Canadsteinian. "OK, take off anything that could have metal in it," he said. "Do you have any sort of metal implants... joint replacements, penis enlargement, steel plate in the head?" He knocked on his own forehead. "Got this from a Freekish Death Dealer. Wanted to impress my mates by killing one up close with a combat knife, he smacked me with his axe, nearly killed me but I got the blade in his neck. Had to have this here steel plate put in my head to replace the front third of my skull."

The guard continued to talk as he turned on the X-ray machine to take a picture of what was in the subject's body. "So, what's your interest in General Sklenova?" he asked. "You want to meet her, or take pictures of that 'freak' baby, or just get her autograph? I hear she does give them at speeches at universities and the like. My cousin claims to have her autograph on his copy of Das Kapital." He nodded. "Yep, she's a communist, Miss Sklenova. Very active in the party... wait a sec, you aren't with SAVAK (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/SAVAK), are you?" He knew that intelligence officers often had forged documents - that was why the fingerprint check and retinal scan.

"'Course, I don't expect you to answer in the affirmative if you are. They hate commies with a passion. Well, so do I, really, but not enough to kill them or want to see them killed. Converted, maybe, to Allanean-style libertarianism. Not killed."

---

Official Response

This hospital is not conducting research on children, and we resent the implication that we are. You can take your ten grand and shove it where the sun don't shine.

Be-ezrat HaShem (G-d willing), the child will grow to have as normal a life as possible given his unfortunate ancestry.

We believe the child was conceived in rape. There is no way a Communist Party official and high-ranking military officer would willingly spread her legs for a filthy Kraven beast.

0900 Hours: Undisclosed Location

The Jet had touched down hours ago, its wheels had hit the tarmac and caused great plumes of blue smoke to rise from the tarmac as the craft slowly came to a halt, no body had bothered to stop the craft, ask where it was going, or what it was doing, they knew full well who was in it, and why it was here…

Nadia… and the baby…

The craft was sleek and black, it had simple marking, KC101 and the twin hammers on the tail fin, it was flanked by two equally black and equally sleek jet fighters bearing the sign of the KSSF, the Elite Kraven Strike Force, they touched down just behind the jet and taxied around to a stand still, the two Capitol Police pilots, each as uncaring as the rest sat in the Cockpits and awaited further orders…

The Craft had come to a halt and one of Kraven’s black armoured APC’s deployed a few days earlier with the sole purpose of transporting the crago from the Craft down to the hospital..

Several minutes passed as the ramp was slowly lowered and the distinct and perfectly timed marching of Kraven’s Stormtroopers, The Capitol Police could be heard, it rung out across the tarmac as one by one, they climbed into the back of the APC…

A pair of Jackboots slowly walked down the ramps, machine like noises whirred as servos powered the thing forwards, the things long black trench coat lifted up slightly as the man-machine descended from the craft…

It entered the APC then within a few minutes, the twin V8’s powered up and the vehicle pulled away… leaving the craft guarded by several Capitol Police…


It didn’t take long for the vehicle to reach the hospital, but the sight of a Kraven APC rolling through towns and villages gave people enough incentive to run away, or move, some screamed and hid away in houses, while others frantically called the police claiming they’d just seen a Kraven APC roll through the town and that more were probably on their way…


The guards inside the hospital, if they knew anything at all about Kraven would instantly recognise the unmistakable sound of Kraven twin V8’s… the vehicle pulled up and cut the engines, there was a heavy thud as the tail gate door dropped to the ground and eight Capitol Police stormed out of the vehicle…

Instantly they moved in one fluid manner, sweeping up the stairs of the hospital and through the main entrance, their huge armoured frames breaking through the glass of the doors with minimal fuss, shards of glass showered the floor as these behemoths took up firing positions…

One using its Vox Caster spoke, its mechanical voice filling the air with dread and fear…

“ALL PERSONEL ARE ORDERED TO LAY DOWN THEIR WEAPONS” The Trooper spoke, brandishing one mean looking MG42 while the others began to secure the room…

Slowly the Machine - Man walked up the stairs, his uniform now a stark contrast to the clinical white of the hospital made it clear just who he was… his breathing entered the room first, the distinctive click and hiss of the cybernetic parts that kept him alive as his jackboots stepped in…


He Looked at the guards through the black eye pieces of his death mask…

“I am Reichmarshal Helghan…. Where is Nadia…”

Mr. Mercer gulped for a second, but quickly regained composure. Obviously Mr. Mercer or whoever he was really, did not want a man to shove a hand up his butt. But it was all part of the job. Hugh looked down at the cloves, then back up to the guard.

"Yeah...I guess if someone wanted to kill her, then they would take some drastic measures to ensure it." Mr. Mercer said as he stood still while the guard scanned him. "Well I guess things are a lot different in Canadstein. I do only local news, and have only had a couple of stories outside the country. Personally I think that I am lucky for it. About five months ago a colleague of mine went missing after reporting on some dictator. They found him two days later in some godforsaken desert. He was shot multiple times in the chest and was decapitate d. I feel sorry about his family."

Hugh patiently watched as the guard moved the metal detector over him. He would do anything as long as he got to Nadia. That was his main goal.

"Nope I don't think I should have any metal on me." Hugh replied as he put back on his bowler hat. "I have come to ask her a few questions; of course I am not asking them as a reporter. My editor actually wanted me to ask them in person. Hey I don't ask why, I just do it."

Mr. Mercer stood there for a second and looked at the guard, after he asked the question about SAVAK. Hugh only flinched for a second and looked back at the guard. Mr. Mercer knew that his identity was full proof. This average Joe was just probably guessing.

"That isn't something we joked about. I am just a reporter trying to get my job done. Okay?" Mr. Mercer said in a no nonsense tone. "Also I really don't care if a person is a communist or a Catholic. As long as they are doing the right thing it doesn't matter to me. We all have different believes and I respect that."

The guard nodded, then heard the sounds, and he locked and loaded his FN FAL battle rifle. This was not a standard-issue weapon of the Kahanistanian military, but he was a former Republic Guard soldier who had gone into the reserves and been pressed into the sentry role. Most of the good weapons were back in Haven, being used to cap Doomies and Questarians.

"Nadia?" said the guard. "Well, I was just getting to doing a cavity search on this bloke. There're probably a few girls here by that name. Mr. Helghan, you'll have to make an appointment. I'm sure one of the local places will put you up, we don't want a lot of trouble here."

With the fall of Father, Kahanistan had ceased hostilities towards Kraven and generally turned a blind eye to it to enable Kahanistan to concentrate on its own defence against the Doomani.

"What do you want to do with this Nadia?" the sentry asked. He had killed a Freekish Death Dealer with a combat knife; he wasn't going to be intimidated by the Capitol Police. He also wasn't going to be overtly defiant; his steel plate had convinced him that discretion can be the better part of valour.

The Capitol Police didn't hesitate for one second, and while the guard was talking to Helghan, the heavy wooden butt of the GPMG swung round and cracked him sqaurely on the jaw...

The Capitol Police made it quite clear they meant business and Helghan was not impressed by the guards impolitness towards him...

"I ask again... Where is Nadia... "

"OW! Fucking wanker." The sentry clutched his fractured jaw. "I'm just a guard. I never even see the interior unless there's an escape attempt. Ask one of the doctors, they'll tell you where she is." Damn it, we've got over two thousand patients here, three-fourths of them are psychiatric.

He still had his duty, and by now, someone had probably spotted the Kraven chopper and called in the defence forces that had occupied this small sliver of Africa. There was nothing more he could do about the Kravenites; he went back to examining the Canadsteinian, this time with the X-ray machine. He'd let the other guards deal with these people; it would be some time before the cavalry showed up.

Helghan sighed, The Mechanical whirrings of his cybernetic lungs let out a long exasperated noise...

He Looked at the sentry clutching his jaw and gently shook his head, such foolishness...

He nodded to the Capitol Police and they holstered their weaponry, then with a second nod and a wave of a hand, The Capitol Police Advanced into the hospital, leaving the guards and the rather strange looking man in the bowler hat to their own devices...

Helghan followed in the wake of the Capitol Police who, systematicaly rounded up several nurses and doctors, all beit in a slightly better manner than the Capitol Police's norm, they were ushered in a not so physical manner, with a stern warning from the Capitol Police that their co-operation would be appreciated and also in their best interests....

Helghan stood waiting for the doctors and nurses to be brought over to him...

The sentry went back to examining the Canadsteinian man.

Meanwhile, the facility director was about to head out for a weed break when he was approached by the Capitol Police.

"What the-- what the fuck?!" he shouted as they confronted him and escorted him to a nearby office.

As soon as Helghan's demands were made known to him, he pulled up a computer file detailing the location of the patients.

"Miss Sklenova is in psych cell 561, on the fifth floor."

Mr. Mercer was startled when he heard the something crash through the front door. He knew that this was not going to turn out well. Whoever was breaking in definitely meant business. Then he noticed that the guard was loading his weapon. This situation was growing worse by the second. Mr. Mercer started to back away from the guard once he saw who broke in, the Kraven. Hugh had heard horror stories about the Kraven, and thought that most of them were myths. Until he actually saw pictures of the brutally that the Kraven made. These people were truly evil.

Then one of them mentioned himself as Reichmarshal Helghan, Hugh became pale. This situation had just gone to hell. Hugh just shook his head and tried to disassociate himself from the guard. He wondered if the guard was intentionally trying to piss of the Kravenites. One of the Kravenites broke the guard's jaw. Hugh was not going to stay around any longer. Once the Kravenites left along with this Helghan person, Mr. Mercer looked at the guard.

"Tell me where Nadia is now. Her life depends on it. Don't ask any questions. Just tell me..." Mr. Mercer said as he grabbed the guard by his cloths.

"I really DON'T know," said the guard. "I was telling the truth. I can pull her up on this computer, though. The docs are wimps, they'll crack under any form of torture." He pulled up a computer. "Looks like you get an anal reprieve. Miss Sklenova is in 561, on the fifth floor. Who the hell are you, really? You aren't a journalist, and I doubt you're a Praetonian. So, who are you? Ex-boyfriend? Stalker? Fanboy?"

Helghan nodded as the information was given to him, this was all he needed...

He turned to the Squad Leader of the Capitol Police that accompanied him and gave him his instructions...

"Aquire a plan of the building, locate and secure the cell and await for my instructions"

The Trooper snapped to attention and gave a clear response...


"By Your Command..."

Instantly the troopers left the room, heading off in the direction of a building layout, once found they headed off, leaving Helghan to speak to the director...

"What has been done to her so far Director?"... The Sinister presence of Helghan made the room almost seem to drop in temperature, as he walked around touching things with a gloved hand, picking up pictures and generaly trying to make the director feel as uncomfortable as possible while his Henchmen followed his orders...

"Who has Seen her?" He continued to ask...


He paused for a second, turned and looked straight at the Director through the black lenses of his deathmask...

"And.... what of the Baby?"


OOC: For those who don't know this is what Helghan Looks like

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v399/HorusGodEmperor/ReichmarshalHelghanMasked.jpg

"I am the person who is going to save her. That is all you really need to know..." Mr. Mercer said.

Then he bolted straight into the depths of the hospital. He was going to find Nadia and get her away from here. Her life might depend on it. All he knew that if the Kravenites were after her, then this would not be easy in anyway. Thoughts were racing through his head as he ran down the hallway.

"Building plans for each floor are posted next to the stairwells in case of fire," said the director. "We haven't done anything to her. She's suffering from severe depression, we're still figuring out her dosage. We have her on Prozac."

He did not show it, but inside he was terrified. "Baby should be in the nursery, that's on the west wing, in the basement. He'll look about six months old, he's huge."

---

The desk sentry followed the man. He couldn't let this guy go in without a weapon, it would be suicide. As they passed a weapons locker, he thought quickly, aimed his weapon at the nearest lock, and the 7.62x51mm slug ripped it out, allowing him to access the guns inside.

"We've got guns here!" he called.

---

Outside Nadia's cell, six guards watched over the entrance. One of them had an anti-tank weapon, just in case, and one had a heavy machine gun. The others were armed with FN FAL's.

The Kraven Troopers stormed up the Stairwell, heading towards the location of the cell, each one was covering the other, checking and ensuring that the operation would move smoothly, they headed to the top of the fourth flight of stairs..

Their thermal optical gear picked up the people stood outside the cell, registering them as guards by their stance and positioning, the Capitol Police quickly consolidated their position...

employing several flashbangs and smoke grenades, they let them bounce down the corridor towards the guards that protected the cell, the grenades clattered down the clinical white corridor before exploding in a great ball of smoke, filling the corridor in seconds, while following that, the flashbangs errupted, flooding the corridor in light and hopefully disorientating the guards...


once the grenades had done their work, Capitol Police advanced, using their Optical systems to give them the advantage and kill off the guards, letting rip with their distinctive sounding MG42's....

Mr. Mercer stopped and noticed that the guard was still following. He thought that he was being chased until the guard stopped and fired his weapon. Hugh turned back around and saw that he had shot a weapons locker. It was an odd thing for a guard to do, but there was no time to ask questions. Hugh quickly took a FN FAL and loaded a new magazine into the gun. He put the sling of the rifle around his shoulder/ Then he took two extra clips and placed them in his jacket, just in case.

Hugh continued to run down the hall, but stopped for a second. He looked back and tipped his hat toward the guard. This guard had just helped him tremulously. Mr. Mercer knew that he wouldn't last that long again Kravenites without a weapon. As he ran down the hallway he sat one of the sign. It read stairwell. He abruptly stopped and reread the sign. The door burst open and he ran up the stairs.

Once he got to the fifth floor he was almost out of breath. He walked out and tried to catch his breath. His attention was soon caught by another sign. It read Cell 359. Mr. Mercer shook his head and started to run again. He had no time to spare.

The guards were taken off guard by the flashbangs. The man with the anti-tank launcher fired down the corridor blindly - ripping the cell door off of one of the hospital's most dangerous psychiatric inmates, a vicious serial killer and mass murderer who had killed over 100 people - but failing to score a hit on the Capitol Police.

The girl with the machine gun was hit in the shoulder, but was still feeding ammunition into the heavy weapon, which had to be mounted on a wheeled tripod to be moved. It had been pre-aimed to fire down the corridor, so no matter how disoriented she was, she just needed to keep feeding it until either she or the gun were taken out of commission.

The other four guards had only FN FAL's. One was dead and two others moderately wounded. They retreated while the uninjured guard laid down covering fire on the CP.

Inside, Nadia looked outside her door and screamed at the top of her lungs. She normally didn't freak out like this in combat, but then, she usually had a weapon of some sort.

---

"This way!" said the guard, still keeping up with the man he thought was Mercer. "The Caps'll probably be waiting for us, and if they aren't, expect them at any time. What in God's name do they want with her, anyway? I can't imagine she'd actually want the kid."

Mr. Mercer kept on running down the hall and did not pay attention to the guard. He stopped when he heard a explosion around the corner. His body instantly went to the wall and seemed to cling to it. Gunshots could be heard and the sounds of people. Hugh knew that he wasn't just going to rush straight into the firefight. He grabbed the guard and threw him against the wall, as he finally caught to Hugh.

"Okay...I am not Hugh Mercer. I am not even a report. I am Miles Mason an Agent from the Canadstein Intelligence Agency. Right now I should be on vacation, but once I heard news of Nadia's child be born, I rushed here. You see I was in love with her...and I thought I could try to help her out.” Miles said as he tightly gripped his FN FAL.

“Since I pretty much blew my whole cover, can you tell me who you are?” Miles asked.

Should have known... a damned spook. "Nahum Yankelstein," said the guard. "Former Captain in the Republic Guard. I got out of that outfit once I heard al-Ghazi was taking over."

"So, looks like a couple of wounded are staggering away. Probably looking for help. I figure in about ten minutes a whole platoon of troops are going to come in and storm the place, somewhere around 50 of them. We just have to protect Miss Sklenova and her mongrel until then, then we can get out of here."

"Fine you go ahead out there and get shot up by the Kravenites. I am going to wait a while. I fear for Nadia and wish to save her, but I will be no good to her if I am dead. So good ahead Mr. Yankelstein. I don't even know why you are helping, since you hate communist." Miles said. Then he took a quick peak around the corner. A bullet whizzed by his head. His head returned around the corner. He was definitely not going out there.

"Because no one deserves what she must have suffered at their hands," said Nahum. "We will also be no good to her if she is dead. I would do the same for anyone, yes, even a hell-bound Doomani."

He knew that by referring to Nadia's child as a "mongrel" - a derogatory term often used by white supremacists to refer to mixed-race children - he had marked himself as a racist, at least against Kravenites. He didn't care.

Nahum laid his weapon down and looked through his HUD to see the results of the firefight, knowing that holding a weapon and assuming standard sentry positions would have made him a target to the enemy, which he knew had thermal optical gear; he knew a thing or two about Kraven equipment, as did most veteran Kahanistanian infantry.

"So... why is it you are interested in her...? She is attractive, certainly, but there has to be something more. Love is not built on a pretty face and a nice smile." He was trying to keep calm as he observed his enemies.

Miles just looked at Nahum and smiled weakly. It was good to know that he had someone with good character covering his back. Much better than having a selfish coward, who would shoot you in the back within a second to save his own skin. The battle was still continuing around the corner and it seemed it was just the beginning. Miles knew that it would be suicidal to run straight into it.

As Nahum took a peek around the corner, Miles tried to familiarize himself with his FN FAL. Back at the Agency's HQ they had every weapon imaginable. Each agent was to become familiar with each weapon. Basically meaning being able to identify, both by sound and sight, and become trained with the weapon. Although it had been a while since Miles fired a FN FAL, he quickly looked over the weapon and remembered firing it. He raised the rifle and looked down the iron sights. If he had to, then he would kill with this gun.

Then he turned toward Nahum, when he asked the question. Miles had to think about it for a minute. He had thought that his love for her was gone, when he went to the mountains, but it had just been hidden. It suddenly came bursting out again when he heard of the birth of her baby. Miles knew that he had to come and see her, but the question why he loved her still remained.

"I think because she is attractive has something to do with it, but there is something else...which I cannot explain about her. All I know is that I love her, and it is not because of her face or body." Miles said as he lowered his rifle.

[OOC: We should probably hold off on engaging the CP any further until Kraven has a chance to respond.]

"Well, that's probably it," said Nahum. "I could probably say the same about my wife. She's not much to look at, and I couldn't tell you why I married her. I think it's a mystery for everyone, a certain... je ne sais quois."

"I'm picking up three Cap troopers. There could be more that I'm not reading, this HUD doesn't work too well. Three large, faint heat sources, probably C. P., and quite a few moderate-sized faint heat sources, probably dead and dying, and some moderate-sized normal heat sources, probably still alive."

"These cells are empty. We should probably go in, appear as inmates till they actually see us... then we cap their arses."

The Kraven Stormtroopers had taken up a standard firing pattern, two kneeling down and covering the weak points of the other three that were stood up, they laid down fire, firing with short bursts that were well placed and accurate in the smoke and the haze from the grenades, one round struck a trooper in the shoulder pad, the round bouncing off and hitting the ceiling while another struck the trooper in an unprotected area, the trooper momentarily lost balance before regaining his composure and taking another round in the exposed area of his abdomen, the large calibre round from the heavy machine gun felled the huge beast like a tree, he was wounded… but not dead…

Instantly the others reconsolidated their position and while two lay down more fire, the others prepped a small charge of C4, obscured by the smoke, the enemy kahanistan soldiers would have now idea what was about to happen…

This had, however a duel purpose, kill the soldiers and bring down the door in one go, saving time and resources…

The 7.62x51mm rounds of the sentries' FN FAL rifles might not have been able to penetrate Kraven armour as well as the supply chief thought - but they could penetrate thick glass.

The last, mortally wounded guard knew he had not long to live. He also knew that the enemy was going to grab Nadia - he had been assigned to protect her for a reason, after all - and put his rifle up against the window to her cell, with a line of fire to the window that gave her a view of the outside.

"GO!" he bellowed as he fired a full magazine of armour-piercing slugs into the windows.

---

Nadia had been in her cell, on Prozac, using her laptop and checking her email. Surprisingly, she had only one mail, from her friend, Mara. They had met shortly before Nadia had been sent to Kraven.

FROM: <marakate78@webtalk.co.kn>
TO: <commiegurl1974@webtalk.co.kn>
SUBJECT: Stuff.

I didn't get Miles' contact info before he left for Canadstein, so I'm sending you the pictures of me we talked about and an attached WordPerfect document to forward to Miles.

Do not, under any circumstances, open the document or let him think it's from you. That will only make things harder.

Mara

No sooner had Nadia forwarded the letter than she heard the gunfire, the guards shouting, and her window blasted in. She climbed up, disregarding the broken glass and jagged edges, knowing only that she did not want to end up in Kraven hands again. Nadia slid down the wall of the building, into a large, thorny briar patch that grew outside the walls of the hospital.

Cut and pricked, with fractures in her right leg bones, she must have looked like hell to the police who responded to the hospital's call and were pointing their weapons at her now...

---

The nursery was far less heavily guarded; the Kraven baby had simply had his head shaved and contact lenses put in to make him look more human. A nurse was putting self-tanner on him so he wouldn't appear so pale and frighten the other nurses or parents.

By now the Kravenites knew that the baby was in the nursery. They might have some trouble finding him, but so far this was all the nurses could do.

---

Nahum nudged Miles. "Looks like the shit's starting to hit the fan. Those guards aren't professional soldiers, for the most part. Trained as police, most likely - wouldn't know much about Kraven beyond our security briefings."

4,000TH POST!

The C4 pack slid along the floor, the heavily armoured Kraven Troopers still obscured by the mists and confusion caused by the smoke grenades and weapons took cover, dragging the wounded trooper away to the cover of the stair well…

Within a few seconds of the pack being slung across the room, it exploded in a deafening roar, bringing down the door and dislodging the beams above it, the entire hospital shook with a resounding blast that rung in the ears of most of the people here…

Somewhere that was designed to be a place where people went when they were poorly, now became the scene for a battleground…

The Troopers stood up and moved up towards the door, effortlessly stepping over corpses and rubble… the windows of the room had been smashed and the room was empty…

“THN 0113, Reporting, Target has gone…”

“WHAT?!” Helghan roared through the comlink….

“The Target is Not here… Advise?”

“Locate the child, that is your priority…”

“By Your Command”

Helghan clenched a fist and punched the wooden table of the Director looking visibly angry, he turned back to the comlink….

“APC 33, Move to the rear of the Building, locate Target and apprehend if possible..”

The powerful twin V8’s roared into life, surging the vehicle forwards as its twin steer axels mounted the pavement and began to drive across the grass to the rear of the hospital, its turret began to rotate looking for targets as the immense bulldozer at the front of the vehicle tore up trees and park benches with little fuss…

"This doesn't look good," said the paramilitary police officer stepping out of his infantry fighting vehicle. "Put her in, and high-tail it out of here. Do we have chopper support?"

"Some," said the large man who picked up Nadia and was carrying her in his arms to the vehicle as fast as he could.

"Good," said the driver. "Have one of the choppers get in close to that Kraven APC, and hold it off until we can find out what these Kravenites want."

"Probably that miscegenated piece of Kraven shit baby," said the man carrying Nadia as he set the injured woman in the back of the IFV. "I say we let them have the bastard."

Without waiting for the doors to close, the driver planted his foot, speeding off. The chopper was diving dangerously close to the Kraven vehicle, firing its 30x113mm chaingun and trying to keep directly in front of the vehicle.

---

"Mr. Mason, I think we should make a tactical retreat," said Nahum. "Didn't you hear the Caps? Miss Sklenova's not there."

The nursery area was less heavily guarded, only a couple of sentries with pistols, standard issue protection against anti-abortion radicals. They were not equipped to deal with Kravenites and would probably let them through without a fight. A few minutes of searching and the baby could be theirs.

Miles ducked as the C4 went off. As his hands slowly came off his ears, he could not hear anything. That explosion had been very close, and he was surprised that he was not hurt in any way. Quickly he checked his FN FAL, and it was still in working condition. Off to the side he saw his bowler hat and picked it up. Miles hearing came to, and he heard what Nahum had tried to tell him.

"Well, even the best soldiers know when to make a retreat." said Miles as he got up and brushed the dirt off of his three-piece suit and bowler hat. His bowler hat returned to its rightful place. He tightly gripped his FN FAL, then looked at Nahum with a slightly angry look. "Lead the way, Nahum, you are the one who knows this hospital and where that window leads to outside.”

Unlike the fatally injured guard at Nadia's cell, Nahum had a reason to save his ammo. He entered an empty cell and smashed open a window with his rifle.

"I think that police IFV is taking Miss Sklenova off. Let's get out of here, and lay low till she contacts you." He climbed out and slid into the briar patch, hoping that there was another police vehicle or a way to escape in the confusion.

---

Inside Nadia's cell, there was plenty of her DNA laying around in the form of hair and skin for the Kravenites to play with, assuming they had a forensics team capable of gathering it.

Miles followed Nahum down to the ground. As he climbed down he wondered why he was trusting this guy. Miles knew that he was still a criminal in Kahanistan, but wondered if anyone was even trying to find him. Once hitting the ground he looked at Nahum. For now he had to trust this guy. He knew exactly what he was doing.

"What if she doesn't contact me or she is taken to some secret base? She might disappear forever. The Kravenites just don't want the baby, but her also. They will stop at nothing to get her." Miles said as he looked around.

"If you two are really in love... then HaShem, God, will watch over your relationship," said Nahum. "The baby, I do not believe she wants it. Would you want to carry a child that had been forced upon you? Would you want to raise a child whom every time you looked at was a reminder of the rape and defiling of your girlfriend?"

He helped Miles up and led him toward an idling police cruiser. Some donut-eating moron had left the door open and the engine running. "Looks like HaShem has seen fit to give us an out. If your friend is in a secret base... taken by our troops, she will not be cut off from communication. She may have her emails monitored to ensure she doesn't give away the location of the base, but even that's unlikely."

"None of it matters. As long as I'm with Nadia I will be happy. Nothing is going to stop me." Miles said as he followed Nahum. He put the sling of the rifle around his shoulder. Off in the distance he could hear shot being fired, but that sound was familiar to him. Miles had been shot at so many times that it didn’t even faze him anymore.

Miles got into the passenger side and sighed for a minute. This day had turned into a totally mess. He just wanted to simply visit Nadia, but look what had happened. These Kravenites had screwed everything up. Right now Miles was not very happen. This was supposed to be a relaxing vacation.

"Checking my e-mail is not important right now. Let’s just get the hell out of here." Miles said angrily.

Nahum floored the gas as a police officer ran after them. "Get out of my car, dammit!" the officer bellowed.

Within five seconds a police IFV was chasing the car as it barreled out of the parking lot. Chopper support was a no-go; they were busy dealing with the Kravenites.

"Might want to start praying to whatever you believe in," said Nahum. "Soon as we lose this IFV, I'll dump the cruiser somewhere. Damn good thing I was wearing gloves, else my prints would be all over it." He cut in front of a lorry hauling pig shit to a nearby farm and it fell on its side. The IFV barreled through the muck and over the side of the lorry.

"Shit!" said Nahum. "I'll try and take us onto the back roads. This is Africa, a lot of the roads outside the major cities are unpaved. Kick a load of dirt and mud behind us at their windows, then dump the cruiser in some jungle pond or something."

"Do whatever you want, man. Just get us out of here." Miles almost screamed as he looked back at the IFV. This day was almost perfect...

Crossing over a low-hanging bridge, Nahum gripped the steering wheel and spun it hard to the right. "Yitgadal ve'yitkadash!" he roared, starting the Jewish prayer for the dead as he flew over, landing in a drainage culvert. The car's wheels were somewhat flattened, but the vehicle was still mobile, albeit now with very bad handling.

The IFV's driver had foolishly pursued. The far heavier vehicle had broken its treads, and was now immobile.

"We aren't out of the woods yet... we've got to get out of sight of that thing to dump this." He careened up the slanted culvert wall, through a guardrail at high speed, and onto a side road. "Soon as we dump this thing, I'll call in one of my friends who's still in the army, and get a ride to civilisation."

Miles nervously looked on at Nahum. Now he was more nervous of dying in a car accident, then the police who followed them. He thought that his dream was going to come true, as the car flew over. At that very moment he prayed that they made it out of this car chase. Once the car landed and Miles knew that they had lived, he let out a long sigh of relief. But he knew that they were not of the park yet.

"I know...your poor driving skills almost killed us, but just get us out of here. Nahum, please do not try to kill us? Leave that to the police." Miles said with a smirk on his face. He looked back and saw the IFV stuck. Hopefully now it would be smooth sailing.

"We're coming up on a Republic Guard army base about four klicks from here," replied Nahum. "About one kilometre from the base is a canal. Unlock your door, and be ready to jump out when I tell you." He unbuckled his safety belt.

"I'm going to dump the car in the canal. We're probably going to get a lot of attention driving around with these damned flats. It's not a secret base, we can just walk on."

Miles simply nodded and unlocked the door. Right now he had to trust this man. He had no other choice.

"All right, here's the bridge." About a hundred metres before they reached the bridge, Nahum steered to the right. "Three... two..." he opened his car door, "one... JUMP!"

The driver rolled out of the car not five metres before it careened into the canal. He got up, dusted himself off, and looked around to see if Miles had made it out. If he had, fine. If not, it wasn't as if he were trapped inside; Nahum's door was wide open - assuming Miles could swim.

Miles frantically jumped out the car, and landed into the hard dirt face first. He got up and started to cough off from some dirt. A wide smirk was on his face as he brushed off his suit and bowler. Looking around at his surrounding he saw that he was very close to the water. Miles guessed that luck was on his side. He suddenly noticed that Nahum was nowhere to be found. His attention soon turned to up the hill. Miles could see the outline of his comrade, so he made a short trip up the hill. He rested his arm on Nahum's shoulder.

"So good old chap, where to next?" Miles said in a sarcastic tone.

"The base, about a kilometre north of here. I'm still with the reserves, so I can take you into the barracks. A lot of soldiers here take in local girls... and guys... into the barracks." He led Miles across the bridge where he just dumped the car, then to the base, which was in view as soon as they crossed it.

The base wasn't very big, a few barracks, a gun range, a parking lot for armoured vehicles, a helipad, some watchtowers and a recreation complex comprised the base, which was large enough to hold at least 10,000 soldiers and militia.

Miles stopped for a second and looked at the base. It looked like any other generic base. He had seen so many bases now that it was just a blur.

"So how are we going to get in? Since I am a civilian and we are carrying weapons?" asked Miles as he pointed out their FN FALs.

It wouldn't be a wise choice to go into the base armed. Miles would except to be shot on sight, but of course many things could happen. Plus he did not want to piss off anymore Kahanistanis. He just wanted to get to Nadia. This day had been literally hell for him.

"Just drop it if you're worried. In Kahanistan any civilian can legally own machine guns, rocket launchers, shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles... you name it."

"Got to warn you, though... when we were evacuating all the mental patients, we didn't have the facilities over here to maintain them all. Some of the soldiers will look a little weird, but most of them are just shell shock victims. There are a few exceptions, though, but you should be safe. In our situation, we aren't really concerned about much more than staying alive."

Miles shouldered his weapon and thought for a second. Mental patients....something...about that. Miles quickly remembered remembered why it seemed familiar to him. Not just the word mental patients, but something about in Kahanistan. He knew two people who were considered mental patients, Andrea Rhodes and Henry Bates. Miles hadn't thought about them for a while and wondered if they got out of Kahanistan, before the war started. It wouldn't hurt to see if either one was located in the base.

Miles saw that Nahum was far ahead of him and quickly caught up.

"Nahum is there anyway I can see if two of my friends are here? Well both of them were mental patients, so I am just wondering if they are here now." Miles asked.

"They might be. Then again, there are six or seven other major bases here, as well as a couple of hundred minor forts. If they're violent types, they may be at the front, if they're uncontrollable they're in mental facilities. If they're PTSD cases, they're likely being reintegrated into the base as well as possible."

"Anyway, let's check the base out," said Nahum.

"Okay..." Miles said quietly as the pair walked into the base.

The soldiers at the base were conducting a surprise-attack drill, a drill to prepare them in the event of an invasion of the African redoubt. Soldiers were moving around in trenches and mini-bunkers that dotted the base, throwing smoke grenades, shooting blanks, and thrusting at each other with polymer training bayonets. Some had captured or imitation Doomani body armour, to play the role of the invaders. These gave orders in Latin, the language of Doomingsland, to better imitate the enemy.

Two men walked up to Miles and Nahum. One was Henry, the young man Miles had befriended in Metzuda. The other was a large, hulking marine. He had a shaved head and looked like he ate steroids for breakfast. The marine was carrying a M2 heavy machine gun as if it were a common assault rifle. Belts of ammunition draped his massive body, and he looked like Rambo on angel dust.

Miles rubbed his eyes for a second and could not believe it. He would have expected Henry to be locked up somewhere. This kid had saved both of the lives of Nadia and Miles, but had killed some people to save them. Henry had been charged for murder, but had escaped prison by pleading that he was mental. The last time he had see Bates, he was behind bars, but somehow he had gotten out. Miles ran up to Henry and hugged him. Then he let go and looked him straight in the eyes.

"It is good to you see you Henry. I did not expect to see you here. Oh this is Nahum." Miles happily said as he pointed out Nahum. "So how do you get out of being a 'mental' patient?"

"Didn't have the resources to hold me," said Henry. "They're only holding the most dangerous people now. I hear they've got Malakov sitting in some gibbet in the Sudan until they can find a prison for him. Guess the President's willing to turn a blind eye, although I haven't been formally pardoned." He pointed to his rank insignia. "They promoted me to Sergeant. I get to fire the tank cannon now, not just drive it." He nodded to the large marine next to him, whose rank insignia identified him as another sergeant.

"This is my boyfriend. Greg Green. So, how's your girlfriend, Miles?"

Miles mood quickly changed to one of sadness. Henry probably thought that Miles was still going out with Nadia, after their last encounter. He still had deep feelings for Nadia, but knew that she might never change. The odd thing was that Miles was never going to give up. Nadia was his one true love, but not his only. There was one other woman, but that is another story.

"Congratulations Sgt. Bates." Miles said as he firmly shook Henry's hand. Anyone could tell that he was trying to ignore the question, but Miles felt that he owed something to Henry. "Oh, you mean Nadia?"

"Yeah, her. She seems nice, for a higher officer. Heard she had a baby, it was all over the news."

Henry had told Miles earlier that he was gay. He was merely expressing a friendly interest in her.

"Yeah," said Nahum. Miscegenated piece of shit. Of course, he wasn't going to express such racist views in front of the huge marine or around Miles.

"Well right now I am trying to find her. The hospital she was at got attacked by the Kravenites, so Nahum and myself got the hell out of there. But honestly the both of us have no idea where she is right now." Miles replied as he walked with the group into the base. Quickly he tried to get off the subject and asked Henry about a fellow cell mate. "So what happened to Andrea Rhodes, your neighbor in prison?"

"Andrea? The base commander's using her as his personal secretary. Gave her a token promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, and he's got her typing up reports. Shitty position for someone of her rank, I guess... but what are we going to do with her? We can't warehouse her in an asylum for the rest of her life, and with her lobotomy, she's not useful in combat. But she still has all the knowledge, all the memories she had before it. Just that she's not emotionally all there, you know? Gets unnerving in battle when someone's emotionally brain dead. Now I know why General Kaselev creeps everyone out."

General Igor Kaselev was a high-ranking intelligence officer. He was notorious for his ability to remain calm under the most terrifying of circumstances. Some said it was because of child abuse that numbed him emotionally, others that it was torture he experienced after capture in battle, a few that it was from combat wounds to the head. All had some validity, and were debated wildly in the military.

"That guy can stand there, giving orders without even raising his voice, while someone cooks to death from a flamethrower right in front of him. Sometimes I find myself wondering if he's an android, or a reprogrammed Freekish Sentinel."

Miles let a sigh of relief. He had seen the ghastly conditions in which Andrea was living before. At least she was finally free of that hell, and no longer going back to the prison. There was just something about her that made Miles care about her. Andrea had made him go off the deep up, but it had almost made him become stronger. After seeing her, he had finally cracked and ran off into the mountains. There he had found something and it had changed him somewhat.

"Well maybe he is an android or something." Miles said jokingly. He continued with the three other men, but specifically walked along side Henry. "So can you take me to her?"

"Sure. She should be in her office."

Greg led the way. She wasn't in her office, but she was in a lounge they passed, holding a can of root beer, and talking with a younger officer. More accurately, she was listening, with the occasional nod, one-word answer, or the even more occasional smile.

Andrea didn't seem to talk much these days. Her emotional range had been severely damaged, but she was still reasonably intelligent, though possibly less so than before. She was certainly less articulate.

Miles seemed to be stunned once he caught a glimpse of Andrea. She looked to be in a more healthy state, but would never return to that woman he saw in that picture, though she was still beautiful. Silently he moved to the young officer and asked him if he could have a word with Andrea alone. Once the young officer left, Miles took the officer's seat and looked at Andrea. He paused for a second.

"Andrea, you probably don't remember who I am. I am Miles Mason. I once talked with you in the asylum." Miles said with a weak smile. Their encounter had been small, but it had been almost life changing for Miles.

Andrea simply nodded. She seemed like she might be thinking.

"I remember. Not very well. I like it better here." She opened the window beside her. "Away from the nurses and the doctors."

---

Nahum, Henry, and Greg decided to leave Miles with Andrea. Nahum made a lewd gesture and grinned widely. As he began to mime the lewd acts he imagined Miles was up to with Andrea, Greg punched him in the face, hard.

The arrogant racist's head collided with the wall behind him and he fell unconscious. Greg and Henry left him laying in the corridor.

---

Inside the hospital, quasi-lockdown protocols were initiated to allow patients and staff to flee while doing their damnedest to trap the Kravenites in with the security and approaching militia.

"I am glad that you are finally out of there. You were not even suppose to be there. I bet some dumb general just wanted to hide you somewhere. They didn't want to create a media storm or something like it..." Miles said as he held her arm. He looked up to her and warmly smiled into her blue eyes. "So what have you been doing for the past couple of weeks?"

"Secretarial stuff," said Andrea. "Typing. Filing reports."

She looked back at Miles. "This place is more emotional. In the hospital they tried to avoid my emotions."

She had been in a bare cell with little interaction with staff - lobotomy patients could be emotionally unstable and no two cases seemed to be alike. While most had blunted emotional responses, like Andrea, some could become agitated or even violent. (Even trained doctors could not produce reliable results, much less so untrained soldiers.) Many less fortunate victims became mentally retarded to varying degrees.

"Well emotions are sometimes the things that keep us alive. Without them we would just be robots." Miles said as he looked out the window. The sun was starting to set and hopefully it would end the troubles within Kahanistan.

"So has anyone been bothering or taking advantage of you?" asked Miles. His arm firmly held on to hers. It was tough for him to ask, but he wanted to truly find out if Andrea was alright. The state she was in right he would suspect someone taking advantage of her sexually. That was truly sickening in Miles' mind.

"I don't know what you mean," said Andrea. "Some people ask me out. Some people look at me and talk to me."

She looked down at the floor, then finished off her root beer and dug around in her pockets for spare change.

"Have you been sexually assault, Andrea?" Miles said very carefully, as he quickly put down some shekels to pay for the root beer. It was the least he could do for her. But he also noticed that she looked down at the floor. Had something happened? "I am only asking you because I worry about you, Andrea. You honestly don't know how much you have done for me."

"I get touched sometimes," said Andrea, as if it were no big deal. To someone in her condition, maybe it wasn't. After all, she was by far not the only woman to encounter such treatment in an institution like the military, which attracted large numbers of young males. Female personnel often appeared in ads specifically to entice young men to join the Kahanistanian military.

"People putting their arms around me. Sometimes they pinch me." She placed a hand over her breast. She was slightly larger than average size, maybe 38C. "But I haven't been raped here."

Miles solemnly looked at her. She hadn't been raped, yet. Andrea had been taking advantage because of her disability. Miles could not image who would exactly do that to this poor women. Andrea had already been through enough and being sexually assault was the last thing that she needed. Miles was going to make sure that it never happened again.

"Andrea wait here for a second. I am going to get a couple of my friends. Okay?" Miles said with a smile.

Miles got up and walked away. Upon entering the hall, where he had left the three men, Miles was surprised to find Nahum unconscious on the floor. Honestly he did not want to hear it right now. He simple shook his head.

"Grey, pick up Nahum. Whatever you did just tell me later. Right now I want you two to meet a friend of mine. Henry you have alreay met her." Miles led the group of men to the table and sat back down at his seat.

"Andrea, these are some of my friends." Miles said, then he introduced each of the men. Of course Nahum was still out cold. Miles leaned over to Grey, as he let Henry and Andrea talk.

"Grey, once I leave here I want you to protect Andrea. Some of the men have been taking advantage of her. Basically just try to scream them away." Miles whispered into Grey's ear.

"Andrea, if anyone bothers you again. Like in the ways you have told me, then tell Grey. He will take care of them for you. I don't want those creepys to do that again. Okay?" Miles stated with a warm smile directed toward Andrea

Nahum didn't hear a word they said, as he was still cold-cocked. Henry and Greg were homosexuals and would not touch Andrea sexually. In fact, they wouldn't even look at her that way. They had eyes only for each other.

On the other hand, not all of the people interested in Andrea were men. Some were lesbians. Homosexuals served openly in all branches of the Kahanistanian military.

Greg had a wonderful idea come to mind. With the light bulb shining over his head, he asked Andrea, "Want to go to the base pool for a couple of hours?"

Still oblivious to Greg's pure genius, Andrea nodded. "OK. I'll be there."

The huge marine grinned at Miles. Henry shook Nahum to try to wake him, but he wasn't responding. He was still alive, as he was breathing and had a pulse.

Miles agreed and said that he would meet Andrea there. As she got up and then disappeared from sight, Miles' eyes followed her. He felt that he still owed her something, but he did not know what. His head turned back toward the table.

"Henry can you take him to some kind of doctor? I think it would be kind of rude just to leave him here." Miles said as he got up from the chair. "I want to talk with Grey. I will meet you at the pool."

Miles lead Grey off to a side table away from everyone else. He looked at Grey with a serious tone.

"Okay, Grey I know that we just met, but can you promise to me that you will protect Andrea? I don't want some creepy to take advantage of Andrea sexually because of her condition. She has already gone through enough to fill someone's life. Plus I feel like I..." Miles said. "Never mind...just please protect her. Also good idea about the pool. A little fun will not kill her, but the only problem is that I don't have a bathing suit or extra cloths? Plus isn't a little weird that I am on the base? I am not even a Kahanistan citizen."

"Well, most Kahanistanian bases are liberal about letting civvies in," said Greg. "Lots of soldiers bring in local girls for parties and the like. The super-secret stuff all takes place about six hundred meters underground, away from the enemy's eyes in the sky, so the base commanders generally turn a blind eye. There should be some spare clothes in one of the men's locker rooms. Don't worry about Andrea. I have a plan in mind."

Henry lifted Nahum onto his shoulders. "Miles, can you help me take this guy to the infirmary?"

Miles lifted up Nahum's legs and followed Henry to wherever he was taking them.

In the infirmary, pandemonium reigned. Unusually large numbers of soldiers flowed in and out, and security checks were far more stringent than usual.

"Get her in leg braces," said a doctor. "That fall's taken a lot out of her."

"I can't see a bloody thing through all these thorn wounds and scratches," said a medical assistant.

"X-rays say she fractured her leg. The guy who took her in said she fell out of a fifth-story window," said the radiologist.

"She's waking up!" said a surgical tech.

A doctor walked up to the three men who had just entered. "Put him on a gurney. I'm sorry, but we've got a lot of crazy shit going down. Damn Kraven bastards shot up a fucking hospital. Animals."

Two nurses picked up Nahum and slapped him on a gurney.

---

Greg and Andrea were at the pool, Greg keeping his distance from her. Andrea stood in the water up to her waist, in a medium green one-piece that emphasised her breasts.

Sure enough, Greg's plan worked. A young man approached her, looking into her eyes. He asked her a few questions about herself, where she was from, her reasons for joining the military, et cetera. She gave brief responses, as usual, and occasionally nodded.

However, this man did not touch her sexually. He was one of the decent men on the base, and would therefore not be bashed to within a micron of his life by a gay bodybuilding marine.

Miles instantly could tell who they were talking about. There was probably no other women who jumped out of a window to escape the Kravenites. Miles went up to a doctor and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Who exactly is the patient that jumped out of the window?" Miles asked. He might not receive an answer, but it didn't hurt to just ask.

The doctor was about to answer when a familiar voice called from the gurney.

"Miles?" It was Nadia.

---

Meanwhile, Greg continued to watch Andrea. For the first hour or so, he had not had to bash anyone.

Miles recognized the voice instantaneous. His heart almost stopped for a second when he heard Nadia's sweet voice. He, by some sheer chance of luck, had finally found Nadia. Miles face lighted up as he ran toward her. It looked like he was going to cry, but he held it in. He hovered above her and looked at her with a smile. Miles slowly bent down and kissed her forehead.

"Nadia...yes it is me. I had to find you once I heard about your baby. I know that I said I didn't love you anymore, but...I just kept the emotions hidden..." Miles said.

Nadia smiled. "How do I look? Now that I'm not pregnant anymore."

Meanwhile, the doctors took about five minutes to figure that Nahum had a concussion from a heavy blow to the face that had knocked him against a wall and out cold. They began administering treatment to him.

"You look as beautiful as ever, Nadia. I am just so glad that I finally found you." Miles said. "I also found a couple of our old friends, mainly Henry and Andrea."

"Thanks." Nadia raised an eyebrow at the mention of the two soldiers. "Really?" she asked as the doctors put leg braces on her. "How are they doing? What are they doing here?"

As soon as the braces were on her, she struggled to her feet. "I'll have to get to the barracks, and get out of this hospital gown into something comfortable."

"They both seem to be doing fine, especially Andrea. She seems to be actually happy now, or what it would be like if you had a lobotomy. To answer your second question it seems all the mental patients were sent here, but most of them got their rank back. So they are Sgt. Bates and Lt. Col. Rhodes. I am just glad that you are alright. Lucky we both made it out of the hospital in one piece. Those Kravenites really wanted to find you," Miles said as he bent down to hug her.

Right now Nadia probably needed someone and Miles was going to try to be that person. Plus Miles was going to die before the Kravenites ever got a hold of Nadia. Those creepys were never going to get her if he had something to say about it.

As Nadia struggled to get up Miles went to her side and let her rest on his shoulder.

"Hey, Henry would you mind helping us?" Miles said with a wide grin.

"I'm only a hundred and twenty pounds," said Nadia. She managed to stand up. "I'm not that big."

Henry helped anyway, escorting Nadia and Miles toward the barracks.

"I'll leave you two alone, and see if Greg's bashed anyone. He's got one hell of a temper on him."

"Alright I will be there in about ten to fifteen minutes. See you there and make sure Grey doesn't kill anyone..." Miles said as he chuckled.

He turned his attention back toward Nadia and rested her chair. It had been a long day and Nadia needed her rest, so he was going to keep this visit kind of short. Miles moved a chair in front of her and sat down.

"So...I have returned." Miles said with a sarcastic tone. "I have come back, yet again, for you."

Nadia came out of her barracks room, dressed in a camo-print T-shirt and running shorts. "Miles, I was going to ask you something. Did you get the message I forwarded to you from Mara?"

"No I haven't checked my e-mail since I left Canadstein." Miles responded.

Now he wondered what Mara had sent to him. It had been ages since he had talked to her. Actually it was the last time he had seen Nadia also, of course the pair hadn't know it was him. It was during the operation to return General Malakov as a criminal. Miles had wanted to call or email her, but couldn't for some reason. He liked Mara, but there was just something.

"Well, you can use my laptop," said Nadia. She opened it and handed it to Miles.

"So, who's this Greg fellow, and why was he going to kill someone?"

Miles got onto the computer and waited it for it to turn on. He turned toward Nadia as it turned on.

"Oh he is a friend of Henry. He is basically trying to protect Andrea. After question I found out that some of the men around the base are taking advantage of her. They were touching her in...you get the picture. I just feel like I need to protect her..." Miles said.

Then he turned toward the computer. He quickly accessed his email and saw that the new message. Miles chuckled as he saw both Nadia and Mara's email address. Then he opened up the new message and started to read.

Mara's email to Nadia contained four attachments, which Nadia had forwarded to Miles without viewing herself. The first one was a letter from Mara.

Dear Miles,

I'm enjoying working in the diplomatic corps. The Allaneans are a little crude, but I find diplomacy more rewarding than sitting behind a security desk hardly doing anything. I think this will be better for my career.

Things in Kahanistan are, from what I'm hearing, becoming radically more racist. We haven't had this level of racism in recent memory.

Nadia's had a baby. He's big, 6.3 kilos. The doctors are still trying to find out where he came from. Nadia's fine, but a little depressed.

How are you? I haven't heard from you since the goons came.

I hope you like the pictures of me I'm sending.

Love,
Mara

There were three pictures of Mara. One was of her laying on her bed in white lingerie, smiling enticingly at the camera. Her long dark brown hair was pushed behind her so it framed her face but exposed her shoulders.

The second was of Mara, nude. She was lying on top of a Behemoth III (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=11369844&postcount=3397) tank from DMG, designated the Doomiekiller Mark III in Kahanistanian service. The supine position she was in, leaning over the top of the tank, left her face, hair, shoulders, and the top of her breasts visible. The sun shone on her tanned body. Again, she was smiling.

The third was of Mara decked out like a stereotypical action hero, in a green T-shirt and camouflage trousers, with several belts of ammunition around her chest. She was clearly straining to hold a Kord machine gun (http://www.zid.ru/en/products/military/kord.html). Mara looked rugged, as if she had been running with it breaking up a sweat.

Miles quietly read the letter, and then looked at Mara's photos. He gulped as he looked at the photos particular. She was in very risqué poses, but Miles seemed to like it. As he went on to each picture Miles eyes lighted up. This further cemented that Mara was in fact in love with him. No woman would do this unless she was. Miles stopped at the second photo and looked at the nude Mara. He remembered the body before. Back in the mountain Miles had caught a glimpse of it.

As he finished looking through the photos he looked at Nadia, and sighed. Then he started to type.

Dear Mara,

Sorry that I have not emailed you sooner. I have been a little busy lately. Actually by busy I meant vacation. After getting back to Canadstein the Agency finally let me have a month long vacation. It will do me some good.

Actually the funny thing is I am with Nadia right now. I had to come and visit her once I heard news of baby, but I came in the nick of time. The hospital which she was staying at got attacked by the Kravenites, and she jumped out a window. I saw the Kravenites, but found out that she was taken away. So I ended up at the same base she was sent to, to receive some medical care. Kind of funny how things end up, eh?

Thank you for the pictures. They were very enjoyable. Hopefully after I clear things up with Nadia I will pay you a visit. Then we can visit what we started.

Love,
Miles

He sent the email and looked back at Nadia. Things were getting to be very difficult for him. It was almost was in love with two women, and did not want to break either of their hearts. He knew that Nadia might change, but she was his first love after...Miles shook his head and handed back Nadia's computer

"Let's go down to the pool to see how are old chums are doing alright?" Miles said in a obviously fake English accent.

Quickly he got up and extended his hand out toward her.

"All right, guv'nor," said Nadia in an even worse British accent. She had her bikini on under her clothes, so she was already prepared for the pool.

Nadia led Miles to the pool.

Miles just watched the group from a distance, once they got to the pool. He had brought no bathing suit and did not intend to get his three piece suit wet. Though he did wish he could be with the others, especially Nadia. His attention seemed to be directly toward Nadia in her bikini. Miles was truly in love with her. There was no questioning that.

Nadia spent most of the trip to the pool talking to Miles. "I was going to get a one-piece, when I got too big for my last bikini," she said. "Went from a 32B to a 34C during my pregnancy. I've got combat scars." She pointed to a bullet scar on her side and what looked like a bayonet strike to her back.

"Then someone told me that combat scars are sexy." She shrugged. "So, I'm not so conscious about them. This is more comfortable anyway." Nadia was in a light blue string bikini.

Seeming to get Miles' feelings, she turned back to him. "There are plenty of men's clothes and sports wear in the barracks. Discipline is so bad here nobody'll notice a guy in civvies rummaging around in the barracks or men's locker room."

Suddenly, she noticed a loud crack, then heard a thud. "Oh, my God!" A man lay face down at the edge of the pool, blood oozing out of his head through his nose and mouth. Greg was walking away from him.

Nadia bent over, pointing to two people who had started to look at the bloody aftermath. "You, get a straw and napkins from the snack bar. You, call EMS, this man is bleeding out of his head." She checked the man. He was breathing, but barely. He probably had blood that would clot in his airway if not stopped. Nadia began to breathe into the man.

Miles was absentmindedly watching the people, but his concentration was soon broken by Nadia's voice. Almost automatically he got up and ran over to where Nadia was bent over. Once he got close enough he stopped. Some guy was bleeding all over the place, and it did not look pretty. Miles turned back around and saw Grey walking away. He needed to find out what exactly had happened.
Miles ran after Grey and stopped right in front of him.

"Grey, what exactly happened? You seriously messed up that guy. I told you just to rough them up, not to beat the crap out of them." Miles asked to the imposing man.

"I just punched him once, in the nose," said Greg. "Just enough to let him know that you don't just go up to women and feel their boobs. I didn't do anything when he kissed her, and I didn't do anything when he held her hand. It wasn't till he touched her boob that I smacked him. Who's your girl?" he asked, looking in Nadia's direction. She was rolling him into the recovery position and copious quantities of blood and clots drained from his mouth.

The onlooker Nadia had sent for the straw and napkins arrived. Nadia stuck the straw down the injured man's throat to allow him to breathe better, and used the napkins to soak up blood.

Andrea was looking at the battered man from a distance, still in the water. She didn't look upset, but didn't seem to be affected at all.

"Still physical violence isn't right. Just try to scare them off in any other way. I don't want people to get hurt because they are deviants." Miles said as he looked back at the man. Man, that guy was bleeding like there was no tomorrow. "Oh that is Nadia. She was the real reason why I came to Kahanistan. Henry calls her my girlfriend, but I really don't know what she is right now."

Miles walked back toward the injured man and got down on his knees. Now he was hovering above the man with a very angry face.

"If you touch her again, then you will never see the light of day. You get the picture?" Miles said. He got up and did not allow the man to say anything. Miles just hoped that he had intimidated him well enough to scare him away from Andrea.

Miles walked over to the edge and called Andrea to come over. Once she had gotten over to the edge, Miles once again got onto his knees, but this time with a smile.

"Andrea...why did you let that guy touch your boobs? Do you like guys to touch them or you just too afraid to do anything?" Miles asked with a hint of sadness.

Andrea shook her head. "I just don't see the problem," she said. "I mean, I know..." she pointed to her head, "that it's wrong, but... they like it and it doesn't hurt me."

Her emotions had clearly been blunted to the point that she simply didn't care if someone touched her, as long as they didn't physically hurt her.

The medics arrived to take care of the man Greg had bashed. "You knocked his damn teeth in," said Nadia. "I have a friend that will smack anyone who touches me the wrong way, but she won't do that to someone. You could have killed him."

Greg nodded. "Won't have to deal with anyone touching Andrea again, not after they've seen that."

"Andrea this could lead to far worse things. Once they know that you don't mind touching your boobs something far worse can happened, like rape. I am just concerned about you. Just know that men are not suppose to touch you like that in public. Andrea, have you ever loved anyone before?" Miles asked timidly.

"I know," said Andrea calmly. "I've dated before. Never been in love, though."

Nadia sat down next to her and hugged her. "Andrea... I know how you feel. I have a friend who doesn't mind people doing that to her in nightclubs and the like. But you need to rebuild some kind of boundaries. I'm not saying you can't have relations. I'm saying you need to decide how far you'll let someone go with you before you lose control of the situation, and get raped or hurt. When it gets around that you let one guy touch you, others will do it, and sooner or later you get pack raped."

"You said you have a friend that doesn't mind," Andrea replied.

"Yes," Nadia said. "She lets them know just how far she'll let them go with her. She's gotten attacked a few times, but she's been attacked in nightclubs by civilian men, and she knows Krav Maga so she can defend herself. Here, you'd be up against guys who know it too, and they can hurt you very badly if they decide to."

Miles just nodded his head in agreement with Nadia. She understood it a hell of a lot than Miles did. Miles grabbed Andrea's hand and helped her out of the pool. Andrea was such a beauty he could see why creepies would take advantage of her, but Miles knew better than to do that. Once Andrea was out, he led the two ladies back over to the two men and started to suggest something else to do, since going swimming went sour.

"How about I treat all of you to a nice dinner? The only problem is that I really don't know anything around here. So can you four agree on somewhere to eat?" Miles said as he looked at the group.

"Well, there are African restaurants around here, but I don't even know how to pronounce half the stuff on the menu," said Nadia. "I just hope we kick the damn Q.C. out of our country so we can enjoy a good meal. I suppose we could go to the Vomitorium the settlers just built in Kampala. Serves ancient Roman-style food. Never been there. Have you?"

Andrea shook her head no. So did Henry. Greg nodded.

"What did you think?" said Henry.

"Good food. Some of it's weird, don't touch the milk there, I think it's bad."

"I think that sounds alright. Unless anyone disagrees I guess we are going to the Vomitorium." Miles said. He looked around to see if any of them would contest to going.

Nobody objected. "Andrea, can you drive?" asked Nadia kindly.

Andrea nodded. "Yes." Nadia led her to the lot where APC's were parked - the only vehicle they could find that could hold five people.

---

Mara replied to Miles' email.

Kravenites? My God! Are you and Nadia all right? Look after her for me, OK?

I'm glad you like the pictures of me. I'll send some more later, hopefully I can get some time off to see you soon.

Love,
Mara

Miles entered the APC and stayed quiet for most of the ride. There was something that was bothering and it was like an itch that he couldn't scratch. It was certainly an elusive thing. As the APC came to a stop he let the others get out first, but then he forcefully grabbed Nadia's arm, so she couldn't get away.

"You guys go ahead. We will be there in a second. I have to ask something private to Nadia." Miles called to the three,as he put Nadia back into her seat within the APC. Quickly he shut the door APC, so she couldn't get a word off, but he wasn't worried about that.

A mischievous grin appeared on his face as he turned back around to look at Nadia. Now he hovered above her. Miles slowly sat down on her knees and looked at her straight into the eyes. His head moved closer to her body, but then up to her ear.

"What...are you thinking Nadia?" Miles whispered into her ear.

"What do you mean?" asked Nadia. The others loitered outside the entrance, not wanting to take the chance of being served before Nadia and Miles got in. They did not, however, have a view of what was going on in the APC.

"I was thinking we'd just have a friendly get-together," she said. "Get our minds off the shit going down in our own country."

"What are you thinking about right now Nadia?" Miles said as he put his arms around her body. Then he pushed her body right up to his. There was literally nothing between their two bodies. Miles' head was now over her shoulder.

Nadia put her arms around Miles. "I'm thinking that... you're still attracted to me. I don't know how to respond to that," she said.

She did nothing to stop him holding her. "How have you been?" She was referring to his contact with Mara, but didn't want to say so outright.

Miles simply ignored her and kissed her on the lips. It seemed as though he would never let go...

Nadia didn't know what to do. She didn't want to break his heart, but didn't want to let him think he could go that far with her, either.

"Please... stop. Let's go in and join our new friends."

Miles showed no emotion and just pushed her straight into the APC's seat, but he did let go his embrace. He moved his head so they would be cheek to cheek.

"Why...when we can have fun here?" Miles said in a devilish tone.

Oh, my God. He wants to have sex with me in the back of this APC.

"What do you want to do?" If he told her he wanted to have sex with her, she would smack him - hard.

"Do you love me Nadia?" Miles said in what most would say was a drunken state.

"I like you," said Nadia softly. "You're a good friend, and you've helped me through so much. I hope we can stay friends," she said.

"Never loved me did you. I was just a tool to you, right Nadia? You really never cared if I lived or died?" Miles said as his temper started to rise.

"What...? I never said that I was in love," said Nadia. "Of course I cared about you. I still do. I probably saved your ass when I warned you away from the Defence Ministry." She placed her arms around him.

"I really don't think we can be more than just friends," she said. "I care about you, but I don't... love easily. It's just the way I am, I've had too many bad experiences with people who said they love me and just wanted sex, or a date, or even arm candy."

Miles broke free away from her arms, then stood up. He looked down at her with look that could only be described as disguted. Nadia said that she wanted just to be friends, but he didn't want that to be so. Lust had totally taken over Miles. This was a totally different person, then the Miles who original came here to find Nadia.

"I wish I had never met you...if you want to know, I actually used you. You were a simple tool to me in the Malakov Case. Now I will throw you away" Miles said, but he truly did not mean it. His other persona had taken over. He slapped Nadia across the face and started to laugh. "Pathetic..."

Swiftly he opened the APC door and left Nadia within it. She would be all alone now. Miles walked into the resturant and sat down with the rest of the group. He did not say anything about Nadia, but grabbed the menu and started to look over it.

"Does anyone suggest anything on the menu?" Miles said as he looked up from the menu.

Nadia remained inside the vehicle, crying. She had never meant the situation to turn out this way. She sat down in the back between the seats, tears streaming down her soft, pretty face.

---

The Kahanistanians were reclining on large Roman-style couches next to a low table upon which were appetisers of numerous sorts.

Andrea looked at Miles curiously, as if something was missing from him, something, or someone, wasn't there that should be. Greg finally spoke.

"You like dormice? Seems Andrea can't get enough of them, she's eaten three plates of appetiser already. Anyway, I like fava beans and porcus Troianus, Trojan pig. They stuff a pig with sausage that spills out like guts."

Miles tasted one of the dormice and nodded in agreement. They were actually quiet tasty. Taking Grey's suggestion, Miles ordered enough Trojan Pig for the four of them. As he finished telling the waiter, he noticed that Andrea was looking at him, and smiled back at her. Miles got up and sat right next to her. Andrea was probably the one of most beautiful women that Miles had ever seen. There was just something special about her.

"Andrea...do you know that I think you are beautiful?" Miles said after he took a gulp of some beer.

Andrea looked blank. "Thank you." She showed no emotion; this was how she had been socialised to respond to compliments.

Greg looked at Andrea oddly. Most women he knew didn't act like that, and he didn't know about her lobotomy.

After a tall, Doomani-looking, accented, Latin-speaking waiter took their order, Greg explained the backdrop.

"Basically, this is to get you as close as possible to an authentic Roman dining experience. We dress the waiters up as Doomies and slaves because the CEO of Vomitorium is a rabid nationalist who worships al-Ghazi and makes General Malakov look like Karl Marx."

Henry asked Miles what Andrea seemed to be curious about but wasn't asking. "Where's Nadia?"

Miles put one arm around Andrea as the other finished off the beer. He put the bottled on the table, and let out a sigh of happiness. This was in no way the same Miles. Yes it might look like Miles, but this person in front of them had a totally different personality. He brought Andrea close to him, so there was no space between their bodies. Now Andrea was literally sitting right next to Miles.

"Ah...good old Malakov. I say we make a toast to him, wherever he is rotting." Miles said.

Miles seemed to ignore Henry's question, and then looked over to him. It was the kind of look that made people feel that they were not important.

"Oh...Nadia, she didn't want to eat with us, something about her baby. I left her in the APC, though I did hear her cry." Miles said with no remorse what so ever.

"Didn't think she'd care so much about the baby. I thought she'd be glad to be rid of him," said Henry. "You seem to have taken a shine to Andrea, though. Why the sudden attraction?"

"I thought Nadia set you up with her friend. What happened there?"

"What decent guy wouldn't take a liken to this beautiful maiden." Miles said as he looked at Andrea with a smile. "Oh...you mean Mara. Well just has a kid...you know how that would end. I think Andrea is perfect...for me. What is there something that I may be falling for Andrea. How do you feel about it Andrea?"

Miles then leaned over and kissed her warm cheek. Now his cheeks were a deep rouge.

Andrea nodded. "Seems nice," she said calmly.

"Don't like kids?" asked Greg. "I love them. Been trying to get Henry here interested in the idea, one of us artificially inseminating a woman, and raising the kid."

"I just rather have my own set of kids. If I want to raise some kids, then I want them to be of my own blood, not some other man's. Honestly that thought will linger that the kid isn't really mine." Miles said as he looked Andrea. "How do you feel about me Andrea? The same way I feel about you?"

Greg nodded. "I can understand."

Andrea looked back at Miles. "How do you feel about me?" she asked in a soft monotone. She put her arm around Miles, and was close enough that he could effortlessly take her hand.

"I feel that...that I am my affections for you are growing. I knew that you were special the first time I met you in the asylum. You just might be the...one for me, Andrea..." Miles said almost effortlessly. He took her soft hand and kissed it. Miles looked like he was in utter bliss right at that moment.

Andrea looked back at Miles and smiled. She didn't speak for a good thirty seconds.

"... So you want to have sex with me," she said listlessly. Many of the men (and occasional lesbians) on the base had told her that they were attracted to her in about forty different ways.

Some of them were among the men who openly touched her breasts or made comments about her body in public.

Miles chuckled for a second, then looked back at Andrea. He couldn't tell if she was being serious or not, but had to guess that she was being dead serious.

"Right now I want to take it slowly and steady, but Andrea you never answered my question. How do you feel about me?" As he asked the same question, that she had just asked.

"I like you. You seem nice," she said.

The other two men had finished their Trojan pig and were clamoring for wine. Greg was barking orders in the way one might order a slave around; while this would get them kicked out of most places, the staff here were expected to put up with the abuse. Needless to say, they were paid very high wages to work there.

Carefully Miles leaned over and kissed Andrea straight on the lips. Though it was odd that he had just kissed Nadia the same way, but almost thirty minutes ago. The kiss had meaning and wasn't just another boring kissing. As he his lips left hers, he slowly moved back. Miles was surprised that he had just done that. Lust had just gone away, and the old Miles was back. The odd thing was that Miles actually enjoyed that kiss. Timidly he looked back at Andrea.

"Sorry about that, something just took me over..." Miles said as he turned away from her. He could not bear to look at her right now. He went to eating his Trojan Pork, but then he realized what he had done to Nadia. Nadia was a girl that he truly loved, and he had hurt her. Miles put down his fork, he didn't feel like eating anymore.

Andrea touched Miles on the hand. "Are you feeling all right?" she asked. She had not reacted emotionally to being kissed so passionately, but she knew that Miles was attracted to her.

The "slave" waiter brought a large jug of wine to the table, from which Greg poured wine into his cup, then took a gulp.

Miles said nothing and just stared blankly at his food. He just moved the food around with his fork. Right now he felt ashamed of how he had treated Nadia. Plus the things that he had said to her. They were all a lie. She was never a tool...Nadia was his attraction. Still he could not get over the fact that she just wanted to be friends. Was she afraid of actually having a steady relationship that might turn into marriage?

Then he turned toward Andrea.

"Andrea, could you ever love me?" Miles said.

"I don't know," said Andrea flatly. She placed her hand on her head. "I've... lost a part of myself, my emotions. Sometimes I don't know if I'm fully human."

Greg was gulping the strong passum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passum) down like it was water. Henry was drinking too, but was not drinking as much as Greg.

Andrea nursed her glass. "They... took a part of my brain, a part of who I am. I look the same as I did before the lobotomy. People relate to me the same way, until they see my personality changes. But I'm not the same person. I've been through some rehab... but I still feel there's something missing from me."

"Wait a second, Andrea." Greg put down his glass. "You were lobotomised? I knew there was something different about you, but I thought you were another post-traumatic case, a combat veteran who'd seen too much, and it fried your mind." The base was full of them, now that only the most dangerous could be corraled.

Miles sighed and absentmindedly stared at the empty beer bottle. Right now he was feeling pretty lousy. When the waiter came back he put down an assortment of shekels and got up, then left. He did not wait for the others to check. Miles paused for a moment in front of the APC door and let out a long sigh. Then slowly he opened the door.

"Nadia?" he said timidly.

Nadia looked coldly up at Miles. She didn't speak.

"Nadia...that wasn't me...something took me over. My longing to be with you. I don't know what happened, but you never have to see me again..." Miles said, then he closed the APC door.

He felt ashamed of the acts he had inflicted upon Nadia. She did not deserve it, but he knew that words could do nothing. Maybe it would just be for the best for their friendship to end tonight. His love for her would always get in the way of it.

Miles returned to the table and sat right next to Andrea. He didn't say anything for a couple of minutes, then turned toward Andrea.

"Andrea, would you like take a walk with me?" Miles said quietly.

Andrea nodded. "OK."

Greg got the bill and went to the APC. He was too drunk to drive. Nadia, on the other hand, was not.

Henry had had some to drink, and was too gone to drive, but not as gone as Greg. "You two coming back with us?"

"Nah...I think we are going to walk back to the base. Don't worry she is in safe hands." Miles pronounced, almost if to a worried mother. "Well I will see you guys tomorrow."

Miles retrieved Andrea's hand and lead her outside. As he looked up to the sky he noticed how beautiful it was, though it might be the fact that he was drunk. He walked down the street with Andrea, and found a bench. Miles then sat down with Andrea, and put his arm around her.

"Sure is a beautiful night...right Andrea?" Miles said as he head turned toward hers.

Andrea had all but lost her ability to see beauty. "I can't see it," she said. She sat impassively next to Miles.

"Tell me about yourself."

Miles simply sighed. It must have been horrible to not see beauty. It was one of the things worth living for. A world without beauty was certainly a bland one.

"What do you want to know about me, Andrea?" Miles asked eagerly.

"Where you come from. What you do. What happened to your thing with the other woman. Why you came here."

"I came from Canadstein, a country that is thousands of miles away from here. Basically I am Agent part of the Canadstein Intelligence Agency, so the CIA. Oh...you mean Nadia. I just came to the fact that she could never return my love..." Miles answered. "And lastly I came to see Nadia. I know that I still love her, but I care about her. She recently had a baby, so I felt concerned."

"She has a baby," said Andrea. "How is he?"

Andrea didn't care much emotionally, but her therapy in the asylum had concentrated on socialising her to mix with normal people - when they weren't trying to determine the feasibility of sending entire battalions of lobotomised, emotionless soldiers into battle, which had been touted in intelligence circles as the answer to the Capitol Police.

"Honestly...I really don't know." Miles said plainly. "I haven't even see the baby."

"OK," said Andrea calmly. "What do you want to do here?"

"What do you mean?" asked Miles.

"With me. Out here," replied Andrea. "What are you going to do?"

"What do you think I was going to do with you?" Miles responded.

Andrea placed her hand on her breast. "I thought you were going to make out with me," she said. "It's what everyone else who takes me out does. I thought you and the other guys were going to take turns with me."

"Well I certainly wouldn't do that to you, if I am doing against your will. I am not going to force myself onto you. It will take time for the both of us." Miles bluntly said. "Oh and you don't have to worry about those two guys, they are boyfriends. So I am pretty sure that they are not attracted to you."

Miles' hand silently moved down and took a hold of hers.

"They're gay." It was not a derogatory statement, merely one of fact. "So, I guess not. Should we go back to the base?"

"You can go ahead and leave. I think I might stay here a little longer..." Miles replied. He looked up to the sky and sighed. Maybe he needed sometime alone or a chance to simply disappear again. Disappearing, that was one thing that Miles was good at.

Andrea looked back at Miles, as if she got the impression he didn't want to see her.

"Are you angry?" she asked. Even with her loss of emotions, she had still been socialised as a "nice" woman. That had worked a little too well, as she clearly had diminished ability to reject sexual advances.

Miles stared at the ground as Andrea left. Was the only thing that he was good at was running away? He had simply vanished from so many people, Nadia, Mara, his parents, and countless others. Maybe love was hopeless from him. Miles wondered if he should just leave now and go back to Canadstein, and then truly disappear for ever.

Then Miles heard Andrea's voice. He looked up and turned toward where the voice was calling him. Andrea was just standing there, looking back at him.

"Angry, no. Sad, yes." Miles said as he looked at her.

Andrea sat back down next to Miles and placed her arms gently around him. "Why are you sad?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"Don't worry about it. I think I can take care of it myself. You can leave me if you want to." Miles replied. He was startled when Andrea put her arm around him.

"It's dangerous," said Andrea. "Should we at least take a cab to the base?"

"Go ahead and leave...I will be there later." Miles said plainly. He seemed to show no emotions. Now he stared blankly at the sky.

Andrea went back to the base. It was about a half hour walk for her.

When she arrived, Nadia had already driven the others back to the base, and Andrea returned to her office.

Miles spent the whole night on that bench. Mostly he thought about Nadia and what he had done to her. So in fact it was self reflective. He knew that their relationship might never be the same after tonight's events. Miles could only hope for the best.

That morning, Nadia woke up and went to the pool. She was relatively fair-skinned, and wanted to see how she would look with more colour. Nadia laid out with her cell phone, talking to Mara about the previous day's events.

"I don't know what to make of him," she said. "I never thought he'd slap me like that. I mean, I knew he had a temper, and I knew he could go Jekyll and Hyde, but I never thought he'd do that. I think he's become possessive, that he's so attracted to me, he can't face that I might not feel the same way."

"He SLAPPED you?" Mara replied. "Oh, my God! And I let him hold Kathy." Kathy was Mara's two-year-old daughter. "What possessed him to do that?"

"He was angry. Didn't seem to want to just be friends. I don't know what to do... I mean, I care about him and all, I'm just not in love. We worked together, we helped each other out, built a relationship of some sort..."

"Well, all I can say is don't see him unless you're sure it's safe. Nadia, I can't believe it. I sent him nude pictures of me. I can't believe he's that violent. Nadia, I'm as shocked as you are. I'll have to see him in person... to decide if I'll break it off."

In the mid afternoon, Miles got up from his bench and looked around. He looked down and noticed that his suit was weathered and had a few ripes. The suit would be fixed once he got home, but it was not important right now. Miles also noticed that his bowler hat was still a top of his head. Amazing how he never lost this thing. Glumly he walked away from the bench and disappeared into the city.

Around 5 o'clock in the evening, Miles finally made it back to his hotel. Before going to the hospital he had checked into a hotel. As he opened the door he saw that the room was pitch black. The windows had the blinds down and all the lights were turned off. His suitcase was on top of the bed as he left it. Miles threw his hat on the desk and fell straight into the bed. Now he could be in totally darkness...

Since Nadia and company didn't know where Miles was staying, they couldn't get ahold of him in his hotel room. They went about their daily business.

Mara, on the other hand, managed to get a flight into Africa. She was dressed simply, in a light blue sundress and sandals. No sense calling attention to herself.

She wanted to see Miles, to hear what had happened, and decide whether or not to break it off with him. Mara wanted to talk to Nadia; maybe she would know where to find him...

Miles just laid on the bed and looked up at the ceiling and slowly drifted off into sleep. His dreams were full of darkness, pain, hatred, suffering, and sadness. To him it was literally hell.

The next day, on the base

Mara arrived to talk to Nadia, who was seated in a lounge with three people Mara hadn't seen before. Nadia introduced her friend to them.

"Guys, this is Mara Fulton. She's a friend of mine who's now in the diplomatic corps. Mara, this is Andrea Rhodes." The two women shook hands. "She's been... mistreated in captivity," said Nadia, not wanting to explain in too much detail, but wanting to explain why she was so odd.

"These are Henry Bates and Gregory Green. He goes by Greg for short." Mara looked at Greg and smiled. This guy had so much muscles he could probably bench a Merkava.

Seeing Mara smile intently, Nadia shook her head. "He's gay."

"Oh," said Mara. She seemed disappointed. "So, anyway... Nadia, I came because I wanted to see Miles. Do you know where he is?"

"No," Nadia replied. "I'll give you his cell, though. You can call him."

"Thanks," said Mara, sitting down. She opened her cell and called.

Of course this cell phone number had long been deactivated. The phone that had that number had been destroyed more than a month, so Miles probably had gotten a new cell phone.

Miles a woke in a heap of sweat. As he opened his eyes he only saw the darkness. Frantically he looked around, but then he remembered where he was. He had no idea what time it was or even what the date was. All he knew was that he had to carry on. Silently he sat on the edge of the bed with his face in his palms.

"Shit," said Mara. "Got somebody on the other end speaking Pacitalian."

"I didn't know Miles spoke it," said Nadia.

"He doesn't, for all I know," Mara said crossly. "It wasn't him. The number must have been changed. Guess we'll have to wait for him to come back."

"I hope he didn't head off into the mountains again," replied Nadia. "We'd have no way of finding him, or getting him out if we did find him."

"Nadia... I shouldn't have been surprised," said Mara. "I knew he was nuts when he went into the mountains, when he was suicidal, when he all of a sudden wanted me and now can't be bothered to look at me. I just didn't think he was violent." She sat next to Nadia and hugged her.

Miles was so torn now. So many problems had arisen from his visit, but truly all the problems stemmed from going to Kahanistan to bring down Malakov. He wished that he was never assigned that mission. Then he wouldn't have ever met Nadia, and she would have just been another person. Why?

Nahum came out of the infirmary, encountering Henry and Greg in the lounge. He didn't recognise Mara or Nadia, though. Greg introduced him.

"Nadia Sklenova, Mara Fulton. This is Nahum Yankelstein. I punched him in the mouth earlier."

"Good lord, Greg. Why?" asked Mara.

"Crude gestures. He was talking about how Miles was going to nail Andrea."

"What happened to Miles?" asked Nahum.

"Don't know," replied Nadia. "Mara tried to get ahold of him, got some guy speaking Italian."

"Pacitalian," said Mara.

"Whatever. Anyway, his number's changed, so we can't get him unless we were willing to dial every hotel in the phone book and ask for Miles Mason until we got him."

"Nadia... why didn't I think of that?" asked Mara.

Nadia shrugged. Nahum saw something odd about Andrea.

"Andrea. You look... unusual, like you're not all there. Is something wrong?" He stroked the young woman's cheek.

"My brain," said Andrea. She pointed to the ice-pick scar on her inner eyelid.

"Oh, dear God in heaven, what happened to you?"

"The Whyaticans," said Mara grimly. She'd lost a friend of her own during the same operation. "Anyway, should we get looking for Miles?"

"Sure," said Nahum. "The more, the merrier. Maybe we can all have a party together. And maybe I can have sex with the zombie chick.

Nahum, Andrea, and Mara then began to systematically call each hotel in the phone book, each time asking for Miles Mason.

Miles was checked into one of the upscale hotels downtown. Of course he wasn't paying for it, the Agency was, but lucky it was in his name. Miles took a quick shower and then changed into a t-shirt and pants. He made his way down to the ground floor and entered the bar. Now he was going to drown his sorrow in alcohol. Miles plopped onto a stool and ordered a beer. Over the next hour he finished two beers and was currently nursing a third.

While Miles was getting smashed, one of the calls asking for him got to the hotel he was actually staying at. After attempts to reach his room failed, the management sent someone to the other facilities to look for him.

"Call for you," the butler said to the drunk man at the bar.

"I am not taking any calls..." Miles said, then he finished off his third beer.

For a minute all he did was stare at the bottle. It was a blank stare. Right now he really didn't care about anything. He looked up from the bottle. Miles let out a sigh, then put another shekel bill on the counter.

"Bartender, another beer for me." Miles said as he slid the bill toward the bartender.

"Not taking any calls," said Mara. "Seemed pissed."

"Pissed as in angry, or pissed as in drunk?" asked Nahum.

"Drunk," replied Mara.

"Should we go after him?" asked Henry.

"Definitely. He'll probably end up killing himself." Kahanistanian bartenders knew better than to refuse service to a drunk person in a state where a good chunk of the population knew martial arts.

"OK, Mara. You drive," said Nadia. "Let's go."

The six people climbed into an APC and drove to the hotel, having noted its address when they called. They looked like ordinary partygoers. Greg was dressed in a muscle shirt and tight jeans to show off his immense muscles (and the rest of his body), and Henry was dressed more conservatively, in a short-sleeved shirt and slacks. It was obvious which one was dominant.

Nahum went in with a yarmulke, T-shirt, and board shorts, looking like some kind of surfer, only without the surf. Nadia was similarly dressed, but without the skullcap. On Mara's advice, Andrea was dressed conservatively, in baggy trousers and a thick sweater. Mara went in dressed more suggestively, in a short white dress and high heels. She was tall enough without them, but decided on bringing them anyway even though she rarely wore them.

Miles was starting to become pissed off that this bartender wasn't going to give him another beer. He thought that as long as he gave him money, the beers would keep on coming. Miles knew that he was drunk, but wanted to drown his sorrows in it.

"Hey, bartender give me my beer. I gave you my money, so serve me." Miles said in a hostile tone.

The bartender handed Miles another beer. He wasn't about to risk trouble.

Not thirty seconds later, Nadia and her group managed to find Miles, getting smashed.

Mara walked up to him and sat next to him. "Hello."

Miles ignored her and just went on drinking his beer.

Nadia took Mara aside for a few minutes.

"Mara, I think he's depressed."

"Nadia, I think Caesar Maximus III is a Catholic. What's your point?" Maximus III was the Emperor of Doomingsland.

"I think he's really beating himself up over losing his temper with me," replied Nadia. "This must not be his normal behaviour. Try to approach him a little more softly. Just... don't be so cold. Warm up a bit."

Mara smiled warmly. "Like this?"

"Sure."

Mara walked over to Miles again. This time, she pushed her seat right next to his and put her arm around him.

"You seem depressed about something. Don't you care to talk to me?"

Miles took a massive swig of the beer, then knocked her arm off. He grumbled something and looked straight ahead.

Mara looked at Nadia, as if asking what to do next. Without waiting for Nadia to intervene, however, she simply took Miles by the hand and placed it on her breast. She smiled intently and asked him to step aside and talk to her.

"Looks like that girl likes you," said the barkeep. "Pretty, too. She might be better for your liver than this stuff." He was holding a large bottle of high-grade vodka.

Miles fiercely took back his hand and turned his a head to finally acknowledge Mara. He had a look of total disgust. All he did was shake his head, and then went back to nursing his beer.

"Why don't you do your job and give me some of that vodka." Miles said as his words slurred together. From his pocket he retrieved some more shekels and dropped them onto the table.

Bloody prick. The bartender gave Miles the whole bottle. "Go nuts." He looked at Mara.

"Miss, when he passes out, can you make sure he doesn't choke to death on his own puke?"

"Eeew," said Mara. "Sure thing."

What he needs is to get laid, the barkeep grumbled.

Nadia went up to the barkeep and laid down a shekel note, getting a bottle of beer too. She didn't want to just watch Miles drink his liver out, it was getting depressing.

"Hey, Mara."

"What is it, Nadia?" Mara asked, sitting next to her friend.

"Well, last time we got him drunk, he was all over you, if he hadn't passed out then he'd probably have done you right there on the mountain. And this time you're showing off your assets and he barely looks at you."

"Well, I'm also showing off my complete lack of a chest," said Mara. "I'm 29 years old, and as flat-chested as I was when I was nine years old."

"So? You're still pretty," said Nadia.

"Shit. He's looking at me through beer goggles and he still looked at me like I was a sea slug." Mara shook her head.

Henry and Andrea came up on either side of Miles while Nadia and Mara were having their conversation. Andrea had a rose in her hair. This, too, was Mara's idea.

"Makes you look sweet. Guys in bars don't want someone who looks sweet. They want someone showing her body, someone who looks like she'll let them bend her over a table and do things to her," Mara had said to her as she put the flower in her hair.

"Miles, you can't keep drinking that shit," said Henry. "It's nice to escape, but from the number of bottles you've had, you should be getting ready to bust."

Miles grabbed the bottle and drank it straight from the bottle. Yes this definitely helped him lessen his sorrows, but also put a fire into his belly. Though the fire in his belly was a new sensation to Miles. He had never before tasted vodka before. When he drank alcohol, which was almost never, it was either wine or beer. This bottle was only going to make things worse. Other people looking on would think of a baby drinking milk from its mother's breast, when they saw Miles drank his vodka.

Somehow Miles heard the little comment that Henry said, and turned toward him. The alcohol could be smelled off his breath, as he breathed. His eyes had a almost frightening blank stare.

"I can do whatever I want...annnd don't telll me not to..." Miles slurred off.

"Nadia. Look," said Mara.

"Good God! How can he drink that stuff straight?" asked Nadia. "I knew guys in the Academy, more seasoned drinkers than that, who couldn't. And I'm talking about the people who drank hydraulic fluids back when we were still training on the MiG-25."

"Well, he must have fucked himself up pretty bad. He'll have one hell of a hangover," said Nadia.

"Hangover, hell. He's going to fucking kill himself if we don't stop him. I just hope that Henry can stop him."

Next to Miles, Andrea spoke up.

"Miles?" she asked. "Why are you drinking so much?" She was sucking on a diet Coke and nibbling at fish sticks.

Miles' head seemed to be deep within the counter, when Andrea asked Miles something. For some reason he heard it and looked up. On one side of the face he was totally red. It almost looked if he was about to pass out. He grabbed the vodka bottle and finished off the contents. Miles set the bottle down, then turned toward Andrea's direction.

"To kill my sorrows..." Miles plainly stated. His glazed eyes looked down at Andrea with lust. It was almost the same look that he had during his last encounter with Nadia.

Andrea put her arms around Miles. "Why are you sad?" she asked.

She may have lost part of her brain, but she wasn't stupid. A little less quick on the draw verbally, maybe reading a bit slower, even walking a little funny if one looked at her closely, but she knew that Miles was upset about something.

The young woman looked at his face, as if scanning it for something. Some emotions, or maybe just a bug on his face.

Miles knocked off his pile of bottles, as he tired to get up. It would have been a hilarious site to view it from the outside. He fell to the floor, but somehow managed to get up. Slowly he shuffled his way to the elevator.

"He seems to like you, Andrea," said Henry. "You have the best chance of any of us to get through to him, make sure he doesn't kill himself."

Andrea walked after him, managing to get into the elevator with him before it closed. There was nobody else in.

"Mara, Greg, quit laughing at the bottles, and let's go after them," said Nadia. "He's stopped drinking, but he's still absorbing it into his body, he might still pass out."

They would have to wait until the elevator came back, though.

Miles seemed to ignore Andrea. Once the elevator dinged and the doors opened, Mile exited. He paused for a second, and finally seemed to notice Andrea. There was a glint in his eyes. Maybe it was evil or lust. No one could deceiver it. Miles slowly walked to his door, with one hand on the walk for support. Finally it made it to his door and put the key in the keyhole. The door opened. Miles looked back to see Andrea.

"I wanted to know you were OK," said Andrea in her monotone. The cuffs of her trousers were starting to fray; perhaps they were too large. The large red rose remained firmly emplaced in her dark hair.

Miles suddenly grabbed her arm and then pushed her into his room. Sluggishly he closed the door, and that ended all the light within the room. Now it was pitch black. Once again he grabbed both of her arms and lead her to the bed. He pushed her on to the bed, then started to laugh. Then there was total silence. Andrea probably could not even see her own hand in front of her face.

Andrea sat up, unsure of what was to happen, but not expecting to be grabbed like that.

"Can we turn on the lights? I can't see."

Miles responded with a grunt. Then all of a suddenly Andrea would feel a presence behind her. Two hands grabbed her from behind, then slowly brought her back. They stopped once she was on top of someone.

"Miles? Is that you? What's going on?" Andrea had never had a similar experience.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you want me do?" Miles said slowly, but he sounded so much like a drunk.

"I don't know," said Andrea. "Not get drunk." She groped blindly in the dark, trying to figure where she was.

Miles quickly maneuvered himself, to get out underneath Andrea and to get on top. He kissed her sweet lips, while his hands seemed to gravitate to her breasts. Slowly he set them on her boobs. Was this what he wanted?

"Do you know what I want?" Miles whispered into Andrea's ear. Then he kissed on the lips again.

Andrea nodded, though in the dark it wouldn't be easily seen. She lay back across the bed and said nothing.

Miles shook his head. No it wasn't what he wanted. A part of him did want Andrea, but he knew that it was wrong. Everything that he did was wrong. Slowly his hands left her breasts. Miles looked at her through the darkness. What was the matter with him? His drunken state still was messing with his mind.

Carefully he slid off Andrea's body and turned on a light. He sat on the edge of the bed with his head deep within his palms.

"Andrea...you have to promise me that you will never tell anyone what happened here. This isn't me...part me loves you, but the other part knows better. It will crush both Mara and Nadia to know what happened here. They will probably think that I raped you. Do you promise?" Miles said slowly as the room seemed to spin around.

"Knows better?" asked Andrea. She did not seem to see anything wrong with him touching her, much as she had done nothing about the base population making advances to her.

"I don't have a problem. Why are you depressed?"

Miles moved over to her and compassionately kissed her. He slowly let go and looked at her.

"Because I hurt...Nadia." Miles said with pain, then he passed out onto the bed.

Andrea rolled Miles into a recovery position. All members of the Kahanistanian military were taught basic first aid in training. If he vomited, it would drain out of his mouth rather than occluding his airway and killing him.

She lay next to him and was asleep within an hour.

---

"She probably went into his room," said Mara.

"Didn't hear much when I walked past," replied Henry. "Don't think that he's in a condition to hurt her."

"Probably right. I'll talk to Andrea when she comes out," said Nadia. She'd had a couple of beers herself.

Miles was not going to wake up for another nine hours. He was out cold, and it was a little odd that it took the alcohol that long to finally knock him out. Back on the mountain he drank one bottle of wine, and was out cold. A true mystery indeed...

When Miles did wake up, he would do so to find Andrea still asleep next to him.

The rose in her hair was still miraculously undisturbed.

Groggily Miles woke up and checked the time. It was currently 7:00 in the morning. Then he noticed that Andrea was right next to him. He saw that Andrea was still asleep, she looked so peaceful. His head was killing him now. Miles regretted now drinking all this alcohol, but knew that he could not change the past. Carefully he leaned over and kissed her. Then he quietly went into the bathroom, to clean up.

Andrea barely stirred when Miles kissed her. It was not until he finished cleaning up that she finally woke.

"How are you doing Andrea?" Miles asked after he changed into some new cloths. His head was still pounding, but it had gotten a little better. He sat next to her patiently waiting for her to answer. Miles could see that she was just waking up from her beautiful slumber.

"I'm OK," said Andrea. "I need to wash."

"Go ahead..." Miles said as he laid down. He felt like utter crap. Alcohol was not good for his system.

Andrea nodded and cleaned up, coming out in ten minutes with a towel around her and a robe over it. She had washed her hair and brushed her teeth while she was at it.

She sat down on the bed with Miles. "You said you hurt Nadia. Can you tell me more?"

"I slapped her..." said Miles emotionally.

Andrea did not react with the same shock that Mara had. To her, Miles seemed to be very emotional about the incident. She reached out and put her arms around him, looking at him as if to ask him to tell her more.

"Something took me over. I wanted Nadia to love me, so badly. Then I forced myself on to her. Lust took over and I nearly raped her. I am just so ashamed..." Miles painfully said, then he lowered his head in sadness.

Andrea seemed to understand. She merely sat there with her arm around Miles. There didn't seem to be anything she could do for him at this point. She could listen to him, but she wouldn't have any useful advice.

Then again, maybe talking to her would be enough.

Miles shook his head in disgust of himself. Why had he done such actions? He knew that he loved Nadia, but she would never return it. It was all just a hopeless cause. He was just wasting his love on her, when there was another women who wanted to be with him. Miles wanted to keep his friendship Nadia, after all they had been through so much together, but now it might be ruined. He viewed Andrea from where he was sitting and sighed for a brief moment. There was no changing the past.

"So do you want to get some breakfast?" Mile asked.

"OK," she said. "When my clothes are washed. Or we could call room service."

"Tell room service to get whatever you want. I will pay for it." Miles replied as he got himself ready to go out. He donned a simply blue t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Though in his waistline in the back he tucked away his M9 Beretta, while Andrea was not looking. It was just a standard issue gun for all CIA Agents, but Miles was use to carrying one around now. No one knew when a situation might become hairy.

Five minutes later, the maid came up with a platter with a dozen pancakes dripping blackberry syrup all over the carpet and a large slab of sausage, about the size of one of the Bibles often found in hotel rooms in the United States. A jug of iced tea came too.

Andrea didn't seem all too concerned about watching her weight. She was about the same weight Nadia had been before delivering the baby, and she was the same height.

"Andrea do you know that I love you?" Miles said in between a mouthful of pancakes.

"No," said Andrea. "I didn't know." The typical, unemotional reaction. It wasn't that she was rejecting him; it was that she simply lacked the emotional wherewithal to return his affection.

Miles simply sighed, but then suddenly started to chuckle.

"Do you wish that you had your emotions back?" Miles asked.

"I do... feel something is missing from me," said Andrea, finishing off a large sausage slice. "I feel like... maybe an android, or someone with brain damage. I do... wish I could feel intense emotions again."

Miles pondered if Andrea was really an android. Maybe under this soft and sweet skin, were actually machine parts. Miles shook his head and thought that it just all his wild imagination.

"What do you mean by intense?" questioned Miles.

Andrea tried to explain. "Before I was lobotomised... I could feel pride in my accomplishments, I could feel a sense of belonging with my comrades. I could feel attraction to some of them. I could shed a tear for those who suffered under Kraven oppression. My recent promotion... I should have been ecstatic, but... I felt nothing. I suppose I should have felt shock last night when you touched me. I didn't feel anything. It's not that my emotions are completely gone, but they're almost gone."

She took a breath. "For example, I felt relief at leaving the asylum, when they told me that they had been able to condition me to behave in social settings. I felt dismay at my country being bombed by the Doomani, the invasion by the Questarians. But my emotions were not as intense as they would have been," she said.

"I don't know if I could live without emotions. No feeling of happiness, angry, sadness, and even love." Miles said after he finished eating the rest of his pancakes. He patted his stomach, then let out a big burp. Miles chuckled and smiled Andrea. Now he felt like his stomach was going to burst open. "Andrea what are you going to do once this war is over? I mean are you just going to keep on being a secretary?"

"I don't know," said Andrea. "Before... the incident, I was going to seek a position in intelligence. I was deemed too emotional for anti-Kraven work. I might still do that." She finished off the sausage and poured another glass of iced tea.

"I can't walk as well as I used to. You may not have noticed, but I wobble a little. I can still drive, something about the weight of the steering wheel being enough to keep it from moving when I wobble. So I can't fight on the ground."

Over the atlantic ocean

Jonathan blew smoke in Alexander's face. he caughed a littile bit before giving him a menacing look "you know i dont smoke Jon" said Alex, waving the smoke away "what are we doing here anyways" he said, looking for a mission sheet "we are here to look at some half Kraven monster" Jonathan, dropped his cigar and crushed it under his boot, before lighting another one "sweet, sweet nicotine" he said, smiling "it makes this bullshit assignment so much better"

The Cazelians would find themselves marching into a battleground between Kahanistanian security guards and Kraven Capitol Police. The Kravenites wanted to take the baby away.

While the mother (http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i206/Kahanistan/commiegurl1974.jpg) had escaped, there was still her DNA for the Kraven genetic engineers to play with. The nursery was ill-guarded and it looked like the Kravenites would get the baby.

The Kahanistanian military wasn't that interested in losing all these troops for a miscegenated Kraven baby.

"What do you hope for the future?" Miles said as he held her soft hand.

The Cazelians would find themselves marching into a battleground between Kahanistanian security guards and Kraven Capitol Police. The Kravenites wanted to take the baby away.

While the mother (http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i206/Kahanistan/commiegurl1974.jpg) had escaped, there was still her DNA for the Kraven genetic engineers to play with. The nursery was ill-guarded and it looked like the Kravenites would get the baby.

The Kahanistanian military wasn't that interested in losing all these troops for a miscegenated Kraven baby.

as the EC-130 landed, the maines noticed the Kraven aircraft on the runway "aww shit" said Jonathan "we cant let those Kraven guys get the mother's DNA, that could be a nightmare" said Alex, loading his Baur H-AR, just as Jon picked up his already loaded M-16A8 with underslung shotgun and loaded the four shell shotgun clip "maybe we will get some action after all"

[OOC: Cazelia, Kraven's gone away for some time, so this thread's kind of degenerated into another character development thread. You might want to come back when Kraven does, and I don't know when that'll be.]

IC:

"That some day our medical technology will be able to fix my brain," she said. Medical technology in Kahanistan was already researching brain damage; many soldiers had come home from war as babbling idiots, or wheelchair-bound incontinents, or any other of a number of undesirable conditions caused by brain damage sustained in combat.

"I guess the best is that you can hope that it will one day become true..." Miles said with a hint of sadness. Andrea might stay like this forever, and she had accepted that already. He hoped that one day some lucky man would make her happy. "Do you wish to get married?"

"I don't know," said Andrea. She finished off her glass and lay back on the bed, looking up into the ceiling.

[OOC: Cazelia, Kraven's gone away for some time, so this thread's kind of degenerated into another character development thread. You might want to come back when Kraven does, and I don't know when that'll be.]


OOC-ok, TG me when he does. there will be a unit of faithful marines on duty

Miles finished up the contents of his plate, then put it back on the tray. Once Andrea was done, Miles put the tray back on the hall. He sighed and laid right next to Andrea.

"Do you ever hope to have a baby?" Miles asked.

the doors to the hotel where Nadia was flung open, as Jonathan Keller walked in. he was in uniform, and his rifle was slung around his shoulder "i'm looking for someone called 'Nadia'. has someone checked in with that name? because it is of great importance to the Cazelian goverment" he said, lighting his Cigar "and do you have any rooms where i can smoke?"

[You might want to come back when Kraven does, and I don't know when that'll be.]
Read above post.

Read above post.

OOC- i'm bringing a character just to make this interesting...

Thundering footsteps and loud police sirens sounded outside the hotel. Apparently some terrified citizen, listening to British Londinian propaganda, had called Animal Control to report the two Homo cazelius specimens that were rampaging freely and mixing into the human population.

The Animal Control people came out with heavy assault rifles loaded down with tranquilisers, awakening everyone in the hotel who wasn't already awake.

They were hell bent on sending the Cazelians back to the nearest zoo.

Thundering footsteps and loud police sirens sounded outside the hotel. Apparently some terrified citizen, listening to British Londinian propaganda, had called Animal Control to report the two Homo cazelius specimens that were rampaging freely and mixing into the human population.

The Animal Control people came out with heavy assault rifles loaded down with tranquilisers, awakening everyone in the hotel who wasn't already awake.

They were hell bent on sending the Cazelians back to the nearest zoo.

the cigar fell out of Keller's mouth "stop! we are with the Cazelian goverment!" he yelled, walking backwards, before looking at the animal control vehicle "aww, dont tell me you actually belive Londinian propaganda!"

"Yup. We do. In fact, back in Haven we're trying to import blenders for executing prisoners of war." The chief Animal Control officer grinned sadistically as he forced the two men into a cage on one of the zoo vehicles.

---

"I don't know," said Andrea flatly.

All was peaceful in the hotel. Figuring their friend was safe, Nadia and company left for the base, leaving Miles and Andrea alone.

"Yup. We do. In fact, back in Haven we're trying to import blenders for executing prisoners of war." The chief Animal Control officer grinned sadistically as he forced the two men into a cage on one of the zoo vehicles.

---

"I don't know," said Andrea flatly.

Jonathan rattled the cages "you have no right to do this! this is an abuse of sentient civil rights! you will hear from the UCRA about this!" he yelled

OOC: Cazelia - "Ha ha!"

Miles sighed and rolled over to look at Andrea. It was simply sad to see her in her state. He wished that he could have seen her once before she became the person Miles sees today. Miles gently kissed her cheek, then chuckled. Andrea was one hell of a girl.

"So what do you think I should do?" Mile asked.

OOC: Cazelia - "Ha ha!"

OOC- BL, look at the comments in the Homo Cazelius thread

http://www.seomoz.org/images/upload/simpsons_nelson_haha2.jpg

Miles sighed and rolled over to look at Andrea. It was simply sad to see her in her state. He wished that he could have seen her once before she became the person Miles sees today. Miles gently kissed her cheek, then chuckled. Andrea was one hell of a girl.

"So what do you think I should do?" Miles asked.

"What do you want to do?" Another mental disconnect from the conversation.

"I mean about Nadia" Miles tried to further explain.

"I would simply talk to her. If your friendship is strong enough, she will forgive you," said Andrea softly.

"For now, we should clean up the room, and I need to get my clothes washed."

"Here just buy something new." Miles said as he got up. Next he pulled out a wad of shekels and set them next to her. Slowly he walked over to the window and just peered out of it.