NationStates Jolt Archive

Once one of his hands was away from his face it would reveal a closed eye. It wasn't Malena's fault. He was the cause of all the problems. He was the most to blame.

"Do you... want something to drink?" asked Malena.

"If you are going to get something, then yes." Miles responded.

"I was going to get some red wine," Malena replied. "What would you like?"

"Some whiskey." Miles calmly replied. What he had not revealed to Malena was that his alcohol tolerance was pretty weak. Literally one drink of whiskey could get him drunk.

Malena nodded and summoned the waiter. She wanted to limit her alcohol intake to one glass of wine a day, if that, in case she were pregnant. Malena fervently hoped that she was pregnant; she wanted to have a baby.

"A glass of whiskey for myself and a glass of red wine for her." Miles said as soon as the waiter came back.

The waiter didn't take long getting the goodies. He set the drinks down and Malena took a sip.

Miles quickly downed the contents of the glass, then started to shout for another drink. "Hey, waiter get me another glass!"

Rude ass drunk. The waiter looked at Miles disgustedly and handed him another glass of whiskey.

Miles downed the glass of whiskey quickly again. A glazed looked seemed to fill his eyes. Almost if totally devoid of feeling. They stared directly at Malena. This was a completely different person.

Malena looked over at Miles. She didn't seem to think he was going to hurt her, and she was capable of holding her own if he did. She merely nudged her glass of wine over to Miles' side of the table. It was about two-thirds full.

"Finish it." Miles said with no emotion, then pushing the glass back to her.

Malena shrugged, finished off her deer meat and asparagus, then drank the last of the wine. "Care for dessert?" she asked.

"How about another glass of wine?" asked Miles with a tad bit of slurred speech.

"I can't drink any more," said Malena. "If you want more to drink, that's fine. I just won't let you drive home drunk." She didn't want to broach the subject of possible pregnancy at this point.

"I said get another glass of wine or do you want to be alone again?" Miles threatened.

Malena shook her head. "I'm not having any more." She was certain he wouldn't be able to leave in his drunken state. She took him by the hand. "You've had too much."

Miles knocked her hand away. "You haven't had enough. Do you want to be alone or with me? The decision is up to you."

"Come with me," said Malena. Miles wasn't going to leave her simply because she didn't want to drink and possibly give birth to a retard.

"I could be pregnant. I don't want to drink any more," she said.

"Pregnant? Hahahahaha...that is a hilarious. I guess you made your decision, Malena. I hope you like being alone for the rest of your life." Miles got up and looked down at her. Right now he thought of her as an annoying insect. She simply needed to be brushed away.

Malena didn't see anything funny about being pregnant. Miles was not knocking her up and leaving her.

"Sit down," she said. "You're not going anywhere with your drunk ass."

Miles just laughed at her. What made this women think she could control him? For the last thirteen years had been on his own. He didn't need anyone. No one needed him. Miles pushed back the chair, then started to walk off. Suddenly he stopped and turned back around to face Malena. "If you are pregnant then good luck with your baby."

Malena walked after Miles. She was fit and had had less to drink, so she could keep up easily enough.

"Stay away from me." Miles turned around and pointed at her. "Or do you want to die?"

"I've had enough of this shit, Miles," Malena said coldly. "You're not running off to the mountains again, or God forbid, getting in a car. And you certainly aren't walking away from a baby."

She figured Miles was probably packing given his threat, but he wasn't going to shoot her in the middle of the street in front of witnesses and cameras.

"Hey waiters...this women didn't pay and is trying to leave!" Miles shouted.

Malena fished out a hundred-shekel note and dropped it. "Keep the change," she said, rushing after Miles. That little distraction had given him a head start and she was going to catch him.

Miles made a straight turned and headed straight into a dark alley. Looking behind him, there was still no sight of Malena. Good, at least he had a head start. The darkness was a good cover anyways. Once Malena made her way to the entrance she would see no trace of Miles. Maybe he was hiding within.

Given Miles wasn't in the street, Malena drew her weapon and slipped into the alley. She crept along, expecting him to ambush her - after all, she did have special forces training and was in good condition, as Miles had seen when he fucked her.

It was only a matter of time before the alcohol wore off, first in Malena because she had less of it, then in Miles and he'd quit this tomfoolery about leaving her. The weapon was in case he drew on her - he had threatened her earlier.

Malena would hear a rustling sound behind one of the dumpsters. It had to be Miles.

Probably some bum... but it could be...

Malena pushed her back against the wall of the alley and pointed her weapon at the dumpster so that whatever was in there couldn't cut her throat.

"All right, Miles. Come out of there and sober up." If it turned out to be an innocent bum, he might get a spook from a woman pointing a gun at him, but he'd survive. If it were Miles... well, it was really up to him.

There was no answer, but there was something definitely behind the dumpster.

Malena shook her head. She sat down, but didn't lower her guard. She figured Miles would sober up before he decided to end this shit.

From behind a dumpster came a gray cat. That was definitely not Miles. It meowed then hopped onto a nearby trash can. Then it started to lick itself. Just a normal cat. It might be a stray or just had an owner who let it outside. No real way of telling. While Malena was concentrating on the cat she would hear a click behind her. The click was very familiar since it came from a gun.

"Drop the gun or have your brains blown out."

Malena leveled the gun in the direction of the voice. She wasn't going to put herself in the same position she was with Scott, unarmed and at his mercy. This time, she may not be able to escape...

"No. Now, we can end this Mexican standoff peacefully, or we can shoot each other dead. Personally, I prefer to live. I want to have my baby."

The gunmen was no other than Miles. He had a very serious look on his face and had an iron grip on his Peacemaker. From looking at his eyes he was not messing around. "How do you know that you already have a baby growing inside of you?"

"I don't, not for certain," Malena admitted. "But it's very likely."

Malena had told Miles before that she wanted to have a baby. She was the last of her family now. "Why are you doing this?"

Miles either ignored her question or did not hear the question at all. It seemed as though his face was still waiting for an answer. "Wait, you just wanted to have sex with me so you could have a baby? Great...you don't love me at all do you? You just want my sperm? You are sick."

Malena's finger twitched. "You were lonely too. You hooked up with me for a reason... don't tell me you don't want to settle in and have some kind of a normal life with a family and child and the works."

She backed away, slowly, as if to withdraw from the standoff.

Miles staggered back a bit. What the hell was he doing? Pointing a gun at a women, who he had feelings for and might be caring his baby. He couldn't do this. Slowly he put the gun away. "Malena...if you are going to have a baby and if it is mine, then I want to be there with you. I want to be by your side and see our child. I want to be with you..."

Malena holstered her weapon and walked up to Miles, crying. The standoff was over. She put her arms around him tightly.

"Please don't let me drink again. As you can see body does not like alcohol." Miles wiped her tears, then gently kissed her. His arms wrapped around her. This moment was perfect, except for the fact that they were in a dirty alley.

Malena nodded and smiled. "Shall we be home, then?"

"Yes. Maybe we can procreate when we get home?" Miles asked with a smirk on his face.

"Sure," said Malena. "Maybe you'd like to see me in a bikini, too." She walked Miles back around to her car.

"Yeah...I haven't seen you in one yet. That could be different, but in a good way." Scott said with a devilish smile. He followed her back to her car.

Malena smiled. She started the car, let Miles in, and headed home, still a little shaken. She'd have to keep Miles out of the booze. When she was drunk she was quite passive, and would make out with anyone, but when Miles got plastered... he got too violent and controlling.

Miles was very eager to see Malena. Sure he had already seen her naked, but a bikini was entirely different to him. As he closed his eyes, he wondered what Malena looked like in one. He bet it was very sexy. Hopefully this would lead to a baby being created.

Malena walked into the house and around to the pool, dressed in a white string tie that contrasted with her tanned skin. She lay next to the pool with a bottle of lotion.

Miles went to the kitchen and got some water to drink. That alcohol had taken a number on him. Better to be over hydrated, then dehydrate. He couldn't die now. Miles had a women, that might be wife material, that he was close to and maybe a child on the way. A smile formed on his face. Was he beginning to fall in love with Malena? He shook his head. Right now he needed to take things slowly.

Making his over to the pool, Miles caught sight of Malena. Just looking at her made him want to procreate. He had never seen this sexy before, okay in clothing. Slowly he crept up behind her. Then grabbed her breasts. "Guess who?"

Malena screamed. She wasn't expecting to be grabbed like that all of a sudden. Luckily, she lived in a remote area with no neighbours.

After a few seconds, she calmed down enough to speak. "Miles?"

"You guess right. This time." Miles backed up then sat down next to Malena. "Why do you need lotion? It is still dark outside."

"The physical contact," said Malena, rolling onto her stomach.

"Physical contact?" asked Miles slightly confused by what she meant.

"The feel of having it rubbed on me." Malena pulled her hair around her head and under her neck.

"Oh..." Miles retrieved the lotion and squirted some into his hand. Next he rubbed it around and was about to rub it against Malena's skin, but he didn't know if she was ready. "Are you ready, honey?"

"Yup." Malena lay passively on her pool chair.

Miles gently applied the lotion to Malena's back. He just hoped that he was doing it right. In all of his time he had never done something like this, especially with a women. Maybe they liked this kind of thing? "Do you have any ideas for names if we have a baby? Personally I like the name Elise if we have a girl. As for a boy he would have to be Holden."

Malena nodded peacefully. She seemed unusually submissive. Maybe she couldn't think of better names, maybe she didn't want the debate, but she seemed willing to acquiesce.

She untied her strings and occasionally signaled that she felt good, but other than that did little else.

Miles finished up applying the lotion, then let out a sigh of relief. He had been nervous that he was going to screw up some how, but Malena seemed to have enjoyed it. Good enough for him. Maybe he was a natural at this? A smirk formed on his face. Leaning over, Miles whispered into her ear. "How about you flip back over so I can see your beautiful face?"

Malena rolled over and smiled. She never thought she was that pretty, but if Miles did, she was happy with that.

He smiled warmly as he just rolled back over.Then he slowly brought his head to hers. What exactly was he doing? It was a mystery until he gently made his lips touch hers. They brushed for a moment, but then Miles backed up. His arms suddenly went behind her to wrap around her body. Miles looked down at here. "Malena...you are very special."

Before she could response Miles kissed her. His body was pressing right up against hers.

Malena lay back. Her strings were still untied; she could easily be stripped right there in the outdoors.

"There's no one around..."

Miles grabbed the piece of string, which attached the two pieces of small cloth together, with one finger and slowly moved it away from her now uncovered breasts. "Yeah I kind of noticed the first time I cam here. I will leave the rest up to you."

He got up from chair, then stripped right in front of her. Next thing she saw was Miles jumping into the pool.

Malena slid in after him. Within the hour she was laying at the side, out of breath and satisfied.

Miles was still floating in the pool. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No," said Malena, pulling on a dress. "Totally single. I'll be in my room, if you want me." She went back in to her room.

Miles just stayed in the pool floating for a while, so he could think. Mostly it was about Malena and himself. Malena seemed that she really wanted to have a baby. If she did and if it was his, then Miles would definitely be by her side. But was he, himself, ready for a baby? It wasn't like he was getting any younger. Maybe it finally time to settle down and make a family. Malena seemed nice, but he had only known her for two days. He did not want to rush into something that he would later regret. With time he just hoped that he could make a decision.

About twenty minutes later Miles got out and dried himself off. Completely exhausted Miles collapsed onto a nearby couch. Within mere moments he had fallen asleep.

bumps

Malena went to bed and fell fast asleep. She figured it was only a matter of time before she went to Canadstein. Christi wouldn't be too happy about her up and leaving for an undetermined period, but she would probably come to terms with it eventually - by then there would be no more agents in Kahanistan...

Early in the morning Miles woke up with a pounding headache. Those two glasses of whiskey had really done a number on him. He could barely even remember what happened last night. Pausing for a moment, he tried to think of what happened. There was an alley and a standoff between Malena and himself. Next he remembered holding Malena as she cried. Then they were back here and Miles was rubbing some lotion on Malena's back. Miles looked out to the pool. Man...had they actually done it in there? Shaking his head, he decided some more sleep was needed.

Malena stirred and got into the shower. She carried some clothes with her, and seemed to have something on her mind...

Miles was still passed out on the sofa. It would probably be a while before he finally got up for good.

Wake up around noon, Miles looked at his watch. He had really overslept. No more alcohol for him. Quickly he noticed that there was no movement within the house. Where had Malena gone to? Miles shook his head. She was a big girl. No need to worry. Slowly Miles made his way over to the kitchen to get some water. He must have been dehydrated.

Malena came out of the shower in a light white dress and sat down on the sofa. She still seemed to be deep in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" Miles was coming back over from the kitchen with a glass of water. He saw the expression on her face and wondered what was up.

"My future," said Malena. "I've always wanted a baby, and a relationship, but I never thought I'd be moving because of one and I don't know what it'll do to my career. I don't know where I'll be a year from now anymore."

"So you are coming with me?" asked Miles, while sitting down next to Malena.

Malena sat down. "I'll come with you." She wasn't prepared for the likely sacrifices. She had expected a relationship that wouldn't move her, but she wanted one badly enough that if push came to shove, she would likely move.

"What about your career? I mean you can't just leave from the army. Are you going AWOL?" Miles put an arm around her, trying to comfort her.

He was slightly surprised. Malena had only known him for a few days and was willing to give up everything for him. Was he willing to do the same? Miles didn't know yet. He would have liked to say yes to that question, but it was too hard to tell. Some many questions and not enough answers.

"I can request reassignment," said Malena. "I'll have to check to be sure, but I could be assigned to a base in Canadstein. I'll have to check our database, see where our bases are." Even an officer couldn't be expected to have all their locations memorised.

"I am pretty sure there wouldn't be any foreign bases within Canadstein. Remember they try to be neutral. They barely have an military. A couple of regiments there, a couple of regiments there. A few planes. Some destroyers to protect the coast lines. Nothing even remotely close to what they have here." Miles reminded Malena.

"I could try and find out if we have intelligence there. I could be assigned to that," replied Malena. "I'm special forces, remember?"

"Ooooo...intelligence? Then I may have to turn you into the local Canadsteiner police force." Miles chuckled. "But seriously I don' think that would be a good idea. It just wouldn't feel right being with a person who is collecting intelligence on your country."

Malena nodded. "I could see Miss Sklenova thinking it would be a conflict of interest," she said. "To be involved with a foreign agent. Even when she leaves office... she'd likely return to the military. I see little else for her, the Communist Party is weak now. Doesn't have the popular support it used to have."

"As for me... it probably would be a conflict of interest for me to be involved with intel. I suppose you could stay with me, but you do need to contact a lot of people who think you're dead now."

"Do you really want to leave?" firmly asked Miles.

"Not really," said Malena. "But I don't want to be alone, either."

"I can't just make you leave Malena. This is your home, but on the flip side I can't stay here. I am a wanted criminal and there is no way I am going back to prison. Are you willing to give up everything?"

"I'll go." Malena had several months of leave saved up; she could figure something out in that time.

"You didn't answer the question."

Malena nodded. She didn't want to be left alone anymore. "I'll go with you," she repeated. "I'll come to Canadstein with you. Sort out my problems with the military later."

Miles nodded.

"Thank you. I am sure that you will love Canadstein. You will never need to worry about the economy, war, or being alone. Malena...I will always be there for you and our child."

He kissed her cheek.

"It will be smooth sailing from here."

Malena smiled. "When do we go?"

"I guess once Pete or the Karamazovs call me." Miles shrugged. He had no idea how they were even getting of Canadstein. "Until then we continue to try to make a baby or you can show me around and try to get to know each other. Maybe even strengthen our relationship. By the way, did you think of any names yet?"

Malena shook her head. "Why not call them?" She wasn't in the mood to go out to dinner again.

"I don't know the Karamazov's number, but I guess I could try Pete." Miles retrieved a cell phone from his pocket. He called Pete, but was surprised to hear a very angry voice. Trying to calm him down, he revealed his location and what had happened. Then Pete hung up on him. What was his problem? "Pete seems a little...angry about something. I don't know what."

---

Pete was like a raging bull. Christi had called Malena a couple of days ago and Malena had said that she had no idea where Miles was. Guess who happened to be at her house right now? Miles. Pete was going to teach that bitch a lesson. Not only did she lie, but she had kept Miles prisoner. Pete informed Christi what happened then rushed to her car.

"Why do you think she lied to us?" asked Pete.

"I don't know," said Christi. "Malena's been... looking for a relationship. She's desperate enough to turn to Mason for it, it seems. He did say she came on to him earlier."

She stepped into the car. "What're you going to do?"

Pete ejected the magazine from his gun, then checked it. He still had a full magazine. Putting it back into the gun, he thought that would be helpful. "I am going to take him back. Willingly or with force. We have no idea of the mental state of Malena right now. She could be insane or perfectly normal, but we will not find out until we get there."

Christi shook her head. She didn't seem to agree with forcing him to go back if he didn't want to - if he wanted to take his chances and be lynched by an angry mob, that was his decision.

She started the car. "Malena's very clingy. She has attachment issues, so if she's been with him a few days, she may very well feel she's in love with him. If that's the case... she will probably resist."

"We are going to talk first. If that doesn't work, then we go to plan B. Frankly I don't want to use plan B. But Miles is now my responsible. I took from the Karamazov after the incident. There is no way I am going back to Canadstein without Miles. Even if I have to die because of it." Pete tucked the gun into his waistline.

"OK." Christi pulled onto the highway.

---

"A few days ago, when you'd lost your memory, I got a call asking where you were," said Malena. "I didn't tell them because I thought that... you would run off, and I wanted you to stay with me."

"Wait...you lied to them." Miles started to back up from Malena like she was some kind of monster. "What else have you lied about? Everything?"

Malena looked shocked. "I was trying to stay with you. I didn't want you running off again, you'd already almost died up in the mountains."

"I can't believe I actually trusted you." Miles pulled out his Colt Peacemaker like a gunslinger from the Old West. The barrel was pointed directly at Malena's head. "I wanted to have a baby with you, even get mar...never mind that. That is all behind me."

Malena faced Miles calmly, as if she didn't think he would shoot, or didn't care.

"I still want those things," she said. "I... was protecting you. I don't have a problem with you going home if I come with you."

---

"Pete, can you check the GPS?" asked Christi. "I'm not too familiar with this area, only been here a couple of times." They were near Malena's, but didn't know exactly where.

"Maybe I don't. How can I trust someone who practically held me prisoner and lied to me? Guess what? You are going to get your darkest nightmare true, Malena. You are going to be alone, forever." Miles drove through a nearby window. Once Malena got the window she would see Miles jumping off the porch, then running into the forest.

---

"You should be lucky that I remembered Malena's address." Pete entered the address into the GPS. "Why is Malena clingy?"

Malena jumped out after him. She wasn't going to let him leave her, again. This time, he didn't have the head start on her that he had when he hid in the mountains...

---

"She... lost her sister in one of the wars," Christi replied. "Apparently, they were very close." She made a left turn down the road and plowed up a small dirt road about two kilometres from their destination.

Miles didn't care if Malena was following. Luckily he was faster than her, but she knew the land. He had no idea where he was going. "Let's see if she has my endurance."


---

"Were they incestuous?" Pete had to ask. She did say they were "close" and they were in Kahanistan.

Miles was probably faster in the short term - he had more powerful muscles, and was much taller and more muscular than Malena was. On the other hand, Malena knew the area better than Miles did, and was willing to go through hell and back to find him.

---

"I don't think so," said Christi. "I never asked her, though. She does seem to like males, not that that means much..."

Suddenly Miles stopped, but why? He must have been up to something. Someone just doesn't stop after jumping through a window and being chased by someone. What was he going to do? When Malena caught up see would just see Miles standing there with his back turned away from her.

---

"Wait...liking males doesn't mean anything. Does that mean you did it with a woman?" asked Pete curiously.

Malena caught up to Miles. She was sweaty and out of breath. She stepped in front of him.

"Come on back. Pete's expecting you."

---

"Once or twice," said Christi. "Just doesn't have the effect for me it does for some women."

Unexpectedly Miles pulled out his gun, then fired it. The bullet brushed Malena's shoulder and hit the tree behind her. While she was stunned, Miles punched her directly across the face. There was no emotion on his face.

---

"Well I am glad that you choose men over women." Pete leaned over and kissed Christi on the cheek. "How long have you known Malena?"

Malena struggled to her feet and pulled out her own weapon. She fired into the ground.

"Stop!"

---

"A couple of months," said Christi. "She's really nice. You just don't want to attach to her unless you like constant attention, though."

Miles jumped straight at her and tackled her to the ground. Grabbing her hand, which held the gun, he slammed it into the ground. He brought it up then repeated the process. It seemed like he was going to give up until Malena's hand was shattered or just gave up the gun.

"You lied to me!"

---

"Constant attention? Miles might not like that." Pete commented.

Malena didn't deny it. She wasn't about to let Miles off with her weapon, though. She clasped her gun hand in her other hand and weathered the blows... at least for now.

---

"Maybe not." Christi pulled into the driveway. Malena's vehicle was still there, but the place looked like it had been broken into...

Miles brought down her hands one more time, then got up. There was no sense in keeping up the fight. She just wouldn't give up. He didn't want to kill her, which would happened if he didn't let up. Hopefully with her injuries it would slow her down enough or maybe she would collapse from the overwhelming pain. It wasn't Miles problem. He ran off into the forest.

---

"Oh shit..." Pete pulled out his gun and hopped out of Christi's car. He looked back for a second. "Check the house. I will check outside."

Christi pulled her weapon and stepped through the glass, after finding the door locked. She fired a couple of shots into the dirt outside to let anyone inside know that someone with a gun was prowling around, to flush out any intruders.

---

Malena wasn't giving up. Miles was still faster than she was, but not so fast that she couldn't keep him in sight in the woods...

"Leave me alone!" Miles shouted back at her.

---

Pete looked for a while until he saw some footprints in the dirt. Looking closely it was two sets. One looked like a male's shoe, while the other was a female's. That means Miles and Malena both went into the woods. Then it came to him. Was Miles trying to escape from Malena? Shit, this was not turning out well.

"Christi come over!" Pete called out.

Malena kept up the chase, patiently and methodically like a soldier. She wasn't going to have him run out on her, or worse, get killed up in the mountains.

The pain was splitting her side and making her feel like a sharp bayonet were running through her kidneys. She pressed on, visibly straining under the effort...

---

Christi came out and saw the tracks. "We should probably go out in a vehicle. Most likely, he made one of those trips to the mountains again and she tried to stop him." She went back to her car.

"Give up before you kill yourself!" Miles once again turned around and shouted back at her. He started to notice that she was slowing down.

---

"Okay. I am going to into the woods." Pete responsed. That was the one place her car couldn't go. "If I find them, then I will call you. Probably meet back at the house."

"I'll come with you," said Christi. "We can cover more ground that way. Do you have some kind of radio we can use to communicate, if I find him?"

---

Malena ignored him. She couldn't just be left alone. Ignoring the ripping pain in her stomach was another matter. Special forces were trained to endure pain, to resist torture, but there came a moment when it became too much.

She was slowing down, the pain clouding her mind, the only thing she could focus on being Miles...

"How more can this woman take?" Miles asked himself. It couldn't be that much more. She was already starting to lag behind and looked to be in pain. Once Malena did give out that would give him prime time to escape, but the more pressing question is when that would happen.

---

"Just call me on my cell." Pete was already running into the forest.

Christi got into her vehicle. It had decent wheels and she was willing to take the chance in the forest. She started it up - at the very least it would get her to the woods faster.

---

Malena was staggering now. She looked like she might collapse any second...

Miles stopped and looked back at Malena. She looked pretty bad, but she was still coming. What should he do? Stay and help her or keep on running. If he left her then she might die her. They were far away from her house and Miles concluded that there was no way she could walk back. Slowly he approached her.

Malena fell to the ground, barely breathing. She seemed to have no idea of her surroundings...

Miles rushed to Malena. It seemed that he still cared about her, even after she had lied to him. Well he was mostly to blame for her injuries. His punches and blows were definitely not soft. Joining Malena by her side, Miles checked her out.

"Where does it hurt?"

Malena just groaned. She didn't seem aware of where she was - perhaps she'd actually passed out there...

Shit this was not good. Sure he wanted to escape from her, but Miles couldn't just leave her here to die. He couldn't let another person die. Not when he could have prevented it. Miles picked up her body and started to make his way down the mountain.

"Malena...everything is going to be fine."

Christi pulled into some bushes and hid. She was significantly larger than Malena, and would have better luck in a foot chase - if she could find him.

---

Malena continued breathing, shallowly, but at least she was alive. It was likely that all she needed was to rest and let her heart rate slow down...

Miles continued down the mountain. It was mid-morning and the sun was up. Hopefully he could get back to her house before late afternoon. If not then he hoped that they were both ready for the grueling sun. A long day was ahead for the pair.

Malena was likely to be out for hours. Christi spotted the prints, but they ended in the middle of the forest somewhere. She called Pete to let him know what she'd found...

"What do you mean the prints just ended?" Pete asked once Christi had explained the situation. "Maybe they are making their way down."

"Looks like someone fell over," said Christi. "No body here, though... and only one pair of prints heading backwards. Probably Miles, Malena's smaller than I am."

"You head down and I will head up. There is no way we can miss them." Pete started to pick up the pace. God knows what happened to them.

Christi ran down after the prints. She was in good condition and well hydrated, so she would be able to catch Miles in minutes. She didn't know if he had Malena with him, or if he'd killed her and left her for wild animals.

When Christi caught up with Miles, she would see him carrying Malena, while carefully running down. Suddenly he turned around and saw Christi. He acknowledged her presence, but kept on going down. There was no time for chit chat.

Christi apprised Pete of the situation and jogged up to Miles.

"What... did you... do to her?" She seemed accusing.

"I will tell you later. We need to get her back down to the house." Miles kept on going.

Christi followed Miles. She knew it was only a matter of time before Pete got there and felt she was safe going after him.

Soon enough Pete finally made it up to Miles, Malena, and Christi. At first he didn't know what the hell Miles was carrying, but it soon came apparent that it was Malena. What the hell had happened? Probably something not good. He tried to stop Miles, so they could talk, but Miles just kept on walking. There was no stopping him. Better not to anyways. Pete walked alongside Christi instead.

"You know what happened?"

"He's kind of mum on the details," said Christi. "Said he has to get her back to the house. I don't even know if she's alive."

"What if she isn't?" asked Pete, while still traveling after Miles.

"Then I'm going to beat the living shit out of him," Christi said coldly. She walked after Miles. Malena's house was visible in the distance.

This situation was just trying to be great. If Malena was dead, then...well it would definitely be a conflict of sides. Should he help Christi, a woman he loved, or a Miles, part of his mission and friend? Pete put the thought out of his mind. Hopefully Malena was fine and just needed some rest. If not then....what?

---

Miles ran to the house once he caught sight of it. He wasn't going to let another person die because of his actions. Too much blood had been spilled because of this hands. Now they were going to help save a life. Stopping at a door, Miles kicked it out. He didn't have time to open it. Within seconds Miles ran to a nearby couch and set Malena. He knelt beside her, grabbing one of her hands.

"Malena..."

Malena was still breathing. That was a good sign. However, she was pale and covered in sweat, likely dehydrated from her efforts. Christi filled a glass with water and sat her up straight, trying to get her to come to...

Miles got up and walked over to the kitchen. There was nothing he could do to help Malena. As he filled a class of water, he heard Pete's voice. Both men talked for a while in a low whisper. If Malena died then some tempers were going to be flared. They needed a plan if that happened.

"What happened?" asked Christi. Malena groaned as if she were disoriented or delirious, like she barely had a foot in the realm of the living.

Pete walked over to Christ and put his arm on her shoulder. "How is she doing?"

"Not good," replied Christi. "She's taking water, though not very well - isolated sips now and then." She looked at Miles.

"You haven't told me what happened yet." Christi spoke as if Miles was supposed to tell her what had happened to her comrade.

Miles came back over with a glass of water in head. He sighed for a second, then explained what had happened. "Well once I found out that she had lied to both of you; I decided that I couldn't trust her. So I jumped through the window as you can see. She followed straight after me. For a while it didn't seem like she wasn't going to give up. I made sure that changed. I stopped. Malena caught up to me, but I pulled out my gun and fired it. It hit the tree behind her. It was a distraction. My fist went straight across her face. She fired her own gun into the ground. Next thing I know I am jumping straight at her, wrestling her to the ground. I smash her hand, which is still holding the gun, into the ground. Then I ran off. She tried to follow me, but I guess her body gave out."

Pete nodded. This was exactly what Miles had told him a few minutes earlier.

Christi held Malena's hand. It certainly looked heavily bruised and cut, which she hadn't noticed before. She nodded calmly.

"Malena's actually a nice girl," she said. "I'll want to talk to her when she comes to, but... from what I gathered, she really likes you." She elevated her legs so Malena was in a crouching position on the sofa, to keep her seated until she regained full consciousness. Her eyes were flickering open occasionally, as if she were trying to get an idea of where she was...

"She has some emotional issues, but you would like her. She isn't the dangerous crazy type, but she can be very protective."

"I didn't mean to harm her. It just that I had rage and it took over. I felt betrayed by her. I thought that I could trust her. That trust was broken once I found out she lied to you. All I felt was angry and sadness, so I ran." Miles got on his knees and grabbed hold of her hand. "Malena...you can't die. I am sorry. I love you."

Malena's eyes flickered. Her hand tightened around the water glass. Christi eased it up so she could suck on it and she took a drink, but still seemed delirious, if out of immediate danger.

"I think it is time to leave, Miles. Before you cause someone real harm." Pete put his hand on Miles shoulder.

Miles looked back and sighed. He was right. Next time he could kill Malena. It would just be better to leave. Miles looked at Malena. They had only been together for a few days and he had already caused her physical harm. He couldn't be with her. Miles kissed her cheek, then got up. Nodding toward Pete, he knew it was time to leave.

Christi draped a blanket over Malena to keep her warm and put an arm around her. She seemed marginally responsive, moving her head to let the blanket cover her shoulders, and her eyes were open now, trying to make sense of her surroundings and to figure out if she was even still alive or if she'd gone to wherever people go when they die.

The only problem about their little escape was that neither of them had a car. That meant either asking Christi if they could borrow her's or stealing Malena's car. Asking Christi seemed more sensible. The last thing they needed was a bunch of cops chasing after them. At least Miles would be experienced at escaping. Pete talked for a minute, in private, then Miles went outside while Pete went over Christi.

Out of nowhere, Christi would feel an arm around her waist. Suddenly she was pulled away from Malena and toward Pete.

"Hi..."

Christi turned around. "Where's Miles going?" She didn't much like Miles, but Malena seemed to warm to him... then again, these days she seemed to like anyone who showed her a hint of kindness.

"We are leaving. Time to go home. I think we have overstayed our welcome." Pete nodded over toward Malena.

Christi nodded. "I'd let you take my car, but I can't leave Malena like this. Can I take her with us?"

"I meant you stay. While Miles and myself go. We are leaving the country." Pete revealed to Christi.

"Malena won't be too happy... but someone needs to get you to an airport, or a boat. Looks like war's breaking out, so... if she was planning to go to Canadstein with Miles, it'll have to wait," Christi replied.

"Miles did mention something about Malena coming with him. It can still happen. I mean if she does want to go." Pete said.

"I'll take her in the car. If she comes around... she can make that decision. I don't want to send her AWOL in wartime," said Christi.

Malena's head stood bolt upright. She struggled to her feet and would have fallen flat on her face and cracked her head on the coffee table if Christi hadn't caught her in time. Christi stood her up and she seemed aware, but still very tired. She certainly wasn't in a condition to make a major life decision...

"How about we stay here for the time being? I mean Malena is in no condition to be moved, plus a few more days won't kill us." Pete looked out the window.

This mission was becoming a disaster. Not only were they days late on their first opportunity to leave. Now things were starting to fall apart. The Karamazovs were gone. More people knew that Miles was still alive. The best course of action would be to leave right away, but that wasn't really Pete's decision. Pete wasn't here to force Miles to leave.

"Seems fair," said Christi. She walked Malena to her room and laid her out on the bed, leaving the water on her nightstand.

"Damn. She's got some scary artwork in here... is it hers?"

"I dunno. Maybe Miles knows. Oh shoot he is still waiting outside." Pete ran to get him.

Christi sighed. She didn't give a shit if Miles went out again and got gobbled up by a mountain lion.

"I'll... take care of Malena."

Pete persuaded Miles to come back inside, even though it seemed like he wanted to leave now. He told Miles just to have a sleep on it, then make a real judgement tomorrow. Until then they would just bunker down here. Hopefully Malena would come to and they could ask her side of the story. But that might be a long time.

It was about six hours later and completely dark when Malena finally came around. The first indication the others had was when she rolled out of bed and hit the floor with a thud. Still slightly disoriented, she groped blindly around trying to find a light or figure out where she was.

Both of the Canadsteiners suddenly jolted up from their sleep. It seemed as though both were very light sleepers or had trained themselves to be so. Mostly likely the latter. They rushed over to where the sound had come from. The sound must have come from Malena's room.

Malena staggered to her feet and finished off the glass of water she saw on her nightstand. "What... happened? I remember chasing Miles, then, I passed out."

Pete was the first to arrive and see Malena on the floor. "Christi, you might want to come here."

Christi walked in groggily. "Hey, Malena."

Pete walked back to the living room, so he get more sleep.

Christi was still tired and lay next to Pete. Malena went to the shower; she'd been covered in mud and dirt and crap, and she'd also gotten a few cuts she wanted to clean. She was slightly tired still, but hardly as exhausted as the others seemed.

Miles had gone outside and sat down in one of the chairs. He needed to think. Plus he couldn't go back to sleep. It was just too hard.

Malena came out of the shower about ten minutes later. She opened the outside door from her room and let the fresh air into the house before sitting down on the bed in a light dress.

Miles noticed that the door was open, but did nothing.

Malena wasn't necessarily looking to talk to anyone right now. She just wanted to clear her head while she waited for more people to get up and figure out what she was doing...

Early in the morning Pete woke up and walked outside. He watched as the sun slowly came up. Now he knew why Malena had chosen this spot. The surround area was just beautiful, especially in the morning. Pete noticed that Miles was out here. He soon found out that he had been out here all night. It had been a little chilly, but not too bad. Sitting down, Pete and Miles began to talk.

Malena went to where Christi was. She didn't make any move to wake her, but she woke when Malena came in.

Christi got up to shower and put on a spare uniform. She wasn't going to borrow anything of Malena's because she was much larger, several inches taller and at least two cup sizes bigger around.

Malena sat on her bed and waited for Christi to finish up before going out to talk to the men.

When they came out both men were sitting in chairs, looking at the sunrise. Pete and Miles seemed calm enough. Occasionally the men were say something, but it was inaudible. One of the men, both of their faces were turned away from the women, indicated them to come over. Obviously one of them had heard their footsteps.

Christi stepped out and sat in one of the chairs next to Pete. Malena sat next to Miles. Apparently the men had something to say...

"What are you going to do?" Pete asked the Pete.

Christi looked over at Malena, as if trying to encourage her. Malena seemed to be trying to think of what to say next.

"When you called... Miles had lost most of his memory," she said. "I thought he would run away, thinking I was giving him over to the National Police if someone called and I said, 'he's right here. Come and pick him up.' As you can see, I'm in no condition to stop him if he runs off. I wanted him to get his memory back. If I were holding him against his will, I wouldn't have allowed him access to my cell to call you."

"I know, Miles already told me everything that had happened." Pete stopped himself for a second. "But what do you want to do?"

"Well, given that it looks like total war's going to hit the country soon... I may have to put off the trip for a few months," said Malena. "But I can probably get enough leave to spend a few weeks in Canadstein before my leave dries up."

"That means you are not coming with us?" replied Pete, looking at both Miles and Malena.

"I can't go AWOL in time of war," said Malena. "But... I haven't taken much leave recently, so I can come for a few weeks before my leave runs out and I have to come back."

"Yes or no? I need a clear answer. I don't want you backing out and making me look like a fool." responded Pete.

Malena seemed irritated. "I'll come with you. I can't stay after my leave runs out until the conflict ends. If that's not a good enough answer for you..." She trailed off.

Once Malena had said two words, Pete was already on his phone. There was a few words spoken on Pete's part. Mostly yes or no. There was mention of Miles and an additional person. Still there was no hints of how they were going to escape. Miles was still looking out toward the sun.

"How long is the leave?"

"Three weeks," replied Malena. "Then I have to return until the conflict's over."

Christi seemed stunned. She knew Malena was depressed, borderline suicidal, but actually willing to hand herself over to Miles, a man who had committed terrible crimes in Kahanistan and still claimed loyalty to Canadstein?

"Malena... you can't be thinking of actually going to Canadstein with him."

"I have to." She hugged Christi. "I'll be back in three weeks, and be here until the war ends."

Christi hung her head. There was no longer anything she could do for Malena.

"Want to know how we are escaping?" asked Miles, watching them on.

"I'd like to," said Christi. "Especially since the Air Force will be on high alert. Probably stowing away on a boat."

"We are going to the coastline, remote of course. Inflatable raft from there. We paddle out to sea. At the rendezvous we meet a submarine. Escape is completed." Miles responded.

"I would recommend fleeing through the north," said Malena. "The Navy is on the lookout for Kregaian submarines, and they'll probably shoot first and ask questions later, claim they thought we were a Kregaian sub even if we're clearly marked as Canadsteiners."

"That is an excellent way to start a war." Miles stated. "Why what's up north?"

"Ice sheets," said Christi. "Sats haven't picked up jack shit for thousands of kilometres. There's nothing there, so the Navy's less likely to blow you out of the water."

"Where do these ice sheet begin because if we can walk out from land to the beach, then there is no use for a raft." asked Miles.

"They only extend for about fifty klicks out to sea, in the northwest. After that, there're lots of icebergs. You'll still want the raft," replied Christi.

"Alright. What's the temperature of the water up there?"

"Around freezing point," said Christi. "A little above. You don't want to swim in that."

"What kind of military activity is up there?" asked Pete, after getting off the phone. It soon came apparent that he had been listening to their whole conversation.

"Minimal. A few patrol vessels, AWACS, some fighters and strike planes. A few missile batteries around Fort Neptune. Some SSK's, though they're fewer around than in the rest of the sea."

"Some nothing that should bother us, right?"

"Right." Christi and Malena nodded.

"Where can we get maps of the area?" asked Pete.

"There's an atlas in my room," said Malena. "Next to my computer."

"Are they detailed?" asked Pete.

"Detailed enough," replied Malena. "It's helped me out before when my satellite nav isn't working."

"Alright. Christi how about you come with me?" Pete responded. He looked over to Miles. Both of them still had major issues before they left here. There was not going to be another incident during this mission.

Christi nodded. She didn't want Malena going to Canadstein without some kind of protection.

"Sure, I'll tag along." She didn't trust Miles very well, but she was a hell of a lot friendlier to him than half the population of Kahanistan.

"No, I mean to find these maps." Pete nodded over to Miles and Malena. They needed sometime alone.

Christi went into Malena's room and came out with the atlas she'd said was next to her computer. "Here's the atlas, it's got maps of the area all right."

Pete picked up Christi, then started to walk inside. "How about we go inside?"

---

For a little while after Pete and Christi had left there was an awkward silence. Miles honestly had no idea what to say to Malena. In the back of his mind he still didn't trust Malena fully. Which was odd since he felt guilty about beating up Malena. He looked over at her.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm all right," said Malena. "I'll heal."

"Are you sure?" asked Miles.

Malena sighed calmly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go."

"Go where?" Miles looked kind of unsure.

"Up north," replied Malena. "Get out of here, before something else happens."

"Why do you still want to come, even after what happened?"

Malena looked up, as if the answer were written in the clouds.

Because I don't want to be alone. Because I don't want to be a single mother. Because you deserve someone as much as I do. They were all equally true answers.

"I think we're good together," she said simply.

"Or was it because I was the first person to come along that actually gave a damn about you in a long time?" Miles looked Malena straight into the eyes.

"That... isn't true," said Malena. She seemed vaguely offended.

"Is it?"

Malena broke eye contact. "If we're going to go, we should head out in broad daylight. There are few military there, but they'll be very worried if we run into one of them at night. At day we'll just appear to be beachgoers or boaters and they'll ignore us."

So part of it was true. "Beachgoers in the frozen tundra? Because that is certainly what it sounds like. You did mention ice sheets."

"More likely boaters. You do get eccentrics, people who swim in cold water, but mainly it's boaters up there."

"Hopefully they will not care if a raft is going out to sea." commented Miles.

"They probably won't. When do we leave?"

"Probably two days from now. Is that going to be a problem?" asked Miles.

"Sooner the better..." Malena replied. "Longer we stay here, the more that can go wrong."

"What else can go wrong?" Miles muttered to himself.

Malena stood up and walked over to the edge of the pool. A lot could go wrong - Miles could decide to run off again, or Intel could find them, or someone might decide to turn Miles in, who knew?

Miles walked over and joined Malena by the pool. "What will happen if the military finds out about this whole escape plan?"

"I would be charged with aiding the enemy. Miss Sklenova would do what she could to protect us, but there are too many military voices baying for blood. Christi would open herself to charges if she comes, too." She could, of course, take legitimate transport, but that would mean abandoning Miles.

"What kind of punishment?"

"Probably ten, maybe twenty years, if we got convicted. Kaselev would probably exploit the opportunity to extract intel from you, if he thought you had anything that wasn't outdated."

"Kaselev. I remember him. He tried to interrogate when I came back to this country along with Christi and Pete. That is a face I could never see again. It was cold and emotionless. Almost as if he was a robot. Kind of scary if you ask me." Miles put as arm around Malena's waist, then brought their bodies together. "I guess we have to be careful. Watch out for each other?"

"Yes... for each other." Malena dangled her legs into the water.

"Too bad we can't go swimming." Miles looked down to the water.

Malena slid off her dress and slipped into the water. "Why not?" she said calmly.

Miles shrugged with a smirk on his face. "I guess we can. Just look around. It isn't like anyone is going to care."

He then proceed to take off his clothes, then jump into the pool. Once in he began to swim laps. This was a great way to relieve some of that stress, something he badly needed.

Malena began to swim laps, too. She preferred other equipment to swimming normally, but thought it might be fun to enjoy Miles' company.

Inside, Christi was oblivious to what they were up to. She was packing her bags and getting ready to head up.

Miles' swimming was fast paced and furious. There was something definitely on his mind. Thoughts lingered about the previous day. In a blind fit of rage he had hurt Malena, a person he was growing feelings for. What would stop him from doing it again? After twenty or so laps Miles started to slow down. He had pushed himself too hard too fast. Trying to ignore the pain, Miles just stopped and floated within the pool.

---

"When do you think I will see you again?" asked Pete, while very closely looking at the map.

"It depends," said Christi. "Where your government sends you, mostly." Christi's government probably wasn't going to send her anywhere except maybe to the upcoming war front. There was the off chance she would be killed, of course, but the more likely scenario was Pete being sent off to somewhere on the other side of the planet.

Pete sighed for a second. "You know I care about you, right? I would do anything for you."

Christi smiled. "I know. Let's see if Miles and Malena are ready to go."