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Post by Dr. Anna McBreadle on Jul 31, 2009 5:18:45 GMT -10
slowly he's breaking the ice and getting somewhere, finally! i hope Horatio is prepared for what happened to Sasha, i have a feeling that he won't like it!
great chap lucy! luv sam x
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Post by NV Oracle on Jul 31, 2009 8:40:09 GMT -10
Ohhhhh, this is going to be good. Can't wait to see what happens next.
Great job, Lucy.
Your friend NV Oracle
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Post by lucymalta on Jul 31, 2009 21:30:46 GMT -10
So... its a Saturday - and I'm having a break this morning.... But that doesn't mean you guys are losing out...
So where were we... Ah yes... Mich was about to start talking... Oh, before I forget... A quick warning... The next three chapters are not pretty.... Get the hankies ready - and lock the anger away just in case.
Enjoy
Lucy
Chapter 15
“Sasha and I were very similar in character and appearance. On several occasions we were mistaken for sisters – even twins. Her hair was almost white blonde, thanks to her grandfather who had come over from Norway during the war and decided to settle in the UK.”
Mich chuckled softly, “We gave our training officers hell – always competing to be the best, always forcing them to choose between us… At first they thought we hated each other, but it was quite the opposite. Sasha was better at languages, had the lateral thinking. Me, I was more tactical, better on the range and building intelligence.”
“When our trainers realised what good friends we really were, they trained us as a team. One remarked that it was a shame that we were both female – they were desperate for a husband/wife team for an operation. Sasha joked that we could pretend that we were gay… I could play the butch partner… Control actually considered it for a short time. You can imagine the stick I got for that one.”
Mich fell silent for a moment as more memories returned, becoming more thoughtful, “After we finished our training, we got a flat together just outside London. It was good for both of us; I was close to my grandparents where I had my horses, so I could ride when I had time off. Sasha liked it because the roads were good – she loved her motorbike. We joked that we both liked horsepower.”
“When problems started to surface in Iraq, Sasha was already elsewhere, so I was sent in alone to start building intelligence. The mission was relatively straight forward, though the situation deteriorated rapidly, it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.”
“Just before Saddam invaded Kuwait, Sasha was sent in. Control wanted another set of eyes on the ground. They wanted to send a male agent, but I demanded and got Sasha…” Mich began to get upset and Horatio tightened his grip on her hand. “If I had listened to them, she would still be alive…”
Horatio sighed. “You cannot be sure Mich… Your line of work was not without its dangers…”
Mich dropped her head, “Whatever… All I know is that what happened to her is partly my fault, regardless of how things turned out.”
Mich regained her composure, but the sadness remained. “When we were caught, the guards tried to get information out of us, but we gave away little – nothing they didn’t already know. In their arrogance, they decided we were low level agents because we were women.”
“Our ‘trial’ was held a week or so later. We were found guilty of ‘crimes against the state’ and sentenced to life imprisonment. The judge took great pains to point out that ‘spies’ were normally executed.”
Mich closed her eyes and stopped talking, her head dropping, trying to hide the anguish that she was feeling. Horatio gave her time to think, worried that she would not go on if he interrupted or pushed her. When Mich continued, he could hear the struggle in her voice, the struggle to control her emotions.
“We were sent to the only ‘maximum security prison’ they had. The warden told us we would be placed on ‘death row’ to remind us of our punishment. As we were being led away, he apologised that there was no suitable facility for women. He said that no Iraqi woman had ever needed to be detained at such a high level.”
“That was when Sasha and I realised how much trouble we were in. When we were shown to our cell, we thought we were fortunate. There was just enough room for the two of us, a thin mattress each to sleep on and a bucket in the corner for our toilet. The cells had no walls – just bars. On one side was a cell with about ten men, they were all convicted of murder or rape the guards told us.”
“On the other side were about twelve men, all soldiers… Our soldiers. SAS, Delta Force, Navy Seals. They were furious when we were brought in. They began swearing and shouting at our captors, Sasha and I were worried that they would bring trouble on themselves, but the guards just laughed.”
“For a week or so everything was more or less ok. The guards left us alone and as long as we kept the noise down we were allowed to talk to the soldiers next to us. They couldn’t believe that we were MI5. The food wasn’t great, but being on ‘death row’ meant we got better than some.”
“Executions were carried out every Monday. The first time, the guards watched Sasha and I carefully to see how we reacted to the gunshot that signalled the end of someone’s life. We both remained as quiet and calm as possible.”
“The following weekend, we had our ‘shower’. At first we were worried – but the boys told us not to be too concerned. We were told to stand against a wall and hosed down. The guards thought it was great fun, but we didn’t get much cleaner – just wet.”
Horatio gritted his teeth at Mich’s tale, forcing himself to keep calm though his own temper was rising. Mich had accepted the bad treatment, knowing it was part of the risk of her work, but it didn’t make him feel any better. Looking at her face, he knew her story was about to get worse.
For the first time Horatio doubted the wisdom of his decision to get Mich to talk.
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Post by sanne on Jul 31, 2009 21:40:52 GMT -10
Of course it was wisdom to get her to talk H.....IF you want to be able to return home that is.......If Mich wouldn't talk, you would not be able to return home to the kids.....and Mich...... Sandra
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Post by margaret1234 on Aug 1, 2009 3:26:55 GMT -10
No doubts now Horatio, you have managed Mich so well up to now. You are not going to like what you hear......but you must, if there is to be any sort of reconcilialtion between you. Great chapter Lucy.
Margaret
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Post by pinkyster on Aug 1, 2009 4:27:41 GMT -10
OH my, I hope Horatio is prepared for what she is about to tell him. It doesn't sound like he is taking what she has said so far very well. But glad to see she is opening up and trusting in him. So she is about to reveal their time in prison, doesn't sound very good. So Lucy you are going to get tearful, thanks for the warning. I will try not to cry to much at work on Monday. Atleast I do have tissues on my desk LOL. So what is she going to reveal and will Horatio be able to keep his emotions at bay? I am so hooked on this story and can't wait for more.
Jen
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Post by NV Oracle on Aug 1, 2009 7:58:25 GMT -10
Great chapter, Lucy. The warnings were definitely necessary.
Hopefully H will be able to keep a lid on his own anger. The purpose here was to get Mich to talk, so that hopefully he'll be able to come back home, to the Barn, and his family.
Can't wait to see what happens next.
Your friend NV Oracle
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Post by lucymalta on Aug 2, 2009 1:21:21 GMT -10
Well, Mich is talking and Horatio can't help reacting to it... One thing for sure... its not going to get better...
Lucy
Chapter 16
Horatio sighed, causing Mich to glance up at the slight sound. “Everything ok Horatio? Are you alright?”
Her concern made him smile slightly as he shifted position. Outside it had become dark as the night chased the day away, “I’m just a little stiff, can you get us a drink?”
Mich smiled shyly, realising that Horatio had found an excuse for a break, which was probably just as well. She had felt herself beginning to slide into a negative mind set, could feel the darkness clouding her mind. A break was definitely what she needed.
Checking the cabinet, she noted that there was very little water left, so decided to go out for a short walk and get some more, plus something for herself. Seeing the concern on Horatio’s face, she promised him that she would return.
As she walked quietly along the corridors and out into the street Mich’s mind was turning over. Now that she had finally began to talk about Sasha, her own mind was starting to sort itself out, but she could feel the anger simmering below the surface and it scared her more than ever before.
Left alone for a while, Horatio was also able to think. Though Mich currently had her emotions under control, he could sense that the situation would probably change on her return. He hoped he would have the strength to help her. Had he pushed too much too soon?
A slight noise brought him out of his thoughts and he quickly changed his expression to one of welcome as Mich walked back in. He was happy to see her looking a little calmer; the short break had seemed to help her too.
After the two of them had relaxed a little, Horatio could see the distress flow across Mich’s face. “We can do this another time if you want.”
Mich shook her head, “No, I have to do this now, or I will never be able to do it again, and you deserve to know the complete story.” Taking a deep breath she continued.
“One night I was woken by a scream of anger, in her sleep Sasha had rolled close to the bars of the cell and two of the men had reached through. One had put his hand over her mouth to stop her from making a noise – the other was…” Mich paused and Horatio could see the anger cross her face. “Anyway, Sasha wasn’t the type to stay quiet, she bit the hand across her mouth, punched the man in the face.”
“The one that had been… touching her backed off quickly before she had a chance to get him, but the look on his face said it all. It made me feel sick inside and I knew then that things were going to get a lot worse.”
“The guards thought it was hilarious. From that night on, Sasha and I put our mattresses on top of each other next to the soldier’s cell. We slept head to toe while the guys took it in turns to watch over us – I think they realised things were about to change.”
“The following Sunday, we had our ‘shower’ and the men that were due to be executed were brought out. One was the man that had been touching Sasha. The guards asked what he wanted for his last meal. He refused a meal, asking to spend a night with us instead. The sergeant agreed.”
Horatio fought his anger, seeing Mich struggling to control her own as she continued. “They let him in our cell, waited to see what happened. There was no way we were going to be nice for him. I let Sasha get in the first strike; the strength of it surprised him a little, but didn’t stop him.”
“One of the soldiers tried to grab him through the bars, tried to help us, but the guards came and ordered him back at gun point. They wanted to see what would happen.” Mich’s eyes became dull, lifeless, her voice hard. “Needless to say, against the two of us he had no chance. It was the first time either of us had killed in cold blood – and we used our bare hands to do it.”
“For the next couple of weeks it became a game for the guards – to see how long someone could survive against us, they didn’t even wait for the execution days, just sent men in at random. They said we were saving them bullets. One day they even sent two men against us, by then we didn’t care anymore, all we wanted to do was survive.”
Mich paused and Horatio caught hold of her hand, could feel her shaking with anger. “Did they ever send one of the soldiers in?”
Mich gave a hollow laugh, “No. The two that were executed while we were there got a bullet. The guards knew they wouldn’t touch us – and we wouldn’t fight them. There was no entertainment.”
“Then Sasha got sick. It was just some kind of simple virus, but it made her weak. The guards thought things would get more interesting. The first man that was sent in died quickly, the guards had forgotten about the soldiers who had realised that Sasha and I could take care of ourselves. This time I was able to force the convict against the bars, one of the soldiers broke his neck.”
“After that the guards kept the soldiers away. Two more men were sent in separately and I dealt with them too. I was fighting for my life, fighting to protect Sasha. By then I was no longer myself. During the day Sasha would talk to me about better times, but it just made me more angry, though I hid it from her.”
“The guards tired of the game, after about six weeks in total they stopped sending men in. One night, they came and grabbed Sasha, she had recovered from the virus, but was still very weak. They threw her in a cell with four men…”
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Post by sanne on Aug 2, 2009 1:25:52 GMT -10
Think I can guess what happened...... Sandra
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Post by margaret1234 on Aug 2, 2009 2:27:16 GMT -10
Men......why do we like them at all OK, don't answer. Great chapter Lucy. So Mich really did go through a terrible ordeal. And now poor Sasha is going through hell. So, I guess that somehow, yet to be revealed, Mich does kill her friend, or the men kill Sasha and MICH is forced to watch. Who knows, we will soon see. Margaret
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Post by NV Oracle on Aug 2, 2009 7:40:26 GMT -10
Yeah, poor Mich, having to remember such a dark time in her life. Hopefully, when H gets the whole story, he'll be able to help her learn to live with it.
Great chapter, Lucy. Normally, I'd say 'can't wait to see what happens next', but that normally for a positive reason. This isn't completely positive, so I will say, 'it'll be interesting to see what happens next'.
Your friend NV Oracle
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Post by Dr. Anna McBreadle on Aug 2, 2009 11:43:37 GMT -10
OMG! i have just read the last two chaps together ireally odn't know what to say! poor Mich must be going through hell right now! at least she has Horatio by her side to help her!
as NV has said, the next chap will be interesting! luv sam x
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Post by lucymalta on Aug 3, 2009 4:27:26 GMT -10
Ok... Longish one today - for two reasons...
1. It's end of part 1, but R&R will be back fairly soon (In a week or so) - once my muse agrees to help me out with a sticky bit four chapters in...! 2. Get your tissues ready... there was no way to split this into two....
Enjoy
Lucy
Chapter 17
Horatio closed his eyes, sickened by what he knew had happened. “Mich, enough… You don’t need to tell me any more.”
“You wanted to know Horatio… Please let me finish… I have to get this out now.” Mich’s voice was hard, causing him to open his eyes. As he expected, he once again faced the Wolf, but this situation was different, something of Mich still remained, he could see it in her eyes. Whether it was because she was finally able to talk, or because of his presence he wasn’t sure.
Mich fought down the anger and her expression became more neutral. “The guards joked that it would be my turn next, but it never happened.”
“A couple of days later there was a bombing raid on Baghdad. The prison was hit quite badly, many inmates were killed – guards too. All I knew was that the soldiers’ cell was damaged. They weren’t going to wait for someone to recapture them, but they did take the time to get Sasha and I out.”
“A SEAL captain took charge of the group. We armed ourselves quickly while we were moving, one of the soldiers saw that Sasha wouldn’t be able to keep up, so he carried her.”
Tears started to slide down Mich’s face, “His nickname was ‘Orso’ - Bear – and he was as big as one too. I don’t know how he managed to keep up with his bulk and Sasha’s weight, but he carried her as if she was nothing.”
“We kept moving south for nearly six hours, hoping to reach the Tigris at some point – then to use the river to get to the Persian Gulf. By then we were all exhausted. I had stayed close to Sasha – as had two other Delta Force guys, they were Orso’s friends from the same platoon. We had no food and desperately needed to change clothes. The guys were in their combats, but a few had no shirts – a couple no boots. Sasha and I were in the clothes we’d been caught in, useless for the situation we were in.”
“The following day, the group got separated – a patrol caught sight of us and in the panic the Delta guys, Sasha and I were forced to take a different route. We chose to take cover and hide, but we could hear the shooting as the others ran. I never saw any of them again – and I was never able to find out if they got back.”
“The five of us decided to stay hidden until dark and then slowly made our way through the streets. We took clothes from bodies in the streets – soldiers, not civilians, hoping that at a distance we would not be recognised. We had a bit of luck when we acquired a compass and map. Sasha recovered slightly, was able to move with us, but she was still weak – partly because of the rough handling she’d received from the four convicts. Orso insisted on carrying her when we had to move quickly.”
The tears began to flow more strongly down Mich’s cheeks, “We made it to the edge of the river when another patrol surprised us… Orso and Sasha were pinned down by gunfire behind a wall… We tried to give them covering fire so they could join us… One of the Delta guys was hit…”
Mich’s anger returned, though the tears continued to fall, “I couldn’t help them… I tried to get to them but couldn’t… Orso tried to get Sasha to us, but he went down… I don’t know how many times he was hit. It was like one of those crazy action movies where people don’t die straight away. He was so strong… he just kept going.”
“His friend tried to drag me away, but I kept screaming for Sasha. She just looked at me and waved me away. Told me to go.” Mich took a deep breath, wiped away the tears. “She called me – didn’t want them to take her back to the prison… I lifted the rifle I had taken… She closed her eyes and nodded… I knew what I had to do, accepted it.”
Mich could keep back her grief no longer, but as Horatio reached out to console her she pulled away, not feeling she had earned the right to accept his sympathy. Standing up, she moved to the window, her arms wrapped around her body allowing the tears to run.
Horatio moved to her side, as he tried to pull her close Mich began to push him away, but Horatio stood firm and Mich relaxed against him.
Finally he understood, Mich’s anger was directed at herself, at her inability to help Sasha. Until now she had been unable to release her grief at losing her friend and punished herself for it on a regular basis. Her work for MI5 had given her an outlet for that anger, but on occasion it had not been enough. He hoped that the grief would mean that she would now be able to learn to control that anger, but doubted it for the moment.
“You did what you had to do Mich. Better Sasha died that day than she lived to the treatment she would have received back in the prison, if she had returned there. They may have just executed her on the spot.”
“How can you say that Horatio? Condone what I did?”
“Because I don’t think I would have had the courage to do the same. You could have left Mich… Left her to face mistreatment, or to die alone. You didn’t. She told you to go… Made the choice – wanted you to live – or at least have a chance. You honoured her choice.”
“But I still have to live with it.”
“Yes. And I know how that feels. That I can help you with.”
“It will never go away.”
“No. But you can learn to live with it. Carry it better than you do now.”
Mich straightened in Horatio’s arms and he released her. “You’re right, I need to sort myself out, some time to think things through better. I know I can talk to you now without the fear, but I’m not sure I can control the anger completely.”
Horatio nodded, “Take all the time you need to think, but I need a promise from you before I can let you leave.”
Mich fought the frustration rising inside and nodded her head. Her word was her bond and Horatio knew that, she knew he would use it to set boundaries, but she had a feeling it was what she needed – at least in the beginning. He returned to his bed and sat down, fixing her with a hard look.
“Stay away from the streets. Keep control of that temper as much as you can. Use it against me as you have done in the past and I will leave for good.” Mich closed her eyes in pain and Horatio’s voice softened, “Do as I ask and I will return to the barn. Help you to live with what you did, help you to move on.”
“I will.” Mich took a deep breath and looked up, “Horatio… Thank you, I owe you so much… Our girls have one hell of a father, I know you will always be there for them.”
Mich paused at the door and looked at him shyly, “You’ll always be there for me too won’t you, even if things don’t work out for us…” Seeing the look that crossed his face she sighed, “One day I will be able to repay you, I don’t know how yet, but believe me I will… You deserve so much more…”
The sincerity in her voice filled Horatio with relief though he hid it from her. As the door closed he gave a large sigh, wondering what the hell he had let himself in for.
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Post by sanne on Aug 3, 2009 4:41:18 GMT -10
Poor Sasha......she's been to hell but was never able to get out. So the story is out in the open now...well...at least between H and Mich. Mich, you better keep your word......and I'm sure H will be able to help you. Sandra
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Post by deborah on Aug 3, 2009 5:53:08 GMT -10
I hope that Mich can keep her word also. I know that H can help her. Update if there are any or is this the end. I sure hope not. Deborah
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