THE MIDDLE

The two operatives in black began walking across the vast common area. Past the domed outlook where Damien stood with his back turned to them. As if he could sense her eyes on him, he turned to return her gaze.

Cindy stopped in her tracks. Her pulse and heart rate going into overload with that one glance.

"I can’t do this, he will kill us before he lets me go." She shook her head and began to take baby steps backwards.

The operative grasped the scared woman firmly disconnecting her from the hypnotic gaze of Damien.

"This is your only chance Cherie, we walk out now or we never do."

"But how? We can’t just leave, walk out the door."

"Damien has been ready for your attempt to escape. We cannot skulk in the shadows and disappear, you and I need to walk out the front door so to speak."

Releasing her, Michael took a few steps back.

"Are you ready?"

Cindy turned her gaze once again above to Damien whose hands now rested on the glass awaiting her decision.

Looking into Damien’s eyes for the last time, she mouthed the words I love you. Damien banged on the glass furiously.

Turning towards Michael and taking his now outstretched hand Cindy began her escape.

"I’m ready."

*****

The two began to run. Pulling out night vision goggles and a small device that he fitted to the wall, Section 4 powered down.

Blindly following the steady pace, Dragonlady could hear the shouts and cries of fellow operatives behind her as they dealt with the loss of power and the booming voice of an irate leader.

They came to an air duct and swiftly levered each other into its vast corridors of winding turns and drops.

"I need that damn power on NOW!!" Damien all but punched threw the quivering operative that stood in his way. "Stevens!, Martinez!, Get your people together! We have a breach that needs to be contained!"

Michael and Cindy were drenched in sweat as they made their way slowly through the air ducts. Main power, thus the computers were offline, however they had regained emergency lighting and were now methodically looking for the two operatives.

Damien was angry. Where the hell were they? They would not of made it out yet. They were still here. But where?

"Jeff!" He rained in an operative passing in his line of vision.

"The perimeter is secure sir!"

"And the air vents?"

"Sir?"

"Dammit!, that’s where they are!, Get me a thermal tracer!"

Michael stopped suddenly and listened intently to his surroundings. Dragonlady could feel the tension radiating off the operative in front of her and prepared for the worst.

A blast of electricity filled the tunnels and the two escapees writhed in pain. A moment later light filled the access and Cindy saw through pain soaked eyes, Michael being pulled out just before her world went black.

A buzzing sound filled the empty recesses of Cindy's mind. Slowly the buzzing slowed and light began to penetrate her eyelids. After adjusting to her surroundings, she found herself lying in medlab with Michael a few feet away.

He was already awake and attempting to free himself from the bindings that held him.

"You're awake" Damien's cold voice reverberated in the stark room.

Dragonlady turned her gaze upon Damien who now stood beside her bed glaring down at her.

"I'm sorry." she whispered. Realizing that unlike Michael, she was not restrained, Cindy raised her hand to grasp Damien's and gently tug him into a seated position on the edge of her bed.

'I am so sorry" she exclaimed to him as he enveloped her in a hug. Sliding her hands towards his back she came in contact with her main objective: his gun.

Damien stiffened as he realized her intent. A whirlwind of movements had his own gun pointed at himself and Dragonlady cocking the barrel.

"Release him." Dragonlady ordered Damien as she rose from the bed.

"No"

"Damien, I am leaving."

"No"

Dragonlady was at an impasse. Damien would not help and she knew the minute her eyes came off him he would pounce. She raised the gun to be level with his heart.

"NOW!"

The look in her eyes gave no room for disobedience. Slowly Damien made his way to Michael and proceeded to untie him from the bed. Once free Michael took the gun from her shaking hands and kept it trained on Damien.

"Michael, I think its time to end this, there is no way we are going to get out of here now." Cindy exclaimed as the weight of the situation sunk in.

"We are walking out the front door Cherie."

Cindy looked at Michael in surprise.

"But how?"

"Human Shield." Was his cryptic answer.

*****

The battered Ops began their trek to freedom. With Damien as their guide. Michael held him from behind, the gun trained on his forehead. Cindy trailed closely behind, eyes darting in every direction.

The Section 4 operatives gave wide birth as the hostage situation passed them, unsure of their next move.

Slowly they made their way to the main lift that led towards the highest level and freedom. Once inside the elevator, Cindy made quick work of the wiring so no one could follow.

The doors opened and the three began the walk to the access that led outside. Michael had released Damien and now walked behind him, gun still trained on his back.

Stopping in front of the door they all looked towards the panel on its right.

'The code…" Michael directed Damien's attention to the pad of numbers. Damien began punching in numbers.

Suddenly flashing lights and sirens went off. Startling the seasoned operative momentarily. But it was enough. Damien whipped around knocking the gun out of Michael's hand. As the two men furiously attacked each other, Cindy picked up the gun and looked towards the fight.

Neither really had an advantage above each other. Both were seasoned experts and were meeting each other's blows. Out of the corner of his eye. Michael saw that Dragonlady possessed the gun and now had it waving vicariously at the two operatives locked in battle. Michael delivered a roundhouse kick then sent Damien flying into the wall. He turned intent on taking the gun out of the panic stricken hands of Cindy when, with a growl, Damien threw himself into Michael, shoving him to the floor in his own attempts to reach her.

Dragonlady saw the scene unfolding in front of her. As Michael careened to the floor, she realized in that instant that she had to finish it. Steadying the gun at Damien's looming body, she fired. The blast hit Damien, bringing himself to a fool stop. Disbelief marred his face as blood began to seep out of his chest. He dropped to his knees, his hands covering the wound. With a look of utter loss, he passed out on the hard floor.

Dragonlady couldn't fathom what she had just done. She had just killed Damien; her lover; her friend; her confidant; her... a sudden movement in her line of vision made her jerk and the gun went off.

Michael went down in a heap as the bullet grazed his temple.

Dropping the gun, Dragonlady rushed to his side.

"Help me up" Michael hissed. As the pair made their way towards the exit. Dragonlady stumbled. With a cry, she and Michael fell, with her taking the brunt of the fall.

Michael helped her to her feet only to hear the exasperated moans fill the air.

"OUCH! I think I broke my damn ankle!"

The two hobbled towards the door. After punching in the codes she had memorized earlier the door opened.

Michael and Dragonlady looked at each other. Both battered and bruised, their main injuries coming from each other.

Michael's lips vaguely twitched as he looked down on the new recruit of CLHQ.

"Remind me never to save you again, just too much trouble" Michael announced as they exited her past.

"Oh yeah, my hero." Dragonlady remarked as the two made their way to the waiting mission van.

THE END

Dragonlady and Michael clung to each other as they disembarked from the mission van.

As the door swung open to reveal Section one, it also revealed Operations and Roy.

"I see that the mission was a success." Operations claimed as he looked upon the wary operatives.

"Yes sir, we encountered some resistance, however it was contained." was Michael’s only reply as he gave the near unconscious Dragonlady to a very relieved brother and slowly took himself off to Medlab.

Roy swept his sister into his arms, the stupidest grin showering his face. Looking down he saw a version of the same smile on DragonLady's face as well. Hooking her arms around Roy’s neck she prepared to submit to the blackness that was threatening her whole body.

Pulling the matted hair from the new recruits eyes, Ops, in a moment of what could only be called insanity remarked in a statement that Roy, nor Cindy would ever utter to another human being.

"Welcome to the family."

The End