Leather And Lace Part 5

Raven sent a silent request to Poseidon for a nice smooth crossing. Raven scanned their path when the hairs on the back of her neck stood up and her eyes darted to the darkened doorways and alleys they pa.s.sed. She knew they were being followed but with all the civilians around she couldn't react until she had pinpointed their adversaries. She pulled her companion closer and picked up her pace. She turned her head and noticed a shadowy figure that accelerated his walk also.

Kris felt the tension practically radiating from the body next to her. "What is it? What's wrong?" She tightened the grip of her right hand in Raven's left and leaned closer into her companion's body, seeking the comfort and security the tall solid frame provided.

"We're being followed." She tilted her head slightly, listening. "No matter what happens, I want you to do as I say, when I say it. If I tell you to run, you run." She looked down into suddenly fearful green eyes. "No arguments this time, okay?" She gave Kris directions to the pier and what to tell the Captain of the boat in case they became separated.

"What about you? I don't want to leave you. Please, don't make me." She pleaded.

"I'll be alright." She tried to rea.s.sure her companion. "I've got on a bullet proof vest." She hoped that might comfort Kris' panic. It didn't, Kris tightened her grip.

"Please, don't leave me." She whispered and clutched Raven's hand so tightly that she almost cut off the blood supply.

"Okay, Sagira." She wished she could take the girl in her arms and hold her, but now was not the time. "What do you say we make a break for it?" 'Now I wish I'd taken the time to have her put on my vest. I'll never forgive myself if anything happens to her.'

They continued to swiftly walk southward. Kris moved slightly away from Raven's side, but kept her death grip on the woman's hand. "I thought we were running?" She questioned as they continued their walk.

"We're about to." Raven answered. They had left the area that contained the emba.s.sies and were now pa.s.sing storefronts. The road to her right had become more congested with automotive traffic, just as the sidewalk had become crowded with pedestrians. She had been hoping to lose the tail in the more populated area, but they were proving to be adequate followers. She was now just hoping they wouldn't try anything with this many people around while she was waiting for an opportunity to make a run for the boat. They had been walking towards the flow of traffic on a one-way street when Raven saw the chance she had been waiting for. "You see the bunch of cars heading for us?" Kris nodded. "We're going to wait until the last second and cross in front of them, so our pursuers can't follow us. Don't worry, I'm not going to let you get run over." She squeezed her companion's hand once to rea.s.sure her.

"I trust you." Kris said matter-of-factly, like it was an everyday occurrence that she put her life in the Captain's hands.

Raven almost stopped walking at the simple admission. She would have to wonder about where that came from later. "Ready." She waited until the last possible second. "Go." She put her arm around Kris' waist to help pull her quickly across the road. They made it to the other side just before the stream of traffic made it impossible for their pursuers to follow. She turned them down an alley that would take them to a workers entrance to the pier to avoid customs, the man on the gate had been bribed earlier. They were halfway to the end of the alley when she felt a presence behind her. She knew there had to have been at least one following on this side of the road, but she had not been able to pick him out of the crowd. She pushed Kris behind a stack of crates before she turned and drew her gun. She felt the impact of the slugs. .h.i.t her vest just as she fired her own weapon. She saw the man hit the pavement of the alley as her body impacted with the wall behind her.

John prayed all the way to the base. His gut told him that the girl had followed Raven even before he and Hardly had searched the emba.s.sy. He was thankful that he was on the last helicopter, at least it would delay telling Whitfield and his wife. He would have to send out teams to try and locate her if it happened that she wasn't with Raven, but he would find that out when his Captain radioed in from the boat. And if lady luck were with him, that call wouldn't be long after they landed. After they touched down he made his way to the large recreation building where his charges were being guarded.

"Lieutenant Logan, where's my daughter?" Andrew Whitfield's voice bellowed over the mumbling of the other inhabitants that very quickly became quiet. The Amba.s.sador marched toward the reluctant leader and stretched his short stature trying to look him in the eye.

John inwardly cringed. "Amba.s.sador, I'm sure she's fine. She eluded the guard a.s.signed to her and left the emba.s.sy."

"Well, what kind of idiot let's an innocent girl get away from him?" The irate father yelled.

"He shouldn't have had to worry about her trying to get away. He wasn't supposed to tie her down, just protect her." John raised his voice also.

"Oh G.o.d!" Kris felt like she was moving in slow motion. "Wake up, please." She captured Raven's face in her hands and caressed tan cheeks with her thumbs until blue eyes opened. "Where are you hurt?" Kris panicked looking for traces of blood. Raven was hurt and it was up to her to take care of her companion. "Raven?" She called again and waited for the unfocused eyes to zero in on hers.

Raven looked up at the soft lips that were inches from hers. She started closing the distance before the realization of where they were stopped her. "If I tell you later will you kiss it and make it better?" She chuckled at the startled expression. "Ow!" She rubbed her head where it had connected with brick wall behind her. "Come on, help me up and let's get outta here before we end up with an audience."

"You're okay?" Kris wasn't convinced even though she helped her friend up.

Raven rapped her knuckles against her chest. "Vest." She explained the clunking sound and found her arms full of a relieved blonde.

"Lieutenant?" Sergeant Hardly ran up and held out a headset to him. "It's the Captain."

John grabbed the thing and jammed it over his head and against his ears. "Logan." He informed the mike.

Raven had been debating on how much to make him sweat before she admitted to Kris being with her. "How are things on that end?"

He knew it would go easier if he just came clean and told her that they had lost the girl. "Uh, we, or that is to say I, seem to be missing someone." He was wondering if Sharon would mind if he retired, as he waited to see what would be left of his b.u.t.t after it was chewed.

"Really? That someone wouldn't happen to be a short, feisty blonde, would it?"

John relaxed when he heard the voice in the background. "Short? I told you before I'd have to hurt ya if you ever called me short." John grinned and turned to the Amba.s.sador and his wife. "Your daughter is with the Captain and she's okay."

"John, we're on the boat now and we'll be there in about four or five hours. Make sure everything's ready to go, I want to leave when we get there."

"We'll be ready." Raven signed off before he could ask her anything else. He handed the headset back to the Sergeant and faced the group of people. He advised them to eat the meal that was being provided to them and try to get some rest. He was heading towards the door when Andrew and Regina Whitfield stopped him.

"I've been informed by my wife that Miss Chandler, Kristen's companion, is also missing."

"She's with your daughter, Amba.s.sador." He wasn't about to enlighten them to the fact that his Captain was their daughter's companion. 'If they can't put two and two together I'll let Raven deal with it when she gets here. Serves her right for making me admit I'd lost her before telling me the girl was with her.' "Anything else I can do for you?" He tried to keep his voice neutral.

"Yes." Andrew replied, not bothering to keep the arrogance from his voice. "Tell your Captain that I want to see him, as soon as he gets here." He tried to look down his nose at the man facing him. Not an easy task when the other person is almost a foot taller. "That will be all." He dismissed the man.

John rolled his eyes as he walked away. 'I've got to be sure that I'm here when he finds out who the Captain is.' He chuckled all the way to the command center. 'He obviously doesn't have a clue.'

"You really think I'm feisty?" Kris asked rather shyly.

Raven wondered what happened to the playful young woman from a minute ago. "Yes I do." She placed her fingers under her companion's chin and raised the lowered head. "I think that you've got a good heart, you're kind, you're trusting, that you look for the good in almost everyone and that you're very beautiful. I also don't think that you're short, just vertically challenged." Raven grinned.

Kris didn't know what to say to all the incredible compliments she was receiving. She looked into sincere blue eyes as the flattery continued. She blushed and looked down when she was called beautiful and it took a minute for what Raven said next to register. She jerked her head up to see a playful grin spread across her companion's face. She tried to look stern as she responded. "Yep, I'm definitely gonna hav'ta hurt ya for that." But couldn't keep the matching grin from her face as she pulled Raven close. Well, as close as one could when both were wearing unyielding bulletproof vests.

As soon as they had boarded the boat, Raven had launched into a conversation with the boat's Captain in Turkish, no less. Kris stood by, only understanding a word or two that she had picked up from the emba.s.sy staff, before Raven pulled her below deck. "What was that all about? It sounded like an argument and you never told me you could speak Turkish." She stood by while her companion opened compartment after compartment. "What other languages can you speak?"

"He was upset that there was two of us, he was only expecting one. They tend to get nervous if things don't go as planned." She moved to another crate. "And I speak enough of the language to get by." She seemed to find what she was looking for. "Here, let's see if this will fit you." She held it up to judge. "Take off your jacket." While Kris complied, Raven answered her last question. "A little Italian, some Spanish and German, a little more Arabic and Greek, and a smidgen of Russian. It comes in handy in this line of work if you can speak a little of the language of the place you're being sent." She placed the vest over the young woman's shoulders and had to catch her before she collapsed.

"These things are heavy." She said as she bounced up and down trying to get use to the extra weight.

"They're not that heavy, you just weren't expecting it." She adjusted a strap. "This one is not as large as mine, but it's still a little big for you. See if you can move around in it."

Kris did as asked. "You know, out of all those languages, the one other than English that I speak you don't." Raven raised her eyebrow in question. "French." Kris answered. "I wanted to learn Spanish, but the tutor we had a the time only knew French. And mother thought it more appropriate that I learn a romantic language. They had made their back on deck and were sitting in the bow of the boat, talking.

"Hugging isn't easy with these on." Raven griped and kissed the forehead that was level with her lips. "Come on, Sagira, we're about to dock."

"Okay, Taz, but you owe me a hug when we get out of these." She reluctantly released her.

Raven waited until the boat moved away from the empty dock. Still in a crouch she moved them towards a chain-link fence that bordered the piers. About twenty yards down from where they started, she stopped them and pulled aside a section of fence that had been cut and motioned Kris through. After several minutes of moving from shadow to shadow, Raven stopped them again, this time in front of a sleek blue motorcycle. "Ever ridden one before?"

"That?" Kris pointed to the bike. "No. Mother said they were too dangerous. And this one looks like it'd be really, really fast." She couldn't keep an excited grin off her face.

"She was right, they can be. And this one is fast." Raven zipped up the black leather jacket that she had confiscated from the boat for Kris to wear. She placed the helmet she had also swiped from the boat, much to the Captain's irritation until she promised that he would be compensated for the items, on the girl's head and secured the strap. She raised the visor. "We'll be going pretty fast, so I want you to keep your head down behind my back if it bothers you. And I want you to put your arms around my waist and hold on tight, okay?" Kris nodded. "Oh, one more thing. On the turns I need you to lean with me and the bike, don't fight it."

"Lean into them, got it." She looked thoughtful. "Holding you might be a hardship though."

"Smarta.s.s." Raven closed the visor with an audible snap. Then proceeded to attire herself in the same fashion as her companion. She showed Kris where the footrests were and settled in front of the girl. She turned the key and grinned from ear to ear as the 1200cc engine roared to life. This bike had been customized for her after she complained that with the throttle on the right, she would have to shoot left-handed. Not that she couldn't, but she had better aim with her right hand. So, out of the complaint came this, 1999 model Triumph Trophy pacific blue in color, as she requested.

The 99's hadn't even been delivered to the dealers when she had taken her first ride, which had been on a closed test track. She had pushed the bike to near 200 mph on a smooth straight away and had been hard-pressed not to jump for joy. She instead returned to the waiting onlookers and simply said, "It'll do."

About an hour and a half into the ride, Kris patted Raven on her side and the Captain pulled over. "You alright?"

"I uh, gotta go." She said apologetically and shrugged her shoulders.

Raven turned her attention to the area beside the road. "Pick a bush." She said when she turned her head back to Kris. "It's not like they're in short supply."

She raised her visor and the similar one on her companion's helmet to see if Raven was pulling her leg. "You've got to be kidding." She stated hopefully. When a raised eyebrow was her only answer she swallowed audibly. "No way, there's scorpions and snakes and lizards out there." She shivered.

Raven threw her leg over the front of the bike and held her hand out for Kris to take. "Come on, Sagira, I'll chase all the creepy crawly's away."

They were about thirty minutes away from the base when Raven stopped the bike in the middle of the road and looked behind them. "Oh s.h.i.t!" The Captain complained. "I should have known better than to think this would be simple."

"What? What is it?" All Kris saw were lights headed in their direction. After all it was a road, even if it had been deserted for the past three hours. Then she noticed them spread out. It wasn't normal cars coming down the road, they were coming cross-country and heading at an angle to get in front and cut them off. "Oh." She shuttered when she comprehended the situation.

"Kris, I want you sitting in front of me." She said in a 'don't argue with me' voice.

"Why? I can't hold on up there." But she was already in motion.

"Yes you can." Raven showed her where to put her hands so they wouldn't get burned or interfere with her controlling the bike. She pulled Kris' hips back against her tightly "If they start shooting at us, I don't want your back exposed." She explained. "Lean forward and stay as low as you can." She had the bike speeding down the road as fast as she could and still control it on the curves. She kept one eye on the road and one on their pursuers. 'Hades take me, we're not gonna make it unless this G.o.ds be d.a.m.ned road straightens out.' She used her right hand to partially unzip her jacket so she could reach her guns. She also released the strap that was holding the Vz.58 a.s.sault rifle securely in place beside her leg.

Chapter Seven:.

"Lieutenant Logan." One of the airmen a.s.signed to the base yelled. "They're on their way in, but they're being followed."

"How far out are they?" John started for the door; he didn't want the other's to hear anymore.

"About ten miles. You can get a good view from the roof of this building, there's not time to get to the tower."

He reversed his direction and took the stairs two at a time. He knew the emba.s.sy personnel who had been startled out of their sleep when the airman had yelled were following him, but didn't take time to stop them. He heard the gunfire before he spotted the bike. He also noticed two choppers with air to ground missiles starting their engines and knew that they wouldn't get off the ground in time to prevent the chasers from catching the chasees, it was up to Raven to beat them to the base. The main gate was open and waiting.

"I don't see them." Regina complained. "All I see is a cloud of dust."

"There." Parker pointed.

"Oh my G.o.d." Andrew groaned when he also noticed the speeding motorcycle.

Raven saw the straight road that they needed if they were going to have a chance at out running their pursuers. She grasped the handlebars with both hands to hold the bike steady and opened the throttle all the way. As they picked up speed she wondered if the Ancient Greeks had a G.o.d she could pray to for a good smooth road, because if she hit a b.u.mp or a hole at this speed there wouldn't be anything left of them for the terrorists to capture.

Kris opened her eyes when she felt the speed increase and wished she hadn't when she saw what used to be landscape become a complete blur. She quickly shut them again. Then she heard the shooting and was suddenly very grateful than Raven had made her get in front. 'She probably has this kind of thing happen to her all the time.' Her respect for the woman went up by leaps and bounds as each minute pa.s.sed.

Raven was extremely tired of being shot at by the one vehicle that had managed to take a better angle than the others and almost catch them. It was positioned off the road to the left and a little behind the bike. She knew that it would be a lucky shot if one managed to hit her because of the rough surface the vehicle had to deal with, but it was still possible and if it happened she wouldn't be the only one that paid the consequences. She grabbed the rifle and steadied it by resting it across the left arm. She then slowed the bike down long enough for their pursuers to come up beside them. She held the trigger down and hoped she hit the driver or something vital that would stop them before the magazine ran out.

"Come on, you can make it." John mumbled over and over again. He felt as helpless as he did on the last mission when Raven had been captured. Everybody on the roof held their breath when the bike slowed down. All eyes moved as one as the car they thought would overtake the motorcycle started flipping end over end before it exploded in a ball of fire. John let go of the air he had trapped in his lungs as the bike regained its speed. He knew that they would now make it to the base as the helicopters lifted off to turn back the others that still followed.

Raven had slowed down before entering the base. She headed in the direction of a hanger that she was being waved toward. She shut off the bike and had to help Kris pry her fingers loose and sit up. "Are you okay?" She asked as she removed the helmet from her companion's head.

"Yeah, I think so." She responded shakily. She was about to thank Raven for saving her again, but turned instead to the commotion of a mult.i.tude of people trying to get through the door into the hanger all at the same time. It reminded her of the old Keystone Cops silent movies and their slapstick kind of comedy.

They all managed to gain entrance without killing each other and gathered around the bike. "Kris, you scared us to death when you weren't on the helicopter. Thank G.o.d you're safe." Vivian broke the silence.

"What do you mean by running off like that." It wasn't a question. "You're grounded for the rest of your life, young lady." Regina Whitfield scolded her eldest daughter.

The Amba.s.sador stood next to the still helmeted figure. "Well, Captain, I can't say much for the men under your command, they could use a little more training I believe. But I'd like to thank you for saving my headstrong daughter." He dug himself in deeper as Raven loosened her chinstrap. "She just needs a husband to keep her in line, if you know what I mean?" He chuckled until he saw the long black hair fall from under the helmet as it was lifted off and the cold as ice blue eyes greet him.

"No, Amba.s.sador, I'm afraid that I don't know what you mean." She pinned him with her stare.

"Miss Chandler." He backed up a step or two, slightly embarra.s.sed. "Lieutenant." He shouted. "You told me that my daughter was with your Captain."

"Yes I did." John didn't offer anymore and turned his attention to a person walking towards them.

The commander of the US Squadron that made the base it's home, stood in silence for several minutes glaring at the a.s.sembled ma.s.s. His eyes came to rest on Raven who raised an eyebrow at him. The others were beginning to get nervous with this bear of a man staring at them. "d.a.m.n, girl, you sure know how to make an entrance." He smiled and pulled her into a hug that would have collapsed her lungs if she hadn't had the vest on.

He had been one of Raven and John's instructors when they had gone through their two years of training. It had also been her team that pulled a group of civilians out of a dangerous situation in South America that his son happened to be one of. "Come on, Cuddles, put me down." She had hung that nickname on him because of his fondness for hugging people that he cared about.

He placed her back on her feet. "You are the only one that I let get away with calling me that, Captain." He turned serious. "You had us worried for a minute back there."

"I had myself worried, too." She admitted. "But I promised my friend over there, that I wouldn't let anything happen to her." She inclined her head towards Kris. They talked while The Division's C-17 was pulled from the hanger.

Kris had managed to tell John about the incident in the alley and that she wasn't sure if Raven had been hurt or not. So when she finished her conversation with the commander, they cornered her. "Where were you hit?" John knew from first hand experience that even though you were wearing a bulletproof vest, the impact could still break bones.

"I'm fine." Raven protested to deaf ears. "Oh, alright." She removed her jacket and pointed to her right ribcage.

John leaned down and extracted the two slugs that were still embedded in the vest. "He got off two shots?" He questioned, then glanced at the probable reason, Kris. 'She would have made sure the girl was out of the way first.' "Let's get this thing off and see if you're just bruised or if a rib is broken."

Kris took the two flattened slugs from John as he started taking the vest off his Captain. The result of what would have happened to Raven if she hadn't been wearing the vest hit her hard. 'Thank you, thank you, thank you.' She said a prayer to who ever was responsible for making sure the Captain was protected.

Raven held up the hem of her tank top in order for John to examine her side. A large bruise had started to darken her skin as he prodded and poke her ribs. "Ow! Not so hard." She noticed that they were being watched but no one ventured very close. "Did headquarters know that Kris and I were on our own?" She lowered her voice so that only John and Kris heard.

"Yes, Simmons radioed in right after we landed." He followed her possible line of thought. "You don't think that's why you had company, do you? You could have just been followed."

"No." Raven shook her head. "I would have picked it up and besides, there were better places to catch us than right before the base." She explained. "There's nothing we can do about it from here, so let's keep it to ourselves. But tell Simmons no more messages."