Открыть фик целиком в отдельном окне
“Can you bring up Charlie’s file?”
“Sure.” Within seconds the information was displayed on the screen.
“Bingo, same man. Okay, so get George on the cell for me Captain.”
“Sir, yes sir.” Jenkins threw off a crisp salute and strapped himself into the lounge as he patched threw a call.
“Been a long time Axon.” The Colonel’s gruff voice hid his delight at hearing Peter’s voice.
“Yes sir it has. We’ve lucked out George.”
“Indeed?”
“Stanislav was in my squad.”
“We need the break, what’s your ETA?”
“Twenty minutes to the house. Is Praeger there?”
“Yeah he’s keeping Stanislav busy. Doyle is conscious and has responded but we’ve cleared the area and secured the perimeter. Gotta tell you Axon, this boy will be dealt with with extreme prejudice.”
“Understood sir.”
~~~***~~~
The thin pale lines of dawn speared the house as Connor moved experimentally, the pain lanced through his knees and he reached up to finger the lump on his head.
“Move again and you’ll eat a bullet.” Stanislav’s broad Chicago accent made Connor wince as he dropped his hands back into his lap and peered around. He heard Matt’s voice in the background, distorted by RT crackle and winced again, the room tilted dangerously and Connor fought back the wave of fear that clawed at his belly.
Experience told him that he was succumbing to the first tendrils of shock and he shivered involuntarily.
“So close.” he thought, “so close babe, I’m sorry.” Connor passed out.
~~~***~~~
The sight that greeted Axon was not one to readily inspire confidence. The small well-maintained house was surrounded by heavily armed troops and in the midst of them Peter could see Matt and Anton talking to a distinguished man in full dress uniform.
“George.” Peter smiled as the Colonel returned the handshake then clasped a warm hand on his shoulder.
“Seems your friend has passed out and Charlie is getting very annoyed, wants to talk to someone he can trust.” The Colonel spoke as he steered Axon through the crowd.
“You want Stanislav alive?” Peter asked as he shucked his coat and tie, Matt was stunned by the sudden cold in his friend’s voice.
“Not particularly.” George conceded.
“Hey Matt.” Peter smiled as he handed the discarded clothing over and took off his shirt, skinning down to a white Tee that hugged every defined muscle on the physicist’s body.
“Peter.”
“If I forget, thank you.” Peter smiled again. “Is he hurt?”
“Took a blow to the back of the head.” Anton answered as he joined the group, “other than that we know of possible glass in his knees.”
“He looked thin and pale, general physical condition?” Peter was impassive as he followed through and took in the information, his mind and body already singing with adrenaline.
“Connor will be fine; he’s sustained prolonged trauma and is recovering. Psychologically he appears to have no outward signs of distress, however he is adept at hiding things, as we know. Shock will be a mitigating factor and probably concussion.”
“So get him safe and get him warm?” Peter looked up.
George reappeared with a gun and handed it across to Peter. “I’m assuming you know what this is?”
“Oh sure, M11, 9mm semiautomatic, double-action pistol holding a minimum of eight rounds. The pistol features an ambidextrous magazine catch and has a reliability rate of 17 allowable stoppages out of 15,000 test rounds of M882 9mm ball ammo fired.”
“You always were a quick study, you kept up on the range?”
“OSIR protocol insists we maintain our proficiency rating at a minimum of ninety six per cent.”
“Range is different to a man.” Anton intoned gravely.
“No actually not different at all. You forget Anton once a marine, always a marine.”
“Semper Fi.” The Colonel smiled. “Alright lad in you go.”
Anton shook his head as he watched Peter tuck the gun into the back of his jeans and hold his hands wide as he approached the house, his voice carried softly on the breeze as he talked into the comlink and stopped by the front door.
“What?” Matt asked as he watched intently.
“Peter is exhibiting a side of him that I never realized existed.”
“I’ve seen it before, so have you we just didn’t know how far down it went. Besides the sonofabitch has Connor and given the last two years, I think Peter would shoot God himself if he stood in the way.”
~~~***~~~
Peter kicked the front door open and moved into the small hallway, movement on his left brought him into the kitchen where Connor sat slumped on the floor, dark stains of dried blood underneath his legs and down into the collar of his pajamas.
“Hey Charlie.” Axon spoke softly, his manner and tone non-threatening.
“Thought you left the forces sir.” Charlie hovered into view, he looked tired and drawn his face pale and contorted with fear.
“Reassigned to the OSIR, you wanna tell me what’s going on here Charlie?”
“Got into trouble sir, big trouble.” Charlie frowned as he ran a hand across his forehead and Connor stirred.
“Mind if I sit down?” Peter lowered his arms and pointed to a kitchen chair.
“No, I need help sir.”
“I see that, but taking hostages Charlie? That’s a no win situation.”
“Know that sir, and I expect them to take me out, but I gotta kill him.” He nodded towards Connor and Peter’s heart thudded.
“Why?”
“Got family sir, if he tells them what he knows, they won’t get my pension, and I’ve got four kids.”
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