the Gruinard Project chapter 2

[khandy]

We are still scene setting in this chapter. When I wrote this series 8 had not aired so characters are as they were in series 7 with a couple of additionChapter 2

December 25th 2000

Lucas North lay huddled against the wall naked, his knees drawn up to his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around him in an effort to keep warm. The cell was in total darkness, not a single chink of light penetrated the blackness. He thought he had been here twenty days, but he was no longer really sure, in this dark world day and night ceased to exist. The exercise regime he'd started had stopped, he was too weak with hunger and thirst to do anymore than walk round the cell. The smell in the small room was rancid. Once he realised it was completely empty, not even a bucket to pee in, he had designated the right hand corner as his toilet, now the smell of stale urine and faeces clung to the air he breathed, it was ingrained in every pore of his skin and he could almost taste it on his mouth. The guards who shoved his food through the flap in the door could be heard gagging and heaving every time they undid it.

That door opening was Lucas' only contact with the outside world, since he had been brought here. He counted the hours until it opened again, proof that he had not been forgotten. This had become his greatest fear that one day they would forget to come to him and he would die in this stinking black hole.

His skin was raw in places from lying on the hard floor and at least two wounds were infected, one on his hip and one on his shoulder, they smelt worse than the faeces and urine. His lips were cracked and both them and his mouth were ulcerated. If his captors did not decide what they were going to do with him soon, it would be too late, he would be dead from dehydration, malnutrition and neglect.

He thought of home a lot during those twenty days. What was Harry doing to secure his release? Surely he was doing something, were the home office involved. Lucas was Harry's protégé, he had trained him, on his last appraisal he had told him he was the most accomplished agent he had ever seen. Surely to God they wouldn't just leave him here. Wherever "here" was, Lubyanka prison possibly, it would make sense, FSB headquarters.

Lucas' clever mind also tried to work out who had betrayed him. Somebody in London must have known his plans and where the drop was to take place. Who was responsible? Not somebody from section D surely? He went thought the other sections could it be somebody from one of them. The worst thought he had was that maybe Harry had betrayed him.

He thought of his parents and their home in Cumbria. What must this ordeal be like for them? Who had told them, what had happened to him? Possibly the new boy Tom Quinn. He imagined them sitting arm in arm trying to come terms with the fact that their son had been captured. It must have been a shock, as they had no idea he worked for the secret service. His father was a minister and both his parents had great faith, Lucas could only hope it would help them through this ordeal. His own faith, was waning for he was sure God had forsaken in this hell.

He thought of Elizaveta had she been told that he had been captured? As his ex wife they might believe it was none of her business. The less she knew about her husbands involvement with MI5 the better, as the FSB could be ruthless. He lay imagining Elizaveta trying to keep her image clear in his mind. He would imagine making love to her touching her skin. As always Elizaveta's image disappeared and SHE appeared "The Pixie" as he thought of her.

Suddenly and without warning the door was flung open and he was dragged from the cell into another room. He was restrained in a chair by thick leather straps that bit into his skin and held his head immobile

"Hello Lucas it is Christmas day and we have a gift. Open your eyes," a heavily accented voice commanded.

He opened them slowly, the room was in darkness but only for a second it was suddenly illuminated, with the most intense light Lucas had ever known. It was directly in his face, his eyes closed, shutting out the pain. He had only had them closed for 5 seconds when a jolt of electricity shot through him. The chair was wired. He scream in agony.

"Lucas open your eyes and tell us what you know about Sugarhorse?" the voice commanded.

It was impossible to open his eyes after twenty days in the dark. He opened them slowly but the pain caused by the light was indescribable. They snapped shut again and 5 seconds later electricity shot through him again.

"Lucas either keep your eyes open or tell us about Sugarhorse. It is the only way to stop the shocks," the voice commanded.

Again and again the question was fired at him and the shocks were sent through his body. He was strapped in the chair for five days sitting in his own urine and excrement not being allowed to sleep and just two cups of water given him a day.

On the sixth day he was thrown in a shower room.

"You smell Lucas you need cleansing," the voice told him.

The pressure hose that was turned on him drove him into a huddle against the wall. The water was freezing.

"Lucas what is Sugarhorse and what is Harry Pearce's role in it?"

Lucas pushed his mind away from their probing questions.

For 5 days they kept hosing him down and asking the same questions.

On the 10th day he was strapped to a table.

"Lucas you know you want to tell us about Sugarhorse? Harry Pearce has forgotten you. They don't care about you."

Still he said nothing retreating further into his mind, he had created a safe haven there with his books and music and the woman he loved.

They forced a gag into his mouth and covered his face with a cloth water rained down on him causing him to cough and choke. He couldn't breath he was drowning.

"What is Sugarhorse?" the voice was shouting now.

Eight days they water boarded him for, they never broke him, they couldn't. Lucas had no idea what Sugarhorse was.



********************


The shrill sound of the "bleep" in her pocket was followed by the telephonists voice,

"Cardiac Arrest Prince Edward Ward, Cardiac Arrest Prince Edward Ward."

Kate Masters left her uneaten lunch and ran towards the ward where the emergency was. How many times she wonder will I pay for a lunch that I never eat? She arrived at the ward at the same time as other members of the "arrest team"

"Merry Christmas Kate," one of the nurses called as she flew by the nurses station.

The patient was fifty years old he had been admitted with abdominal pain and had collapsed suddenly. He had no pulse and had stopped breathing. The ward staff were carrying out basic CPR.

The lead on the team today was David Charles and like a well oiled machine they followed his instructions.

"Can we tube him please Kate?" he requested.

Calmly Kate took the Laryngoscope and the ET tube a nurse passed her.

"Can we stop compressions while I pass the tube" she said she was tilting the patients head back as she spoke. She placed the laryngoscope in the patients mouth visualised the vocal cord and passed the ET tube connecting it to ambu bag and oxygen squeezing the bag once she watched the patients chest movement; both sides equal. She then listened with her stethoscope to the air entry in the lungs both good. Securing the ET tube she called out.

"Airway secure."

"Ventricular Fibrillation let's shock him please, Charging and Clear."

Kate stepped away from the bed as they tried to shock the heart into a normal rhythm.

Nothing she resumed the respiratory side of the resuscitation.

"Charging and clear."

When you had been on the arrest team for any length of time you get a sense whether you are going to be successful or not. Kate sensed this was not going to be one of those days. The team worked methodically but sometimes it just wasn't possible to reverse the situation.

"Kate how long?" David Charles asked.

She glanced at the clock.

"40 Minutes."

"Ok people," David reported the treatment that the patient had received so far and then told the team he thought it was time to stop. He went round each person getting their agreement, finally stopping at Kate.

"Kate?" he asked.

"Yeah call it" she agreed, the patient had gone.

"Time of death 13.50" David Charles turned away from the patient.

"Are the family here?" he asked the nurse. She confirmed they were.

"Kate can you speak to the family please? I am going to grab some lunch, once I have written up the notes."

Kate followed the nurse to the ward office, taking a deep breath she pushed open the door and went in to deliver the devastating news. "Merry Christmas" indeed.

She was alone in the staff toilets gripping the hand basin for support. She was trembling violently and tears tricked down her cheeks. Nausea swept over her and she moved into the toilet cubical and vomited. It was always like this, it always had been every time she lost a patient. Since her grandfather's death it was worse. Once she had stop retching she washed her hands and face. Looking in the mirror at her pale face she wondered if she would ever get used to it. Truthfully she thought the answer was never.

Later that evening as she lay in a bath full of bubbles unwinding with a glass of wine. She made herself evaluate her life and where it was going. What had Mr TDH, that was how she thought of the stranger she had spent two amazing nights with, Mr Tall Dark and Handsome TDH for short. What had he said?

"You any get one chance at life so make it the one you want."

So why was she living some one else's dream? It had been her grandfather's dream for her to be an MD not hers. In her heart she had always known this, but not wanting to disappoint him she had gone to medical school, when what she had wanted to do was study microbiology. She picked up the university prospectus and re read the course details. TDH would tell her to go for it

"Carp Diem"

Where did you go she wondered. She had tried not to cry when she woke that morning at the hotel to find him gone, and she could hardly go and ask the hotel for his name and address. She had kept the note he had left. She would never forget either.


******************


December 2nd 2008

Lucas staggered slightly as the man slumped forward, his final breath hissing out in a short gasp. Injured himself and breathless from his exertions, Lucas knew he would be unable to support the man's weight. He lowered him to the floor. No need to check for a pulse, the man was dead, his unseeing eyes wide, his pupils dilated, the rain falling unnoticed on his face. Lucas North had not tried to wound, he had intended to kill and Lucas North didn't make mistakes. He withdrew his knife and wiped it clean, his manner calm and efficient. He quickly and methodically searched the stranger for any form of identification, not unsurprisingly he found none.

The alley was empty but Lucas doubted the dead man was working alone, pressing his hand to his side in an attempt to stem the flow of blood from the wound, he moved silently away, before the man's associates or an innocent passer by appeared. The heavy rain had driven people home early. Lucas hated the rain at night, it brought back memories he fought so hard to suppress. The deserted streets made him a sitting target. He needed to find some shelter, somewhere he could assess the wound.

Withdrawing his mobile he dialled a number.

"Lucas do you have it?" Ros Myers no nonsense voice asked.

"I do but I am going to be off the map for a while."

He ended the call and walked off into the night.

He rounded the corner and came to a halt. It should have offended the eyes sitting as it did among the Georgian and Victorian buildings, a structure conceived and built when planning officers were either morons or accompanied to work by guide dogs. What other excuse could there be for the concrete eyesore. To Lucas however, it was the answer to a prayer. In front of the small car park, a large sign told the public that this was the Borough of Lambeth Primary Care Trust headquarters. A health centre of a type, he could only hope it had first aid equipment inside and was not just offices. The lights were on in one of the offices, a young women was sitting at a desk, the Gods were smiling on him, Lucas thought. He reasoned that the Renault Cleo, in the car park was probably hers, the only vehicle there, he decided to risk her being alone in the building. The woman in the office at that moment turned towards the window affording Lucas a full view of her face.

Lucas was stunned it was as though he had been hit in the solar plexus. There in that window was "the Pixie" from his dreams. The woman who's image had filled his dreams for eight years. The sight of her brought back the memory of a lone weekend, no wonder he couldn't recall her name, he had never known it.

Pulling himself together he moved towards the entrance of the building. It was locked with a key pad, withdrawing a gadget from his pocket he connected it to the lock and was inside the building 30 seconds later.

Kate Master's right hand stretched to her left shoulder in a vain attempt to massage the kinks out. When this was not successful she stretched and closed her eyes. She hated paper work and computers, she was a Doctor, not an IT expert.

"You really should instigate a loan worker policy."

Kate span round on her chair at the deep voice. It had to be dream he couldn't be here not after all this time. It was him though, he had lost a lot of weight his cheeks were hollow, he seemed even more dangerous and edgy than when they had met eight years ago.

How did you get in here?" she demanded, knowing she had locked up when Sue the receptionist had gone.

"I don't have time to explain. I need you to switch of the computer and move away from the window. I am being followed by some men who wouldn't hesitate to kill you." His voice was calm but firm.

Kate hesitated thinking she had slipped into some parallel universe, or a scene from Quantum of Solace except that it wasn't Daniel Craig in front of her.

Lucas knew that they did not have time to dally about.

"Kate, I know I am scaring you but I need you to trust me. Please do as I ask Now!"

The final word made this an order. Kate knew he expected to be obeyed, he always had. She also knew he was not overly dramatic, so the danger must be real, she switched of the computer and moved towards him.

"How do you my name?" she asked.

He tapped her name plate on the door.

"Can you hurry please?" he asked.

As she reached the door she saw the huge blood stain on his side.

"You're hurt! Is that what you came here? " she asked

"I saw you through the window and I thought you might help. The men following me will have the same thought, if they think a Doctor is in here we're not safe. I need you to grab some first aid stuff then we need to leave. "

"How are you so sure I can drive?"

"The 'Cleo' in the car park, yours I believe?" He looked at her daring her to say it wasn't.

"Yeah it's mine." she sighed, this man was dangerous, but she still cared too much to ignore him. "Show me the wound so I know what to grab." she said her decision made

He lifted the hem of his t shirt to show her. Her drawn in breath worried him slightly. Was it worse than he suspected?

She moved efficiently grabbing things and shoving them in a bag.

"Allergies, do you have any?" she looked at him.

"No. Why do you need to know?" he replied impressed with her thoroughness.

"Antibiotics and local anaesthetic you need stitches."

******************

She pulled up in front of a small town house. He had just said drive, so she had, straight home. Sensing that she should hide her car she pulled into the garage which was on the bottom of her building.

"Do you live alone?" he asked

"Yeah, just me and my cat Petruchio." She replied waiting

"Shakespeare? Has he tamed you sassy Kate?" he asked.

"Well more than any man ever has " she said drolly.

****************

"Can you manage to take of your shirt?" At his nod she turned to undo the dressing pack.

Lucas pulled the shirt over his head, wincing in pain, he was beginning to feel light headed, as a result of the blood loss no doubt. He stood trying to stop the world spinning, a cold sweat breaking out on him, as the blood seemed to drain from him. Her gasp made him turn slowly to face her, removing the gun from the waist band of his jeans, he placed it on the counter.

Realising he was about to pass out Kate put aside her shock and helped him to her couch.

"You'd best lie down before you fall down."

"So you are a doctor I got lucky when I saw you through the window." he spoke weakly

"Don't speak too soon you may still die and how will I explain you to the police," she muttered as she started cleaning the wound.

"Mobile in my pocket. If I die press 1 on the speed dial, the person who answers will deal with everything." His voice was weak.

"Oh hush now. You're not dying, This may sting a little." She inserted the needle to administered the local anaesthetic. She watched in amusement as his whole body tensed and he muttered a great many swear words,.

" 'Sting a little' what is that doctor speak for this is going to be like acid or burning oil on your skin." he complained through gritted teeth.

"Wuss." she smiled.

Kate worked methodically suturing the wound. It was like riding a bike, how many years had it been see she had sutured anything but once learnt never forgotten. She could only hope the knife had not perforated the bowel.

"Roll over big boy and drop your pants. I want to give you an antibiotic."

When she had finished she used a soft flannel to sponge away the perspiration and blood from his body. He had thought that it was the gun that had shocked her. it wasn't, it was the tattoos. So at odds with his polished image, and new since she had last seen him.

Guessing her thoughts he spoke.

"Russia, they're a souvenir from Russia." His tone was bitter, his eyes tinged with pain, that Kate guessed had nothing to do with his injuries.

"You still like Blake then?" She nodded at his chest before rising slowly to walk from the room.

Lucas leant back and closed his eyes. She had not changed at all, she was still stunning, he smiled remembering how pleased he had been to discover that her brains had matched her looks.

"Here it's all I have, I won it in a competition." She threw the cricket shirt at him.

Pulling it over his head he spoke.

"It's great, thanks for your help." He felt exhaustion over come him and gave in to the inevitable and let sleep consume him.

He slept for an hour during which time she watched him carefully. Where had he been? Somehow she doubted that where ever it was it had been his choice. His weight loss was pronounced but she did not think him sick his muscles were toned and his hair thick and healthy. The tattoos were a clue she seemed to remember reading something about them being part of Russian Prison culture. What had he been doing in a Russian Prison?

She wandered into the kitchen to prepare some food and make some tea. The sound of her moving woke him and he rose slowly from her sofa.

"Kate I wanted to thank you again before I left." He spoke from the doorway of the kitchen.

"So I still don't get a name, or an explanation as to where you went. We shared a fantastic weekend and I wake up and you're gone. I help you now and you disappear again" she said.

"I can't tell you, Kate if it helps I hated leaving you," he said quietly.

Kate knew she would regret this later.

"Stay, give me tonight, you owe me that much."

Lucas thought for a moment and then moved towards her gathering her close, he lowered his mouth to hers. Heat and desire slammed through him, had he ever felt like this with anybody else. They moved as one to her couch, how long the kiss lasted Kate was not sure, what she knew was it wasn't enough.

"I can give you tonight Kate but that is all. Do you understand?" He held her face as he spoke.

She nodded knowing that it wasn't enough but accepting it was all she could have.

"Lucas, my name is Lucas." he whispered before he claimed her mouth again.


They talked and loved all night.

The pale strands of dawn approached too quickly for either of them. She watched as Lucas got dressed. He gave her one final thorough kiss before leaving her alone once more.

[Aria]

Really enjoying this, you show Lucas's torment at the hands of his captors very believably. Loved the last line, very sad.