Nightingale: The Vigilante || EDITING

Chapter Five

"Good morning, lady and gents. You all know your directive. We will be flying you to an old base we have out in Pakistan to deliver, and receive, a package vital to future operations here at HIEP. Your leader for this task will be Ms. Johnson. Anyone who has a problem with that will direct their issue to me personally, and I will shove it right back up their ass."

A chorus of snickers filled the hangar. Zac pat me on the back, whispering "no pressure," in my ear. I grin back at him, then returned my attention to Commander Scott.

"Good luck soldiers," he dismissed us to the plane, but held me back. He waited for the other teens to be earshot away until he spoke to me. "You be careful out there and remember protocol. This client is very picky and we do not want him on the opposing side. You understand me, Johnson?"

"Yes, sir." He handed me a silver briefcase and let me pass and I joined my team on the HIEP cargo plane.

~*~*~*~*~*~

We arrived in Pakistan hours later, landing in an abandoned airport. The plane picked up a gust of sand and it became hard to see. I pulled out a pair of Ray Ban's and slid them on my face to shield the dirt from my eyes. The other four Alpha members piled out of the plane, also wearing protective eye gear. A black Cadillac was parked outside and I begin to take notice in a posse of bodyguards walking toward us in the sandy wind. I sense Zac next to me as we approach the client. Surrounded by the bodyguards was a small man dressed in a pale yellow suit. He had a black frizzy beard and a small mole below his right eye. He was handcuffed to a large black case.

"Miss Johnson, I pressume?" The body guards in front of the man created a door so the man could escape his "cage". The man held out his hand not cuffed to the briefcase and I shook it. "Your commander informed me your team would be coming. You may call me Francis. I believe my true name is too hard to pronounce to Americans. I hope you do not mind the extra security. This is quite a dangerous place to meet."

"That's quite alright, Francis. This is my team," I motioned to the Alpha members. "We have your package, as requested. I do hope you have ours as well."

"As a matter of fact I do. Are we prepared to make the transaction?" His thick accent almost made it hard to understand him. One of Francis's body guards pulled out a silver key and unlocked the cuff from Francis's wrist, and held out the briefcase. I motioned my head to Eric to retrieve the case. Eric took hold of the case and began to cuff himself to it. He nodded back at me when it was tight and secure.

"I believe this would help as well," Francis held the key to the cuffs in front of his face. I smiled and took the key from the man, putting it in one of the pockets of my belt.

"And now, it's your turn to uphold the bargain." One of the Alpha soldiers pushed his way from the back, carrying the silver briefcase. He held it out in his hands, but something caught my eye. I saw a red flash on the briefcase. The light was reflecting off of somewhere, which only meant one thing.

"Get down!" I scream. A bullet shot the Alpha soldier in the head. Blood sprayed out as the boy crumbled to the ground. Francis's body guards each pulled out handguns and began shooting at the air. I pulled my team behind the plane to protect the rest of us from getting shot. I peak around to see one of the body guards scooping up the silver briefcase. He was clutching his arm, blood seeping through his fingers.

"Miss Johnson!" Francis and his bodyguards hid behind a mountain of crates. "Our transaction is completed! I do hope you treat that package with care! Let us go!" The body guards huddled close to Francis and ran to the Cadillac. I made sure they had made it inside before I escorted my team inside the plane. Gunfire surrounded us as we ran to the plane. I hear a scream and look back. Eric was on the ground, wincing. Zac and the other Alpha soldier run over and pick him up, his arms hung over both of their shoulders. Another shot was fired and the other soldier crumpled to the ground. I rush Zac and Eric inside and scream at the pilot to start the plane. The doors to the plane slid to a close and in a matter of seconds we were in the air.

"The blow missed his vest. Eric, stay with me here, buddy!" Zac began to strip Eric from the waist up of his uniform. I pull out the key from my belt and unlock the handcuff bound to Eric's hand. Once I put the case in a secure location, I ran to the first aid cabinet and retrieved a large metal box and a bottle of alcohol. When I returned Zac had taken Eric's shirt and was pressing it against his wound to the left of his abdomen.

"Liv, he doesn't have much time. I need you to take the bullet out."

"What? Zac, I've never done this sorta thing before! I'm mean sure I practiced at HIEP, but I never actually-"

"Liv! He's running out of time. I..." Zac glanced back at his dying friend. Eric's face had gone pale from the lost of blood, "We need you to do this now."

"Okay," my voice shook. I dug into the medical kit and pulled out a pair of tweezers, a surgical needle, and medical thread. I lift the bloody T-shirt off the wound and get a good first look at the injury. Zac was right when he said Eric is losing blood fast, and he needed a blood transfusion after I stitched up the wound. "Zac, what blood type is Eric?"

"AB+. You think he needs a blood transfusion?"

"He will defiantly need one," I say as I carefully dig for the bullet. I can hear soft wincing coming from Eric as I do so. I feel a scrape coming from my tweezers and pull the bullet out, laying it on a towel Zac had set out. I then thread the needle and stitch up Eric's wound.

"Done." I let out a sigh of relief as I unstrap my bulletproof vest. Zac began to wrap Eric's wound with a cotton pad soaked in alcohol and bandage wrap. I search in the medical kit for anything that could be used for a blood transfusion. I found a small wad of tubing with a needle attached, some medical tape, and more cotton pads. "Zac, I need you to do the transfusion. I don't know how to perform one."

"Okay, I'll get it ready. Try to find an oxygen tank. I'm worried Eric's not getting enough air." I run back to where I found the medical kit and found a small air tank and a mask that would cover Eric's mouth. I rush over and start the oxygen tank, carefully sliding the mask over his face. The mask would fog every few seconds, signaling Eric was getting air. I go to inform the pilot about Eric's condition when he told me I have a transmission coming in. I rolled my eyes and told the pilot we needed to be back at HIEP ASAP so Eric would be treated properly. I look for a tablet and prop myself against a wall near Eric and Zac. I unzip my uniform and tie the sleeves around my waist, my HIEP sleep shirt was worn underneath. Zac had the transfusion ready and I held my arm out so he could begin.

"Johnson!" Commander Scott's voice echoed throughout the cargo plane from the tablet. "I had our client inform me we lost two Alpha soldiers and there was a sniper targeted on the packages. Is that correct?"

"Yes, sir," I wince as Zac injected me with the transfusion needle. My blood began to travel down the tube and directly to Eric. Zac taped the needle down on my arm. "Eric Rebsen got shot protecting the transferred package. I am giving him a blood transfusion as we speak. His stitches will need to be visited and modified when we return to HIEP. Other than that, the three of us are safely heading back to HQ."

"We await your arrival. You will each be debriefed when you return and disciplined if decided necessary. Commander Scott out."

"Well that sounded fun," I huffed.

"And this is why I hate guns. I should of been the one carrying the case!" Zac slammed his fist into the cool metal wall, it's sound echoing.

"Zac! There is nothing you could of done! Eric knew the risks!" Zac took a breath as he combed his fingers through his sweaty hair.

"How are you doing?" He kneeled next to me, measuring how much blood I have given.

"I think I'm okay. I feel a little drowsy bit other than that," I smiled, giving him a thumbs up, "I'm solid." Zac pulled the needle from my arm and folded it over so blood wouldn't escape the needle. The rest of the blood traveled through the tube and into Eric's blood stream. Zac grabbed a roll of bandages and wrapped my arm to stop the bleeding.

"There, all done." Zac sat down next to me. "Now we just have to wait on our arrival back home."

~*~*~*~*~*~

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