Rainbow Six: November Sun

21: "AFTERMATH"

Director Six's eyes widened, and he reluctantly turned back to look at the bank. "Say again?"

"Bomb's remote trigger access is disabled, Harry," Dokkaebi answered. "Bomb still needs to be defused and disposed of, but it can't recognize any outside signals for detonation."

Harry saw his operators exiting the bank. "How the hell did you pull that off, Grace?"

"Sparing you boring details, I transferred the countdown to a dummy server and fucked the programming on it. Tricked the IED's receiver to think it's still counting down, but the timer itself is, uh... stuck in an infinite loop in The Matrix." Dokkaebi let out a sigh of relief. "Think of it as your internet modem being unable to connect, but it keeps trying... forever."

"Great work."

"Thank you, sir. Guardian, out."

Harry waved at Valkyrie and the others from afar. "Bomb threat is clear," he called over the radio. "Go back in and sweep the entire building. DSU will assist."

"Roger that," replied Sledge, turning on his heel. "Team 2, back inside. Clean sweep."

"Director?"

Harry turned to see Lieutenant Colonel Maes of the DSU walking briskly for him. "Lieutenant Colonel, the bomb threat has been dealt with, thanks to your man, Liam. Coordinated effort with one of my operators."

"Excellent." Maes barked some orders to his men over the radio. "Sounds like the embassy is clear, but I'll have my men do a second sweep. We're coordinating evac of nearby buildings with the police, just in case."

"Understood."

Maes took a deep breath and stepped closer. "The man you detained - my superiors will expect that he be released to our custody."

"Of course." Harry shook the man's hand. "Belgian soil, Belgian custody. We're just here to help. I do hope that you'll keep me updated on any further developments."

"Absolutely." Maes grinned. "I must admit I did not like the idea of an outside element coming in to do my job for me, but I've seen the light, as they say. Good work, Director Six."

"You as well, Lieutenant Colonel. Pleasure to work with you. Let us hope we will not need to do so again, yes?"

"I don't suppose you'd accept a round of beers at the pub as substantial payment?"

Harry chuckled. "I appreciate it, but I'm sure my superiors will be sending a painfully expensive bill to your Prime Minister shortly."

* * *

Alexsandr "Tachanka" Senaviev strolled into the medical bay at Rainbow HQ, and saw Dr. Keeba, a woman in a white lab coat, hunched over Finka's unconscious body at one of the beds.

Monika "IQ" Weiss was there as well, sitting bedside with concern filling her ocean-blue eyes. She saw Alex approach. and got to her feet to greet him. "Hey."

"Hey." The man turned to the doctor. "How's she holding up?"

Dr. Keeba held up a finger requesting momentary patience as she listened to Finka's heartbeat through her stethoscope.

"She's stable," IQ whispered. "Vitals are normal now."

Senaviev watched Finka quietly. A breathing mask had been placed over her face. An IV ran from her left arm to a suspended bag, and clear liquid was dripping steadily into the tube.

Dr. Keeba finally straightened and removed her stethoscope from her ears. "She's going to be okay. I'm a bit concerned with her past history with CMT, but this doesn't seem to be related." The woman checked some gauges on a nearby console before reaching to gently remove Finka's mask. "She's breathing on her own without an issue."

Alex's jaw was clenched. "What happened?" he asked, ignoring the fact that he was afraid of the answer.

The doctor scribbled quick notes on a clipboard. "Not to be that person, but you two don't qualify as immediate family, and you're certainly not Director Six." She smiled at them wryly. "Sorry. Just know she's going to be fine, and if she wants to tell you about it, she will."

"They're family," came a weak voice. Finka's eyes gently fluttered open, but she shut them quickly against the light.

"Ah, you're with us!" Dr. Keeba reached over to a panel and dimmed the overhead lights. "Can you tell me your name?"

Finka blinked. She took a deep breath before exhaling mightily, still keeping her eyes closed. "Lera Melnikova. I'm at Rainbow Headquarters in Hereford, England. It's September 5, 2019. Maybe. Don't know how long I've been out."

Dr. Keeba smiled. "It's like you knew exactly what questions I would ask."

Finka winced. "My head hurts. What happened?"

Tachanka and IQ looked ar Dr. Keeba expectantly, and the woman rolled her eyes at them. "Well, Ms. Melnikova, you fainted in the Situation Room," the doctor replied. "Bloodwork shows it's not a serious underlying issue, but you appear to be under great stress."

"Don't we all," Finka mumbled.

Dr. Keeba offered another smile. "What can you tell me about how you felt before you lost consciousness? Can you remember if you felt anything out of the ordinary? Any pain or discomfort?"

Finka swallowed hard before looking over at Tachanka and IQ.

"I can have them leave, if you'd like."

"Actually," came Alex, "sorry. We'll leave." He nudged IQ to follow. "We'll see you soon, Lera. We'll be right outside if you don't mind, doctor."

Dr. Keeba shooed them off approvingly.

Finka's eyes flashed open. "Wait." She tried to press herself up in bed to face her companions, and Dr. Keeba quickly elevated the woman's position using the electronic seat incline controls. "The mission," Finka managed, still wincing from the pain. "Did we—"

"Win?" finished Tachanka. He grinned. "Damned right. Bomb was defused. Embassy, bank, all of it was clear. Harry and the others are on their way back. Belgium is happy."

A wave of relief washed over Finka, and she let her head fall back to her pillows. The operation was a success.

She wished that was all that mattered.