Fan Fiction ❯ The Meeting ❯ And so it begins... ( Chapter 2 )

A/N: I fixed the ending of the first chapter so please read, it's not much but it kinda helps the story along…I think. ^_^*

Incase anyone gets confused, which I highly doubt; here's a "key" to my writing style.

~~italics~~ = dream sequence

Italics = thought

~~ = new day/setting

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Shina slowly dragged her eyes open to a dimly light room. Where am I? Shifting her head, with great difficulty, she looked around the room. A hospital? What happened…her face paled as her last few memories flooded her mind. Just then the door unlatched and a doctor walked in. "Agent Zero Six Four. Good to see you're awake. You had a nasty abrasion in your abdomen, not too big, but still deep. You're very lucky, it missed all internal organs and you should be just fine."

"What about the Commander?" she asked urgently.

"The Commander? Oh, yes, he's just fine, a little bump on his head but other then that he's as good as new. He's a very lucky guy to have someone like you working under his command." He smiled slightly. "Now you have a few visitors, but you need your rest, so no over excitement and they have to leave rather quickly." She nodded slightly and rested her head back on her pillow, already feeling her eyelids grow heavy. She watched as the doctor exited and a girl in her squad appeared in his place.

"Shina? How are you? Oh my god! I knew I never should have let you walk home alone."

"Darla, it's not your fault. I'm fine. See," she smiled for her friend. "Its just deep but the stitches will fix me up. I'm ok." Darla relaxed a little and sat in a chair next to the bed.

"What happened?" She pulled out a notepad and a pen. "Sorry, I'm not just here on pleasure, the Commander wanted me to take a full report on you and what happened. Don't know why, he's just outside waiting." She said more to herself then to Shina. Shina sighed.

"I'll write a full report for you once I get out of this bed." She started to sit up and slip out of the uncomfortable hospital bed.

"Agent Zero Six Four lay down and that's an order!" came a stern male voice from the open door. Shina looked up from her friend to the now full doorway.

"Commander?" she breathed out. She watched as he walked in and stood mere inches from her. Averting her eyes she looked at Darla who was now standing as well.

"Agent Eight Five Two, how's the report coming?" he said in a casual tone. Darla shrugged and handed him the notebook, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Not bad Chris, I mean, Commander. Why don't you take down the rest, since you wanted it and now you're here? And besides, I have a few files I need to fill out before I can go home tonight." She said looking at her watch and heading out the door. Shina snapped herself back to reality and looked around the room, noticing she wasn't in her original clothing. (A/N: No she's not naked and no she's not wearing those paper hospital dresses that open down the back. It's more of a cloth robe then anything else I guess.) Starting her trek out of bed again she winced when a wrong move put pressure on her VERY sore abdomen.

"Agent, I thought I gave you an order." The Commander said in a semi-serious tone.

"I know but, I have things I need to do. There are papers that need to be filed. Porter, needs to be caught. I can't do those things if I'm stuck in bed." She said coming to a complete stand. I only come to his shoulder…she thought absently as she surveyed him.

"Agent Zero Seven Nine can file the papers and we already have many agents scouting out for Porter. It's only a matter of time before he is caught and dealt with." He placed his hands on her shoulders, "You need to rest and get better, you're our best covert operations agent and we can't afford to not have you around. Now get in that bed and go to sleep." He said firmly. A look of determination over came her face.

"But I want to be the one to find him." She said just as firmly.

"I know you want to settle things with him for almost killing you, but you're in no condition to do it." She looked down to hide a small blush creeping to her cheeks. That is definitely not the reason I want to settle things…She thought quickly. Pulling out of his grasp she walked toward the foot of the bed, intent on finding her clothes. Feeling a shot of searing pain in her stomach she cried out and doubled over. She readied herself for the impact of the cold tiled floor, but it never came. Opening her eyes she noticed two strong arms encircling her shoulders. "Agent…" the Commander said in a warning tone as he swept her up into his arms and placed her gently on the bed. "One more stunt like that and I'll have you strapped to the bed until you get better. Now stay here and get better. You won't miss anything. If Porter is caught I'll hold him until you can settle what you need with him. Understood?" She nodded meekly and pulled the covers around her body, settling into the bed once more. The Commander turned and started out the door, but stopped just short. "I'm glad to see you're going to be just fine, Shin-Agent Zero Six Four." He stated quickly as he walked through the doorway and out of her range of sight. Shina smiled to herself and felt her eye lids grow heavy once again. Succumbing to the desire to sleep she curled close to herself, wincing slightly as a drowsy hand fell against her stitches.

~~Shina felt herself falling into the hands of the vilest creature alive. Porter. She tried to squirm from his grasp but she knew it was a lost cause. She cried out the only thing that came to her mind, "Commander!" there was no reply. An evil laugh met her ears and she once again felt the pain of the knife piercing her skin. Feeling his grip lessen Shina tried to hold on, but saw the room around her grow darker. Looking past the sinister face in front of hers she saw the face of her Commander, battered and bloodied as he watched on in an expressionless face. Shina collapsed to her knees in front of him, Porter no where to be seen. Placing her hands to her wound she smelled the rusty metallic smell of her blood and looked down at her now saturated hands. "Commander," she said weakly as she placed her hands on the ground in front of her for support, "help me." He turned his head away from her and uttered just one word to her.

"Expendable."~~ Shina jerked awake with a sharp cry, partly from the scare and partly from the prickling of her new stitches. She placed a hand to her bandaged stomach and breathed out, trying to steady her heart and pull back the tears now commanding to reign free. "I'm not expendable. He'd never do that. I'm not expendable." The tears won her hard fought battle and fell from her eyes and landed on her hand atop her belly. Suddenly the door flew open and Darla appeared with a worried expression.

"Shina? Are you alright?" she walked closer and noticed her friend crying. Climbing onto the other side of the bed, Darla cradled her friend to her, trying to comfort her. "What happened love? It's ok, you can talk to me." She sat patting her friend and making comforting noises. Listening closely she was just able to hear the little chant her friend was breathing between sobs. `Not Expendable. I'm not expendable.' Instantly Darla knew what was troubling her friend. She dreamed about her first encounter with Porter and how he almost killed her, again. She thinks she's expendable to the organization. She thinks we'd let her die in order to succeed in a mission. Hugging her friend tightly she tried to sooth her battered nerves. "Shina, listen to me. Nothing is going to happen. I won't let anything happen to you. Please believe me." Shina nodded and quieted immensely, falling asleep in her friend's arms. Darla settled her friend back in the bed and walked back out the door, intent on finding one person.

"What was the problem?"

"She was dreaming about Porter and being `expendable' to the mission." Darla said hotly, crossing her arms across her chest. "Why is it that she would have that idea?" She glared at him. The Commander looked down at the ground, his hands braced on his hips in a thinking manner. He looked at her an apology in his eyes. "You didn't?" he cast his glance down the ground once more. "You did! You…creep! How could you do that? She's terrified that you're going to leave her in the hands of a killer, and she should be, since you already have! If I had my say about it, you'd be up for a court martial!" Darla turned her back to him, before adding. "Its things like this that remind me of why it never worked between us. You think too much about completing a mission successfully, and not about the people who make it possible." She sighed. "Did you ever think what it was like for her, to be face down in the river, surrounded by her own blood, and knowing that it was a slim chance she would ever be found? I bet you never did. She may just be an agent to you, but she's a person and a good friend to me. Another decision like that and you lose not only her, but me as well. I'm staying with her now. She deserves to know that she's not going to be left behind alone again. She deserves to know this agency isn't filled with people who don't care, people like you." Letting her hands fall to her sides, she began to walk away.

"I have thought about what it was like for her, and each time…it's more painful than I should let it be. Believe me, if there was any other option, I would have taken it. It was either her, or more, I had to follow orders." He watched as she turned around. "I do care, especially about her. You of all people should know this." he said, his voice growing soft and quiet with the last statements. Darla's mouth dropped open slightly.

"You always had a way of showing how you felt. And it always seemed to be too subtle." She walked over to him, her eyes softening. "You need to help her quiet her fears. She needs to know she's not going to be sacrificed for a mission, especially by you." Placing a hand on his shoulder, she smiled and shook her head. "Anyway. I better get to head quarters, they're expecting a report on the health of their precious agent." She smiled ruefully and walked away. The Commander squared his shoulders and turned, looking through the open door at Shina's sleeping form. Taking a tentative step forward, he paused. I'm the commander of a secret government agency and I can't even walk into a hospital room without hesitance. He berated himself. Walking confidently up to her bed and peered down at her sleeping form. He smiled and brushed back a sweaty strand of her hair from her face. She looked so peaceful and serene when she slept. Again he imagined what it must have been like for her to be floating down the river, and again that searing pain in his chest returned.

"You're not expendable. Not to the agency, not to your comrades…and certainly not to me." He whispered to her sleeping form, not yet ready to confront that conversation fully. A small smile spread on her lips and he turned and walked out of the room.

~~~3 Weeks later~~~

Shina knocked on the door to the Commander's office. Upon hearing his declaration of entrance she opened his door and popped into his office. "Agent Zero Six Four, reporting for attendance and assignment." She said in a professional monotone voice.

"Here." Chris commented lightly as he handed her a manila folder. "We can't afford for you to get hurt again. We need you in top physical condition. Are you capable?" She flinched inwardly.

"Yes. I'm capable. But sir," she paused as she flipped through the sheets of paper within the folder. "This has nothing to do with Porter. This is a new recruit's work."

"No it doesn't have anything to do with Porter. And it is your assignment." She cut him short.

"But you told me I could track Porter myself! He was supposed to be my assignment and my assignment only!" she slammed the folder down on his desk. "I know I messed up, but I can retrace and catch him."

"You were almost killed, twice! We can't afford for him to finish the job. You're one of our best agents. Porter is too dangerous a case for you. You've become involved personally, and it's too risky for you to complete the mission. I've already handed it over to Darla, I mean Agent Zero Seven Nine." He smacked himself mentally for his slip up. "When he is caught you may deal out your judgment, but you will not go out and find him. Is that understood Agent?" he said his voice raising drastically. Shina stood stock still, not backing down for her post.

"Then Agent Zero Seven Nine should take my position. If I can't take down Porter, I won't take down anyone else." She seethed daringly. He stared at her, his cold mask upon his face. He watched as her eyes fell to the floor. "This man. Hurt me and dragged my fri-comrades into danger. He hurt them, to hurt me and I want to redeem myself. I want to make him pay for the hurt he has given to not only myself but my fellow comrades that got hurt because I was careless. Please, let me do this one thing. You can assign me to rookie work for the rest of my career, but let me accomplish this one last mission." She raised her tear glazed eyes to him. He looked away, the familiar, but usual ache in his chest returning.

"Does this case mean that much to you? Are you willing to die if it means that you'll get Porter?" she nodded decisively. "Then you can have the mission. You and Agent Zero Seven Nine, will have top command of this mission until Porter is caught." He turned his back signaling he was through.

"Thank you Commander." She turned and unlatched the door but his voice stopped her in her tracks.

"You were never expendable. And you still aren't. The minute you are in any type of life threatening danger, you will be pulled from his case." He looked over at her surprised face. "I don't want to lose you." He turned his head back to look out the window and breathed a pent up breath as he heard the door click closed. "No, I really don't want to lose you, not to him…or to anyone." He said quietly to himself.

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A/N: Sorry, Sorry, Sorry, Sorry, SORRY….*bows and begs for forgiveness on knees* I didn't mean for it to take so long to add this chapter. I hit a small writer's block and then every time I figured out a way around it, I was NO WHERE near my computer, so I'd forget. But I finally got the story mapped out and now it wont take me too long to update more chapters. Again, please read and review…I wanna know that this story isn't a bust…or even if it is. Please just let me know if anyone out there is still reading.

~~Inubabe