Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 21:07:53 -0600 (MDT) From: "Katherine R. Freymuth" Subject: Vengeance - Chapter 4 Message-ID: Chapter 4 "Is that clear?" a firm voice yelled at him. Dr. Samuel Beckett jumped slightly at the voice. He looked forward to see a face only inches away from his own. The face was firm with piercing blue eyes. It was the only part of the face that Sam noticed before the face's owner yelled again. "Well?" "Uhh..." Sam started, unsure what to say. The face glowered at him. "Pathetic," it said with disgust. "One hundred push-ups, Ensign. Now." *Ensign?* Sam thought. He closed his eyes. "Oh, boy," he whispered. "Ensign!" Sam's eyes snapped open. The face was still there. "Another twenty-five for lack of respect for a commanding officer." Before Sam could do anything, he heard another voice speak. "Hey, lay off, Taylor. You're not our mother. Taylor, whom Sam could now see was a very attractive woman wearing military green camouflage, walked towards the person who had spoke. She gave the speaker a sarcastic smile. "Perhaps you'd like to tell the General that, Lieutenant." There was a long silence. "No, ma'am," came the response. "I didn't think so," Taylor commented. Sam looked at Sam with waiting eyes. "Well? Where are those push-ups, Ensign?" Sam had leaped into military officers before and he knew from experience that, when a superior told you to do something, you obeyed immediately. He lowered himself to the ground to obey the order. "Count them out," Taylor ordered before he started. Sam obeyed, counting out the push-ups as he did them. "And you, Lieutenant, can join the Ensign by doing a hundred," Taylor ordered the talkative lieutenant. The Lieutenant took a breath. "Yes, ma'am," he said before doing the push-ups. "The rest of you," she shouted, walking a few steps from the line of people, "are to run your drills. You'll run them and run them until you have them right. And when you're done, you'll run them again. I can't emphasize enough how important this is." She paused, looking at each person. "So, get to work." The line dispersed as all but two went to obey. "Twenty-five, twenty-six," Sam counted. He just hoped that Al Calavicci would show up soon before he had to do another one hundred and twenty-five push-ups. The beeping continued on and on but no one seemed to be willing enough to answer its call for attention. Certainly no one would want to at that time of the night. Only the most inconsiderate of people would call anyone at one o'clock in the morning. "Al," a gentle voice said in her husband's ear. "That's for you." Al exhaled in frustration as he forced himself to wake up. "One of these days, Beth, it'll be for you." "Surgeon Generals don't get phone calls at one-twelve in the morning," the beautiful brunette replied. "Only admirals on top secret government projects in time travel." She yawned. "Would you answer that before it wakes Christy?" Al huffed, sitting up in the bed. "Nothing wakes Christy," he commented as he pressed a button on his night-stand. "Gushie," he said without looking at the viewphone's viewscreen, "if this isn't a life and death situation, I can certainly make it one." "Admiral Calavicci?" a male voice replied to the odd manner in which Al had answered the phone. Al could tell instantly that he was drastically mistaken about the identity of the caller. The voice was firm yet respectful, like the voice of a person addressing his boss - or rather, his superior officer. Al turned the viewphone's monitor so that he could see the face of the caller. The caller certainly was not the head programmer of Project Quantum Leap. His clothes were the uniform of a Naval captain. "I'm sorry, Captain," Al said. "I thought you were someone else. Do you mind explaining who you are and why you're calling me at this time of the night?" The Captain nodded briefly. "I apologize for the lateness of the hour, sir. I'm Captain Henry Hoiles, sir. I'm stationed at Holloman's as a military liaison between the Navy and the Air Force." Al nodded with understanding. Holloman's Air Force Base was the closest military base in New Mexico. "So, why the call, Captain?" The Captain maintained his composure, though he was mentally reprimanding himself for not getting to the point. The Admiral's time was precious, after all. "I was called to a hospital in Albuquerque, sir," the Captain explained. "They've just received a patient who seems to be under your command." Al frowned. His interest had been peaked. "Who?" "Commander Genine N. Strickler." The moment Hoiles said the name, Beth was wide awake and at Al's shoulder. "Genine?" she questioned with concern. Hoiles nodded to her. "Yes, ma'am." "How is she?" Al questioned. "She's in critical condition, sir," Hoiles told him. "Someone beat her pretty badly. Normally, she would be transferred to a military hospital but, in her condition, there's a great chance that such a transfer would kill her. She doesn't have a listing of next of kin in her file." Al exhaled. "She told me she had none." He paused. "Tell me the name of the hospital. I'll be there as soon as I can." It had taken some time for Al to convince his wife not to go to the hospital in Albuquerque with him. He didn't want to leave their fifteen year old daughter alone in the house nor did he want to wake her to come to the hospital with him. Despite her arguments that Christy was quite capable of taking care of herself for a few hours, Beth knew Al was right and she stayed at the house. Beth and Genine had become fast friends during the Burke incident so Al could easily understand her wanting to go with him. He promised her he would call as soon as he found out exactly what had happened. As he entered the hospital, he was greeted with a salute from Captain Hoiles. Al gave him a return salute immediately. "Who's the doctor in charge?" Al asked. "Dr. Reed, sir," Hoiles replied. "He's with Commander Strickler now in the ICU." "Take me to him," Al ordered. "Aye, sir," Hoiles replied, leading Al up two stories and through a door which led them into the ICU. There they waited until Dr. Reed emerged from the Commander's room. "Dr. Reed," Hoiles called his attention. "This is Admiral Albert Calavicci. Admiral, Dr. Greg Reed." "You are a relative, Admiral?" Dr. Reed asked. "I'm her commanding officer," Al corrected. "How is she?" Dr. Reed hesitated a moment. He shook his head. "It doesn't look good for her, Admiral. She was apparently attacked by an extremely strong person, probably a male. She received several broken bones, including several broken ribs. One rib punctured her left lung. She has bruising all over her body but especially on her chest and face. Her nose is cracked and she has suffered a severe concussion." He paused. "The worse damage came from a knife wound which started at her naval and ended just below her rib cage. It really is a miracle that she's alive." Al sighed softly. "Or a curse," he muttered under his breath. He took a deep breath before looking at Reed carefully. "Are there any signs that she was raped?" he asked reluctantly, not really sure he wanted to know. Reed shook his head. "Actually, no, which surprises me. The person who beat her just seemed to want to hurt her." Al thought about the Doctor's words. The more he heard, the more his stomach tightened. He had a very bad feeling about what happened to Genine. "Who brought her in?" he suddenly asked. It was Captain Hoiles who responded. "Her next door neighbor, sir. She's heard a commotion in the Commander's apartment and had broken in. She immediately called for assistance and applied pressure on the knife wound. "Did she see the attacker?" "I do not know, sir," Hoiles told him. "You would have to consult the local police for that information." Al frowned. He looked at the Captain firmly. "I want a JAG team on this immediately," he ordered. Hoiles nodded respectfully. "Aye, sir. I will send the request immediately. Permission to be excused, sir?" Al nodded his approval and returned a salute to the Captain before returning his attention to Dr. Reed. "Dr. Reed, may I see Commander Strickler?" Reed hesitated a moment. "Very well, Admiral, given that you are her commanding officer. She's unconscious, however." "I don't intend to wake her, Doctor," Al told him. Al, in fact, didn't even enter the room. Rather, he regarded Genine from a short distance. The frail form he saw didn't look like the same woman who was in his office several hours ago. He could easily see the damage her attacker had done to her. He sighed helplessly. The sight of her in such condition made him angry. *She doesn't deserve this. Not after all she has done and gone through.* Dr. Reed noticed the expression on his face. "She's a little more than someone under your command." Al looked at Reed briefly and then returned his gaze to Genine's helpless form. "She saved my life once," Al replied softly. "Tell me truthfully: what are the chances of her survival?" Reed looked at him. "We don't know for certain. I would say that, right now, the odds are 50-50. It depends on how well she heals." Al exhaled. "In other words, it's all up to her." "And a little luck," Reed added with hope in his voice.