“It’s useless. Forget it.”
“No! Romax!” She moved the Uzi back to cover him. “Tell those men to get a litter over here and load John in the ambulance.”
Romax briefly met her gaze, then rose and waved toward the approaching men.
“You two, bring the litter. This man needs assistance.”
One medic went back to the ambulance and the other hurried to where Caitlin stood over John’s body. He knelt down and made a cursory examination. A few seconds later, he looked up. “There’s no pulse.”
The medic glanced around where at least three other people were moaning, screaming, and cursing in the night.
“Screw that,” Caitlin said as she put the barrel of the Uzi in the man’s face. “What’s your name soldier?”
His face paled, “Spec Five Murphy, ma’am.”
“Well, Murphy. You have a defibrillator. Use it!”
He nodded and shouted toward the ambulance, “Jerry, get the defib. Stat!”
Jerry was just pulling the litter from the back. He leaned it against the rear door and reached back inside. Removing a heavy metal case, he trotted through the snow toward them.
Spec Five Murphy opened John’s jacket, pulled loose the Velcro closures on his vest, and then tugged it off him. When Jerry dropped the case in the snow beside him, Murphy popped open the top and hit the programming button.
The defib’s screen lit immediately and instructions appeared. Without stopping to read them, Murphy attached the sensors to John’s chest and readied the paddles.
A moment passed before the defib completed its analysis and ordered shock treatment to begin. Murphy was ready. He placed the paddles against John’s chest and yelled, “Clear!”
He triggered the unit and John’s body lurched.
Murphy turned to study the defib’s screen.
“It’s not working. Tell him to give it up. You shouldn’t be sticking around here,” John transmitted.
“No, it will work. Hit him again!”
“It’ll take just a moment ma’am. The unit recharges while it determines how much voltage to use for the next attempt.”
“Just hurry it up, damn it!”
She turned to the second medic who was watching. “You, Jerry, he’s going to need blood. Get what you need from the ambulance and get back here on the double. Move!”
Jerry lurched back as the Uzi rose.
Caitlin watched him for a second then knelt next to Murphy. “Come on, come on.”
“It’s ready. Clear.”
Murphy held the paddles against John’s chest and triggered them.
Again his torso lurched as the current coursed through him.
Murphy read the defib’s screen and turned to Caitlin. She could see the answer to her unasked question in his eyes.
“No, charge it again.”
“It doesn’t recommend another attempt.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass what it recommends. Recharge it and shock him again.”
Murphy bent over the defib and switched it to manual. “It’ll take just a moment to recharge. I’ve set it at the maximum voltage.”
“Caitlin, you’re wasting time. We should go,” John transmitted.
“No, not until everything has been tried.”
“Caitlin, I don’t mind. Really, I found you again. You even love me. That’s enough. I can go.”
“No you won’t you son of a bitch! You aren’t going anywhere until I’m sure.”
“Clear,” Murphy said.
“Wait!” Caitlin screamed.
He lurched back and stared up at her.
Caitlin tugged the chain to John’s translator over her head.
“What are you doing?” John asked.
“What do you think? If this thing could help you stay here to join with me then it should be able to help you get back into your own body.”
“But Caitlin. The shock from the defib could destroy it.”
“Yeah, I suppose it could. But I’m willing to risk it. Are you?”
For a moment, John was silent. “To risk everything to be able to hold you in my arms again? Yes, I’d risk it.”
Caitlin raised John’s head and slipped the chain over his neck. She lowered his head back to the snow and quickly kissed his lips for luck.
“Are you still there John?”
“I’m still here, still inside you.”
To Murphy Caitlin said, “Hit it!”
Murphy placed the paddles and triggered the discharge.
John’s body convulsed.
Caitlin felt a great wind blow through her mind. In an instance, it was gone. It left behind an emptiness that chilled her soul.
What had she done? Had she lost him completely?
“John?”
No response.
She dropped to her knees in the snow beside him and started to cry. Reaching out she cradled his face in her hands.
A jolt went through her.
His body convulsed again and he coughed.
The defib beeped a steady pulse.
“My God. John, you’re alive.”
His eyes opened. “Damn, I’d have to be to hurt this bad. Sweet Jesus, I hurt.”
She hugged him, then kissed his face tenderly. “But you’re alive.”
“Yeah, thanks, love. Look, I don’t want to put a damper on my resurrection, but we still need to get out of here.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
She released him and stood quickly.
Jerry was back with a liter of blood substitute and an IV.
“Jerry, you get him hooked up. Murphy, he has a gunshot to the knee and another in his lower side. Bandage them and then put him in the ambulance.”
Murphy nodded and the two men stripped John’s coat off him.
Caitlin turned. Romax was standing alone a few feet away. He’d been silent for the entire process.
“Did you mean what you said, about coming after us?”
He nodded weakly.
“If you go back on your word I’ll kill you myself. Whatever you wanted out of us, it’s too late. John released the files before he came here tonight. It’s too late to stop them.”
Romax glanced at John and found that he was looking up at him. “I suspected as much. He didn’t seem the type to surrender.”
“He’s not.”
“You better be going. Other’s will
