Champions of Atlanta

For the sake of plot lines, some things must remain mysterious after the actions are all said and done. This is the first story I wrote for this character. It has undergone a few revisions but is pretty much the same as it was when I wrote it in 1990.

Divergence

February 12, 1984. Somewhere in a warehouse overlooking an office complex in East Germany. 01:00 hours.

"What's happening out there?", asks Stephen.

"Well, not a great deal has happened so far. Some agents, probably KGB, went in, some others came out, others went in, the usual stuff.

"I brought us a thermos of coffee. It might just be warm," Stephen says with a smile. "Want some?"

"Only half a cup, caffeine makes me nervous." Holly says with a smile.

"I see you've had the chance to watch some good old down home American trash TV." he says with a smirk.

He pours two cups of coffee, one half full, hands one to Holly and looks out the window. "Hmph. Damn Russians." Looking back to her, "They have a habit of making our nights together rather difficult." Stephen leans forward and they kiss.

"Ah well," he says as they stop and smile at each other. "I suppose you want me to take over this watch for a while."

"I'd rather you be watching me on some warm South Sea isle and not some cold building filled with even colder Russian spies." she says.

"Yes, I know what you mean." Stephen says with a wry smile. "Relax a little. After this mission I might just take you up on your offer. I will have some free time."

02:17 hours

"Stephen, do you ever think about leaving this behind and leading a normal life?"

"Well, sometimes I do. I've heard of agents from various service branches, even CIA agents, being retired and given new civilian ID's. How about you?"

"There was a time when the service was my family, my only family. But, recently, I've thought of retiring and starting over in a normal life. I'm tired of cold nights, cold beds, cold hearts, and being cold to others."

Stephen stands, walks over to her and puts his hand tenderly on her chin. "That took a lot of guts to say. I know the kind of people that are needed for this kind of business. If it helps any, and believe me when I tell you this, my heart is not cold to you."

He pulls away for a moment. Then walks back to the window, biting back feelings she cannot see, wondering if he said more than he should have.

Unable to see his reactions, "Was that some kind of line?" she says with a trace of bitterness.

He stops suddenly, whirls to face her and looks her directly in the eyes. "No! I ... I just..." his hands and head drop. He can't say it.

She crosses the few feet between them and tenderly embraces him. Her warm hand caresses his face. "I love you, too, Stephen."

02:48 hours

He sips his coffee which now seems colder than the cold night air. He looks over at Holly. "I'll be glad when this assignment is over. I'm about to freeze!"

"Well, in two days the exchange occurs and we can leave for warmer shores for a spell, Uncle Sam permitting, of course."

"Tell me about it! Trying to get time off can be..."

"Activity!"

"Where?"

"Third floor, tenth window."

Stephen lifts his binoculars and peers through them, trying to get a clear view past the tree limbs blowing in the wind. "I don't have a clear view. Wait here. I'm going a few rooms down."

He goes to the door, opens it, looks cautiously around, and proceeds in haste two rooms down the hall. He opens the door and hears a single creaking sound. Momentarily freezing he listens carefully. No other sound than his breathing. He enters the room and goes to the window.

The room across the street is well lit. A handcuffed and hooded figure is roughly hustled out of the room by two burly men.

"This is going to be interesting." he mutters as the light in the window goes out.

Creak...creak...creak.

Quietly, he draws back to the security of a dark shadow, draws his pistol, and quickly attaches the silencer.

"That's right outside the door!" he thinks. "Could Holly have followed me?" Glancing at his watch, "It's too early for team M."

Quietly, he walks to the door and listens. He hears the sound of clothing russling. Or, is it only the hiss of the intermittent cold winds blowing outside? He listens again. Silence.

Cautiously, he opens the door and peers down the hall. It is dark and difficult to see anything. Nothing appears unusual or amiss.

He makes his way back to the room where Holly is. As he enters he sees her silhouette against the side of the window. Her head turns.

Creak!

Catlike, he drops to the floor as a shadow crosses between him and Holly. In that split second he fires his gun just as the shadow moves toward him. Then there is a crack as something hits him on the head, followed by stars, followed by another crack and then no sensation at all.

04:05 hours

Pain.

"...she's... Bullet hit her in ...."

"...out. ...got him good...blood..."

"...dead! Fuck it! Get Ulysses! ...out of here, ok, Stephen?!

Pain. Stars. Darkness. Oblivion.

05:02 hours

Pain. Brightness. Awareness.

"Holly..."

"He's awake." says a woman's voice. "Stephen, please stay calm." a wet cloth dabs his feverish face. "You've lost some blood."

Pain.

He tries to sit up and is gently but firmly pushed back down.

"No! Holly! Got to save her!" he gasps out.

"You can't save her. She's, look, ah, please, just relax. I'm going to give you something to help you relax." A needle sticks him in the arm. Coldness rushes up his arm and by the time it reaches his shoulder he is unconscious.

February 14, 1984. A medical facility in West Germany. 08:43 hours

Pain. Brightness. Awareness.

"He's coming out of it, doctor."

"Stephen? Stephen? I'm Doctor Hollister. I need you to be awake right now."

"Holly..."

"We'll talk about Holly later. I need to know what happened. What hit you? Do you remember what happened?"

"Not much," replies Stephen. "It was the middle of the night. Something jumped out of the shadows and knocked me out cold. After that, bits and pieces. Riding in a car. That's about it."

"Well, the injuries are not very serious. But, you were drugged as well. Do you recall anything about that?"

"No. Wait. I remember a woman's voice. She said I was very feverish and she gave me something to relax. That's it."

"You're lucky to be alive. When you came to us you were running a very high fever and had lost a lot of blood. Whatever you were injected with, we can't find any trace of it in your system."

"That explains why I feel like, shit, Doc", says Stephen as he shakily sits up. "Where am I?"

"Back West. Ulysses had you extracted immediately as soon as he heard."

"That must have cost the taxpayers some money. Did my partner, Holly, make it?"

Doctor Hollister sighs and looks down. "Son, I'm sorry. She didn't make it. Ulysses told me that she took a bullet. She went quick."

"Oh, God!" wails Stephen.

The doctor rises and pats Stephen's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, son. I heard she was an excellent field agent. We'll miss her. It's hard to lose a partner." He turns. "I'll let you alone for a little while. You call me or nurse Collins if you need anything, you hear."

Stephen numbly nods. "Thank you, Doc."

February 15, 1984. 09:43 hours

"Dr. Hollis, there is a gentleman here to see you."

"Send him in, Catherine."

The door opens and a tall, muscular man enters. "Good morning, Doctor Hollis. How are you today?"

"Doing very well! George, George Davis, right?"

"Yes, sir! I see my reputation precedes me!" says George and they both laugh.

Doctor Hollis presses a hidden button on his desk. "We can talk now."

"Very good. As you know, I'm a representative of Ulysses. He has briefed me personally on a few of the particulars in the Wolf 12 case. Unfortunately, he didn't tell me much beyond what was in your report, which I also read, by the way."

"If I may ask, what's so terribly special about this case? We've had agents endure ordeals much like this. Some have been shot by who knows what kind of weapon. Some, like Stephen, have been injected with some kind of drug which more often than not, leaves no trace. Some of those injected with something went stark raving mad. That's not the case with Stephen. He's going to make a quick and complete recovery."

"That's good news, Doctor! As to why this case is special..." he shrugs. "Ulysses has taken a personal interest in it. Wish he'd have told me more as to why. I'm in the dark as much as you are. I do know his case has been upgraded in clearance and his new code name is Shift 27."

"Well, then, is there anything else I should know?"

"Ulysses has instructed me to tell you this: He may have certain abilities which could be useful. Right now, we need to check his medical records and rate of recovery. And, if there are any changes unique to his recovery, we need to know about it immediately. He asks for you to contact me if that happens." George smiles, "I'm your basic go-fer. I 'go-fer' information, in this case."

"Hmph. Figures." Doctor Hollis says as he stands and walks over to a filing cabinet. He opens it, pulls out a file, and hands it to George. "Everything's in there. He didn't look so good when he came to us. He'd lost a lot of blood and was in a coma for two days. But, after good medical care, he's coming along just fine. His recovery has been fast but not abnormally so. He's in excellent physical shape and exhibits normal emotional tendencies due to the shock of losing someone he cared for."

"Ulysses and I express our regret and sorrow at the loss of an agent. Holly was one of our finest operatives and will be missed. Does Stephen know it was a bullet from his gun that killed her?"

"No, I thought it best to wait until he was more fully recovered."

"That's probably a good idea. We've been doing some testing to determine if it was fired by Stephen or his assailant but tests have been inconclusive."

"I see. Interesting. Tell me, how does one run tests in East Germany near a heavily secured area?"

George frowns slightly, takes a miniature camera out of his jacket and begins to photograph the file. "I don't know, but I'm sure there are ways of determining these types of things."

"Yes, I'm sure there are", says Doctor Hollis. "What should I do when he is ready to be released?"

"Let us know the day before and we'll have someone to meet him the day of his release." George says as he finishes photographing the file.

Standing up, George puts the file on Doctor Hollis' desk and makes his way to the door. "Thank you Doctor Hollis. I'll be back in a few days to check on him. In the meantime, let us know if there is anything new and unusual to report."

"Besides an unusual recovery rate, anything else I should look for?"

"Good question. Wish I had an answer for you other than just anything out of the ordinary."

"Ok, George. Good day." Doctor Hollis walks back to his desk and presses the hidden button. "So, Mr. Davis, as you can see, we're in tip top shape here."

"Thank you for letting me review the facility. It's always good to see a facility as well run and kept as this. Goodbye."