Dangers within Banking

[Josef Ibn-Abad]

"Code called!" A voice broke over the intercom as medics pushed a gurney into an Emergency Room, to which the staff immediately took from them. Upon the gurney, a male in his mid twenties lay motionless. Dressed in baggy denim but a tight blue shirt, his face seemed almost angelic as it laid still, his eyes closed. The head nurse, decked in bright orange scrubs began reading the chart the medics left. "Injected with chemical compound. Fell into cardiac arrest..." her voice trailed off as she continued to read, a second nurse and the Emergency Room's active physician pushing the gurney into an available quarters.

"Heart rate stabilized by medics bringing him in." The nurse spoke, setting the chart down on the unconscious mans thighs. The doctor, dressed in navy colored scrubs slid on a pair of latex gloves, his hazel eyes locked on the young man on the stretcher. The nurse pressed her index and middle finger against the outer side of the wrist of the young man who lay motionless on the bed. "Heart rate faint."

"What do we know?"The Doctor moved towards the sink and pulled open a drawer, pulling out his stethoscope.

"Arab male, approximately mid twenties. Reports show that he was shot twice. One in the leg, once in the shoulder. He was also injected with a sedative but he passed out soon after administration." The nurse replied.

"Do we know what he was given?"

"No."

"Give me a full set of blood work." The Doctor came to the mans side, retook the pulse while the head nurse cut open the shirt to stick heart monitors to his chest. The room fell silent, even as a couple of more nurses and another doctor entered, their focus on the monitors as they flashed to life. The doctors hazels eyes watched with each passing second, as if waiting for something to happen. "Come on... come on..." He mumbled as another nurse began to draw blood. "I want to know what he was given." The alarms to the machines suddenly sounded off, a loud beeping filling the room. "I want all non essentials out of the room. Someone charge the paddles he going to crash! Set off code!" The doctor shouted.

The Second Doctor immediately began to remove the mans clothing, looking over the gun shot wounds, "Their deep, they missed the major arteries. Lucky bastard!"

00 minutes 10 seconds since flatline

The nurse grabbed the defibrillator cart, flipped the switch and readied the paddles.

"Charging."

The doctor watched as the heart rate continued to descend.

"Doctor Ravel?" The second nurse said from behind.

"Not now!"

"Doctor... you need to know... thats..."

"I said not now!" He took the paddles from the head nurse, "Clear!" He pressed the steel sheeted sides of the paddles against the upper left and lower right parts of the mans chest. Within three second, the mans body jerked upwards as volts of electricity shot through his body. Ravel watched for a second as the heart monitor read two beats before going flatline, "Charge!" he heard the whistling sound that the paddles were charged once more, "Clear!" He called out. Again he pressed the paddles to the chest, the body jerking once more.Two beats rang through the monitor before going flat line. "Adrenaline! Two doses!" Ravel cried out.

02 minutes 27 seconds since flatline

He turned away, removing his stethoscopes and tossed them to the woman who had tried addressing him, "Doctor, that's Josef Abad!"

The room fell silent, no one moving as the second nurse's explanation as to whom was now in their care sank in. Ravel looked back at Abad, known throughout New York as a fierce business man and in pain in most other peoples hides.. "Screw me! We need to get to work. Inject the two doses of Adrenaline." He looked at the second nurse, "Find those medics who brought him in and try and figure out what his attackers injected him with! We don't have time for blood tests now!" Ravel made his way back to Abad, "Paddles." Immediately he went back to work. "Clear!" Again he pressed the paddles to the chest, two beats then nothing. "Come on you stupid bugger kick into gear!" Ravel shouted. He again tried the paddles, then again, and again. How many times he charged the body was unknown but it was soon clear hope was being lost.

03 minutes 02 seconds since flatline

Sweat beaded down the doctors face as his eyes went from the body to the monitor and back again. "Going manual. Inject two more doses of Adrenaline." The head nurse pulled two more needles from the movable medications table, injecting them into Abads' left arm. Ravel began pumping the chest and once she finished the injections, the head nurse bagged Abads face, slowly pumping air into the mans chest. The nurse pumped, the doctor pushed down on the chest, the nurse pumped, the doctor pushed down on the chest.

The second doctor finally spoke, "Ravel, call the time."

"No, he's not dead yet."

05 minutes 04 seconds since flatline

"He's been flat line for five minutes. Once he hits six you know the complications he will face if you bring him back."

"I know!"

The second nurse reemerged into the room, having to snag the arm of the second doctor to keep from losing her balance while gasping for air, "Ketamine. He was given Ketamine."

Ravel attention shot to the second nurse, "A dose of Benzylpiperazine. Lets counteract that sedative with something stronger than adrenaline." He turned to the second nurse, "Recharge the paddles!" Ravel took the paddles and once more began the process of defibrillation. Once... twice... his eyes shot between the heart monitor, to the clock on the wall to Josef himself. Sweat stung the doctors eyes as he continued to do what he could to try and save the Bankers life. Ravel shocked his body once more. Two bleeps on the screen before another flat line.

...it had been 05 minutes 35 seconds since flatline...

[tinkerbell]

A million little pieces of the white and gold ceramic coffee mug flew across the hardwood floor, scattering into every corner of the kitchen. Several pieces flew into the colorful wooden palette resting on the kitchen table. Others made their way into the still-wet paint of the unfinished painting. Still more shards clinked against the screen of the television, currently broadcasting breaking news from the local news channel. A scratchy voice came in from the speaker behind a fuzzy picture shot from a helicopter. “We have breaking news from this live shot above New York city. We have confirmed information that a top CFO from the Bank of Luzor has been fatally shot at this location. The man, who is believed to be CFO Josef Abad, has been taken to New York General Hospital. These pictures are coming to you live from KWAX. We’ll bring you more information as it becomes available. Back to you in the newsroom." "Thanks Mike, in other news today…”

She ran. No shoes, shirt half on, hair still dripping wet from her shower, and paint still spattered on her fingertips, Adela ran from the Josef’s kitchen. Their kitchen. She flew over the hard wood floor, ignoring the stinging as the ceramic shards pierced the skin of her feet. The car keys magically appeared in her hand without much thought and the beige Volkswagen Beetle screamed out of the driveway moments later. “New York General, New York General,” She repeated the hospital’s name over and over, holding onto to nothing more than that fact. If she thought of anything else, she’d lose her mind and never make it to the hospital to find out that this was all a mistake. Josef hadn’t been shot… certainly not fatally shot. “Not fatal… New York General…. Not fatal.”

“MOVE!” Shoving past several scrub-clad nurses, Adela flung open the stairs doors and raced up the steps to the ER. The elevator simply wasn’t as fast as a half-crazed werewolf. She opened the door to the third floor where the ambulances brought in victims… gunshot victims… Josef. Adela could smell him now and she searched the hallways with the yellow eyes of her wolf, her normally green eyes taking a back seat to the fear that welled up inside her chest. “Josef…” She whispered as she moved towards his scent.

“Miss? Can I help you?” The would-be-helpful nurse was shoved aside as Adela headed into the ER, never noticing the signs that said ‘doctors only.’ “Ma’am! You can’t go back there!” Adela barely felt the woman’s grasp on her arm and the pull the nurse exerted on her didn’t slow the werewolf down a bit. She shoved through the double doors and Josef’s scent was everywhere. She noticed his blood on the uniforms of two EMTs and the nurse walking towards her reeked of him. “Ma’am! You can’t come back here.” Adela ignored her and headed for the commotion that was coming from inside a room behind the nurse. “Security!” “I need to see him,” Adela spoke to no one in particular. “SECURITY!” The hands around her arms now where stronger, bigger… Like Josef’s had been. “I NEED HIM!” She ripped her body away from the uniformed officers and bolted towards the doors. So many doors. Couldn’t she just see him? Tell him how absurdly stupid he was for making her worry like this? More hands wrapped around her, restraining her. But those hands were not holding back a woman from her boyfriend or fiance or husband. They were trying to hold back a werewolf from her mate. Her soul mate. Her Alpha. That was not an easy task. “I need to see Josef Abad, now!” She broke away from the restraints again. “And may I ask who you are? Are you family?” “I am his EVERYTHING! JOSEF!” There were new scents surrounding her now and she could feel the remnants of an electric current in the air. “Miss, I’m sorry. I believe they’ve pronounced him dea--” “NO!” Tears streamed down her face from her yellow eyes, blurring her vision. But she could smell and hear… And Adela could not hear his heart beating. Her heart. The heart he’d given her. “He can have mine! JOSEF!” Several arms restrained her, pulling her back. “YOU CAN HAVE MY HEART.” She didn’t understand! Hadn’t she already given him her heart? He could use it. He could live with her heart, right? As a doctor opened the door in front of her, probably to ask about the disturbance, Adela caught a glimpse of her everything. He was bloody, pale, and too still. “No, NO! JOSEF! JOSEF! NOOO!” Adela struggled wildly under dozens of hands, almost able to break free until she felt a sharp pinch in her neck. Blackness began to take over her body, clouding her vision. A horrific snarl leapt from her throat as the human began to fade and the wolf began to take over. The bones of her ribcage began to break first as Adela changed forms. Luckily for the humans around her, the sedative began to take effect before the wolf could gain complete control. She snarled again, but this one was weaker, sadder, almost longing. And then, Adela’s world went black and she began to dream of Josef Abad… Her everything.

[Josef Ibn-Abad]

Ravel watched the heart monitor. Rhythmic beats continued to flow almost as naturally as possible. It had been hell, the chaos this mans body had been put through during the last couple of hours. Being brought in by ambulance, falling into cardiac arrest, miraculously coming out of it and then going into surgery where his heart stopped again before being resuscitated. Anyone who had been put through that should have died, any average person would be laid out on a metal table in the morgue being sliced and diced while an examiner shifted through their internal organs. Instead this man, Josef Abad, had been spared such a fate.

"Doctor?" A nurse said, poking her head into the room.

"Yes?" He replied, his eyes remaining focused on Josef.

"We have a problem that it seems the staff forgot to address. I just discovered it now."

"What is it?"

"A woman. She came into the hospital about an hour and a half ago and went ballistic downstairs."

"Psych patient?"

"No sir. She was screaming out his name." The nurse motioned towards the unconscious Josef.

"Where is she now?"

"Sedated. In a room with a security post."

The Doctor waved his hand, motioning that he would be there in a few. Obviously the woman was not family or they would not have sedated her. How angry did she have to get to warrant such action though? Typically Doctors would hear of unruly family and friends but why was nothing brought to his attention. Pulling the chart from the side of the bed, Ravel signed off on a few pages which had nothing more than a medication regiment to it. Just as he exited the room, Ravel was immediately stopped by two Police officers.

"Doctor Ravel?"

"Yes?"

"I am Sgt. Henderson, this is Officer Crawly. We were sent down here to act as..."

Ravel raised his hand, "Let me guess. Security for Mr. Abad?" The officers nodded. "I thought so." He eyed both officers, before focusing on the Sergeant. "He's unconscious, a coma I placed him in until his vitals stabilize."

"No worries. We are here to act as security only. We'll ask questions when he is able, not a moment sooner."

~ Minutes Later ~

Ravel entered her room quietly. A single security guard following him but remaining by the door. His eyes fell onto the women, who was strapped to the bed with velcro straps. Her wrists, ankles, and waist were strapped down firm. She was not going anywhere. So this was the woman that had caused the ruckus which had every nurse in the emergency room completely unhinged. She was... tiny.
The doctor walked to a locked cabinet, pulled out a vile of stimulants and a syringe. The woman had been sedated and if she was not forcefully woken, the young lady would be asleep for another ten or so hours. Filling the syringe, he tossed the glass jar into a orange bio hazard bin and pricked the back of her hand, forcing the fluid in. Just as he did with the glass container, Ravel tossed the need, though put it into a specially designated box on the wall.

"Wakey Wakey." He spoke, staring down at her.

[tinkerbell]

The heavy weight that had kept the human from stirring was beginning to lift and it was the exact moment the wolf inside her had been waiting for. She howled from inside Adela’s head and the woman shivered, goose bumps running over her pale skin. The wolf had been trying to shift forms for several hours but the humans body had not been responsive…. Until. “Agh!” Adela awoke to the painful break of a rib next to her heart. For her, the transformation tended to start close to her heart and then spread from there. Her eyes flung open, revealing the vibrant, intense, and very dangerous yellow color they had been since arriving at the hospital. A second ribbed broke, just below the first, and started shifting in a very painful fashion. Adela panted for a few seconds, trying to regain her mind. It was mostly futile. She glared up at the doctor, a snarl rippling from her throat. “You will release me,” Her deep voice was thick with German and French accents, making her words hard to understand combined with the wolf undertone, “And take me to Josef Abad.” Despite her labored breathing, she pulled on the Velcro straps that held her down and grinned at the doctor when she heard the metal give slightly under her strength. There was no happiness in her grin; only hunger. The hunger, the absolute need to be with Josef. Adela would go without food, sunlight, air, anything to see her mate right now. “I am….” She paused, “I regret what happened earlier. But, I must see him. And I would prefer your blessing in tha-- Wait.” She closed her eyes, trying remember exactly what had happened before she’d been put under. Her voice was more panicked when she spoke again, “His heart. His heart is beating. You will tell me that his heart is beating and then you will take me to go see or so help me God I will take myself.” She glared at him and then at the security officer behind him. She could easily taken them both on. If she remembered correctly, it had taken over half a dozen nurses, doctors, and guards to bring her down the first time. The bed could not hold her… Not even death could keep her from Josef. Because if he was no longer on this earth, death would simply be the fastest path to follow him.

[Josef Ibn-Abad]

"I'm sorry, I really can not allow him visitors. I just had to remove a few bullets from his body and clean his system of toxins. I put him in a chemical induced coma so he could rest comfortably. I truly apologize for the inconvenience but now is not the best time. Unless you are immediate family I can not allow him visitors. Well," Ravel paused, "even if I did allow it, I doubt the New York City Police Department would accommodate you. He's under police protection currently. Given your reaction in my emergency room I take it you heard and I take it there is more between you than someone would expect."

"And you would be correct in all assumptions, except the N.Y.P.D.'s protection. The F.B.I. is now taking full protective custody of Mr. Abad as well as Ms. Jager here." A feminine voice immediately added.

Ravel turned his attention to the owner of the voice and had he not been in such a serious mood may have taken the time to check out the lady. She wore a two piece business suit but it was the holster on her left hip and badge clamped to her front pant that her open jacket allowed to see which drew his attention.

"My name is Agent Averian. I am with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, London Field office and I need a few moments alone with Ms. Jager." Agent Averian spoke with absolute seriousness.

Ravel took the hint, "I need to check on my other patients as well."


The agent waited for Ravel and the security guard to leave before she came to a stand at the foot of Adelas bed. Her eyes read of knowledge, of dedication, of loyalty and looking into Adela's own, she saw the same. Though both had the same emotions for two completely different reasons. She did not even wait for Adela to respond to anything, Averian simply continued to speak.

"Three weeks ago, Josef made a call to the New York Field Office stating he had something that needed immediate attention. It had something to do with his bank. New York, after hearing of issue brought myself and my partner, Casimir Goetschl into New York." She paused, gnawing on the side of her cheek, an obvious distraction taking her over, "When we came in, we noticed irregularities within several accounts of the Bank of Luzon's more well known accounts. It was not long until we began receiving anonymous calls stating that Josef, Casimir and myself were being watched. Someone knew Josef had called the Feds in. Someone now knew who we were."

Adela was a wolf and being tied to the bed when her mate was laid out on his own must have been agonizing. Averian had been breifed by Casimir of the New York Pack and how Wolf Hierarchy was. Adela was an Alphess, she expected respect and being tied down was not respectful, being kept from her mate was a death wish. Still Averian had to make a point so Adela understood where Averian was going with her statements, "When the threats started rolling in, Casimir and Josef refused to back down. The threats, like the tips were anonymous. Then everything exploded tonight. Casimir was called back to London for a meeting with the Associate Deputy Director and Josef received a call for a issue at his Bank. I was called into the New York office."

She leaned over the bed, "The thing is. The call made to me was a hoax. Someone attempted to shoot me when I got out of my vehicle. Luckily they missed. At the same moment, Josef was attacked and I can't get a hold of my partner in London. Someone set us up and tried three hits at the same time. There was no issue with the bank and there was no meeting. Now I have one client whos fighting for his life in this hospital and a partner who is god knows where."

"Adela, I have reason to believe you will be a target yourself." she paused, her eyes welling with tears. "I will untie you, I will take you to Josef but first I need one thing. In the past three weeks has anything out of the ordinary occured with you or around your home? Have you noticed anyone following you, the same people being in the same places as you? Anything at all?"

[tinkerbell]

Adela knew that she could easily rip the velcro straps from the bed, especially with the help of the wolf within her. It was her sense of dignity that stopped her from doing just that and then tossing the doctor and the security guard to the sides like discarded soda cans. She wanted to be released not break out. Adela opened her mouth to protest, when she heard the sound of high heels approached. The woman opened the door and Adela immediately disliked her. Perhaps the situation made it hard to trust anyone. Or maybe it was the fact that this woman looked like she could also be working at a Hooters restaurant if you stripped away the two piece suit and badge. Or, maybe keep the badge. Some men liked women with authority. Either way, Adela wasn't buying any of it. Until she saw Josef with her own pair of eyes, both human and wolf, she wasn't going to be satisfied. Adela looked away, determined not to cry. She didn't want to hear anything the woman had to say and was only vaguely aware of what she was talking about until Adela heard the word "threats." That caught her attention. Anyone threatening Josef was going to have to deal with his very unhappy mate. Adela finally met Averian's eyes. She found them to be much kinder, more understanding than she'd thought. Perhaps she wasn't a dumb bimbo... Adela wasn't sure exactly who the FBI would be hiring these days.

Her eyes narrowed as she concentrated on the agents exact words, even her inflection. It didn't make any sense to the werewolf. Josef didn't like to talk about work much with her. Truthfully, Adela was bored by the numbers and politics of the company. She'd listen anytime Josef wanted to talk but.... What the hell could he have been involved in that would land him in a hospital with bullet wounds and poison in his blood. Adela was so angry she could have ripped someone's heart from their chest... A low growl surged unwilling from her throat but she didn't speak. Rather, Adela bit her lips so hard to keep from speaking that after a moment she tasted her own blood in her mouth. And then Averian started asking her questions. Adela sighed. She didn't want to answer any questions but if it meant she could see Josef sooner. She pursed her lips then spoke, her voice raspy and thick with accents, "I'll talk while you untie..." She let that sink in for a moment before continuing, "Josef and I never discussed his work much. I was honestly bored with it, the cut-throat political nature that seemed to be so intricately woven into every decision. Josef... is a good, good man. He is not in it for himself but for the people he represents." She sighed, thinking, "He was... spending more time away from home recently. More time on the phone, private phone calls. He mentioned something was wrong with the accounts. And, I've always had the sense that he felt... outnumbered. Like it was him against the politicians on his board. But he never, ever expressed any fear or trepidation when it came to it. And he can't lie to me." She would have been able to smell fear and hear a lie when it was told to her. That was the perks of supernatural senses. Besides, there had never been a reason for him to lie to her in the first place.... had there? Adela noticed emotion seeping through the agents facade. Hm. Who was this Casimir? But, Adela gave it no more thought. Her mind was solely focused on Josef now.

"I hadn't noticed anyone following me or snooping around our house." There was no hesitation in the claiming of Josef's house as her own. They would be inseparable until the day they died and probably not long after that. "And things like don't slip by... our kind." She was obviously in on the secret. It irritated Adela, like someone homeless was using the pool of the exclusive country club they were members at. But she pushed the thought aside for the moment. "If you want answers from him, you'll let me go." She met Averian's eyes with an intense stare. "I am certainly not family. What we have is something much more special. He would die for me... or harder still, live for me. And he will certainly talk to me. Besides..." Adela rolled her eyes, "I'd have this bed bent into scrap metal in under a minute if you didn't let me up. So, just make it easy on me."

[Josef Ibn-Abad]

Agent Averian led Adela through the hospital. Jager had undoubtedly been kept as far away from Josef as possible until it could be deciphered exactly who she was. Averian could not help but chuckle inside, about Adelas flamboyant vocalizations of her strength. There was no doubt that Adela was the stronger of the two but wolves suffered the same weaknesses as people. Age, relatively frail bodies. Whatever killed a human, killed a wolf. That kept the playing field level for both sides. Adela had strength, Averian had a gun.

Police were everywhere now, fully aware the federal government was now involved in this matter and they did not like it. Local Police and Federal Agents often had bad blood between one another due to the fact smart mouth agents barked orders at cops whenever possible and cops openly defied federal agents. It was like two bullies on the playground trying to outwit the other. Averian, though, would have none of it. If any agent or officer refused to do what she ordered, she would put them down.

"He's under lock and key and will be moved out of this building and to a more secure location as soon as the doctor gives the clearance. With his face and the events being plastered all over the television, the people that tried to kill him will know that he is alive. They will strike again." Averian glanced at Adela. "They always do."

They rounded a final corner, the site of seven men, dressed in dark suits pacing the hallway and standing at one particular door drew the attention. Their jackets were undone, revealing the federal badges they weileded and their holsters with weapon could be seen with each step they took. "As you can see, we are taking this matter into the highest priority. It's not everyday a known banker and the agent he has been working with are attacked. It will be two agents attacked if we can't find Casimir." She was rambling now, desperate to know where her partner was.

"Agent Averian." One of the men spoke. "All areas are clear."

"Good. Move." She ordered, the man in the way of the door. Not only did he move but he opened the door, the darkness of the room was the first notice Averian took. The sound of beeping, the heart monitor could be heard. Moving the curtain that circled the bed, Josef Abad came into view. Plastic tubes were everywhere. Some went into his mouth, obvious oxygen tubes to ensure his lungs got enough air, other were stuck to points on his head obviously keeping track of brain activity, he held two I.V.'s, one in the hand, the other in the left elbow. His face was almost unrecognizable. The allergic reaction had swollen his eyes completely shut, his tongue hung slightly out of the side of his mouth swollen to an unnatural size. His chest was exposed, showing the bullet wounds which had been stitched shut. Averian fell silent and gave Adela the room.

[tinkerbell]

Adela walked just inches behind Agent Averian, able to tell which way they were about to go from the slight changes in her movements just before the change in direction. She was tempted to ask the woman if there was some reason she was not running through the streets but Adela managed to keep relatively quiet. Several nurses and doctors shot her alarming looks as she passed, obviously having experience her wrath earlier in the day. The werewolf stared back at them with vicious golden eyes that belonged more to her wolf than to the human. She reached up and touched the bones on her ribcage that had broken themselves. The area was still bruised from the breaks but the bones were healing very fast, even for a supernatural creature. It was a sign that adrenaline was still pumping hard throughout her body. Unarmed, she could kill each and every one of the federal agents standing guard outside Josef’s room. The thought was quite satisfying.

“They will strike again. They always do.” Adela wanted to scream something along the lines of ‘over my dead body’ but she simply let out an exasperated huff. She knew that none of these federal agents could protect Josef from whatever or whoever was hunting. If it meant that Adela was going to spend the rest of her life in wolf form sitting obediently by Josef’s side, she would be the one to protect him. There was only one thing in this world that would be able to get through the sense of a werewolf: a vampire. And she’d probably be able to smell one coming from a long ways off. It would probably be impossible for her to leave him alone ever again… or at least until the people who did this were dead. Averian opened the door to Josef’s room. It was dark, smelled strongly of various chemicals and felt quite ominous. Adela took a deep breath to steady herself before she took a tentative step through the door frame.

He was incredibly still lying in the hospital bed. Adela stared at him with vibrant gold eyes. But she could not see the tubes that went into his arms and his nose and his mouth. And despite her enhanced senses, she could not hear the monitor beeping to the rhythm of his heart. She could see only Josef. She could hear only the slow and soft beats of his heart. He was so peaceful. Her heart swelled with immense love and joy for the broken man before her. Adela fell forward towards the bed but did not pause at its side. She climbed nimbly around the tubes and machines, all the while her eyes searching for any sign of pain on his face. Of course, she probably couldn’t hurt him even she tried with all the drugs he was on. The werewolf could smell them and they itched her nose. With gentle fingers she reached out to stroke the clammy skin of his cheek. “Josef…” She leaned in and kissed both corners of his mouth, unable to touch his lips because of the tube that was helping him breath. Lowering herself into the narrow space between the side of his body and his arm, Adela rested her head softly on his chest. She eyed the bullet wounds. The werewolf’s yellow eyes disappeared behind her eyelids and she focused on the sound of his beating heart for several long moments before she spoke again. “Who did you say did this to him? To me?”

[Josef Ibn-Abad]

"I don't know, Adela." Averian said, "I just don't have any leads besides the funneling of the money from his bank. They struck us before we could finish piecing together everything." Averian turned her attention to her pocket as her cell phone went off.

Taking a look at the caller i.d. she flipped the phone open, "This is Averian."

'They hit the Bank of Luzon.'

"What do you mean hit?"

'They took out the banks night security. They attacked a manager working late and completely destroyed the servers.'

"Are you shitting me?"

'No ma'am. Everything, it's lost.'

"Check the Abad home! I want any computers in his residence put into custody and protected until we have time to go through it. I want all available agents at Abads home a.s.a.p. Call me back when you get there."

'Understood.'

With that the phone went dead. "Everything. God damn it." Averian cursed as she looked back at Adela. "They went after his bank. His night security is dead and a manager is in critical condition. Every computer main phrame in the building is completely destroyed." Frustration was taking the agent completely over. Casimir was missing, an attempt was taken on her life and now one of her friends was fighting for his. "I have units heading towards your residence. We need your home comps since there might be a chance Josef has something that could be of use but as of right now... we just don't know." Agents were not suppose to openly admir they did not know something, it was suppose to be a blur. They were suppose to leave hope but Averian knew Josef and knew that his mate would probably read her with ease. There was no point in lieing.

"How long do you think it will take for him to recover? I mean... how fast does your kind..." She caught herself "...how fast does it take for wolves to recover from injury?" She also had to be careful, she just realized she authorized people to enter a Alphas home. INvasion of territory. Hopefully Adela would understand. "I'm sorr..." Averian began before the sound of shouting in the hallway filled her ears in the room. It was not clear what exactly was being yelled as voices seemed to trump out other voices. She knew she heard a 'freeze' which forced her hand to unstrap her holster. She knew she heard a 'lower it', which she gripped her pistol firmly. The Sig Sauer P226 cool steel against her flesh.

Her eyes turned to the door, then a new sound filled her ears. The sound she did not want to hear again. Gunfire.

Pop...pop....pop pop pop pop...

It was chaotic and the screams did nothing to nullify the pops. Hell had arrived in the hospital. "Push the bed against the wall, out of the line of sight of the door!" Averian shouted to Adela while drawing her side arm. "Can you fight?" She glanced back at the door as she saw shadows scurry back and forth though one set of shadows held their ground, that of the man that had been acting as the first line of defense for Josefs room and her fellow Agent.

Glancing around, Averian spotted the fire alarm, "Pull it! It will signal police and fire throughout New York!" Did anyone outside the hospital know what was going on? Had any of the agents, nurses or police able to get calls out to let them know? If they did not, at least the city would know something was going to happen. Cover his face, when the alarm is pulled it will activate the sprinkler system in this room and unplug all the other machines so we aren't electrocuted."

[tinkerbell]

Adela leaned over her alpha’s very still body. She tried to imagine that he was simply sleeping, not battling for his life. The tips of her long fingers ran slowly across his forehead, down the side of his face and onto his cheek. He was beginning to grow a little scruff and Adela had the sudden and strange urge to shave his face, as though nothing were wrong. Perhaps tomorrow he would wake up and then the next day she would take him home. Adela would love him back to a healthy state and she knew it could not fail. The love and the bond they shared as mates was unbreakable. As she bean to mull over these thoughts, her fears for Josef’s life slowly began to quell. He would be fine, there was no other possible outcome for him. Averian was talking to her again then and Adela unwilling pulled her thoughts away from Josef and back to the federal agent. Well, she was speaking to her cell phone. Averian’s tone of voice put Adela back on high alert. Her eyes flared back to their vibrant golden color as she listened to both ends of the conversation, able to hear what was coming out of the ear piece. Truly, Adela could not grasp the situation. Why would someone destroy all the computers at the bank? “Maybe it’s someone on the inside.” She tried to remember the few episodes of CSI she had watched on her day off. The bad people always seemed to be the ones closest to the crime.

So now the FBI was heading to her home. She couldn’t decide whether or not she liked that fact. On one hand, it meant their house was safe. No harm could come to her goldfish, Barnie. Yet there would be strangers in their home. What if one of these FBI Agents had gone bad? That happened in CSI too. Adela looked back at Josef and for a few short moment envied him. At least he was unaware of what was going on now. He could just sleep until he was healed. She looked back up at Averian, “I don’t know. Broken ribs take a few hours, maybe less. But this is so extensive. And, he’s human. If he were in our other form he’d heal a lot faster.” Werewolves were strange creatures. “When we shift forms, every bone in our bodies break and then rearrange themselves and it can take as few as three minutes or as many at thirty if a wolf is new. But, its different I guess with injuries.” She sighed heavily and turned back towards Josef. Just as she reached out to stroke his face again, something caught her sharp ears. A shout. Struggling. Then gun shots. Several. Adela counted them as popped off. Six shots. They couldn’t be far off either, perhaps just down the hallways.

Adrenaline surged through her veins and the wolf inside howled. Adela could just barely make out the words coming from Averian’s mouth. She was already shifting from human to wolf. She slammed Josef’s bed against the nearest wall, not bothering to avoid the expensive machines attached to Josef’s body. Several snaps and Adela could no longer stand up straight. The tingle of fur growing from every inch of her skin frightened her. She’d never shifted so quickly in her life. Adela had enough sense to rip the heart monitor from Josef’s chest. The machine signaled a flatline and then Adela covered Josef’s face with the small blue blanket. Would they think he was dead? Maybe. Adela let out a pained scream and crumpled to her knees as her shoulders dislocated and reformed into a new position. “Get out. GET OUT!” She roared at Averian while she still had the use of her human vocal chords.

It didn’t take long at all for her transformation to finish. Dela shook out her coat and several bones popped into place. The werewolf was broad and long, but relatively thin for her kind. Yellow eyes peered up through dark ruby fur at Josef and whined. She leapt agilely onto the bed, avoiding stepping on his body, and stood protectively over him. It would take more than a few bullets to get her away from Josef. Perhaps coming face to face with a real werewolf would change their minds. But if it didn’t, both human and werewolf were completely willing to die for their Alpha.

[Josef Ibn-Abad]

Averian knew wolves existed and she did Vampires. Vampires, she had seen. Seem them extend their fangs, seen them feed. However, watching a wolf change was something she, herself, never expected to witness. It was almost demonic, how a human body to change, mutilate itself, then reform once more into a majestic beast. Everything about Adela screamed a danger but right now was no time to worry about a wolf or her injured mate. It was about surviving what was more definitely coming their way. Averian could not help but stare at the wolf as she leapt onto the bed, taking a fierce stand over Josef. Teeth snarling, the wolf's eyes shot from Averian to the door and at the door they stayed.

The only thing to pull Averian's attention away from Adela was the sound of more gunfire. The hallway of the hospital was filled with it and as a result counting the shots and where they specifically came from was almost impossible. Her pistol raised to the door, her finger on the trigger. The wooden door swung open, a man in a suit crawling in, his hand on his thigh. An agent. "Averian! Two men carrying semi-automatic rifles." He gasped as his body writhed in pain. Blood poured from the bullet holes in his thigh, covering the floor as he slid himself in before shutting it. "They are two rooms down. The others were forced back." This agent, young and freshfaced pulled his pistol, yanked the clip out and looked, "Two shots left."

"Stay close to the wall and get away from the door." Averian replied almost calmly "Oh and don't look the giant dog in the eyes." Averian snickered in reference to Adela. The Agent glanced over his shoulder, fear crossing his face at the sight of the wolf.

"Holy shi...." Where the last words he spoke as several bullets punched through the door, one slamming into his head, one smashing into a machine and the others hitting the walls and dinging the metal framing to Josefs bed.

Averian immediately fired back. Her clip held twelve shots and she released seven. Though she fired, her eyes remained focused on the shadows that she could see beneath the door. Her head rang with each shot as the reinforced concrete walls seemed to enhance the sound of the shots. Still it was do or die. Momentary relief came when she heard the man slump against the door and fumble to the ground. Did she get both or just one? The low growl of Adela should have been a warning, though Averian did not know wolf signals. The only agent who seemed to be able to decipher such was Casimir and without him around, Averian simply had no time to guess. The Agent rose and neared the door. Silence was all that was heard.

Just as she reached for the knob, the door kicked in. The second man pushed his weapon in, as if trying to get a shot off but Averian smacked it low and away. The assailant dropped the gun but pushed through, upper cutting Averian and sending her flying backwards. Her head walloped the tiled floor, nearly losing consciousness herself and before reality could reset itself, the gunman was on her, one hand on the back of her neck, the other on the jaw and slowly he tried to turn, attempted to hear the snap that would end her life.

[tinkerbell]

Her long black and ruby tail swung slowly back and forth and Dela crouched on the bed over Josef’s body. She looked more like a long haired (and of course black) tiger than a wolf. Broad shoulders and powerful hindquarters made her look slightly grotesque and yet she was still somehow graceful. She watched with dangerous yellow as Averian fired several shots at the door. The ensuing ringing in her ears was extremely uncomfortable. Werewolves had extremely strong senses and a gun firing just feet from her was almost painful. It also meant she was partially deaf for several moments. Dela looked down nervously. Josef was still breathing and his heart was still beating. Looking back up, she watched as Averian crept slowly towards the door. Dela strained to hear but couldn’t tell if the person on the other side of the door was dead. Obviously not.

The door flung open and a man was instantly on top of Averian. She was valiant in her effort to fight off the much bigger man but eventually unsuccessful. Dela watched and waited for a point to spring. The moment came when the man sent Averian flying backwards onto the tile floor. The woman’s head cracked sharply against the floor and the man was on top of her, ready to snap her neck and end her life. Dela lept silently from the bed. Her mouth encompassed his entire throat quite easily as she flew threw the air and carried the man away from Averian in one smooth movement. She flexed the powerful muscles of her jaw and her sharp canines pierced the skin of his neck. She felt bone crunch in her mouth and blood flowed relentless through her mouth and onto the floor. The human in her would have been sick but the werewolf was fully equipped to deal with such things. The man’s body went limp in her jaws and Dela released him to the floor. Her long tongue swept across her muzzle, cleaning it of some of the blood. She’d ripped his carotid artery a new hole and it was still spewing across the floor. The werewolf was a bloody, dangerous mess. Very very dangerous.

Dela looked back at the FBI agent but then gave her no further notice. Her hearing was returned and she could both hear and smell that the fight was not over. Dela snarled loudly, a warning to those around the corner. She stepped lightly through the doorway. She could hear breathing, obviously human. Some of it was labored and some of it was almost inaudible. But Dela could hear it. Another snarl ripped through her throat. These people were dumb if they were still going to mess with this werewolf.

[Josef Ibn-Abad]

Blood was claimed to have a metallic scent by both Vampires and humans alike, yet the metallic aspect of it never tickled Josef's scent. Ever. He viewed the scent as indescribable but highly volatile. Unconsciousness was much like falling to sleep. Like laying down and going to bed, simply shutting the eyes and then reopening them with no sense of time. For most people a sudden array of light or a alot of commotion gong on around them was enough to jerk them awake. For Josef, the gunfire, the yelling, nothing got him awake. What did begin to get his body working, the electrical signals in his brain to pick up was the familiar sounds, the one he knew all to well. The low rumbling of Dela'. Her scent, so close, her demeanor so tense, it was like being pulled under water. His mind desperate to find a way out to reach her. Then it was gone and his body seemed to calm.

Then the scent hit him. Blood. His nostrils flared as his body took the whiffs of Dela's scent mixed with the scent of another individual, a male, and blood thrown in. As the events around him continued, Josef's hands flinched then fell still.

Meanwhile Averian watched as the Alphess was upon the individual. The fight lasted a matter of seconds but it seemed as though it had taken an hour. Wolves were so much bigger up close, so much scarier and Averian now had a deeper respect for them and their power. The blood of the attacked splattered across the room, covering not just Averian but the floor, walls and even Adelas muzzles. "Holy shit." Averian mumbled, though her head was killing him. She watched as Dela snarled then began heading into the hallway. The biggest 'oh shit' crossed her mind as she realized that covering up something like a animal attack in a hospital would be next to impossible but issues like that could wait. As Adela vanished into the hall, the Agent pulled herself to her feet.

It seemed as everything fell silent, the eeriness of it. Her head throbbed but even she could not anticipate what was about to happen to her next. As her attention turned towards the bed, Josef's hand gripped her throat, shoving Averian against the wall. His eyes were reflective yellow, his face as though it was trying to change but stuck in a half and half stance. The nose had tried to shift as had the jaw line. He looked more monterous than wolf or human. "DELA!" he snarled, drool dripping from his mouth along with traces of blood. Averian spotted the tubes that had been down his throat on the floor. Abad had simply ripped them out.

"Ha..." Averian choked, unable to finish the word due to Josef's grip.

Abad attention turned towards the doorway, his glare locked at the spot Adela had momentarily stopped. Letting go of Averian, he spotted the mangled mess on the floor, the man that had Dela's scent all over him. The Syrian let out a bellowing howl. Reaching down, he gripped the man by his tattered neck and flung him into the hallway, his body bouncing off the wall and flopping onto the floor. Again the Syrian let out another deafening howl.

Josef took several steps before he began to stumble, Averian rushing over and slinging one of his arms around her neck to support him. "Take it easy, she's out there." Averian tried to reassure Josef whos eyes began to flicker. It was obvious he was in no shape to fight, especially as his face began to retake its human shape.


In the hall, several Agents dotted the floor, hiding behind whatever it was they could find. One his behind a medical cart, another a toppled over gurney though the remaining attackers each took up a position. One was hunkered at the nurses station, holding a AK-47 and currently reloading while the second was in a patients room just ten feet from the first. The gunman at the nurses station took a glance at security camera's and spotted what he did not want, "Swat is moving in! East hall!" He shouted. "Four in full armor! Slow them down until we finish off Abad!" The second gunman emerged from the patients room and headed down towards the East hall. When the first took another look at the security camera's he saw what he did not expect, a large animal coming down the hall and directly towards him. Raising his automatic rifle, the gunman began to spray down the hall indiscriminately. The flickering lights, the echos the bullets were causing and the various muddled bodies on the floor, the gunman was uncertain if he had hit the wolf or not.

[tinkerbell]

She crept forward slowly, stalking the men who were here to harm Josef. When she came to the end of the hallway she paused in order to listen. But rather than pick up sounds in front of her, Dela realized that Josef was awake. And not only was he awake but he sure as hell was kicking and screaming. Part of her, most likely the human part, screamed to turn around and go to Josef. But the wolf, the dominant part currently, knew better than to be distracted by silly human desires. Josef was of course her Alpha but the important thing now was to protect the Alpha because Josef was not only her Alpha but Mike, Marcs, Melanie, even Enda’s. The werewolf refocused her attention in front of her just in time.

Someone opened fire with their automatic rifle, aiming right at Dela. She took a bullet to the shoulder before she could seek adequate cover. The werewolf was pressed up against the nearest wall and crouched low to the linoleum floor. The wound was mostly superficial but it sure was bleeding a lot. She waited until the shower of bullets stopped before she sprung. Her sharp claws gained no traction on the slick floor and there was only one way to make such a sharp right turn as was needed to get to the gun man. The werewolf charged straight at the wall in front of her. When she was a few yards away, she leapt at the wall. Midair, Dela turned her body towards the nurses station and then ran for several steps against the wall before she jumped back down onto the floor. By that time, she was only one leap away from the man with the AK-47. She jumped straight over the nurses station while the man was reloading for the gun. Dela hit him hard in the chest with all of her weight. She was lithe for a werewolf but she still outweighed the man. His head cracked against the floor and his eyes rolled back into his head. Dela snarled into his face then bent down to rip his throat out of his neck. But she never got the chance.

The butt of a gun met the werewolf’s skull with enough force to knock her back. Several more shots to her shoulder and head had the werewolf on her side. She yelped loudly. Now, she needed Josef. But he was in no shape to come to her rescue. Staggering to her feet, she snarled and snapped at the man, catching his wrist. Bones snapped in her mouth and the man screamed. With his other hand, he raised his hand gun and fired two shots at the werewolf.

[Josef Ibn-Abad]

Josef heard the spray of gunfire, the sound pounding against his eardrums and irritating him like crazy. Averian rested Josef against the wall of his room while she dragged an injured federal agent into it. Abad used the opportunity to peek his head into the hall and that was when he caught the scent of Adelas blood on the air. She was now hurt. Abad's body shot with rage, his temperature rising. He felt his bones began to pop and reshape but as they had done earlier, as he rose from his bed, it stopped, as if getting stuck. His muscles expanded slightly, a half formed muzzle appeared though his eyes completed the shift. Fur poured from every aspect of his body which prompted Abad to removed the medial gown he had been wearing. Standing at six feet three inches, his posture continued to be defined as muscle reshaped and bones continued to popped and reshape. His body finally stopped, his now sharper teeth clenched as his breathing became rasped and labor. His body ached but the man that had once been human was now more monsterous once again.

With the sound of two pops, He burst into the hallway, riding a wave of adrenaline while knocking Averian out of his way. His hands clenched the medical cart that one agent remained hidden behind and flung it down the hallway, towards the nurses station. He let out a bellowing howl which almost seemed to silence everything. Josef stalked down, his gaze forward. People who managed or even dared to look up stared in horror at the nightmare that made his seething way towards his objective, his target. Rounding the corner, his gaze locked on the man whom injured Adela. He, himself, was hurt but he held a pistol. Again Josef let out a deafening howl and charged forth, using his bodies weight and posture to smash through one section of the wooden station.

The gunman attempted to raise his weapon but Abad was just a bit quicker. The man caught halfway through his shift, gripped the gunmans, and crushed it. His fingers and hand collapsed around the pistol. A sneer seemed to form on Abads muzzle as he let go and the attacker dropped the gun. His hand was near jello and he screamed in pain. Lunging forward, Abad pushed the attacker onto the floor and sank his teeth into the jugular. Bloor spurted everywhere, across Abad's face, the ground, abads body. Crunching down, he snapped the windpipe before pulling out, taking the chunk of bone from the flesh. Gripping both of the attackers arms, Abad ripped them completely from their sockets until he finally grasped the torso and tossed the body as he had done the first.

As he stood, his body immediately had red tracers on them. Much like a laser pointer, the tracers were attached to military grade weapons to show where a bullet would go. Abad stood as SWAT invaded the area, their faces hidden by black skimasks, though none made any attempt to address the wolf. Abad stood in defiance and let out yet another howl which was a warning - his mate was behind him and hurt. If they were a threat, Abad would be more than willing to show them what a wolf could do. They did not budge, no aggressive motions made which was a relief. Slowly exhaustion retook the Syrian and he slowly shifted back into his human form. The earlier bullet holes aching his body more. "Adela!" He snapped as his eyes shot around the floor. Still in her wolf form, Dela was layed out with two shots of her own. Averian over over.

"Shes hurt!" Averian explained. "We need a doctor. Now!"

Abad knelt down next to Dela, his hands under her muzzle. He let out a small whimper to show his Mate he was there before leaning in and kissing gently. "This is going to hurt hon." Abad waved Averian away while he focused on the two bullet holes. Her shoulder blade stopped the bullet as the metallice reflextion was seen. Abad pushed his index and thumb into the first wound while using his other hand to put pressure on Dela's neck. He had no intention of being snapped at. He gripped the bullet and yanked it out as quickly as possible before doing the exact same with the second. "Averian." Josef gulped, extremelly lightheaded, "Get gauze and apply pressure. Its going to be a few before the wounds show any sign of healing."

Averian did not argue. Slowly Abad stood back up, the SWAT team currently checking the injured and dead. Now it was understandable why none of these federal agents were surprised to see a wolf earlier. They were FBI and probably from Casimir's part of the Bureau which dealt with what most people thought was paranormal. "It's not safe here. Where going home." Josef sneered, his voice holding an underlying growl. Quietly he grabbed an available gourney and brought it to the station.

"We'll take a van, they'll need the ambulances."Averian explained as she scurried away.

Kneeling back down, Josef shook his head, getting rid of another bout of blurriness before speaking to Dela, "We're going home. Home. You'll be alright." It was then that Josef felt something in his mouth. Whirling about his tongue, his spat a chunk of the attackers bone on the floor then looked himself over. Nude, hurt and covered in extreme amounts of blood, the Alpha could not have cared less. His Mate was hurt. Nothing would stop him from getting home and trying to find out whom was stupid enough to attack him or Adela. Gently he lifted Dela and rested her on the gurney before making the push out the emergency room doors and to the waiting van, who's side doors were open with Averian waiting to receive.