We're in the home stretch now. Xenagog means "tour guide," make of that what you will.
You can go back to A here.
You can go back to A here.
Brody hadn’t even had time to shout a warning, which was fine because apparently Libby hadn’t needed one. He’d stumbled back, and gone down out of shock. It wasn’t the first time he’d been shot, but it still took a second to push through the pain and focus on doing anything.
By the time he got there the bastard that’d shot him was on the ground too, blood leaking from a cut on his temple, bits of lamp scattered around him.
“Detective Hussein?” Libby yelled.
Brody watched her kick the gun under the couch, before she grabbed one of his shirts off the top of his duffel and came over by him.
“Shut the door,” he managed, clamping a hand over the hole in his side. It felt like it’d gone straight through, like it was just a flesh wound. Which didn’t make it hurt any less, but he’d probably be okay if he could slow the bleeding down.
Libby knelt down, pushing his hand out of the way and applying pressure for him. The pain, of her actually doing it right, whited everything out for a second, and when he could breathe again there were voices in the hallway.
“I need backup at the safehouse, we’ve got a breach and—” Dagny appeared in the door, gun drawn, and froze. “And I need an ambulance.” She hung up and kicked the officer over less than gently. “Given he’s been incapacitated with a lamp I’m going to guess he’s our attacker.”
“He knocked on the door and said you had something for us,” Libby answered. “I’m not sure he’s knocked out so much as stunned.”
Dagny pulled a pair of zip-ties out and made quick work of him. “Are you hurt, Libby?”
“No, Brody answered the door.” She looked at his face. “Are you being quite because you’re in shock, or because you’re hurt worse than I think you are?”
He worked to loosen his jaw. “Mostly just pain. It’s not serious.” He struggled, trying to get his feet under him, and both of them helped him up.
“Any hole that’s not supposed to be there is serious,” Dagny muttered. “Ambulance will be here soon. When he wakes up we’ll have some questions.”
Brody sat on the coffee table, and clamped his arm against the dressing. “The other officer?”
“Zip tied to a chair, doesn’t look to be hurt.” Dagny checked her comm unit. “They’re downstairs, and coming up. King says they’ve arrested everyone, but I’m not sure I trust that.”
Brody laughed, wincing with it. “Well, presumably he was actually one of yours. Lay odd he was bribed into taking care of things for them.”
“I’d like to think none of my men would take money to kill a civilian.” Dagny sighed. “But they’re not all mine, I don’t get to pick who all the new hires are.” The ambulance crew came up then, and Dagny met them in the hall.
Libby was standing next to him, watching the guy she’d bashed over the head with a lamp.
“Are you okay?”
She blinked at him, but didn’t take her eyes off the one on the floor for more than a second. “You’re the one who got shot.”
“I am.” Brody winced. “I remember. Hey, you may not be much of a damsel in distress but you’re a convincing hero.”
Dagny came back in with an EMT, and went back to controlling her former colleague.
Libby sat down across from him. “I brained him with a lamp.”
Brody shifted, pulling his blood soaked shirt up so they could get to his wound.
“We’re just going to stop the bleeding for now, you’ll need to go to the hospital to have it cleaned and closed up.”
“I can transport him,” Dagny offered. “I’m sending this one in custody, so the ambulance will be full.”
Libby went and washed her hands, before she came back over and sat on the couch while they taped him up with probably three rolls more than they needed. She seemed…uneasy. Strange? He didn’t have a guidebook, there was no map for where her head was going at the moment and normally he might have asked—as normal as they managed to be, off of a few days of being stuck around each other and way too many high-stakes experiences.
Dagny assigned other people to guard their attacker—and made it abundantly clear that he wasn’t a cop, he was the bad guy—and then escorted them out of the building and to a waiting cruiser.
“We riding in style?” Brody tried to joke.
Dagny huffed. “You’re out of commission, I’m not letting her out of my sight until I’m sure things are clear.”
“I didn’t imagine you’d risk losing a witness.”
She held the door open for him. “Right. It’s because she’s a witness, and not because between you and her boss I’d never get another night’s sleep if I let something happen to her.”
Brody leaned back in the car and closed his eyes, trying not to tense up and make everything hurt worse. “I’d let you sleep.”
Dagny scoffed, and the other door opened and Libby slipped in. “Libby, if he starts to pass out, or seems like I need to be rushing, tell me.”
“I will.” She fastened his seatbelt, pulling it low so it didn’t hit where he was injured. “Hospital’s not far though, is it?”
“Nope.”
Brody laid his head back and tried not to focus on the throbbing in his side. “Don’t get a speeding ticket.”
By the time he got there the bastard that’d shot him was on the ground too, blood leaking from a cut on his temple, bits of lamp scattered around him.
“Detective Hussein?” Libby yelled.
Brody watched her kick the gun under the couch, before she grabbed one of his shirts off the top of his duffel and came over by him.
“Shut the door,” he managed, clamping a hand over the hole in his side. It felt like it’d gone straight through, like it was just a flesh wound. Which didn’t make it hurt any less, but he’d probably be okay if he could slow the bleeding down.
Libby knelt down, pushing his hand out of the way and applying pressure for him. The pain, of her actually doing it right, whited everything out for a second, and when he could breathe again there were voices in the hallway.
“I need backup at the safehouse, we’ve got a breach and—” Dagny appeared in the door, gun drawn, and froze. “And I need an ambulance.” She hung up and kicked the officer over less than gently. “Given he’s been incapacitated with a lamp I’m going to guess he’s our attacker.”
“He knocked on the door and said you had something for us,” Libby answered. “I’m not sure he’s knocked out so much as stunned.”
Dagny pulled a pair of zip-ties out and made quick work of him. “Are you hurt, Libby?”
“No, Brody answered the door.” She looked at his face. “Are you being quite because you’re in shock, or because you’re hurt worse than I think you are?”
He worked to loosen his jaw. “Mostly just pain. It’s not serious.” He struggled, trying to get his feet under him, and both of them helped him up.
“Any hole that’s not supposed to be there is serious,” Dagny muttered. “Ambulance will be here soon. When he wakes up we’ll have some questions.”
Brody sat on the coffee table, and clamped his arm against the dressing. “The other officer?”
“Zip tied to a chair, doesn’t look to be hurt.” Dagny checked her comm unit. “They’re downstairs, and coming up. King says they’ve arrested everyone, but I’m not sure I trust that.”
Brody laughed, wincing with it. “Well, presumably he was actually one of yours. Lay odd he was bribed into taking care of things for them.”
“I’d like to think none of my men would take money to kill a civilian.” Dagny sighed. “But they’re not all mine, I don’t get to pick who all the new hires are.” The ambulance crew came up then, and Dagny met them in the hall.
Libby was standing next to him, watching the guy she’d bashed over the head with a lamp.
“Are you okay?”
She blinked at him, but didn’t take her eyes off the one on the floor for more than a second. “You’re the one who got shot.”
“I am.” Brody winced. “I remember. Hey, you may not be much of a damsel in distress but you’re a convincing hero.”
Dagny came back in with an EMT, and went back to controlling her former colleague.
Libby sat down across from him. “I brained him with a lamp.”
Brody shifted, pulling his blood soaked shirt up so they could get to his wound.
“We’re just going to stop the bleeding for now, you’ll need to go to the hospital to have it cleaned and closed up.”
“I can transport him,” Dagny offered. “I’m sending this one in custody, so the ambulance will be full.”
Libby went and washed her hands, before she came back over and sat on the couch while they taped him up with probably three rolls more than they needed. She seemed…uneasy. Strange? He didn’t have a guidebook, there was no map for where her head was going at the moment and normally he might have asked—as normal as they managed to be, off of a few days of being stuck around each other and way too many high-stakes experiences.
Dagny assigned other people to guard their attacker—and made it abundantly clear that he wasn’t a cop, he was the bad guy—and then escorted them out of the building and to a waiting cruiser.
“We riding in style?” Brody tried to joke.
Dagny huffed. “You’re out of commission, I’m not letting her out of my sight until I’m sure things are clear.”
“I didn’t imagine you’d risk losing a witness.”
She held the door open for him. “Right. It’s because she’s a witness, and not because between you and her boss I’d never get another night’s sleep if I let something happen to her.”
Brody leaned back in the car and closed his eyes, trying not to tense up and make everything hurt worse. “I’d let you sleep.”
Dagny scoffed, and the other door opened and Libby slipped in. “Libby, if he starts to pass out, or seems like I need to be rushing, tell me.”
“I will.” She fastened his seatbelt, pulling it low so it didn’t hit where he was injured. “Hospital’s not far though, is it?”
“Nope.”
Brody laid his head back and tried not to focus on the throbbing in his side. “Don’t get a speeding ticket.”
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