The Compound

2011

Xander ached awake in a white room, the fluorescent lights reflected off the tile and walls so brightly it took his squinting eyes a long minute to adjust. The blurred figure of Dr. Rodgers approached with a clipboard.

"Wakey Wakey!"

"Hey Doc," Xander rasped. Doctor Rodgers was in a good mood today, he had a bounce in his step, similar to a kid on the last day of school. Rodgers's hand came up to his cheek to channel a whisper toward Xander.

"Off the record, that was a pretty amazing battle, Xander. A quadruple tag? Unbelievable." The word had spread of Xander's daring dive through the central chamber where he left behind a grenade to take out the four remaining Spartans at once.

"Thanks..." Xander said as his body creaked up into a sitting position. As his vision elevated, a relieving sight came to view - Fiona was in the bed across the room from him. It looked like she was asleep because her locks of red hair lay sprawled out over the sheets.

"Don't you want to know the results?!" the doctor emphatically asked. Xander's eyes didn't leave Fiona as he was now her protector.

"Oh yeah, sure..."

"You won, Xander! You got the most points for the year. That quadruple kill gave you sixty points alone." The doctor was taken aback by Xander's lack of interest.

"Oh good..." The doctor chalked up the weak rejoice to his fatigue. "What are my injuries?"

"You reaggravated your ribs, so much so that you lacerated your kidney. It's not too serious; you have only been unconscious a few hours. I am going to keep you under watch tonight." Xander nodded, hoping that a silent response would expedite the conclusion of the conversation. The doctor noticed him looking over at Fiona. "She's not doing so well... Concussion, broken clavicle and three broken ribs," Xander's guilt crept in on him - but it was quickly suppressed upon its ascent.

"She'll be okay, just a long recovery. I know you didn't mean to do that to her, after all how were you supposed to know the hallway would drop out?"

But Xander had known and he did it anyway. The point was to immobilize her, keeping her from her house where he was sure C4 chargers awaited her.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Midnight had struck and although the night nurse had thought Xander had been asleep for the last three hours, he had laid in wait. He had tracked her movements all night and knew that she would be exiting the Infirmary momentarily for her lunch break. Xander's sights ascended to the top corner of the room. There was the one surveillance camera attached to the ceiling, angled down to Fiona's bed. It was the only camera in the Compound, used in case of medical emergencies. Xander knew the camera would come in handy on that night. She hadn't moved as she was in a deep slumber while her body repaired itself throughout the night. Xander heard the nurse's footsteps approach the door of the Infirmary and the door shut behind her.

Now is my chance.

Xander shot up from bed, ignoring the pang shooting through his chest from his ribs. He marched through the Infirmary and began his preparations. It was now only the two of them - him and Fiona.

Xander wheeled the rattling cart through the room and positioned it next to Fiona's bedside. He retrieved the restraints from the surgical table in the adjacent ICU room and brought them over to her bedside. He tied them to the frame of the bed and gently fed Fiona's good hand through them, strapping it down tight. Her other arm hung in a sling, as her collarbone was fractured. Xander remained calmed and methodical as he carried out what he had mentally rehearsed all evening.

He had heard the jingling of medicine containers in a far cabinet. Walking over to the cabinet he swung open the glass door and rummaged through the cabinet until he found a vile of liquid, labeled with his needs. With a fresh syringe he sucked the contents from the vile and approached Fiona's bed with a dripping needle of adrenaline.

Sorry babe, but I'm going to need you awake for this.

The needle lowered.

Pierced the skin.

The plunger pressed.

The barrel emptied.

The adrenaline dispersed throughout her body and flowed with her blood until it was pumped into the heart. She shot upright screaming. Every vein in her body bulged and her eyes widened as the shock consumed her body. She thrashed in her restraints, she was constrained but raving.

"What the hell are you doing, Xander?!" she yelled through cut breaths. She seized about, trying to find an escape from the surges of energy that repeatedly animated her limbs. Sweat flooded from her pores and soaked her infirmary robe.

"Listen here, Fiona..." his voice whispered, careful to not be audible for the camera. "Listen very carefully, I know you have been tracking my movements for Hardy, you have been burned and they are trying to kill you." She continued to thrash about as her body surged with energy, but something in her eye told him that she understood. His steady hand prepped the instruments laid out on the tray before him.

"What are you talking about?" she gasped.

"I am going to break you out of here. I have a plan but you have to trust me." He brought up a pair of pliers, which shined in the light as he turned it to his eye's inspection.

"Xander, what are you doing?!" she pleaded breathlessly again.

"Good keep it up... we are on camera." Xander arched his eyes up referencing to the camera behind him. "Why have you been tracking me?!" Xander yelled for the camera with an intimidating demeanor. Fiona was intense and confused.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"I said... I am going to break you out of here... We are going to leave the Compound tonight."

"What?! Are you insane, Xander?" Her body was possessed by the adrenaline.

"They are going to blow your house Fiona. They are trying to kill you. Because you failed in your recon of me. 'Death is the only discharge'" Xander's voice dropped to a plea. His eyes connected with Fiona's as a realization came over her face. The gaze engendered a understanding between the two of them. Fiona nodded slightly and then spoke up for the camera.

"I don't know what you are talking about, please don't hurt me!" Fiona started to act it up as well, beginning to adopt her role in the ruse.

"Good... You have to know that I am not going to hurt you, I am going to draw them out. And once they are here, we make our move." Xander whispered again. She nodded, fully trusting him.

"Why have you been spying on me?!" he yelled. He picked up another instrument off the table, slowly raised it and twisted it to the light's reflection, making sure the instrument could be seen by the camera.

It was a scalpel.

Her eyes darted into the corner of the room. Her expression pleaded with the camera.

"Help me! Hardy you hear me! Get down here now!" The nurse opened the door and horror seized her face at the torture she was witnessing. She turned and ran for help immediately.

"Oh, Hardy... Go ahead tell me he was involved - tell me what I already know!" Her eyes winced and her teeth gritted down. Tears streamed down her face as she played it up and dealt with the effects of the adrenaline surging through her veins.

"Do you trust me?" Xander whispered. She nodded as she couldn't deny her feelings for him. There was an unconditional trust present, something only present in someone's love.

"I can't tell you, I swear it's not what you think, Xander!" she yelled in terror for the camera, as Xander spread her fingers out on the table.

"I'm sorry, Fiona...." His emotion broke through. "But I have to know the truth and I will know the truth by the time I'm done with you," he growled, raising the scalpel in his closed fist. Then he struck down toward her hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Like it? Don't forget to Vote and Comment! What did you think?