Monday, January 15 1800Hrs
Anika had gotten the report from mouse about who the person was that attacked her and Bart earlier. He was a local hired gun and so was his partner. She had sent his picture and background to Bart and Anika as well.

“Seems like someone is trying to send a message to us.” Bart was driving towards Dakota and Hatter’s place.

“It seems that way. I want to know who hired them to take us out.” Anika was watching the city pass by as Bart drove.

“Well, if they decide to strike at us again. They will be getting a few surprises with this car.” Bart has fallen in love with Nobel.

Bart pulls the Nobel up in front of the warehouse Hatter and Dakota was staying at. He sets the security system just before the two of them walk inside. Anika looks around and spots Dakota cleaning her gun.

“Where is she?”

“In the van. She’s on her second bottle.” Dakota had watched as Hatter downed her first bottle of Scotch. She didn’t know where Hatter had gotten her second bottle or the drugs.

Anika walks over to the van and opens the sliding door. She finds Hatter passed out inside the van. The bottle she had was laying next to her and it looked like it was almost empty.

“Where’s your bathroom, Dakota?” Anika scoops Hatter up off the floor of the van.

Dakota hurries to the bathroom and fills the tub. She knew what Anika was about to do to Hatter.

“Do you need any help undressing her, Anika?”

“I’ll be alright.” Anika strips Hatter out of her clothes. They stunk to high heaven.

“Dakota, do you guys have a washer and dryer here?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good, go through Hatter's clothes and wash everything, please. Hey Bart, can you hold Hatter, while I get undress?”

“Yep.” Bart walks over and holds Hatter.

He watched as Anika gets undress. Even though he was married. He still gets excited seeing Anika naked. She had a nice body. She could have continued as a model if she wanted to, but she decided to work in the corporate world instead.

Anika strips out of her clothes and lay them nearby. She walks back over to the tub and sits down in the tub.

“Bart, bring Hatter in here please.”

“Alright.” Bart carries Hatter into the bathroom and set her in the tub with Anika.

Anika wraps her arms around Hatter and holds her. She could smell the odor coming off of Hatter.

“Bart, get me a cup please.”

“I got it, Bart.” Dakota heads towards the kitchen.

She grabs a large plastic cup and takes it back into the bathroom. She hands it to Anika.

“Thanks.” Anika takes the cup and fills it with water. She dumps it on top of Hatter’s head.

Hatter jerks awake and starts to fight whoever was holding her. She was feeling disoriented and confused.

“HATTER, claim down.” Anika holds Hatter tight.

Hatter stops and looks behind her and notices Anika holing her. She relaxes and stops struggling to free herself.

“Why are you here and why are we in the tub?”

“I’m here because I heard what you did. I also heard you were drowning yourself with booze and drugs.”

Hatter let the tears that were treated to come, slide down her cheek “I didn’t want to kill him, but he was going to let Dakota be raped. I know he was behind the whole set-up.”

Hatter turns around in Anika’s arms to face her. She buries her face in Anika’s bare shoulder and cries. She just let the tears come, because Joshua had been her friend.

Anika just holds Hatter like a mother holds a troubled child. She rubs her back and just let Hatter cry. She could feel the scars on
Hatter’s back as she rubbed it.

When she feels Hatter stop crying “let’s get you clean and some food into you.”

Anika turns Hatter back around and starts washing her. She treats Hatter like a little girl and washes her whole body. She washes Hatter’s hair, god knows it needed it. She rubs the shampoo and conditioner into her head.

Hatter closes her eyes as she enjoys Anika massage her scalp. It felt nice to her. No one has ever done anything like that to her.

Once Anika was done washing Hatter, Dakota helps Hatter out of the tub and dries her off. She slips on one of her clean nightshirts on her. Dakota escorts Hatter to the room she was using.

Anika gets out and dries off. She wraps a towel around her body and follows behind Hatter and Dakota. She helps Dakota get Hatter in bed. She tucks Hatter in and kisses her forehead.

“You get some sleep, Aylin.” Anika brushes some of Hatter’s hair out of her eyes.

Once Anika and Dakota felt Hatter was asleep. They quietly back out of her bedroom and head towards the living room. Bart was already in there drinking some coffee he had brewed up.

“What happened, Dakota?” Bart was concerned about Hatter’s mental state. She was already a little off, but now she wonders what pushed
her over the edge.

“Two guys from our crew set me up to be raped. I managed to subdue them, without killing them. Hatter warned me that they were going to do something to me.” Dakota remembers the warning Hatter had given her.

“What caused Aylin to start drinking and taking drugs?”

“She shot Joshua for betraying her and me.” Dakota looks towards Anika and Bart when she says that.

“Wasn’t Joshua the man that took Hatter into the gang when she escaped from the mental hospital?” Bart remembered reading something in Hatter’s file about him.

“Yes. He must have crossed her before because she said what would happen if he crosses her again.” Dakota remembers Hatter saying those words, just before she shot him.

“Then he got what he deserved then. He should have known Hatter doesn’t make threats.” Bart had reviewed her file and from what he has seen from her.

He knew she was a very unstable person. Lately, she has been trying to change from killing people to just knocking them out with her new guns. She only resorted to using guns if there weren’t any other choice.

“Bart, Hatter is just a teenager who has been abused her whole entire life so far. On top of that, she has been used as a guinea pig in illegal human experiments. It’s surprising that she is still alive and functioning.” Anika had a mother’s concern about Aylin.

“I know Anika.” Bart has known Anika long enough to know that she felt protective of Aylin. She was thinking about Aylin more as a daughter, then as an employee or friend.

“I’m getting redress.” Anika starts getting dress in the clothes she took off.

While Anika was getting redress, Bart looks towards Dakota “any clue about who the gang is that is working with the mole inside MI 5?”

“We know which gang it is, but getting anyone in it, won’t work. They have gotten smart to MI 5 & 6 tactics. Also, with their mole in the agency. It’s dangerous to send someone undercover.”

“Then we should think about setting a trap for the gang and capture them.”

“Easier said than done.” Anika comes walking back in fully dressed.

“I have to agree with Anika, Bart. We still don’t know what they want. Why don’t we get Terry’s input and see what he has gathered so far?”
Dakota needed to get back to Terry about the request she had gotten from the metro police.

“There is one more thing, I need to speak to you guys about. I got a request from a metro police officer that is handling the case where we rescued Julie and Laila. She wants to talk with the agents that handle that matter.”

“That would be you, Terry and Hatter. I don’t see why you couldn’t talk with the officer. Just leave what we are doing from her or if she can help. See what information you can gain from her.”

“I’ll drop a few questions in and see if she can help.” Dakota will get with Terry later to set things up.

“I think it’s time for us to head back to the girls and Shigeko.” Bart stands up to leave.

“Keep me inform Dakota about how Aylin is doing.” Anika glance back towards Hatter’s room before they leave.

“I will Anika. Thanks for coming by and helping her.”

They all walk towards the front door “when this mission is over with. I’m going to suggest we take some downtime.”

“I think that might be best.” Bart had to agree with Anika. The team will need the time to decompress.

Anika and Bart head back to their safe house.