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They were rotating shifts in the waiting room and in the room *they* were in, when visiting hours were going on. Two days now, and neither had woken up for more than a mumble or in Klaus's case, a groggy string of cursing. Perhaps it was better that way, because Bonham wasn't sure where they were headed next with anything...

"I'm glad we disobeyed the Earl's orders and followed anyway. Just Jones here and me, mind -- James is flying down tomorrow," he sighed, cupping his coffee's styrofoam a little tighter in his hands as he looked at A.

"Yes," the man said, tilting his head to the side slightly and sighing as he riffled fingers through the straight stuff. "We're all very grateful you disobeyed as well. Can't imagine what.... Well, can't imagine if you hadn't." They were all positively numb, and NATO had them all at a standstill. Half of the Alphabet had invaded the Stasi building and the other half had prepared for getting them out of East Germany, and NATO wasn't quite sure what to do with them since there'd been no order to do such a thing. On the other hand, they'd saved Iron Klaus and they'd soon know what sort of information might have leaked to the East German intelligence community. From the state in which they'd found the Major and the thief, it didn't look good.

"What I want to know is... Who decided they were going to go in without backup hiding somewhere? I mean, even a third person just to watch out..."

"The Major... wished to complete the entire mission alone, to begin with," Z said a little stiffly. "He didn't want anyone to be so at risk."

A sighed. "It just ended up with Eroica and the Major taking all of the risk on themselves..."

"And the major told the Chief he didn't want Eroica there," Z added, fidgeting for a moment to his own cup. "When they wake up, A, who will debrief them?"

"The Major *never* wants Eroica there," A pointed out, shaking his head. "I think the psych staff's got dibs on them, Z. Debriefing's questionable for a while."

"Did you Alphabets kill those agents?" Jones spoke up suddenly, looking at both of the men across from he and Bonham. "They need to die for what they did to Lord Gloria."

"We killed two," A told them. "We don't know how many there were there, though. Could've been more. We won't know 'til we talk to them."

"The Major won't have a thing to do with the psych staff; he'll want to be debriefed right off," Z guessed.

A only shrugged, though. "I think he probably isn't going to have any option unless they decide that it'd be even more detrimental to his psyche *not* to be debriefed than it would be if we did. And I don't think there's any way they'll let us at the Earl. His face..."

"We're going to keep him from mirrors until he's better," Bonham uttered sadly. "I think separate rooms for them might be good, in case.. Uncle NATO doesn't react too well to..."

A nodded. "For now, the hospital staff seems to like them as they are, though, so we'll have to do what we can. We've got someone in there as much as we can..."

"B and C right now," Z said. "I really think a debriefing before an eval would be better for the Major, A -- if either of them have told something important..."

"The Chief says psych gets them first," A said firmly. "We can debrief immediately after the first psych consult, but for the time being..."

"We just need them to wake up," Jones sighed, swirling his coffee a little. "I can't go to sleep at night without thinking about those men hurting our Lord like that..."

"It's terrible," came Z's quiet agreement. "We need to know everything, though..."

"Is... is Uncle NATO in any shape to go to duty again? I mean, his hand, Christ, and his eye..."

Sharp glances passed momentarily between A and Z. "I don't know," A said slowly. "It depends on what the psych consult says, what the doctors say..."

"Why's this psych consult so important?" Bonham asked delicately. "We know Lord Gloria will need it, but... the Major wasn't..."

"A little," A admitted warily. "Mostly just rawness in the area that makes them think that, but..." He shrugged. "Besides. It's not every day someone pokes out your eye."

"Yes, but he's Iron Klaus -- touted for being strong and unbeatable..." Jones chipped in.

"He's human," Z uttered softly, speaking down into his cup of coffee.

A shook his head sadly. "It's just not good, any way you look at it..."

"And Eroica..." Z drained the cooling cup in a swallow, shaking his head. Better than Nescafé, though the Major would have denied it... "Your Earl will probably never want another job with us again. I can't blame him."

A look much like the one that had passed between A and Z made its way from Jones to Bonham. "Well," Bonham said slowly, "until we talk to the Earl, who knows... though it's likely, considering..." It was likely, considering, that the Earl might well go home to North Downs and never come out of the East wing again...

"Considering," A agreed quietly. "I can't help feel we should have been there."

Z sighed. "The Major said no, so..."

"So, who in their right mind would go against Uncle NATO except...?" Bonham said slowly, sighing as well.

"If anyone had vacation scheduled this year, you'd better cancel them -- our guys will be giving us hell, I think, when they're out," Jones tried to say lightly.

Z only looked grim and vaguely sad though. "I'd gladly give up all our vacations to make this right somehow," he said solemnly.

"To undo what's been done, though..." Bonham sighed, starting to stand up. He wanted to go up and peek in at Dorian. "Well, it can't be undone entirely."

"That's the sad part," A agreed. "None of it can ever be undone..."

"I... have a feeling things will work out, Mr. A," Bonham told him gently. "Come on -- let's go."

"Might as well," he agreed. "It's our shift in the room..."

"And then ours next," Jones said, nodding to Z.

And maybe soon the two men they were waiting on would wake up.

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