A/N: The Sequel to Captive.
You really have to read Captive to understand this.
There is one last edition to this trilogy.
R/R Please.

Repercussion

Shani woke to the sound of a steady beep of a heart machine. She rubbed her eyes groggily and looked around. She was in a hospital, in Tel Aviv. Shani remembered coming here whenever she was injured during missions. With no recollection of what had happened in the past few days, she turned on the television and tried to find a channel that was broadcasting the news.

An elderly woman who bared a distinct resemblance to Shani walked into the room.

“Ima,” Shani said happily.

“Shalom my baby,” Ariela greeted her daughter warmly, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Shani mumbled, “But what happened?”

“You were shot in the shoulder.”

“Yeah, I kinda figured that out for myself,” Shani said sarcastically, “But what happened after that, all I remember is Eschel-“

Shani trailed off as she experienced a flash back.

A searing pain shot through her arm as a bullet ripped through her shoulder. Shani dropped her M16 and tried desperately to stop the bleeding.

“I’m sorry, my Tatelah.” Eschel whispered, pointing a gun at her.

Bang!

Shani heard the shot before everything went black.

She was shaken from her flashback by her mother, “Shani?”

“Yeah,” Shani mumbled almost incoherently.

“I think you should get some sleep, you’re getting discharged tomorrow.”

“Great,” Shani said happily, “Deskwork for Mossad.”

Ariela gave her daughter a reproving look before walking out of the hospital ward.

Shani was walking down a long narrow hallway, completely unarmed. Two men in masks holding M16’s were chasing after her. Shani ran and ran like her life depended on it, except she never seemed to reach the end of the hallway.

She turned into the light and kept running but she reached a dead end. The men caught up with her and both raised their rifles.

“No!” Shani screamed as both pulled the trigger simultaneously.

She awoke in a start, sweating and panting. Looking around, she saw that she was still in the hospital ward, the dim moonlight cast threatening shadows on the walls and Shani shuddered instinctively.

This mission had changed her beyond recognition and she wasn’t sure that it was for the best. Still immersed in her thoughts, Shani drifted into a restless sleep full of nightmares.

Shani awoke the next day after a night of drifting in and out of a slumber haunted by nightmares. Was her life going to stay this way?

She was soon interrupted from her musing by a sharp rap at her door.

“Shalom Shani,”

“Shalom Sir,” Shani addressed Deputy Director of Mossad, Harel Galit.

“I’m here to inform you that you’ll be on desk duty for a week.”

Shani suppressed a groan, “Yes Sir.”

With a nod in Shani’s direction he left.

What had happened?

Her memory still got a bit fuzzy whenever she tried to think about it.

Shani could feel a burning pain in her arm, emanating from her shoulder. The M16 lay discarded on the ground. Eschel is pointing a gun at her while she lay clutching her bleeding shoulder.

“I’m sorry, my Tatelah.” He whispers.

Bang!

This time she hears the shot, this time she sees Eschel fall to the ground, his blood spraying everywhere. She sees the neat bullet hole in his forehead from an anonymous sniper and then everything goes black.

Shani jumped, all the nightmares had to stop. She had remembered what had happened, couldn’t she get some closure now.

“Shani,” her mother walked into the room, “You’re being discharged now.”

A nurse walked in with discharge papers and wordlessly handed them to her. She left as quickly as she had come. Shani signed the papers without saying a word while her mother, Ariela buzzed around the room adjusting things. Shani bit back the urge to smirk at her.

After the same nurse walked in to collect the discharge papers, this time she had a wheelchair. Shani cringed.

“Do I have to sit in that?” she gestured to the wheelchair.

“Yes,” Ariela said briskly, “You are not leaving until you do.”

Shani groaned, “But I’m fine.”

“No buts, you are getting in that wheelchair.”

Shani got out of the bed and into the wheelchair while Ariela collected her bag. The nurse slowly wheeled her out of the hospital and to the waiting car. She slowly climbed into the car while Ariela put her back in the boot of the car.

The drive back to her home was long and silent. Ariela tried to make conversation but Shani pretended to be asleep so she would stop. She wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone at the moment.

They finally pulled up in front of an airy, modern house in the outskirts of Tel Aviv. It was cream coloured with caramel edging.

Home.

She slowly and painstakingly got out of the car and walked up to the front doors. Her whole family was sure to be there to welcome her home and that included her uncle, the Director of Mossad.

She opened the door but found no-one except her two sisters. Her father was probably at work right now.

“Shani!” both of them shrieked and ran towards her.

“Shalom Tali, Shalom Ziva.” She said with a smile and picked up Tali and placed her on her hip.

Tali buried her face in Shani’s hair.

“I missed you.” She mumbled.

“I missed you too.” Shani replied, smiling at her six year old sister.

“Never ever do that again.” Ziva said reprovingly.

“I promise you I won’t.”

“Pinky promise?” Eight year old Ziva asked.

“Pinky promise,” Shani agreed.

“Okay.”

Shani put Tali down and grabbed her bag from Ariela.

“Thanks Ima.” She said before walking up the stairs to her room.

It felt so great to be in her room again, it was still clean and free of dust even though she hadn’t set foot in it for about a month now. Her mother had been cleaning.

She set her bag down on the bed and started unpacking; there were her essentials in it. Clothes, toiletries, all those kind of things; there was also a box full of her lucky charms. She opened the box; inside it was a photo of her and Michel who had died in combat during her time in the Tsahal. Her dog tags from her time in the Military and her Star of David. On missions she couldn’t wear it in case she was compromised so she kept it in the box with the rest of her treasures; her mother must have put it in there after she was hospitalised. She dug inside the box more and found a gold shell casing from a bullet, from her first Uzi. She had the word peace engraved onto it, it was a little ironic at first but it had felt right at the time.

Sighing she closed the box and placed it onto its respective place on her bookshelf. After hanging al her clothes back up and putting her toiletry bag in her bathroom, Shani lay on her bed with her arms behind her head remembering all that had happened.

Who had that mysterious sniper been?

Shani couldn’t help wondering. The Deputy Director hadn’t been that surprised when Shani escaped, relatively unscathed.

Maybe Mossad was in on this?

Making her decision, Shani changed into some fresher clothes and strapped her SIG to the holster at her waist. She didn’t have a backup now her Gideon was gone. As a second thought she grabbed her cell phone before leaving quietly through the front door without saying goodbye to her family. They wouldn’t want her to go to Mossad Headquarters right now.

She saw the sun shining brightly outside and started walking; it wasn’t a long walk to the drab grey building near one of Tel Aviv’s beaches.

When she reached the front doors, she took a deep breath before entering. The inside was bustling with activity as usual. It wasn’t a good kind of busy; there was always a sombre mood in Mossad. It was like a cloud that hung over the shoulders of everyone when they were in the building, a cloud that never went away until they had left.

Except the cloud never fully left them, there was always at least a wisp of it with them everywhere. Mossad changes even the most enduring people. It was the price they payed to serve their country.

She walked up to the front desk.

“Shalom Shani,” the receptionist said surprised, “I didn’t expect to see you so soon.”

“Shalom,” Shani replied, “I’m here to see Director David.”

“Right, he told me he was expecting you. Go right in.” The receptionist said smiling.

He expected me to visit him? Strange...

She nodded at the receptionist before walking to the elevator. She saw a few familiar faces when she was waiting for the elevator but no-one said anything to her and she didn’t say anything back.

After stepping into the elevator and pressing the button for the top floor Shani gave a sigh.

“Tough day huh?”

Shani turned around, “Tough couple of days Ari.”

“So I’ve heard.” Ari replied.

“Well not all of it is true.”

“I can’t believe Eschel went rogue.” Ari muttered absentmindedly.

Shani felt a quick wave of nausea when he mentioned Eschel.

“Did I upset you?” Ari asked concerned.

“No.” Shani lied.

“You know that I know when you’re lying right?” Ari asked.

Shani gave a sigh, “It’s just nothing has ever gotten to me, not like this.”

“Do wanna go for a drink tonight? Maybe talk a bit.”

“I’m not the talking type Ari.”

“Right,” Ari sounded disappointed, “Well if you change your mind, I’m still free.”

“Thanks.” Shani smiled weakly.

The elevator doors opened and Ari stepped out, “Take care.”

“I will.”

The elevator doors shut, leaving Shani alone.

She spent the rest of the elevator trip lost in her thoughts and nearly missed her stop.

She hesitated before knocking on Director David’s door.

After a brief pause, she entered.

“Shani, it’s nice to see you alive and well.”

Shani embraced her uncle rather awkwardly.

“I guess you want answers.”

“You guessed right Dod.”

“This is Daoud.” He gestured to a man about her age whom she hadn’t met before.

Shani turned to the man her uncle had gestured to; he looked Palestinian, maybe half Israeli, and half Palestinian.

“He was the sniper.”

Shani looked at her uncle in surprise.

“The cell that captured you, Daoud was infiltrating it.”

“Toda raba.” Shani said to Daoud.

“No need to thank me.” he spoke with a distinct European accent.

“Daoud if you please, I would like to speak with my achyanit.”

“Yes sir.” Daoud said before leaving.

Once Daoud had left, Director David spoke, “How are you.”

“I am fine Dod,” Shani replied, “What aren’t you telling me?”

Director David sighed, “Daoud’s mother is Palestinian. He grew up in the Gaza Strip and went to school in Europe.”

“And his father?” Shani inquired, “Please tell me it’s not you.”

“It’s not; his father is one of the best officers Mossad ever had.”

“You don’t think?”

“No I don’t Shani, you should get some rest.”

Shani took it as her cue to leave, “Do make me say I told you so.”

Her uncle simply ignored her.

When she arrived home, her mother was frantic.

“Never do that to me again Shani!” her mother reprimanded.

“Sorry.” She mumbled.

“First you go missing and then turn up unconscious and bleeding and now you disappear without a warning.” He mother ranted while she walked around the kitchen preparing things for dinner.

“I guess Aba isn’t coming then.”

Ariela softened, “I’m sorry Shani.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Shani lied before sitting down for dinner.

“Never do that again Shani!” Ziva imitated their mother.

Shani couldn’t help but smile at her innocent face, “I won’t.”

(To Be Continued)

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Hebrew Lesson:
Dod - Uncle
Toda Raba - Thank you very much
Tsahal - What the Israeli's call the IDF
Achyanit - Niece

DISCLAIMER: I do not speak Hebrew so I don't mean to offend anyone with my bad translations.