<center>
The Man
Chapter 4: Africa</center>
12.16.29 06.17.06
Dallas, Texas
30th Floor, Point (Enterprises) Tower
A man, covered in the serrated shadows of the window before him, stood still with the phone to his ear. The room was empty, the door shut, and not much light was able to squeeze through the slivers between the blinds.
?I thought I told you I had a meeting today??
?This is urgent,? the voice sounded in his ear.
?Well, it d--- well better be!?
?They got away.?
?What.? If possible, The Man stood more rigidly.
?Both of our agents are dead; they didn?t reveal anything.?
?Do I need to remind you of the fragile nature our operation is currently working under, Wolfe??
?No, sir.?
?Then why the h--- can?t you do your f---ing job?! Four little girls! You can?t take care of four little girls?!?
?They?re agents.?
?I don?t care what you want to call them! They?re a threat to our operation! Are you or are you not dedicated to this goal??
?I?m not going to dignify that with a response.?
?Then I suggest you take care of this and stop d---ing around!?
?It?s already being taken care of.?
?Oh??
?They?ll be heading for Africa.?
?How do you know that??
?It?s the only lead we left.?
The Man harrumphed.
?I already sent a man to take care of it.?
?Who??
?Scorpion.?
In the darkness, a feral grin rose to the Man?s lips. ?Excellent? I trust, then, that I can leave this in your hands??
?Of course.?
?You?ve never failed me before, Wolfe. Don?t. Start. Now.?
He hung up the phone.
23.47.37 06.17.06 (LA Time)
Private Airliner
Destination: Africa
The dark-skinned man dozed lightly with his head resting on the sill of the small, circular window he was seated next to. Fairly attractive-looking with the light lines on his young face relaxed in his slumber, the well-built soldier seemed oblivious to the encroaching danger.
Brown eyes alight with mischief, Agent Paladin crept ever so quietly towards his prey. The cabin was silent in quiet support for the prankster. ? Silence that would soon be broken by the air horn clutched tightly in his hand.
Patiently, softly, and so very, very slowly, he inched forward. Three seats away. Two seats away. One seat away.
All this time, and the sleeping man still had not budged!
Reaching out slowly with the horn to the unaware man?s ear, Paladin looked to his audience for support.
He didn?t have time to register the look of surprised shock on their faces before an iron grip found its way around his wrist and then his neck. An instant later, he was shoved against the backing of one of the seats and found himself faced with the furious one of what had been the sleeping man.
?Try that again,? Nosoul breathed menacingly, ?And I?ll snap you in two.?
Too stunned to say anything, Paladin only nodded dumbly in response.
With a grunt, Nosoul released him abruptly and turned to sit in his seat heavily when another person spoke up.
?You know?? came the low, female voice, ?If you?d be more social??
He spun around accusatorily and simply glared at the young woman who was his senior.
For her part, she didn?t even acknowledge him. Immersed in a game of spades with Agents Athena, Circe, and Epyon, her light reddish-brown head was bowed in concentration as she carefully calculated her next move.
?What?? he called in annoyance, ?He?d be less of an a-- if I was
social??
The young man seated next to her snickered helplessly at the jibe at his partner. She, however, was not laughing.
Peeking over her cards so that her blue eyes met his brown ones, she said, ?You should learn to take a joke.?
?You should learn to mind your own business,? he shot back.
?You attacked one of my coworkers. It is my business.?
?He?s my coworker, too. And I didn?t attack him. He?d be dead if I had.?
All attention was focused on the two, gazes bouncing between the speakers. Athena bided her time, waiting to see when or if she would need to intervene.
She held his gaze for another moment before rolling her eyes and going back to her cards. Choosing the six of spades, she placed it on the table between her fellow players and hoped that Circe had at least one diamond or maybe a spade lower than her six so she could take the trick. ?Whatever, Mr. Macho,? she said sarcastically.
Circe moaned, ?You just HAD to break the spades, didn?t you? Great.? She threw down her ace of diamonds dejectedly.
Aphrodite grinned across from her, and she took the cards, stacking them into a neat, and she hoped, ever-growing pile. ?That?s all right, Jackie. Andy promised seven tricks.?
Jackie paled, ?I should have gone low??
?What?? Andrew piped up.
Aphrodite and Athena giggled as the former played her 9 of clubs.
Nosoul, seeing as he was no longer of any interest, turned to sit down, but once again, was stopped by her voice.
?You could at least tell us your name,? she glanced up at him, his back faced towards all the occupants.
?Nosoul.?
?That?s your codename.?
He whirled around. Somehow, this girl knew EXACTLY how to get on his nerves, ?I hadn?t noticed.?
?What?s your real name??
?I don?t even know yours.?
?Well, that comes down to the whole social issue we were discussing.?
He glared at her, annoyance clearly etched into his features. Deciding it wasn?t worth his time or energy, he began to turn around once again.
Quickly, she placed her hand face down on the table and stood up. ?Ali,? she said moving towards him. She paused at a respectful distance and extended her hand, ?I?m Ali.?
Halfway in his turn, he looked at her proffered hand to his right. She was persistent, he could give her that, but at the present time, he wasn?t in the mood to deal with persistent. Turning his back on her, he replied, ?Good for you.?
She stared after him in confusion.
?We are going to be working closely for at least a few weeks. We might as well try to get along,? piped a voice from behind a computer screen.
As Nosoul sat down, Ali hardened her resolve, and she went to stand in front of him at an oblique angle, hands on her hips, ?We just want to know your name.?
?And I just want to be left alone,? he said as he adjusted his pillow.
She huffed, ?Why are you so rude??
Meeting her eyes, he said, ?Why are you so annoying??
Her mouth hung open for a slight instant, but she recovered quickly, ?Because I am. ? What?s your name??
?I?m not telling you. There?s no point in telling you.?
?Why??
?Because I might die. It?s better not to have close ties.?
?Oh, you?re so noble. You?re paranoid.?
?I?m a realist.?
?It?s a name.?
?My point exactly.?
?Just tell us!?
He said nothing, simply adjusted his pillow, rested his head upon it, and closed his eyes. As far as he was concerned, this discussion was over.
Clearly irritated, she threw her hands up and stalked towards her seat when she stopped midway. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw him still attempting to sleep. A partial grin on her face, she strode purposefully back to him.
Athena now found it fit to say something, ?Ali, just leave him alone. He doesn?t have to tell us his name.?
But Ali wouldn?t have it; she was determined to win this battle of wills. He thought she was annoying? Fine. She could be annoying.
Scooting into the last row of seats in front of the stubborn agent, she sat on the chair backwards on her knees and peered over its edge. She simply stared at him, watching as he ?slept.?
Nosoul felt eyes on him. He did his best not to squirm ? and succeeded ? at the disconcerting feeling of being watched. He would not give in. He would not surrender. He would not declare defeat. If she wanted to watch him, so be it.
One minute ticked slowly by; neither budged nor backed down. A second minute, but still no movement.
After five minutes of Ali?s intense stare, Nosoul had finally had it. He couldn?t sleep like this! Not with a woman ? any person, for that matter ? watching him as he did so.
Snapping his eyes open and taking his head off the pillow abruptly, she gasped as he yelled, ?WHAT??!?
She blinked but held her ground, ?What?s your-?
?JOE! My name is JOE!!?
?Joe? That?s it??
?WHAT NOW??!?
?Nothing,? she chuckled slightly, ?Pleased to meet you, Joe.?
?Will you leave me alone now??!?
She looked at him thoughtfully then nodded as she stood, ?Yes. You can go back to sleep now.?
?Oh! Thank you for your permission!? he drawled as he took the pillow, fluffed it rather abusively, and laid his head back on it.
As she took her seat back at the game, the whole cabin heard Joe mutter something about ?What a man has to do to get some sleep.?
04.09.18 06.19.06
Hotel (Right off the airport)
Africa
They arrived at the airport early in the morning. Not one of them was quite sure how they arrived at their hotel, but they were happy to simply collapse in their respective rooms: girls with girls and boys with boys.
Later that afternoon, they loaded up with a translator they?d picked up, and headed for the crater site.
?What exactly are we looking for?? Jackie asked as she turned the map in her hands at odd angles.
?Give me that!? Ali said snatching the map and received an immature expression from her friend.
?Any clue, I guess? We have no other leads?? Cali replied.
?I think we?re on a wild goose chase,? Andrew said.
Morri peered back at the group from the front seat, ?We may very well be. But we have to exhaust this course before writing it off.?
?I agree,? Joe spoke up.
?I?m just along for the ride?? Ashice (Agent Paladin) voiced from the driver?s seat.
Pulling up, they stopped a good distance from the scene.
?How exactly are we making it in past these people?? Jackie asserted noticing the massive amount of people surrounding the site.
Cali pulled out a box, ?IDs? - We each have one.?
Joe reached in and grabbed his, ?The UN??
?Well, it is a matter of international importance,? Ali began.
Jackie snorted, ?Yeah, but we?re from the NA. This is like a slap in the face??
?Jackie?? Morri began, ?Don?t make this political.?
?Everything?s political,? she muttered but said nothing more and pinned the credentials on the front of her shirt like the others.
They passed into the former village without any hassles and immediately began their investigation. A number of locals were scattered
about being interviewed by various agencies, including the real UN.
?Better steer clear of the airheads?? Jackie warned.
?Jackie!? Ali and Morri admonished together.
She shrugged, ?Still? We need to stay away from them.?
?Yeah?? Ali said quietly. She went with Cali who was heading towards the blackened spot with her laptop, no doubt to run some analysis.
As Joe passed Jackie, he said quietly, ?Airheads? The perfect description. Nice.?
She stopped at his words as she processed them, and then grinned.
A few hours later, they were no closer to finding anything out. The locals said they had seen nor heard anything on the day of the ?accident? as it had been labeled by none other than the UN. (Which Jackie couldn?t help but express her feelings on the issue.)
For the next 2 days, their regimen was the same: rise early, go to the crater site, investigate, come back empty handed.
Just as they were packing it up on the third day and starting to head on home, Cali noticed something, ?Have you noticed that guy??
?Which one?? Ashice asked as he looked around.
?Don?t be conspicuous,? she chided. ?That one. ? He arrives every day around this time and just sits there on that rock doing nothing but type on his computer. Hasn?t even interviewed the locals??
?If he?s got creds to get in here?? he began.
?But that doesn?t make any sense, does it? Why come here dressed in a business suit, for one thing??
?Run his ID, then.?
?But-?
?I?ll go get it.? Hurriedly, he walked to the man in the suit and pretended to be searching for something. He then returned with the name. The others had gathered around Cali.
?I thought we were leaving..?? Andrew asked.
?Bill Anderson. The tag says he?s with Gaither Technologies,? Ashice informed her.
?What?? Joe inquired.
?Cali thinks he?s suspicious.?
?Well, yeah? What?s a guy from Gaither Tech doing here?? Andrew noticed.
?They?ve been known to be in shady dealings, or at least suspected. Somehow, it?s never pinned on them,? Cali said from behind her laptop.
?You think??? he started
?Experimenting some kind of weapon?? Joe interrupted. ?It?s plausible.?
Anderson stood up and left the premises.
?Is it just me or are we a bit conspicuous all gathered around here?? Jackie piped.
?Yeah? We should head back to the hotel?? Morri said. ?Have everything you need, Cali??
?Yeah. Let?s go.?
19.26.37 06.22.06
Hotel
Africa
?So? wait? It?s a Texan-themed American bar in Africa?? Jackie asked.
?I?m sure there?s something political about that that you?re going to bring up?? Ali drawled.
She grinned, ?Yeah, I could. But I won?t.?
?Thank you,? Ashice breathed.
She rolled her eyes.
?And we?re sure he?s going to be there?? Morri inquired.
?He?s gone there for the past 3 nights he?s been here,? Cali said. ?And I think it?s a better venue than trying to burst into that hotel.?
Ashice seemed alarmed, ?How do you find this stuff out??
?It?s my job,? she grinned.
?So? Let?s go over the plan again,? Andrew stated as he fixed his button down shirt.
?Your date is Ali,? Morri began. ?I?ll be paired with Ashice.?
?Do I HAVE to wear this?? Ashice said pulling at the collar in the mirror. ?It?s uncomfortable.?
Jackie laughed, ?You look nice. Stop pulling at it, or you?ll rip the buttons off.?
?I think it?s just because you?re from Texas?? he pouted. ?You like seeing guys constrained in this kind of dress??
?Well, I?m not from Texas, and I think Jackie?s right,? Ali said. ?You look cute.?
?Yeah? Cute as a dog chained to his house?? he muttered.
?Hey?? Morri said spinning around and glancing at him, ?I like that.?
His face became blank. ?Like what??
?Puppy.?
?What??
?Puppy. As a nickname. I think it fits you,? she explained.
?Perfect!? Andrew exclaimed.
?No,? he stated flatly. ?Absolutely not. I?m not a-?
?Me too,? Ali said looking him over as if examining him in a new light.
?Oh no? I am ?not- responding to a name like Puppy.?
?If you say so? Puppy,? Joe deadpanned.
?Wha??! NOO!?
They all laughed.
?We should probably discuss this later?? Morri said after a moment. ?So the plan is? Ali and Andrew, Puppy-
?Don?t call me that!?
?And myself. Cali, you?ll be staying behind about a mile back to grab surveillance and keep our comlines working from the alpha position.?
?Yeah?? she said sullenly.
?Aww, it?s not THAT bad,? Jackie tried consoling.
?Would YOU want to stay behind??
?Well, no, but??
?Exactly.?
?ANYway, Jackie, you?ll be on the roof at the Beta position. You need to be ready to burst in and take care of any unexpected problems we might encounter.?
The woman in question nodded.
?And Joe, you?ll be entering from the north side of the bar and remain in the storage area to do a bit of reconnaissance, and then act as back up.?
He, too, nodded.
?We need Bill Anderson alive so we can question him,? Morri said.
?Can?t wait for that,? Ali said sarcastically. ?With the questioning and all.?
?Now see, THAT was political,? Jackie pointed out.
?What? No it wasn?t!?
?Yeah, it was.?
?Jackie?s right,? Andrew said. ?It was political.?
?You?ve infected me!?
Jackie snickered.
?So we?re all geared up, then?? Morri struggled to keep the conversation relevant to the mission at hand. At the nods and yeses that circulated the room, she said, ?All right. Let?s go.?
20.03.47 06.22.06
Texan Bar in Africa
?Are we positive that he?s in here?? Morri whispered into the small and undetectable speaker on the edge of her collar.
Back at the alpha location, Cali replied, ?Yes. I saw him walk in our surveillance.?
?Joe?? Ashice said into his own communicator.
?We?re in the field. We should be using code names.?
?Fine,? Paladin huffed, ?Nosoul-?
?What??
He rolled his eyes, ?Are you in position??
?Almost.?
?Location beta is secured. I?m locked and loaded, guys,? came Circe?s voice. ?Should you need rescuing??
?We won?t need rescuing,? Aphrodite assured her as she absently checked to be sure that her pistols were firmly holstered and securely hidden.
?Final checklist before you go in,? said Artemis. ?Epyon, are you set??
?Oh yeah!? he said stepping closer to his date. ?Uh? What happens if I get a drink??
There was a burst of responses that made its way through the communicators, but the one he understood was Agent Athena as she was right in front of him, ?You are NOT thinking about alcohol right now. If you so much as TOUCH one glass, I?ll-?
He put his hands up in surrender, ?Okay, okay!! I was just joking!?
?Right?? Artemis paused for a moment before continuing on the checklist, ?Aphrodite, Athena, and Paladin, are you ready??
There was a chorus of affirmative answers.
?Circe, you?re still in position??
?Yeah? I can see everything up here.?
?And Nosoul??
?I just arrived??
Everyone waited for his next imminent transmission.
?I have a visual on the suspect.?
?Excellent,? Athena breathed. ?What?s it look like in there??
?He?s sitting in a corner with a guard. It looks like there may be? 3 other guards stationed in various places of the bar.?
?Guards?? Circe asked, ?Why would he need guards? ? Unless ??
?Let?s not jump to conclusions,? Athena said. ?Even if he does know that we?re coming, it doesn?t change anything. We?re still going in there.?
There was silence, and then Athena stepped purposely towards the bar, Agent Paladin at her side. ?Let?s go.?
They stepped through the rickety wooden doors into a thick, musty haze of smoke, booze, and rotting wood. The bar was moderately populated with patrons who danced and drunk in the dimly lit building to the uproarious and loud thumping music. A thin, bald, very dark man held the post of bartender and he nodded to the group as they entered.
As Athena and Paladin headed towards stools at the bar, so too, did Epyon and Aphrodite head for the dance floor exactly as the plan they had laid out instructed.
?Do you speak English?? Athen called to the barman.
?Yes,? his accent was thick. ?What may I get you??
?Just 2 of your specials,? Paladin said as he casually looked about the bar.
?Excellent choice,? and he went on babbling in his native language.
Two plunks announced the arrival of the drinks, and Athena was thanking the man when Nosoul started to speak quietly in everyone?s ears.
?He?s moving.?
Turning to Paladin, she barely moved her lips as she replied, ?Where??
?Looks like a back room.?
?Has he seen them?? Artemis wanted to know.
?No? It looks like he was waiting for someone else.?
?Can you get in there?? Circe supplied.
Silence for a moment.
From the center of the room where the two agents were playing their parts of simply dancing the night away, Epyon affirmed, ?I have 2 big and uglies following our man.?
?Circe,? Artemis said as she tapped away at her computer, ?You should be able to at least get a top them on the roof.?
?Sure,? she agreed, ?But? What good will that do??
?I don?t know, but if anything happens in there, you?re the only person that will know.?
?You mean gunfire?? Circe clarified.
?Yes??
?It?s too loud in here for us to hear anything,? Aphrodite said.
?Yeah? We can tell,? Circe replied.
Athena took the lead again, ?For the time being, we?ll continue our observation. Just blend in.?
Though there was no response, all the agents took her order to heart.
Spinning around in the seat, she turned to her glass of the day?s special. It was a frothing, dark-brown liquid contained in a dingy, chipped glass. She picked it up ? scratch that; plastic glass. Bringing it to her lips, she pretended to take a sip.
?Good, eh?? the bartender seemed to be proud of himself.
Athena nodded enthusiastically, then turned quickly to her date to thwart any possible follow up questions the local might have about his drink. She nodded towards the dance floor.
Paladin grinned, took her hand, and led her to the group of meshing and moving people.
The after a few songs, the music ceased, and the DJ made an announcement in the native language of the country. There was a cheer from the patrons, and many scattered off the floor while the ones that remained lined up.
?Ohh! Line dance!? Athena said.
?We?re here to work, you know,? Paladin murmured next to her as they meshed with one of the lines.
?Yeah, but there?s nothing that says we can?t enjoy it!?
The song was upbeat, and Athena caught onto the dance relatively quickly. The same thing could not be said about Paladin. All too soon, (in her opinion) the song ended, and it was back to the loud thumping music.
?Stay here or move somewhere else?? Paladin asked quietly. ?No one?s come out of that room yet??
?I guess we could-?
?Excuse me,? came the voice of a stranger. Standing behind Paladin, he extended his hand to Athena, his eyes twinkling beneath his boyish brown hair. ?I noticed that you can speak English, and while the local language around here has its own? appeal,? he settled on, ?I much prefer my women to speak my language.?
She raised a brow, ?
Your women??
Paladin attempted to say something, but the stranger spoke over him, ?Well? My
kind of woman is more like it. I have this prerequisite that I should be able to understand what it is they yell while throwing dishes at me.? He waggled his eyebrows, and Athena allowed a chuckle to escape her.
Paladin cleared his throat, ?Uhm? Did you forget about me??
?Oh! I?m sorry,? the stranger said kindly facing him. ?I was just?? He turned to Athena, ?One dance??
Paladin seemed slightly put off by the man?s request, but decided it would be best to comply with whatever it was she chose.
?Oh? uhm?? she looked to Paladin, and meeting his eyes said, ?Sure.? She turned to the stranger once again, and allowed him to lead her in the dance he?d requested.
Paladin, not liking the man for some reason, moved from the pair and, keeping a close eye on his date, chose a seat across from the door on the other side of the room.
There wasn?t much conversation between the two dancers, save for the occasional flirting, as they were more focused on other things. Athena couldn?t help but notice that the man was distracted, but she, too, was distracted, so she couldn?t hold it against him.
A few songs passed by, and then the door to the room opened. She heard the chatter of her fellow agents on the line, but said nothing. Then?
?If you?ll excuse me,? the stranger said inclining his head slightly to Athena, and he left her to dance on her own.
Still watching after him, meandering off the dance floor, she saw that he approached their target. ?Oh s---. Move in! Move in on Anderson!? but no one complied. No one seemed to have heard her. ?Hello?? She tapped her com unit inconspicuously, but heard no sound in her ear piece.
Cursing herself for what she deemed her own stupidity at being taken in by the stranger, she ran towards Anderson, but it was too late.
The stranger approached the man and held out his hand in greeting. Anderson returned the greeting, but the stranger pulled out a gun and shot him through the stomach. Anderson crumpled to the floor in a heap.
Immediately, the agents were on their feet reaching for their weapons, but the patrons of the bar turned and faced them.
?What?s happening?!? Circe asked.
?Anderson is dead,? Nosoul breathed. ?And the whole bar seems to be under cover agents and assassins.
?WHAT?!? chorused Circe and Artemis together.
?We need to get them out of there now!? Artemis said.
?Don?t come yet? If we get captured, at least you can get away,? Nosoul replied grimly.
?Like h--- I?m staying away! I already agreed to-?
Circe cut her off, ?Let it play out a bit at first. We don?t know what else they?ve planned.?
?OH S---!!? echoed through the comlines the voice of Epyon.
?What?! What?s happen-? but Circe was knocked off her feet by an explosion within.
?Morri?! Ali?!? Artemis abandoned the codenames, ?Andrew? Joe? Ashice??!?
Standing, Circe felt the roof beneath her feet shutter, and she fell again, ?IT?S CAVING IN! Get out! GET OUT!!? But there was still no response. And then?
?Shots fired! I have shots fired!? Circe reported as she leapt up and headed towards the edge of the roof top. Peering over the side, she saw smoke billowing out the front doors. ?Oh great? Artemis, grab the van and get over here
now!?
?Way ahead of you,? came her reply.
As Circe prepared to jump over the ledge, the doors below burst open, and a crowd of patrons streamed out.
Armed patrons. One of them saw the woman on the roof and opened fire.
?Geez!? she called as she ducked for cover, ?You guys weren?t kidding about it being the whole bar!? Grabbing her two pistols from their holsters, she undid the safeties and waited for her moment to strike. ?And you could respond anytime now. Anytime would be nice.?
?Circe! Where are you?? It was Epyon.
?Pinned at the front entrance. Where are you??
?Same,? he coughed.
?Are the others with you??
?No, we got separated, and,? he sputtered, ?I can?t see a d--- thing in here.?
?Why aren?t they responding??
?I don?t know. My guess would be the smoke. They?re in farther than me.?
?Than
I,? she corrected unconsciously. A lull in the gunfire allowed her to peer past the edge once again. She let fly a few rounds and took out three hostiles before hunkering back down.
?You know, I?m really not concerned-? Epyon was saying.
?I counted 8 more. When I?ve got it down to four, I?ll call you out.?
?I can?t stay in here forever!? he coughed.
?I know! I know!!?
20.34.38 06.22.06
Texan Bar in Africa
Main Room
Athena coughed and sputtered from the smoke, her eyes burning and watering. She?d been knocked back from the explosion that the stranger had set into motion by lighting the tankards of alcohol. Luckily, she?d been shielded from the blast by the people who had been between her and the bar.
She was able to make out that parts of the ceiling had already caved in around the exit, and that the fire was, at this point, only lacking on the western edge of the bar. The entrance area of the building was completely obstructed from her view by the debris.
At the current moment, there was excellent ventilation, but while clearing the smoke, it also brought fresh oxygen for the flames to devour and grow steadily larger.
?Tsk tsk tsk?? a muffled voice sounded behind her, and she spun around to see the stranger/undercover agent from earlier. He was protected by a gas mask. ?To kill a pretty girl like you? But orders are orders.?
?Who are -? she was cut off by a chorus of her own hacking coughs.
?What was that?? he teased. ?You?ve got yourself a nasty cough there??
She merely glared at him the best she could. Her hand itched, hovering over her right leg where further down, she had had her concealed <s>glaive</s> handgun.
(heh heh heh? sorry. ^^)
?I suppose,? he said as he circled her slowly, ?That it?d be proper for you to know who killed you.? Deftly, he retrieved his gun from its holster, but at the same time, Athena took the opportunity to reach for her own weapon.
His reflexes were quick, and she was on the ground in an instant fighting the urge to nurse the bruise that was forming on her wrist where he?d grabbed her and thrown her down whilst tripping her at the same time. Her firearm was strewn across the room, and the next thing she knew, his barrel was leveled in her face.
20.34.21 06.22.06
Texan Bar in Africa
Storage Room
From the ?safety? of her hiding spot ? a few upturned wooden tables ? Aphrodite hurriedly reloaded her pistols. When the roof had started to cave where she was, she?d hurried through the door into what seemed to be the storage area of the bar. It was a long, narrow room. A piece of the burning debris had caught her shirt on fire, and she had been forced to divest herself of it being left in only her in a protective bodice that served as a one-up on bullet-proof vests. Of course, that had left her devoid of any communication.
Unfortunately for her, a good number of assassins had followed her and were positioned in various places on the other end of the room. If she had to give a rough estimate, she?d say somewhere around fifteen or twenty. The smoke was only trickling through the cracks in the wooden doors for now, but it was enough to obscure her figure from them.
Three men lay dead at her feet, and she?d taken their weapons. She?d also taken the black ten gallon hat one of the men had owned, placing it on her head. It was a loose fit, but it suited her purposes, however childish they were.
Here she was, faced with twenty well-trained assassins with no backup and no communication, yet she was playing cowboy. ? Or rather cowgirl.
?Just like the movies,? she said to no one in particular as she fired away at the shadowy figures. An ?AHH!? announced a well-placed shot, and she ducked back down, rolling to another table for cover as retaliatory bullets sped her way. ?Wish I had a rifle, though??
20.42.18 06.22.06
Texan Bar in Africa
Roof/Extrior - South Side
?Circe, I can?t stay in here much longer! It?s hot, and the roof is going to cave!? Epyon called.
?I can?t do anything! I can?t get off a clean shot without getting myself killed in the process!?
?At this rate, one of us is going to die if something doesn?t change.?
Suddenly, Circe heard a stream of gunfire to her right. The bullets stopped pelting her general position, but they were still being shot somewhere.
Peeking over the edge, she saw Nosoul pinned at the western edge of the building.
?NOSOUL?S HERE!? she shouted excitedly.
?Yeah? I couldn?t say a word. Something like 20 hostiles entered my hiding spot. ? I need a better location, Circe.?
Quickly, she laid down suppressive fire so the other agent could get to a safer position.
?He?s not the only one,? Artemis? voice sounded over the comline.
The large black van, lights turned off, came barreling into the scene. Circe immediately ceased fire as the van entered the crossfire zone. Artemis turned the lights on bright to blind the enemies. As Circe and Nosoul watched, she slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel so that she skid and ran over the 5 remaining assassins.
?Nice,? came Nosoul?s appreciative praise.
?I can?t believe I just did that?? Artemis was saying.
Circe stood on the roof, dumbstruck. She didn?t know whether to be proud of her friend or disturbed. Either way, she was grateful and jumped off the roof, landing in a squat. ?Epyon, you can come out now.?
He ran out the doors. His clothes were blackened and he coughed as he sucked in clean air.
Regrouping at the van, they hopped in.
?What do we do?? Artemis asked.
?Let?s circle the perimeter,? Nosoul said as he reloaded his gun. ?They won?t be far if they got out.?
?And if they didn?t get out?? Artemis questioned.
Circe?s response was flat, ?Then we?re going in after them.?
20.37.32 06.22.06
Texan Bar in Africa
Main Room
He towered over her, the barrel still leveled in her face. ?Now look what you made me do? I don?t enjoy hitting girls, you know.?
?Oh, but you?ll kill one,? Athena spat back.
He inclined his head slightly, ?Yeah? But only when I?m ordered to. But I really must be going,? he unlocked the safety. ?Name?s Scorpion. Hope it?s cooler where yo-? He fell in a heap at her feet, and Agent Paladin stood in his place, a broken beer bottle clutched in his hand.
?Idiot,? he mumbled to himself, though audibly enough that she could understand him. Reaching out, he pulled her to her feet. ?We need to get out of here now.?
?We can?t just leave him!? Athena rasped, ?He?s got information!?
Scorpion moaned and rolled over, clutching his head.
?Oh, yes we can! Come on!? Paladin grabbed her hand and pulled her with him, scooping up her abandoned weapon as they passed by it.
She seemed near faint when they reached the back room, and Paladin, finding that it was locked, easily kicked in the door. A bullet whizzed past him, grazing his left arm.
?S---!? he yelled in frustration and pain.
The shooter disappeared behind the door that was still hanging on its hinges, and Paladin slammed himself against it. The man on the other side grunted in displeasure and fired blindly. Reaching around the edge of the door, Paladin grabbed the man?s arm that wielded the gun and pulled him from the cover. They struggled for supremacy.
?I could use some help over here!? the agent shot over his shoulder, but Athena?s back was turned to the scene as she watched something outside of the room.
After a few seconds, Paladin had maneuvered himself to a position behind and to the right of his opponent. With a surge of strength, he brought the man?s arm down on his raised knee.
There was a sickening crack, and the man screamed as the gun tumbled to the floor, his elbow bent backwards. His screaming was cut short by another crack ? the snap of his neck.
Dropping the body to the floor, the agent hurled the nearest chair through the window, creating an escape route. ?Athena!? he called, ?Let?s go!?
?He?s gone!? she said joining him at the window.
?Who?? he was crushing the larger edges of glass down with the butt of the pistol.
?Scorpion! He disappeared!?
Paladin rolled his eyes, ?Good for him!? and he shoved her out the window, following after her.
20.44.57 06.22.06
Texan Bar in Africa
Exterior - North Side
With Artemis still at the helm of the van, the doors wide open with Circe, Epyon, and Nosoul shooting at the enemy hostiles that surrounded them, they rounded the eastern side of the bar just in time to see two figures stumble out through a window.
?That?s them!? Epyon shouted.
?Oh no?? Circe lamented. A group of assassins were closing in on the two agents from either side of the building.
?You two stay here and take ?em out that way,? Epyon ordered. Before anyone else could say a word, he?d already jumped out of the moving vehicle.
?Turn us around and get closer,? Nosoul stated calmly as the scene disappeared from their view.
?Better hang on,? Artemis warned.
?Wish I had a battle rifle?? Circe said securing her hold on the side of the door.
?There?s one in that chest,? he called over his shoulder.
?Really?? carefully, she moved across and took out the rifle. ?Awesome.? Back at the opening, she adjusted the scope and readied herself to take aim.
Epyon ran up the open midfield between the two flanking units and fired at both.
?What are you doing?!? Paladin called in alarm now running towards his partner.
?Get back! You?re being surrounded!?
?
You?re surrounded, you idiot!?
But Epyon wasn?t paying attention. He veered off to his left and focused his fire on the individual unit. Both units were, in the meanwhile, so surprised from the surprise attack that they were just now firing back.
Lucky for Epyon, he was at the eastern unit?s throats before they could get off any shots. It became a fast and furious brawl as the lone agent took on 4 men on his own.
The other unit, not willing to take the chance of friendly fire, maintained their direction towards Athena and Paladin.
?Where is your gun?? Athena asked.
?Lost it,? Paladin called as he leveled her gun towards the approaching men.
?Can I have mine back??
?No,? he answered flatly.
Just then, the black van circled back, Nosoul and Circe taking out the enemy combatants.
?Oh? Nice shot,? Circe commented as one of the bullets he fired caught a man right between his eyes.
?Thanks. ? We need to help Epyon.?
?I?ll take care of that,? Jackie said as she took out the last of the western unit. You two get Athena and Paladin, and we?ll meet you.? With that, she followed Epyon?s example and jumped from the van. Rolling to her feet, she abandoned the weapon to hang from her back, and ran for the brawl.
She arrived just in time to catch the fist of one of the men that contained a knife aimed for Epyon?s back. Flipping the man over on his back, retrieving the knife from his hand and slitting his neck, she called to Epyon, ?You?re lucky, you know that??
?I?m just amazing,? he said as he shot the man he had in a chokehold through the heart.
?Amazing? Sure?? Circe roundhouse-kicked the last man standing, and Epyon finished him with a bullet through the neck.
Turning round, they found the black van coming to a halt in front of them.
?I thought we were going to meet you?? Circe asked as she climbed up.
?Saved time,? Artemis replied.
?Where?s Aphrodite??? Nosoul inquired of Epyon.
The other agent looked around, ?I don?t know? We got separated when the roof started to cave in??
?Separated where?? Artemis asked keeping her voice relatively calm.
?At the north end of the bar. I didn?t see where she went, but she disappeared.?
?Did she go into the storage room?!? Nosoul asked in alarm.
?I don?t know? Probably? That part isn?t on fire, yet.? Epyon glanced towards the exit of the storage room. ?But? Why wouldn?t she be out by now??
Nosoul was searching through the chest of weapons, ?Because about 20 or so men went in there, too.?
Epyon?s mouth dropped, just then putting the pieces together.
?Oh? This is
nice?? Nosoul near-cooed as he brought out a shotgun.
?Ooo!
Moose cannon!?
Regardless of the dire situation, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at Circe. She turned red as she began to explain, ?Oh? Um? When we ? my friends and I ? were playing Halo??
?You nicknamed a weapon? On a video game?? Paladin drawled.
?Yeah??
?Let?s talk about this later,? Athena squeaked. Her eyes bulged, ?Was that MY voice? Oh s---!?
Circe snickered, ?Smoke?ll do that??
?Shut up,? the woman called back.
?Drop me off right there,? Joe said pointing to the building jutting out from the structure.
?I?m going with you,? Circe said shouldering her battle rifle.
An explosion rocked their van and sent smoke flying into the opened doors.
?Okay! Grenades now?!? Paladin said standing and choosing a weapon for himself.
?I?ll go alone. Even three of us couldn?t take on 20 and get out. I?ll just grab her and go,? Nosoul said hopping out. ?You hold down the fort and wait for us.?
?Will do,? Circe said with a mock salute and turned to engage in the gun battle Paladin, Epyon, and Athena were already fighting.
20.51.03 06.22.06
Texan Bar in Africa
Storage Room
Aphrodite was exhausted and fast running out of options. Down to her last two clips, she hadn?t yet figured out how to escape. (Of course, her enemies were also running out of supplies and were thus conserving, as well.) What was worse was the doubt that had surged into her mind. Surely her friends and fellow agents would have come for her by now if they could reach her? Or worse, what if they were all dead?
She couldn?t think about that now, she reminded herself. She had to find a way to escape through that door. And then she saw it: a board that was covered in water.
Perfect! It was exactly what she needed: a smoke ?bomb.?
Pulling out her lighter (that she always kept handy for emergencies such as this one), she set to work on lighting the dampened wood. She soon had it burning in several places, and the slow smoldering put off lots of smoke. ? Enough, she hoped, to cover her movements while heading for the door.
Tossing it to land a few feet away from her exit, she waited patiently until the pathway was sufficiently saturated with smoke. A few blind shots rang out, but she decided it was now or never.
Standing slowly, she moved quickly through the dark haze towards the general direction of the door she knew was there.
Quite suddenly, she heard a grunt directly behind her, and then an arm grabbed around her waist, pulling her though the door in question and rolling them to the floor. An ear-shattering sound and subsequent jolt alerted her to the presence of a shotgun that had just been fired one-handedly. The body of an assassin fell at the door as it slowly swung shut once again.
?I?m going to feel that in the morning,? Nosoul muttered looking forlornly at his, no doubt, sore right arm.
Glancing up at him, a mischievous gleam lurking in her eyes, she said, ?Smooth move, and I?d thank you and all, but I prefer to be on top.?
Noticing their position, he stood up quickly and chose his response to be a simple glare.
She laughed as she picked herself up, ?It?s a joke. I?m going to get you to crack a grin eventually. You just wait. ? Oh!? she reached up and felt on her head, ?My hat?? She found the souvenir just beside the door.
?Your what? We?re not out of the woods yet, and you?re playing Indiana Jones??
She shrugged nonchalantly, ?If I?m going to die by an enemy bullet, I might as well have a little fun before it hits me.?
Meeting her eyes, he smirked. He could respect that.
?Aha!? she announced triumphantly.
The smirk vanished, and he said, ?Let?s go before they figure out what just happened.?
The two of them standing on either side of the exit door as Nosoul peeked out, Aphrodite asked, ?What took so long??
?You should be grateful.?
?I am.?
?We didn?t know you were still inside.?
?How did you know where I was??
?I didn?t. This is the last part of the building that hasn?t been engulfed. I was only hoping you?d be here.?
She was going to respond, but he cut her off, ?It?s clear. Let?s go.?
Ducking the whole way, they ran for the van. The others were still taking and giving heavy fire as the two hopped in the back.
?I?ve got her; let?s move!? Nosoul called as he climbed into the driver?s seat.
Slowly, they retreated into the vehicle. When Athena tried to climb into the front, Circe stopped her.
?No, you lie down in the back before you pass out from smoke inhalation.?
An expression between annoyance and gratitude crossed her features, but she climbed in the back anyway.
Circe hopped in the passenger seat, and they sped off into the night. Hanging out the window, and Aphrodite out the side of the opened door, they made quick work of anyone trying to follow them by shooting out their tires.
After a few minutes of driving, Circe pulled her head back in. Aphrodite still hung out the side just to be sure.
*Paladin sat down rubbing his grazed bullet wound. The fabric of his jean jacket was torn, red blood staining the dark blue threads even darker. It was hardly more than a flesh wound, but Artemis grabbed the first aid kit anyway and sat next to him. She carefully peeled back the ruined portion of the jacket and shirt and applied the antiseptic. The male agent bore it with an expression of toughness that was only ruined when his eyes darted to study the girl beside him.
From across the van, Ali finally shut the door and turned, collapsing in a dignified heap against the metal panel.
The silence hung thick between them, their very near brushes with death still fresh in their minds, but Ali, being Ali and not one to revel in awkward, heavy, unsettling silences, was the one to speak up. ?You hurt, Puppy??
The controlled expression vanished from his face to be replaced with a flat look. ?Quit calling me that.?
Ali grinned at him. Her eyes glittered in a way that made her look like she?d just come from a brisk jog rather than a life-threatening mission. ?Sorry, Puppykins.?
Ashice?s gaze went flatter, ?That?s even worse.?
?Aw, but Puppers??
?No.?
?Mr. Puppers??
?No.?
?Sir Pupalot??
?No!?
?Puppy McPup??
?For G?sakes, no!?
There was a soft snort just beside him, making him avert his glare.
Cali had pulled back slightly, a hand placed over her mouth as she failed to hold back helpless laughter. Her eyes shown innocently above her hand, and he met them with an irritable, yet less harsh, gaze.
As the rest of the van snickered , Ashice let his head thunk back against the metal wall of the van. ?You?re all against me,? he accused, ?And I never did anything to deserve it.?*
They all chuckled some more, and in a few moments, Cali had finished bandaging his arm. Soon, they were left once again in silence, yet it was somehow much more bearable, and the occupants of the van were grateful to the antics of Ali and Ashice.
?Well, that was an official waste,? Jackie announced suddenly, ?In fact, this entire trip has been a waste!?
?No, it hasn?t,? Cali said. ?We have a new lead, and maybe it will pan out.?
?Just because he worked for a company-? Jackie began.
?The company supported him being here, and he was obviously up to no good. Whether or not Gaither tech is involved is what we?ll be investigating when we get there and check out his activities with the company.?
?Where?s there?? Andrew asked quietly, his voice weakened like Morrighan?s, from the smoke.
?Utah,? Cali supplied.
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Oooh kay! ^_^ Got a chance to edit it, though I think I've still missed some stuff.
** The astericks represent the portion of this chapter that Cali wrote. THANKIES!! ^___^
I edited it to fit the story better in terms of details, but other than that, it was all Cali.
Questions you should be asking yourself: Why did Scorpion kill Anderson? How is Gaither Tech connected in this?
And then the obvious... Who is The Man? How does Meder Stockton fit in with this? What are "they" planning? Where are Wicked and An?
In Chapter 5... We get to see Wicked again! Yay! As well as Ennis Tremellyn (Melrose)! WOOT!
We get to
meet An and Blackrose.
- Of course, Blackrose will be "The Man" who is actually "The Woman."
In order to skip the whole ordeal, I'm just gonna go with "The Boss." (Though I was severely tempted by "The Warlord."
)
Wicked x Wolfe begins in this chapter as well as the allusion to An x Phantom.
Chapter 5 will also mark either 1/3 or 1/4 of the way through the story.
I haven't decided on 15 or 20 chapters, but the ending action will last for 3 chapters (at least).
I'm a pyro, just ask anyone in Club Beer! 
