I

Washington D.C. – Agents Sarah Dyson and Robert Hale are keeping a constant watch on their monitors as they await a signal from somewhere in the Koryakskiy Khrebet Mountains of northeastern Russia.

Dyson looks at her watch; "We should be getting his signal any moment now."

"Do you think we have time for a coffee run?" Hale says noticing the lack of his beverage.

"Better not, he might contact us at any . . . . ." Dyson is interrupted by the constant beeping on one of her computer screens. "That's it!" She says rolling her chair up a few inches. She begins punching commands into her keyboard as Hale locks on to the signal. "C'mon, c'mon." Dyson whispers under her breath waiting for the transponder codes to be confirmed.

"Codes are locked in, confirmation is in progress." Hale states. "Confirmation acquired, it's him." He says as he picks up the phone to notify their superior. "Comms room, this is Agent Hale, please inform Deputy Director Hayes that the signal has been received."

"Close in on the area Hale." Dyson says.

"Right, magnifying satellite feed." As Hale does as instructed the large screen over the console zooms in on the region where the signal is being transmitted. "Just waiting for visual now."

"What's taking him so long?" Dyson says watching the blank screen as she awaits a visual image of the area to appear. A few moments later the picture appears on a different screen displaying a clearing in the snowy mountains of Russia.

"Okay give me a sitrep people." Says Deputy Director of Omega Sector Kim Hayes as she enters the communications room.

"Live satellite feed is operational ma'am and we have established eyes on the ground." Dyson reports.

"Where is the convoy?" Hayes says looking at the square mile area from where the satellite feed originates.

"I'm not sure, it could be behind schedule." Dyson says.

"Well let's find it." Hayes orders.

"Copy that, expanding the satellite feed now." Dyson says as the image is expanded on the main display. "There it is, looks to be about a mile away from the ambush site."

"Give me a tactical readout, what is our man up against." Hayes orders.

"Definitely all Russian military equipment as we suspected. We've got troop transports, a few machine gun mounted snow cats or half-tracks, plus a mobile communications unit." Dyson reports as she scans the convoy closer.

"I've got what looks to be a ZSU-23, a BRDM armored scout vehicle and two T-72 tanks!" Hale adds. "Looks like he bit off more than he can chew."

"This was a foolish idea." Hayes says frustratingly as she rubs her temples. "We should have waited for his team to arrive."

"Well it was his idea . . . ." Dyson states. " . . . . and if we'd waited for the rest of the team we might have lost this opportunity." Just then another comms agent informs Hayes that there is a call for her from the Pentagon.

"Ma'am, Director Grant is on the line for you."

"Secure the line and give me audio." Hayes orders. A moment later a loud beep sounds off indicating that the call is on speaker. "Director, we've confirmed the transponder codes and location of our operative. We've also established a live feed of the convoy via satellite. It is still on the move towards the ambush site but it looks to be behind schedule." Hayes explains.

"Well we know their behind schedule to their destination, but if they run out of fuel before they make it to the re-supply drop it's going to pose a serious problem for our man." Grant replies.

"Copy that Sir."

Director Grant was summoned to the Pentagon after he reported the launch of this mission. Once he arrived he began briefing the Secretary of Defense as well as several high-ranking military officers. Grant, a Naval veteran who held the rank of Admiral, was assigned the position of Director of Omega Sector five years ago. However he's been apart of Omega since it's conception in 1990, entering the agency as its first Deputy Director.

While the convoy is manned by Russian troops they are members of a separate faction of the military known as the Communist Revolutionary Army. A break away group of the Russian government, the C.R.A. now serves in an unofficial revolution intent on restoring Russia to its former glory and wiping out anyone who doesn't submit to their rule. The instigator of this revolt and leader of the C.R.A, Victor Krestov, was once a highly respected government official. Formerly a General, Krestov was known to be a brilliant military strategist, which led to his placement as a tactical consultant to Russian President Ostrova. However after serving only two years by the president's side it became clear that Krestov's views and intentions were not conducive to world peace. After being removed from his position within the government he vowed to the President and his staff that they would regret they day cast him aside! Disgraced and hell-bent on exacting his vengeance on Ostrova, Krestov quickly realized he had friends among the military that shared his views. Realizing the only way to see his dream turn into a reality Krestov launched a campaign to overthrow Ostrova and rule Russia himself with a mighty fist. Knowing that his goal could not possibly be achieved without an army of his own he began a quest to gather support for his cause.

Over the next month he met with dozens of his contacts, several of them wanted nothing to do with him or his plot. However the numbers of willing supporters began to grow exponentially, many of them were already members of the Russian military. Some offered financial support, others provided resources like petroleum, surplus military equipment, weapons and ammunition and so on. The following month Krestov launched his first mission.

Posing as a surprise inspection team Krestov and a force of seventy troops entered a weapons depot that housed over thirty tanks; a dozen Hind gunships and other light armed helicopters and ground vehicles. With personnel at the depot staffed at a minimum during the night hours the C.R.A took the base without a single loss and picked it clean of its weapons and resources. At first no one claimed responsibility for the attack, but as more and more bases fell in northeastern Russia it soon became clear who was behind it all. As his campaign continued Krestov quickly gained control over several military and naval bases across the map. Before long the C.R.A. had assets on land, sea and air fortifying their positions! As operations continued it was rumored that Krestov setup a home for himself and base of operations somewhere within the mountains of Yakutsk. The perfect place to hide, Yakutsk is blanketed by snow throughout most of the year and is ravaged by high winds and freezing temperatures. Any cities that lay within C.R.A occupied zones were immediately taken under control. Communications in or out of such cities were severed to prevent intel from leaking back to the Russian military. Cell towers and internet services were disrupted; even mail was controlled by members of the C.R.A. Fortunately due to their locations in the mountainous regions most of these cities were not heavily populated.

At present it is unknown whether or not Krestov has control of any nuclear missile bases or silos. However recent intelligence confirmed that the C.R.A. had acquired several Scud missile launchers. The most frightening fact about this report was the mention of a supply of chemical warheads. Weeks before, President Ostrova asked for assistance from the United States. Omega Sector was tasked with continuing the investigation to discover the location of Krestov's home base, known as the Citadel. For days tensions ran high unsure if the C.R.A. had also acquired a shipment of chemical weapons. Shortly thereafter O.S. intercepted a message stating that a C.R.A. convoy was headed east from Siberia carrying an antidote for a deadly neurotoxin. It was too coincidental, right away Director Grant relayed the information to the White House. Ostrova ordered his generals to mobilize their military forcers to find and take out the Scud base. It was assumed that Krestov played his hand to quickly by going after the antidote. However it was a brilliant move, if Krestov held the antidote it would render any opposition to his plan useless. He could ransom the presidency right out from under Ostrova and take control. What was still unclear was if or when Krestov would have launch capability.

With the daunting task of finding the scud base in time; the Russian military was too preoccupied to go after the antidote itself. While Director Grant wasn't in direct contact with Ostrova, he made the suggestion that Omega Sector be given that task. The initial decision was to send in Army Special Forces, however that plan was quickly scrubbed after the White House heard Grant's argument. If word got back to Krestov that his convoy was under attack he might launch against Moscow. Washington and London were listed as the next likely targets if Krestov did launch so Omega Sector was ultimately assigned the mission. The plan was for their best agent to slip in and out while the convoy stopped to wait for a re-supply chopper carrying fuel, food, ammunition and medical supplies. The message O.S. intercepted included coordinates for re-supply drop points along the convoy's five hundred mile trek through the mountainous terrain.

Ostrova's last order before he and his staff evacuated Moscow was to clear U.S. aircraft to enter Russian Federation airspace and air drop in their operative.

The next drop point where the O.S. operative will stage his assault is just inside the tree line of a heavily forested area. From the current vantage point and on the satellite image Kim Hayes can see several square miles of the open frigid land that lies before the tree line. Once under the cover of those trees the convoy will stop and await the supply chopper, which will land in the clearing behind it.

"Have the Russians found the Scud base yet Director?" Hayes asks.

"Not yet, they're still looking and we have two satellites over Yakutsk looking as well. If we find it Ostrova's forces will hit it with everything they've got." Grant explains.

"Even if we can recover the antidote the odds are stacked against us. I don't think we'd be able to get it to Moscow and mass produce a vaccine, much less inoculate everyone in time." Hayes replies.

"I know Kim it seems futile but the analysts here all agree that if Krestov had launch capability by now Ostrova would have received his demands. So until we hear otherwise from the Russian government the mission is still a go."

"Copy that sir." Suddenly Kim hears Hale cursing as he double checks his monitors. "What is it Hale?"

"The convoy, it's stopped in the clearing!" Hale replies. Hayes looks up at the main display showing the satellite feed and notices the convoy has indeed stopped some one hundred yards from the tree line. "They probably burned more fuel crossing that rugged terrain then they anticipated."

"Director are you hearing this? I know we can't afford to abort but we can't send our operative into that clearing, it would be suicide!"

One of the generals at the Pentagon suggests they wait for the convoy to be re-supplied then launch the mission as it enters the forest.

"General normally I would agree with you but there are three problems with that course of action." Grant replies. "The first is that the supply chopper, while it's not a gunship, it is armed and would provide aerial cover if our man attacks after the convoy is on the move again. Secondly it would cause a serious problem with our operative's escape route and third waiting for the convoy to be re-supplied would waste hours. Critical hours I might add that could be spent getting that serum back to Moscow to produce the vaccine."

"Then we'll have to fall back to our initial plan, send in a strike team." Another general suggests.

"It's too late for that sir, they wouldn't arrive before the supply chopper does and it still negates the entire reason my agency was handed this mission in the first place." Grant replies.

As emotions run high and alternate suggestions are quickly voiced Hayes interrupts the commotion

"Gentlemen calm down, Director I'm getting a request from our operative." Hayes says as she looks to Dyson.

"You want to do what?" Dyson says listening to the suggestion made through the other end of her headset. "That's insane!"

"Dyson, what's going on?" Hayes asks.

"Wait one." Dyson says as she removes her headset. "He's requesting permission to go to plan C?"

Utterly confused Hayes asks for her headset, Dyson removes it and hands it over to her.

"This is Hayes, what are you talking about there is no plan C." she says talking directly to the operative.

After hearing the operative's plan a shocked expression is displayed across her face. As the agent fills her in on the details Grant asks for an update.

"Sir, he says he's going to re-task one of the missile batteries to take out the mobile communications vehicle before he makes his move."

While the C.R.A. is well organized and equipped the one thing they don't have is it's own communications satellite. Therefore mobile communications units such as the one in the convoy are a must for any long-range transports, especially in the mountains of northeastern Russia. While the individual vehicles have radio capabilities they are short range, mobile comms units provide the only way to send long-range transmissions to and from headquarters.

"I hope your operative can pull this off Director Grant." Says one of the generals.

"Sir, this man is the best agent I have. If anyone can pull this off he can." Grant replies.

"I still say we should have gone in with plan A, a full strike team." The same general states.

"We've been through this General, without being able to confirm that Krestov does not yet have launch capability this is our best option." The Secretary of Defense says.

"Besides a full strike team would add to the risk of losing the vial permanently." Grant adds. "If a firefight broke out the vial could be destroyed. This way my agent can get in and out with as few shots fired as possible."

"But he's lost the element of surprise! He'll have to hoof it what some hundred yards in the open snow just to get to the convoy." The general says back.

"General no one is disagreeing with your observations but the situation, as lousy as it is, is here and now!" the Secretary replies silencing the general. "Unfortunately we're out of options, we'll have to roll the dice and see where they lay. Grant, give your man a green light!"

"Yes Mr. Secretary, Hayes did you copy that?" Grant says.

"Yes Director." Hayes says switching back to the headset. "Initiate plan C, get in an get out before that supply chopper arrives. Good luck!" She removes the headset and returns it to Dyson. She steps back getting a better view of the main display prepared to watch how the situation will unfold. "God bless."

From a heightened position in the Koryakskiy Mountains Agent Michael Stone receives the order as he observes the convoy. "Copy that initiating plan C." Stone says. Using a thermal setting on his modified binoculars Stone identifies his target, from the naked eye it looks like a normal troop truck. However after scanning it with the thermal vision Stone notices there are only two men seated in the back of the truck indicating a guard detail for the vial that holds the antidote. Having originally been told that the convoy would stop within the tree line Stone positioned himself high above the ground in one of the trees. Strapped to the tree by a climbing harness and using attachable climbing spikes to keep his footing; Stone would have repelled from the tree onto the truck holding the vial. Now that the situation has changed stone kicks off the spikes and repels to the ground.

The night before Stone was air dropped into Russia along with three mobile Tow missile batteries. Camouflaged themselves, Stone setup the batteries to cover his escape; with their purpose now changed Stone re-tasks the batteries to fire into the clearing at the convoy. He aims the first battery at the mobile comms unit; then he sets the sights of the remaining two on the T-72 tanks. Stone double-checks his gear once more before initiating his plan. Like Stone's snow fatigues his AK-74 is camouflaged with white grips and magazines, carrying a reload of only four extra mags. His side arm, a 9mm silenced Glock hold ten rounds per magazine with a reload of also four extra mags. Among his set of airdropped supplies Stone also has one Russian made RPG, however he leaves that stashed in the snow to use during his escape. He grabs the remote firing mechanism for the Tow missiles and prepares to fire. He then pulls out his binoculars and takes one last look at the lead vehicle, the armored scout car. Luckily he can see that the driver's attention is not directed out the main viewport.

He takes a deep breath then fires the first Tow missile, as soon as the projectile escapes the firing pad Stone hauls ass for the convoy! Within seconds the mobile comms unit is destroyed which causes immediate alarm from the rest of the convoy. Shrapnel and debris from the explosion fly everywhere and even take out a few men located in the vehicles front and aft of the comms unit. As Stone continues running towards the scout car he notices then gun turret on top rotating to the rear to see what happened. Stone finally makes it to the scour car and slides into the snow just underneath the view of the driver's field of vision.

"First missile is away Director." Hayes reports to Grant as she watches the mission unfold via the satellite feed.

Stone reaches into his satchel and removes a C4 charge and places it underneath the scout vehicle. He peeks around the vehicle and notices ten or more troops as they begin dispersing from the transports at the rear of the convoy. He fires the remaining two missile batteries taking out the tanks located in the middle and very rear of the convoy. Some of the troops are killed from the explosions as Stone makes his way to the truck holding the vial. He passes by a half-track armed with a mounted heavy machine gun and takes out its three-man crew with his silenced Glock. Then he takes out the two men in the cab of the target vehicle just as they spot him. He quietly moves to the back of the truck and finds two men guarding it. They are put down before they even knew he was there. Stone loads a new mag into his Glock then fires a round at the driver of the ZSU surface to air tank, silencing any cries for backup before they can be made. He knocks on the rear door of the target vehicle and says in Russian, "Get out here we need help!" One of the radicals opens the door and two rounds burst through his stomach and out his back. As the other soldier inside reaches for his rifle Stone steps up into the back and puts two in his head. He closes the door behind him noticing that no one else has spotted him yet. He shoots the padlock off the large metal crate fastened to the floor of the truck. He looks inside and finds a small metallic container no bigger then an eyeglasses case. He opens it and finds the small glass vial containing the serum snug in its padding. Stone unzips his camouflaged jacket revealing a black nylon bag strapped under his left arm. He shoves the vial case into the makeshift holster securing it on his person. He zips up his jacket and presses the transmit button on his earpiece. "This is Stone, I have the vial and I'm moving out!"

Stone hops out of the truck then sets another C4 charge underneath the ZSU tank; out of the corner of his eye he spots a trooper carrying an RPG walking past the ZSU. The instant the trooper notices Stone he receives a fierce right cross and a side kick to the head knocking him back. Stone draws his pistol and puts two rounds into him; he picks up the RPG as he notices several more men making their way up the convoy. He aims the RPG at one of the troop truck a few spots back and fires destroying it. He reloads the RPG from the trooper he killed a moment ago then heads towards the front of the convoy. Before he can take two steps he notices some of the crew of the scout car have emerged from the vehicle to assess the situation. Stone ducks back behind the target truck and grabs the remote detonator for the C4. He arms the first charge on the scout car and detonates it! He runs for the front of the convoy as more troops from the rear spot him. Realizing he's more or less been discovered he grabs his AK-74 and takes out a group of them. He takes cover in front of the target vehicle then fires off the RPG at the rear of the convoy but doesn't see what it hits. He hops into the half-track but before he can escape he sees more troopers advancing towards him. He swings the mounted machine gun around and opens it up on them. In the background he notices what remaining vehicles left standing begin to fall out of formation and head towards him.

Hayes continues to watch the live feed as she also notices several vehicles advancing towards Stone's position. "If he doesn't make it back to the forest before they make it to the front of the line he's dead."

With the nearest group of radicals eliminated Stone turns the machine gun on a half-track jeep coming his way. Before the gunner can get a solid aim on him Stone shreds the top of the jeep taking out its crew. He turns around and hops in the driver's seat and takes off keeping his head low to avoid oncoming fire. As he nears the cover of the tree line Stone looks back and spots two troopers aiming RPG's at him. As they launch he dives off the side of the half-track just seconds before the projectiles destroy it. After landing into the snow Stone fires his AK-74 at the two men, taking them out. He runs back to the tree line and grabs his stashed RPG. He notices the troops heading his way along with the only remaining transport truck, the last two half-tracks and the ZSU tank. Remembering the C4 charge he placed on the ZSU he pulls out his detonator and blows it. He fires his RPG towards the advancing troops taking out a few more of them then heads further into the forest!

The rest of the troops load into the transport truck or onto the half-tracks as they move into the forest. They stop a few yards in and disperse looking for Stone.

"Find that operative and bring him back alive, he has the vial!" a lieutenant yells in Russian.

Stone heads downhill towards his last supply cache as he presses the remote detonator destroying the empty missile batteries. While the explosions were not meant as a distraction several of the radicals' attention is drawn to it. However a few troopers spot Stone and begin firing. He turns and fires back then chucks a grenade uphill, he trudges on through the thick snow as his pursuers continue after him.

Back in Washington Agent Dyson continues to monitor the situation as she notices something on her screen. "Director Hayes I've got a new contact approaching the remains of the convoy!"

"Identify." Hayes replies.

Dyson switches to the live feed on her monitor and finds a helicopter hovering over the remains of the convoy.

"Is that the supply chopper? It's too early right?" Hayes says.

"It is way to early but that's not the supply chopper. It's an Mi-24 Hind gunship!" Dyson replies.

"Director Grant we're tracking a Hind gunship hovering over the convoy area. Why is Stone's pickup not at the extraction point?" Hayes asks.

Stone was briefed before mission launch that an allied Russian Hind gunship would pick him up down the mountain. It would then transport him to the U.S.S Forrestal aircraft carrier stationed in the Sea of Okhotsk, just off the shore of Kamchatka.

"That's because it's not Stone's pickup, it must belong to the C.R.A. The Russian military has confirmed the coordinates thrice where they are to extract Stone." Grant replies.

"Great, Dyson find our chopper!" Hayes orders.

"Copy that." Dyson replies plugging in the transponder codes that the Russian military provided for their chopper. "Got it, it's right where it should be ma'am."

"Then what is that doing there?!" Hayes says pointing at the C.R.A. gunship obviously agitated.

"Hale scan for other attack vehicles in the sector." Dyson says.

"Director Grant do we know of any C.R.A. bases in the area?" Hayes asks.

"Negative, we've confirmed the area was free of C.R.A. occupation. I suppose they could have moved assets into the sector for support just in case." Grant replies.

"Then our Hind might need some backup!" Hayes adds.

One of the generals reminds Grant that the Forrestal is stationed within range to send in air support. The Secretary however informs the general that Ostrova cleared them to enter Russian airspace only to airdrop the O.S. agent in; not to send in fighters.

"What about getting allied Russian fighters for support?" another general suggests.

"From where General? Ostrova's military is searching for the Scud base, even if they sent a detachment the help they wouldn't arrive in time." Grant replies trying to keep his concern from being too obvious.

Stone finally makes it to his last supply cache hanging up in a tree by use of a pulley. He pulls out his knife and cuts the tension wire tied around a nearby tree which causes the supply bag to drop to the ground. Stone opens the stash to reveal a set of white snow skis, poles and goggles. He checks his six as he mounts the skis. As he prepares to shove off he hears shouts uphill in Russian. He turns and takes out a trooper and fires at a second; he loads another mag into the rifle then pushes off skiing down the mountainside. The trooper he missed radios his position to his platoon leader informing him that the operative had headed downhill on skis.

The lieutenant orders his men to continue pursuit; six troopers retrieve the supply of skis from the storage rack on the roof of the transport truck At same time he orders one of the half-tracks to find away around through the trees to pursue as well.

In less than a minute Stone looks up to see the Hind attack chopper above him. It flies in front of him and drops off two polar troopers on skis. They aim uphill at him yelling in Russian for him to stop.

Yeah right.

Stone chucks the pole in his right hand going for the Ak-74. He unfolds the stock, takes aim and fires at the men. Then he fires up at the chopper as he skis right past it. The Hind turns around and uses its powerful four-barrel 12.7mm chain gun firing warning shots. Stone watches the shots hit the snow yards in front of him as more troopers deploy on skis from the Hind. After skiing for another ten minutes or so Stone stops in a group of trees to find his ride home. He looks through his binoculars and spots the Hind another four or five hundred yards downhill. He looks back uphill noticing the troopers are still hot on his trail. He sees five appear through the last group of trees. He pulls out his Glock and puts two rounds in each of them just as the lead two were beginning to fire. He loads his fourth pistol mag in the Glock just as he notices a half-track emerging from the trees. As it races towards him Stone licks his finger to see which direction the wind is blowing. Stone skis out from his cover and grabs his last grenade. Just as the crew of the jeep spots him he chucks the grenade almost straight up. He fires his AK-74 at them as he shoves off downhill again. With the wind guiding the grenade it lands in the rear of the jeep just as it nears Stone, seconds later it explodes. After checking the ammo on his rifle, Stone finds he has about two-thirds of the last magazine left. "Doesn't matter, I'm almost home free." He says to himself as he shoves off again towards his ride. A few moments later he skis to a halt in front of the side door of the chopper and notices the two men standing out front. "I made it." Stone says in Russian as he lifts the goggles onto his forehead. "Let's get out of here there may still be troopers on my tail." Stone says using the pass phrase. He pauses waiting for the return pass phrase but the two men just look at each other confused. Immediately Stone raises his rifle and drills both of them! More troopers begin filing out of the Hind after him but Stone has already started off towards the next slope. As the Hind starts its propellers Stone skis under the tail and plants his last C4 pack! The troopers begin to mount their skis just as the original pursuers from the convoy are arriving at the scene. Unfortunately too late though, just as the combined troops resume the chase Stoned detonates the chopper! It explodes in a large ball of fire and debris annihilating the enemy.

Back in Washington Hayes is shocked beyond belief as she watches the chopper explode! "What happened, where's Stone?"

"He's right there ma'am, that's his transponder signal. It doesn't look like he was caught in the blast." Dyson reports.

Hayes informs Grant at the Pentagon.

"Link us up, I want to see what happened. Grant says. A few moments later the large screen on the wall displays the recording of the satellite feed. "Back it up to when he arrived at the chopper." Grant watches as Stone arrives at the Hind and seconds later shoots two of its crew. After watching the chopper explode he rewinds it again and asks if the image can be magnified.

"One moment Sir." Dyson says via the conference call as she makes the requested adjustments.

Grant watches it again and orders her to slow it down.

"Copy that."

He watches it again and notices Stone reaching his arms up as he passes under the tail.

"Right there, he blew it up. You can clearly see him reaching up to the tail as he skied under it." Grant says observantly. Suddenly Grant and Hayes figures out what happened. "Krestov's people must have intercepted the chopper crew and taken their place." Grant says. "All they had to do is wait for the vial to come to him."

"That or Ostrova's orders were intercepted from the beginning, which means Stone never had a way out." Hayes adds. "Director we ought to get word to Ostrova that he might have a mole inside his government somewhere."

"Duly noted but surely that wouldn't be a new concept to him, given his government's situation with the C.R.A." Grant replies.

"Agreed Director, however now we a whole new problem. Our man has the vial but has no way of getting out of Russia! Hayes says.

"Sir, we need to send in a search and rescue team from the Forrestal." Grant says to the Secretary of Defense.

"We need clearance to enter Russian airspace first. General, order the Forrestal to prep a search and rescue team and await orders to launch." The Secretary says picking up a phone that is wired directly to the White House.

"Director, it appears we've lost radio contact with our operative." Hayes says as Dyson tries to raise Stone on the radio. Realizing there's nothing they can do about the loss of radio signal Grant simply acknowledges the report.

Stone continues skiing down the mountain not sure where he can go but knowing that there is still a Hind attack chopper in the area looking for him. Just then he spots it off to the far east. He turns to the right heading away from it as far as possible. He stops to look back uphill through his binoculars to find not a single man in sight. "Well they know I don't have a ride home, I'm not outta the woods yet. Omega base, do you copy?" With no response he checks the cord leading from his earpiece to his radio to find it severed, likely only to have happened by a bullet! "Whoa, that was close." He decides to continue skiing while he still has daylight. "Well they still have my transponder, at least they've got eyes on me." He says to himself.

After about an hour the sun goes down; Stone finds a place to hide for the night and gets a small fire going. He eats what remaining rations he has left; he had a minimal set of rations to begin with when he was airdropped into Russia yesterday. It was supposed to be a one day operation. Luckily the cold hasn't become a factor against him, before leaving Washington the day before the head of Omega's R&D department issued him a thermal heated suit. Worn just under his fatigues Stone is able to adjust the suit to any temperature via a small control panel on the left wrist of the suit. He stays awake and alert for most of the night as he frequently scans the mountainside both up and downhill with his binoculars set on night vision. Later into the night he finally dozes off for three of four hours of sleep. Fortunately he's safely hidden for the night; of course Stone knows that in the morning the C.R.A. will be combing the mountainside for him.

"Well gentlemen it looks like there's nothing further we can do from here at this time. Deputy Director Hayes has just informed me that we just lost our operative's transponder signal." Grant explains. "I'll keep you advised if there are any updates that occur."

The Secretary of Defense dismisses the generals as he calls to update the White House. Feeling exhausted from morning's deteriorating situation Hayes decides to head home for the day. She leaves a standing order to be notified the instant O.S. receives any new updates on Stone and to inform Grant when he arrives that she'll be back this evening. After Hayes leaves Dyson rolls back her chair and stretches her arms.

"I hope he's okay." Dyson says.

"Sarah, Stone is the best we've got, he'll make it." Hale replies. "I'm going for a coffee run now."

Stone awakens to find his fire burned out and just a small glint of the sun barely peeking over the mountains. He rests for another ten or fifteen minutes waiting for more daylight then heads down the mountain again on his skis. After twenty minutes he spots a chopper to the far east, then a second, then another to the south. He stays close in between the trees for cover then he recognizes the sound of a jet. He listens to the sounds and hears two of them, before long he spots them in the air.

Migs.

He comes to a stop on a ridge in the snow and hears all sorts of sounds. He dismounts the skis and lies in the snow to get a better look. He crawls forward a few yards and finds a temporary air base in the valley ahead. He looks through his binoculars and scans through the base counting four Migs, two large cargo choppers and two Hind attack choppers; not counting the ones already in the air. To the southwest of the Migs' position he can make out a landing strip in the open snow. He continues scanning then notices on the other side of the base among the other aircraft and the numerous tents and supply crates are two AV-8 Harrier jump jets! "Those are U.S. Marine Corps jets! How the hell did the C.R.A. get their hands on those?" Stone says to himself in astonishment. "Well there's my ride home, too bad I can't take them both." Stone ditches his skis and begins to make his way around to the other side of the base. He remains below the ridgeline to stay out of sight, every so often peeking back over to check that no one has spotted him yet. Having only seen ten men up and moving around the base he assumes the rest are still sleeping. The few he spotted are either on guard duty or working maintenance on the aircraft. He estimates it will take him close to an hour to make his way around to the far side of the base where the Harriers are resting. Hopefully they'll remain undisturbed until he reaches them; he could likely sneak through the base cutting his time down by half but decides not to take any unnecessary chances.

Almost an hour later on the other side of the globe Hayes is returning to headquarters, She walks immediately into the communications room and asks the two agents on duty for updates. Unfortunately there are no new developments, as she heads to her office she sees Director Grant leaving his to head home for the evening.

"You don't have to stay here tonight Kim." Grant says knowing she's worried about Stone.

"I don't mind Sir, besides one of us should be here if something happens." Hayes replies.

"Suit yourself, see you in the morning."

"James, do you think it was a mistake to send him in alone?" Hayes says dropping the formality of Grant's title.

"Absolutely." Grant says without hesitation.

While Hayes is taken aback by his response Grant reminds her that given the circumstances they had no other options.

"If you're feeling guilty Kim then don't. Stone volunteered for this assignment remember, he knows the risks and this is not his first solo mission. I'm confident that he'll make back, he's been in worse situations." Grant explains.

"Well that's true." Hayes says thinking back over Stone's previous missions. "Goodnight Director."

"Goodnight Kim."

Stone checks his watch realizing it's been almost seventy minutes since he started his trek around the airbase. He makes another surveillance check and notices not many more men around the base than when he started. He finally makes it near the Harriers as he checks for nearby threats. Seeing none he steps over the ridge and into the base and takes cover behind a supply crate. Quietly he passes by several others getting closer to the Harriers, he stops next to a crate marked flight gear. He kneels down, reaches inside and pulls out a flight helmet. He checks his ammo on his Ak-74 noticing eight or nine rounds left. He's about to move for the jet when he spots two men walking towards the planes. By the look of their attire he assumes one must be a ground technician, the other is a C.R.A. officer.

"Are both of those AV-8's fully fueled?" The officer says in Russian.

"Yes Sir both are armed and fueled I just need to do a final pre-flight check and they are ready to go." The ground tech responds.

"Get it done then, the pilots have a training sortie in an hour." The officer says as he turns around and walks away. "I'll be in the briefing tent."

"Looks like I made it just in time." Stone says to himself. He waits a few moments then makes his move. He walks right up behind the ground tech who is squatting under the engine housing. Stone grabs the man's collar and belt and rams the man's head once, twice, then a final time against the plane then flings him aside unconscious. Stone looks to his right and notices the same officer from a moment ago turning around to see what the noise was. "Oh crap." Stone says subtly. He locks eyes with the officer and grins, for a moment the officer doesn't comprehend what is transpiring. Stone tosses the flight helmet into the open cockpit then fires his AK taking down the officer. No one else sees this but Stone can hear others speaking in Russian wondering where the gunshots came from. He climbs into the cockpit and puts the helmet on; out of the corner of his eye he spots a pilot bursting out of his tent armed with a pistol. Stone fires the last few rounds of his AK taking the man out, this time several members of the base personnel notice. He throws away his empty rifle and starts up the Harrier. As he sees the men approach he notices most of them are ground crew or pilots being that very few of them are armed with anything bigger than a sidearm. He pulls out his Glock and takes out a few of them. He loads his last magazine into the pistol and fires again as the engines roar to life ready to take off. As more men approach Stone can hear someone yelling orders in Russian.

"He's the American operative, he has the vial do not shoot him!"

Stone holsters the weapon and shuts the cockpit door. He rotates the thrust nozzles downwards as the base personnel prepare to fire on the jet to prevent it from taking off. Stone grabs the fire control for the guns and presses it! The Harrier spits forth destruction annihilating several of the base personnel as well as destroying a nearby armaments truck. The resulting explosion takes out more nearby men and equipment as Stone pushes the throttle forward. The Harrier ascends to about forty feet then pushes off into the cold mountain air.

"Scramble all fighters and launch all support aircraft!" Another officer yells over a loudspeaker. As the radical pilots run to their Migs another pilot assigned to the Harriers runs over to the remaining jump jet. Moments later Stone circles around and comes back for a pass at the base.

"I wish I didn't have to do this!" Stone says to himself as he attains a lock on the other Harrier. Once in range he presses the trigger firing the 25mm gun! The radical pilot tries to climb out of the jet as he notices the other coming straight for him. However it is too late as the rounds rip right through the middle of the plane turning it into scrap metal. It explodes just seconds after Stone passes over it, that's when he spots the Migs preparing to take off. He circles around again and lines up to take them out before they can get in the air. He slows his speed hoping he can take them all out in one pass. He takes his eyes off the target for a moment noticing one of the Hind attack choppers heading straight for him! He quickly fires taking out the rear two Migs then pushes the throttle up and does a barrel roll flying right under the chopper. He looks back over his shoulder and spots the two front Migs lining up for takeoff. Stone moves to follow but the Hind fires its four 57mm rocket pods at him trying to cover the Migs. Stone maneuvers out of the way and the rockets hit the mountainside.

The first Mig lifts off and begins to circle around as Stone goes after him. He tries to get a missile lock but the Mig is too fast for the Harrier and Stone loses the opportunity. Instead of wasting a missile on a blind shot Stone goes for the other Mig, as he nears closer he looks back and realizes the first has disappeared from sight. The other Mig gets off the ground and quickly accelerates but Stone is already on his tail with a lock. He presses the trigger and a sidewinder flies away, the pilot tries to break off to avoid but fails. Stone turns around looking for the other Mig but cannot find it. "As long as I'm here I'm taking out Krestov's choppers too." He says as he looks for the Hind. He finds it low to the ground just hovering; he slows his speed and takes aim with the gun. Just then it fires more of its rockets and it turns to port heading away from him. Stone evades again and becomes fed up with the chopper. He adjusts the angle of the thrust nozzles coming to a hover himself between two hills. Moments later the Hind flies right into Stone line of fire. The Hind rotates to the starboard to check it's six. The pilot spots the Harrier just as Stone fires the guns destroying the chopper. Just then Stone hears another chopper nearby, he turns his head and notices another Hind moving up behind him fast. He's about to throttle back up when he spots the missing Mig heading straight for him. He looks back at the Hind as it nears closer just as the Mig fires. Stone pushes the throttle to max pushing the aircraft straight up. He clears the path of the missile just as it acquires a new target and destroys the Hind!

Stone moves the nozzles to forward and speeds off as Mig maneuvers to pursue. The two planes ascend to a higher altitude as the enemy aircraft fires again. Stone yanks back on the sticks and pulls a hard right. The missile goes astray and eventually hits the mountains. Stone pulls back on the throttle and the Migs overshoots his target. He throttles back up again hoping he doesn't lose the Mig again. Stone knows he's already pushing the envelope of the Harrier's capabilities. It's not designed to stop and hover so brutally fast. "I hope I don't bust something." He says trying to acquire a missile lock. After a few minutes of cat and mouse he gets a solid lock. "Yes!" He exclaims as the sidewinder rips right through the back end of the Mig-25.

Stone gets his bearings then heads southeast for the U.S.S. Forrestal. A half hour later Stone establishes a visual on the carrier. After contacting the tower and identifying himself as an operative of Omega Sector he is instructed to land on the elevator aft of the tower. He slowly hovers over the carrier and finally lands the stolen Marine Corp aircraft. Before exiting the craft Stone pulls out the metal container holding the vial and visually inspects it to ensure it wasn't damaged in any way. "Man I'm good!" He climbs out of the plane to find someone awaiting him. While no longer in the military himself Stone salutes the man as he offers his hand to shake.

"I'm Chief Barnes Sir, welcome to the U.S.S. Forrestal."

"Thank you Chief." Stone replies.

"We weren't sure what to make of you after we heard your ride was intercepted. You keep a Harrier in your back pocket for just such emergencies?" Barnes says half joking. Stone just grins then states that it is a stolen aircraft. "If you'll follow me sir I am to escort you to the Captain." Barnes leads him to the bridge to meet the Captain and to formally turn over the vial. "Captain Jameson, Agent Stone of Omega Sector." Barnes says introducing them. The Captain stands from his seat and extends his hand to Stone.

"Randall F Jameson, Captain of the U.S.S. Forrestal."

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir." Stone says shaking his hand.

"Well let's get to the matter at hand." Jameson says.

Stone unzips his jacket and removes the container and hands it to Jameson. Jameson inspects it himself then hands it to Barnes. "She's all yours Chief." As Barnes exits the bridge with the container Jameson orders his X.O. to inform Pacific Command that Indigo is underway. Jameson explains to Stone that Indigo is the mission code word for the vial, specifically it's transport to Moscow. "Since we can't get clearance to send fighters into Russian airspace we're sending a group of F-18's to Misawa Air Force base in Japan. My flight leader will then turn over the vial for transport to Moscow via a private plane." Jameson explains.

"It'll be hours before it reaches Moscow, what's the latest news on Krestov's launch capability?" Stone asks.

"Still unknown, and the Russian military is still searching for the Scud base." Jameson replies as he changes the subject. "I'm sure there will be plenty of people in Washington wanting to know how the C.R.A. got their hands on two Marine Corps Harriers."

"I was wondering that myself, too bad I had to destroy the other one."

"You made the right choice, better lost then in the wrong hands. Well congratulations are definitely in order Agent Stone; you're a credit to your country. Looks like Russia may end up owing you one too."

"Thank you Captain." Stone replies.

"Now why don't we let your people know you're okay."

Back in Washington Hayes is in her office speaking with William Hudson, another of Omega Sector's top agents and second in command of Shadow team. Hudson and three other members of Shadow team had just returned from another mission a few hours ago. With most of Shadow out of town and the sixth member still on personal leave Stone had volunteered to go after the vial alone. After debriefing Hudson on their recent assignment she informs him of the situation regarding his team commander.

"When was the last time we heard anything from him?" Hudson asks.

"We lost his transponder signal over fourteen hours ago, we lost radio contact shortly before that." Hayes explains. "I got an email from Grant an hour ago, he decided that if we don't hear from Michael by morning he's going to request clearance to send Shadow team in to find him."

Shadow team is the code name for the alpha dogs of O.S. Assigned to Stone after his first year with the agency; the team formed its name by the first initial of each agent's last name. With Stone as team leader and Hudson serving as his second in command, agents Anderson, Drake, O'Bryan and Watts have served together as one for the past three years. Each man having varied backgrounds and skills that contributes to the efficiency and success of the team.

"We will have an initial briefing tonight before I leave, which means you and the team will be on alert until we get word from Grant that says otherwise."

"Understood." Hudson says.

Just then Hayes' phone rings, she presses the speaker button to answer.

"Deputy Director Hayes, there's a call for you on line one." A comms agent reports.

"Take a message, I'm in the middle of a debriefing."

"I believe you'll want to take this ma'am, it's Captain Jameson of the Forrestal. He says Agent Stone is aboard his ship!"

Both Hayes and Hudson's eyes bolt wide open in shock. "Understood, put him through please."

"Deputy Director Hayes, you may inform your superiors that operation Indigo is a go. The vial is en route to Moscow by way of Japan." Jameson says over the satellite phone just as the group of F-18's catapult off the deck.

"I will indeed Captain, may I speak with Agent Stone please." Hayes replies. Jameson hands the phone over to Stone. "For heaven's sake Michael you sure had us worried."

"Yeah things kinda got screwed up didn't they." Stone replies as he gives her a brief summary of what happened.

"Get some rest you can give us a full report when you get home." Hayes says.

"Copy that."

"Hey Michael, I see you've been busy since I was away." Hudson says into the speaker. "Looks like we got some celebrating to do when you get back."

"Sounds good Will, see you when I get back." He says as he disconnects the call and hands the phone back to Jameson.

"Bet you could use a hot shower and some chow." Jameson says.

"Yes sir, I'm going on three hours in the last two days."

"Chief Barnes will fix you up with a room and show you to the officers mess. Sleep as long as you want and we'll get you a ride home whenever you're ready." Jameson explains shaking hands with Stone again.

"Thank you Captain."

"Shall I take you to your cabin or the officers mess first sir?" Barnes says having returned to the bridge.

"I could use something to eat first, yeah"

After a hot meal Stone is escorted to a VIP cabin complete with a private lavatory. After a long hot shower he crawls into the solitary bunk for a few long hours of sleep.