NOIR
Associations
By Steve Edward
Chapter One
The characters of Mireille Bouquet and Kirika Yumura are neither owned by me nor my original creations they are based on the original anime series by Ryoe Tsukimura.
Other characters presented within are entirely my own and any resemblances to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Any events depicted having occurred also are purely coincidental.
The Recent Past...
Randy Maynard Baldwin crouched at the fence line where he had chosen to gain entry to the compound, found someone had already been there; the security sensors had been professionally by-passed.
Slipping through with ease, he examined the sandy ground noting the foot prints. There had been a brief struggle here, short but violent. Scanning the darkness to his right he could make out the body of a man laying next to the military truck.
Mireille Bouquet and Kirika Yumura had been on the second floor of the villa, the person of interest was no longer among the living, and his mistress having had been foolish to interfere lay beside him in death.
As both women walked back down the hallway to the stairs, Mireille heard the sound of someone stepping on the bottom set of steps, the very slight creak hardly noticeable but in the death filled villa a loud warning sign of danger.
Randy traversing the compound had counted off the number of men that lay in various positions of death, six by his count. He had considered backing off and calling the retrieval mission off but the Agency needed the data and so did others. The man living within the villa had provided funding to terrorist organizations and his computer hard drive held valuable information.
Entering the villa had been easy, two more lay dead near the entryway the expression of shock on their faces evident frozen at the moment of death. The bullet wounds to the center of their heads had ensured they would never get up again.
Kirika glanced carefully around the corner, their new threat was not dressed like the others they had encountered and so easily vanquished. She could see he was alert, and taking the stairs two at a time, testing each as he went. Nodding to Mireille, they both retraced their steps silently and took positions across from each other in the hallway at utility closet and the bathroom.
Randy stopped before the final step of the landing above and briefly closed his eyes and listened. Silence, permeated the darkness. Death had been here too. Randy finished the climb and stood pressed against the wall. The hallway led to the target area, there was no other way to go. The hard wooden floor of the second floor reflected little light, the study where the computer was located lay ahead in the darkness.
Kirika heard the man advance, unhurried and cautious. Seeing the overhead wooden beam she easily and silently leaped upward catching hold, the creak of the wood was her only betrayal. Mireille seemed cross with her for doing what she had done, but only shrugged her shoulders at the decision.
Randy advanced slowly and deliberately, the solid wooden floor betraying none of his initial movements. The wooden creak from the ceiling area ahead and to his right garnered his attention. Settling of the building?
Kirika completing her climb stood on the wooden ceiling beam, taking in the intruder. In the darkness their eyes met, Randy not able to see Kirika had looked directly at her.
Randy shaking the feeling off, continued slowly until he came even to the bathroom door. Mireille having backed into the darkness of the closet took the appearance of the man. Though he appeared well armed, his hands held neither knife nor gun. Kirika nearly directly overhead, prepared to drop down. It was the dust that suddenly rained down on his head that Randy had any inkling that he was in trouble.
His only avenue of egress was back down the hallway or into the bathroom. Randy chose the bathroom and backpedaled surprising both Mireille and Kirika. The sight of the young woman dropping from the ceiling onto the spot where he had just been standing, was surprising enough; but from across the hallway another woman appeared and both advanced on him at the same time.
Mireille following Kirika entered the bathroom which had been the master bathroom, Randy running out of options, debated whether to draw his weapon or face the consequences. Kirika who was the first to get close lashed out with a flying high kick, which Randy caught in mid-flight. Mireille already having raised her weapon to fire could not get a clear shot, Kirika who was in the line of fire found she was off balance and could not reach the man.
Randy found he had grabbed hold of a leg, that of a young woman; in short a living buzz saw which left him with little to work with. Her partner also a woman advanced the hand gun held with assurance, the extended silencer aimed squarely at his forehead.
Kirika could not reach him; the man had stopped her kick and held onto her ankle. Deliberately wind milling her arms, Kirika flipped backwards breaking his grip and she landed back on her feet just inches from Mireille.
Mireille, put her free hand on Kirika's shoulder, "No Kirika, leave him be." Randy hearing Mireille speaking in French replied, "Who ever you are, I mean you no harm. I am here on other business."
Mireille sized up the man before her and Kirika. Though well armed, he had made no attempt to draw the many weapons he likely carried. His only actions had been of non-lethal defense. Kirika moving slightly to the right sized up her opponent, "Who are you?" Kirika asked in English.
Randy smiling slightly, "You first," as Mireille the suspicion in her eyes growing placed the muzzle against Randy's forehead, "She asked you a question. Who are you?" as Mireille pressed slightly; the muzzle began to bite painfully into the skin.
Randy debated silently only a moment; two women both of whom appeared unconcerned with their surroundings were intent on finding out that he was. Perhaps they were Bodyguards or the mistresses of the target? Not likely Randy mused; not with what he had seen coming into the villa. Could these two be responsible for the carnage he has found?
Sighing Randy replied in English, "My name is Randy Maynard Baldwin; I am with the United States Central Intelligence Agency, would you be so kind as to remove the muzzle from my head as it is starting to hurt."
Mireille her finger on the trigger, did not show any surprise and relaxed the pressure, "Why are you here Mr. Baldwin?" as Randy moved both his hands palm up slowly shifted to a more comfortable position against the vanity where he had been pressed against.
Randy viewed his opponents, the smaller of the two women appeared to be of Asian descent, the other much taller and her appearance more refined was of European descent and both had that look in their eyes, that of death itself, "I was sent here to retrieve certain items contained within the study. I have no interest directly with the man who lives here."
Mireille smiled slightly, "Very well Mr. Baldwin; then you may retrieve what you have come for. However before you do so please close your eyes and count to ten. After the count of ten you may reopen them to see what you must obtain."
Saying a silent prayer, Randy did as he was told and counted slowly to ten, but added five for good measure then reopened his eyes. When he did so, he found both young women gone.
Mireille and Kirika backed out of the master bathroom silently, leaving the American standing against the vanity. Mireille satisfied that the American would do as he was told, turned and walked silently down the hallway to the stairs and out of the villa.
Randy glancing around as he made his way to the study found the man who had been the financier to so many terrorist organizations. Lying across the bed next to one of his many mistresses, Randy took in the sight feeling no pity. Seeing the door open to the study, Randy entered and began his search.
Mireille and Kirika making their way across the compound passed a small building, its outer doors only partially open. The minion, who had slipped away from his post to get a snatch of sleep, saw both women walk past and stumbling out from within the building he raised his AK-47 and challenged both in Arabic.
Randy having located the safe where the laptop computer had been placed and removing the hard drives and locating backup tapes and disks as well; Randy had placed the last data cartridge within static proof bag when the gunfire erupted.
Cursing under his breath, Randy put the backpack back on and scurried out of the study into the hallway. In his hand a small transmitter that would trigger the explosives placed around and within the safe, which contained over 100,000 U.S. dollars, Randy reasoned that the blood money should be destroyed; it would be a fitting final to this mission.
Mireille and Kirika split in different directions, the guard firing his weapon at the spot where both had been standing moments before. Kirika hefted her Beretta M1934 and fired at an off angle striking the guard and killing him instantly, but the alarm had been raised.
With pandemonium outside, Randy descended the stairs his Colt Commander now in his hands, a nearby blast rocked the villa, and stirring dust from the ceiling just as a guard entered the doorway, Randy seeing the silhouette fired twice; the heavy .45 caliber slugs hitting the guard and punching his body back outside.
The RPG sailed past Kirika and exploded behind her, the blast wave driving her into the ground, the hot searing pain on her lower back signaling that she had been wounded. Mireille shaking off the effects of the blast turned and fired killing their attacker who had just reloaded. In his final act of dying, he trigged the RPG round which roared out of the launcher and then skipped and bounced crazily till it hit a parked truck near Kirika who was trying to stand up.
Randy heard the familiar whooshing sound and ducked, the blast wave followed moments later with pieces of a motor vehicle raining from the sky.
Rounding the corner in a crouch, Randy saw the two women against the flames of the burning truck giving away their position in the open. Breaking cover Randy headed latterly to them when he saw another gunman breaking cover from another building.
Mireille heard the warning yelled, "Get Down!" Just as the American running out of the darkness crossed to their right, the hand gun apparently aimed slightly above her head fired as the man named Randy slid in the sandy soil, firing rapid fire at a target behind her slid into the wall of a small storage building.
Randy crashed to a halt next to the building, and dumping the spent magazine reloaded and sprinted towards the two women. The smaller of the two, the Asian woman appeared to be injured. Without explanation, Randy stopped and scooped Kirika up and placed her on his shoulder and without further ado ran like hell followed closely behind by Mireille.
Followed by Mireille, Randy paused briefly at a tower like structure and removed with his free hand three small explosives from the side of the back pack and slapped them to two the legs with the remainder stuffed into the wiring leading to the antennas above.
Kirika her head down could only see Randy's feet, tried to break free but Randy only gripped her tighter.
Turning to Mireille, Randy hurriedly spoke, "Tell your friend to stop struggling and hang on for the ride, we are going to have to help each other to get out of here is that understood?" as he shifted Kirika to a better position; Randy started running again.
Approaching the fence line, Randy crouched and looked. The pounding of feet in the distance gave pretty clear indication that the covert operation had long since become overt.
Digging the transmitter from his suit pocket, Randy pivoted and then turned the dial on the transmitter and pressed the activation button. Mireille felt the thump and then heard the roar of the explosion coming from the villa, as she turned to watch a fireball seemed to grow outward from the second floor enveloping the study and the master bedroom. The small army of guards running along the front of the villa was also caught in the mammoth detonation.
Randy placed Kirika on the ground and turned to Mireille, "Ok look. I do not care why you were here but we have got to work together. You friend is injured; I have a Land Rover parked in the wash below the road. We can use it to get out together. How does that plan sound?" The urgency evident in the man's voice, Mireille looked at Kirika who nodded her approval.
Mireille looked into Randy's eyes, "Very well Mr. Baldwin, your plan appears sound." Appearing relived, Randy replied "We will introduce each other later, now get your friend through the fence please, I'll cover."
Mireille having helped Kirika through the fence turned to the American who was already squeezing through and watched as he scooped Kirika up again and jogged across the road.
Randy paused and waited for Mireille to join him and then twisted the frequency switch again and pressed the activation button. The explosives that had been placed on the communications tower detonated and in a noisy metallic collapse the tower fell, directly on top of the communications building, flattening it and killing both radio operators within it.
Adjusting Kirika on his shoulder, Randy and Mireille slid down the sandy slope to the concealed Land Rover. Telling Mireille to drive, Randy placed Kirika in the back and turned her onto her stomach, where he lifted up her shirt to examine the wounds. The shrapnel wounds were worse than Randy had expected but nevertheless he was prepared.
Randy leaning over and speaking into Kirika's ear, over the noise of the Land Rover; "I am going to remove some metal shrapnel that is in your back. It is going to hurt a bit but after it is out I am going to bandage it. Ok?"
Kirika being jounced around, shook her head in the affirmative, the dust rising from the rear of the Land Rover amplified by weighted chain link fencing as it obliterated the tracks of the Rover also obstructed any direct view to the rear.
Mireille negotiating the sandy wash, at time the tires spinning for a purchase jerked the vehicle onto solid ground; Mireille watched as best as she could at the activities of the American as he ministered to Kirika's injuries, stopping momentarily as they came to open ground.
Randy looked up briefly then nodded to Mireille, "Steer a South by South West course on the compass for 5 kilometers. There will be a blacktop roadway. Once there stop so I can cut the rope behind us, then turn right and head West, from there it will be 100 kilometers to the pickup point, but we will have to make a stop at a small building along the way. Traveling by daylight will be too risky. I will have to make arraignments to get all of us picked up.
Doing as directed Mireille steered the Land Rover on the compass heading, the parking lights barley illumining the vehicles path. Stopping briefly for the rope to be cut, Mireille glanced at Kirika, her back well bandaged the bleeding staunched she met the eyes of the American, "She will be fine, head West. There will be a small abandoned building 50 kilometers ahead where we will stop for the day. It will be safe there."
Randy his hand gripping the rear seat for balance knelt next to the young woman and checked the bandages once again as the Land Rover drove onto the pavement. He had noted while bandaging those wounds that there were scars of other wounds. Gun shot scars mixed with that of old knife wounds. Randy pondered who or what he had become involved with. Unlikely traveling companions they all were. Each had come to the compound with different agenda's and they had left together under one common goal.
An hour later, Mireille drove the Land Rover through what she thought was a wall but being assured by Randy that it was a carefully camouflaged open air garage; she parked the Land Rover and shut off the engine.
Randy exiting the vehicle walked to what looked like an old wooden door, and pulled a brick away from the wall which revealed a modern day keypad which he then punched in an access code.
The wooden door was in fact solid steel, silently opened and lights within the interior came on.
Picking up Kirika, Randy carried her within and placed her on a nearby bed and then pulled a chair from the table and placed it next to Kirika. Mireille after being motioned to sit in the chair watched as Randy headed back to the Land Rover to retrieve his back pack which he brought in.
Taking another chair from the table and bringing it to the bed, Randy sat and looked at Mireille and held out his hand, "You already know my name and who I work for. I think it would be fair to know the both of yours?"
Mireille briefly reflected back to the moment they had met at the villa. She had the upper hand during the encounter and could have easily killed the American then and there but something had held her back and she had let him live. Grasping Randy's outstretched hand and shaking it Mireille replied, "I am Mireille Bouquet and my friend on the bed is Kirika Yumura. I would like to thank you for treating her."
Randy, sitting backwards in the chair tilted it on its legs; "It is my pleasure. I would have preferred meeting the both of you under better circumstances but I suppose things could not have turned out better though for Kirika, I suppose would have liked to have avoided the injuries."
Kirika who was well aware of what was going on, her eyes partially closed still watched warily for any signs of deceit.
Kirika's watchfulness was not lost on Randy, every moment he made carefully chosen as to not transmit a threat to either woman, "So Ms. Bouquet are you hungry? We have some food here, but the selection is limited." Mireille replied, "Please Mr. Baldwin you may call me Mireille. You may call Kirika by her first name as well; the invitation to dinner sounds wonderful."
Randy standing up from the chair, "Very well Mireille, I'll start cooking, you can just call me Randy," as he stepped towards the modest but well equipped kitchen.
Randy discovering a roast within the refrigerator and an ample supply of vegetables started preparing the meal as Mireille watched. Kirika turned her head and tapped Mireille's hand and whispered in Italian, "Mireille do you think he can be trusted?"
Mireille glancing at Randy nodded, "Yes, I think we can" in Italian as well. Randy his back turned to both with an unseen smile replied also in Italian, "Gaining and earning trust is difficult for all Mireille. You have demonstrated that already, by showing mercy."
Turning to look at Mireille and Kirika, Randy took in the somewhat surprised expressions of both, "Yes I speak and write several languages, those are English, French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Russian as well as Arabic."
Placing the roast in the oven, Randy set the timer and rejoined his traveling companions.
Find a comfortable position in the chair, Randy glanced briefly at both women and asked the question that neither wanted to hear or answer, "Mireille, Kirika, I believe any kind of cover story that you two have cooked up will not hold water, so please be truthful and tell me who you are please."
Mireille knew that there was a risk of her identity as well as Kirika being discovered. She had previously killed to keep Noir a secret and when Randy calmly asked her to identify who she was or who she worked for, it saddened her.
The American his once dark brown hair, now salt and pepper grey sat unconcernedly his steel grey eyes seeming to sparkle at her. Turning to look at Kirika who saw the questioning look within Mireille's eyes nodded her permission.
Mireille began to speak in detail to Randy of who she and Kirika were. Randy taking in the commentary shifted his position slightly as he rested his chin on the top of the chair, his eyes systematically moving from Mireille to Kirika and back again.
Randy listened intently; his reflections of previous conversations with other field agents at Langley which had been supposedly rumors were now in his mind true. Noir an assassin taking on only the assignments considered too difficult or otherwise dangerous and where there could be no connection made to any kind of government entity or country.
Noir translated to English meant black. In French it was associated with masculinity and the color black. In German it was called Schwarz and in Italian it was Aggettivo. But each language stressed masculinity, as in a male assassin and not a female or females.
Mireille sensing Randy had heard enough stopped.
Shifting position in his chair Randy stood and then walked to the oven just as the timer pinged announcing that the cooking cycle was complete, "Mireille, for what it is worth I do believe you. What has been said here will stay here. Nothing will be repeated. I will still help get both of you out of this country. I suspect by now that all the regular border crossings have been sealed, so we will leave by another method. I trust that you believe what I am saying."
Kirika adjusting her position on the bed, "Randy I believe that you are a man of your word. I and Mireille will trust your decisions and your mercy."
Cracking a smile as he opened the oven door, "Kirika we have shown mercy to each other. I hope that once this is over with we can become friends in some fashion?" as Kirika took in the question, Mireille replied; "Perhaps we all can become friends Mr. Baldwin, perhaps we can."
After helping Kirika to the table, Randy having sat across from both ate in silence, lost in thought. Mireille and Kirika had both congratulated Randy on preparing such a wonderful meal and ate heartedly.
After clearing away the remnants of the dinner and washing the dishes, Randy setup a small communications tablet and plugged the cord into the wall. After typing out a message and scrambling it for transmission, Randy punched the send button and the highly scrambled but short burst transmission was emitted from the concealed satellite dish on the roof, where it traveled for several seconds to Langley, Virginia. After arriving a communications specialist unscrambled and then following procedures rushed it by hand through the chain of command.
Forty Five minutes after transmission the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency was reading the bombshell that lay on her desk. Glancing at the personnel jacket of Randy Baldwin, she set the message down and took up the thick jacket and opened it.
Randy had been with the Agency for twenty years and a field agent for seventeen of those years. Described cool and level headed, proficient in a number of skills his specialty had been within the financial and banking industries of which he had graduated from the University of Georgia.
Recruited in Georgia, Randy had traveled to Langley and began his training which lasted for nearly three years. After being given field agent status, Randy had successfully carried out all assignments that had been given to him.
The Director had met Randy Baldwin only in passing, after he had completed an assignment requiring the termination of a certain individual. That had been five years earlier. The current assignment that Randy Baldwin had been given was delicate in nature and had required that he retrieve certain critical information contained within a computers hard drive, but nothing in the orders had given him authorization in terminating the financer who had in his possession the computer hard drives.
Information coming from the site of the villa followed with satellite observations showed the compound in flames, numerous casualties were apparent; the bodies laying scattered throughout the compound.
When the initial reports of explosions within the compound and villa had been received, the operations center had called in a satellite for close, real time observation. It had picked up the Land Rover leaving the area and instead of one person riding in the vehicle there were three. Unable to view the occupants of the vehicle directly because of darkness, the operations center observers could only guess that it was Baldwin's escape vehicle.
This was supposed to be his last mission. The Director noted that Randy Baldwin had already submitted his retirement papers and those they were supposed to take effect after his return. Leaning back in the leather chair, the Director reflected on the contents of the message and then drafted her reply.
Mireille and Kirika both had settled into a relaxed sleep on both beds, Randy who had unrolled a sleeping bag on the hard earth floor was sleeping lightly. All three were exhausted to a point where reflexes would be degraded had they stayed awake.
The security system monitored the surrounding area. If anything man size or larger approached the building the gentle alert tone would sound giving Randy time to decide on a course of action.
By nightfall, a tone sounded not from the security system but from the communications tablet. Randy waking first, and coming to a standing position took note of Kirika and Mireille both with feet on the floor ready to move. Grinning at the sight "Its ok, we have a message."
Typing in his pass code, Randy read the message, "Arrangements made. Pickup point confirmed. Extra passengers approved. Compound and villa are in rubble. What in the hell did you do? Tabby, End of Message."
Randy tapped a key to acknowledge receipt of the message but did not send an explanation. It would be best if it was discussed directly with the Director in person, since she had an interest in the operation now.
They had each took turns taking a shower, Mireille standing with Kirika in an embrace as the spray fell on her back, Randy having prepared the Land Rover for travel took his last. Changing the dressings on Kirika one last time, Randy took in her damaged shirt and retrieved a fresh change of clothing for her; and waited with his back turned as Mireille helped her dress.
With Mireille and Kirika sitting in the rear seats, Randy started the Land Rover and exited the concealed garage and pointed the nose of the Land Rover initially to the West then turning into a sandy but not well traveled path headed due South.
Five hours of bone jarring travel later, the trio were airborne on a US Navy Seahawk helicopter which was painted black instead of the traditional grey.
Landing on the US Navy Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier, Randy passed off the back pack and then as Kirika tried to walk across the near vacant flight deck of the carrier collected her in his arms as she collapsed and followed by Mireille they entered the hatchway that would take them to the infirmary of the ship.
To Be Continued...
