CHAPTER 3: ATHENA'S FINEST

December 5, 2015

Hereford Base, England

2000

Kirov walked down a concrete path towards a large grass field. There was some sort of a metallic fence shielding the commander and anyone who walked along that path to protect them from the firing range in the event that some lunatic or god awful shot lobbed a few rounds toward the walkway. Kirov saw two people standing behind a tall and long wooden table. The table was waist high and was anywhere from 10 to 15 feet long and held a wide variety of weapons. Big and small, rifles, shotguns, pistols, semi-auto and full auto. The table was also littered with ammunition, small and large caliber bullets and shells were in ammo cases, magazines, or freely lying on the table. The table also had several knives of varying shapes and sizes. Kirov continued walking along the path until it led him straight into a small viewing area behind the range. Two women were shooting, both of them were around the same average height and both had slim attractive figures, One woman had long reddish-brown hair that was neatly woven into a braid that ran along her neck and down her shoulder she wore a tan shirt that read "Israel Defense Force" on the back and she also had black tactical pants on that had multiple pockets and knee pads on the front, that complimented her light brown boots. She had lightly tanned skin and brown eyes and was shooting an H&K G36C Assault Rifle down range about 100 feet at some white paper torso and head cutout targets. There were multiple rounds directly in the head and heart with almost no bullet holes anywhere else. The other woman was just about the same height and build, Her hair was not quite as long as the first woman, but it was vibrant blonde hair that she kept loosely hanging, Her bangs went over one of her eyes slightly but did not block vision. She had lighter skin than the other woman and had sharp blue eyes. She wore some slim jeans and a light sweater that could almost be classified as a long sleeve shirt. She had normal tennis shoes on and didn't seem to be dressed like a military soldier at all. But Kirov was not about to misjudge her. If she appeared on his radar while recruiting clearly her skills must beseech her and they most certainly did. She held a Steyr Aug in her hands and shot down range at a target that was at the same distance as the others, and her bullet penetration with nearly the same accuracy as the first woman's.

"You need to try this new stalk grip I'm using, I swear it feels like my recoil pattern is only half what it used to be." Said the blonde woman in a light german accent.

"Really, let me take a look at that" Said the braided woman in a much more western accent. She took the Aug and fired one round down range and put one shot straight through the skull of the target and then lowered her aim and shot again for a direct hit to the heart of the target.

"Huh, my father had one of these back home, he got it from someone near Zion. I'll have to ask the commander for one of these when he gets here... I don't know where someone could get one in Germany. Say... what's it like where you are from?" She asked.

"Oh, Germany... It could get very cold but you had to remember that spring was just around the corner and, during spring everything bloomed and It would finally warm for the first time in months. Spring was always my favorite time in Leipzig... I would spend hours trying to get our cat to play with me, and she would always ignore me until my father got home. Adalgar my father, always seemed to have a way with that cat…..He passed a few years back…" Said the blonde woman. The braided woman then said.

"I'm sorry to hear that, my mom left my dad when I was too young to remember so I grew up with more of a male role model than a female, but he taught me everything I needed to know. How to be a Lady and all that. But he also taught me to defend myself and shoot my first gun... He said 'Eli you only need to remember two things in life. Don't ever be afraid to defend yourself and don't ever let someone tell you who to be.' I always took that to heart." She said in a hushed tone.

"And because of that, I was always tougher than the people who gave me trouble, even if they were boys." She said in a giggling tone. "I was just about as stubborn as a boy too, honestly I don't know how Jordie puts up with me." She spoke softly while smiling. "What about you, do you have anyone at home that you have to put up with?" The blonde woman then said.

"If it's the cat you're talking about, you should know he's also dead now."

"No." The braided woman said while smiling. "I mean do you have someone special that you intend on staying alive for?" The blonde woman replied by saying.

"I've had some dates here and there but I figured in this line of work it's best to not get attached to someone because you could wind up dead the next day. And I don't want someone to go through that."

"Fair enough I suppose," Said the braided woman. "But what about that Elias guy, he's pretty cute right." The blonde woman began giggling and blushing.

"What do you mean…." Said the blonde woman.

"You know exactly what I mean." Said the braided woman.

"Maybe... a little I suppose." Reluctantly replied the blonde woman.

"You've done nothing but hang around him since we first got here, Do you like him?" Asked the braided woman

"I don't know… He's pretty comical and just fun to be around I guess….." Replied the blonde woman.

"That's how it started for me and Jordie, watch out Monika or you might actually find yourself putting up with a guy you like."

"So how did you and Jordan meet?" The blonde woman asked.

"We met at a S.W.A.T. training camp in Montana. He was the fastest and strongest guy there and I was the best shot there so I guess we just hit it off. We started talking in our downtime at the camp and then we decided to stay in touch even after. It was one of the smarter moves I've made in my life. But he is from Texas so I suppose if he really liked me he wouldn't let me go that easy." The braided woman said while laughing.

"I guess I never worry about losing Jordie because he just wouldn't do that, he's too smart and way too stubborn to just let someone kill him. And I guess I'm the same for him, we work together good as a team." Said the braided woman.

"Yeah I agree," Said the blonde woman. "You two sure are stubborn!" Both of the women began laughing and they slowly came to a stop when the braided woman turned her head to see the commander standing behind them with both hands in his suit pants pockets. Immediately the braided woman nudged the blonde woman's arm then the two of them stood at attention and saluted to the commander like he was the president of the United states. The braided woman then said.

"Our apologies commander we didn't realize you were there."

"No worries you two, I didn't want to disturb your conversation, at ease ladies," Said Kirov. The braided woman then spoke.

"Thank you, it's truly an honor commander, I am Eliza Cohen, Or Codename Ash, Former member of the Israeli Defense Force and current member of the F.B.I. Special Weapons And Tactics as a Demolitions Expert." The commander then looked with intrigue to a small weapon on the table. It didn't look as if it fired bullets the barrel was too big and there appeared to be no magazine.

"Is this your specialized breaching tool?" Kirov said as he pointed to the weapon. Eliza smiled and replied.

"Yes, this is the M120 Compact Rifle Entry Munition or M120 CREM for short. It fires small burrowing breaching munitions and one blast is enough to destroy a wall. Do you want me to test it for you?"

"No need Eliza, I trust in your ability, and I've heard of your accomplishments, very prestigious. I've already discussed this with Jordan. But I want to make sure that your connection with him will not affect this Mission... will it?" Said Kirov

"No sir I can assure you it will not, we are professionals when we are on Mission. And thank you, Commander." Said Ash

"Excellent, thank you for your time, Eliza." Kirov then turned his head to the other, blonde woman, she nervously began to speak.

"Good afternoon commander I am Monika Weiss, better known as Codename I.Q. California Tech and M.I.T. Electrical Engineering Major."

"Yes, and you then spent 2 years with Bundespolizei before joining up with the GSG-9." I.Q. was impressed slightly by Kirov's memory to her profile.

"Yes. That would be me." Said I.Q.

"And in addition to your combat skills, you also are skillful in reading electrical circuits. This is great because it can and will be crucial to finding enemy explosives and traps." Said Kirov

"Yes, it is now much easier to do than ever before with my Spectre. It is of my design so I built it for my skill set." Replied I.Q. Kirov pointed his finger towards the small screen on I.Q.'s wrist and spoke.

"That must be the gadget on your wrist If I'm not mistaken." I.Q. flipped the screen up and began scanning and detecting the electronics around the base.

"Yes, sir. The Red Mark 3 Spectre in all its glory. There are only two in existence, and I have the better one." Kirov smirked slightly in approval.

"Well I've spoken with everyone on the team except for that one Elias fellow, is he at the weight room right now?" Ash smirked and responds.

"I don't know maybe you should ask Monika here, she seems to concern herself with that kind of stuff." I.Q. Blushes and scowls before saying.

"Forgive my friend here commander for her distasteful sense of humor, but I do believe he's at the weight room, I can't even imagine how someone could make a workout last as long as he did." I.Q. then looks at Ash, Ash then spoke.

"Well, Monika why don't we go see what the boys are doing right now and maybe get something to eat." Monika replies with.

"Yes, that sounds great…" The two women walked down the path towards the tents to regroup with their comrades. Kirov then turned away and walked down another twisting path that led to a large metal structure. Much larger than the tent and with thin walls that were hung high with banners and cloth. He pushed the small door open and entered the building. It was a small yet compact weight complex. With all the machines one man would need to bulk up in muscle. There were squat racks, benches, stations for preacher curls, pull-ups, and dips, there was a dumb bell rack equipped with various weights and plenty of room for calisthenics. In the center of the room was a man, he was average height but slightly shorter than Thermite and very much shorter than the towering Sledge. What he lacked in height however he made up for with his frame. He was built stout. He was wearing a dirty brown shirt and some black shorts with tennis shoes. He also had a pair of headphones on that were blaring some sort of Rock music. The commander only watched for a couple minutes before the man spotted him, much faster than the other members of Kirov's team. He was finishing a set of pull-ups when he dropped from the bar and looked at Kirov. He then pulled the headphones off of his head and stopped the music on his phone Before saluting, The Man then said.

"Welcome to Hereford base Commander. I am Elias Kötz, reporting for duty."

"Yes I have read your profile, A Schnelle Kräfte soldier in Kosovo, and Ex GSG-9 that is pretty prestigious." Said Kirov, Elias smiled and then responded.

"That's right. I'm glad to here that my background meets your standards... I'll be straightforward with you because I like you, and I have gotten in trouble for this in the past. I like to joke around it helps me ease the pressure of war, so If you happen to see me crackin' jokes don't that I've blown a fuse or that I am a lover of death because I'm not, it's just a… coping mechanism." Kirov then replied

"With what you have seen don't worry about the humor, I get it. I did the same thing back in Afghanistan." Elias's eyes opened slightly wider.

"You served in Afghanistan, That's very honorable, would you mind telling me about it?" Kirov's eyes widened, and his heart rate increased slightly. "I would really love to exchange war stories with you." Said Elias. Kirov opened his mouth but no words came out. He then swallowed and relaxed and said.

"Well… It was a really bloody conflict, a lot of good men died for no reason, and I still don't know why I was spared. I served two tours, first as a Staff Sergeant, and then as a Lieutenant. I was responsible for lots of men, and don't have fond memories of the experience." Elias then said.

"Really like what?" Kirov's heart rate raised again and he began to feel uncomfortable so he replied with.

"That's really all I would like to share for now…" Elias's facial expression turned from one of intrigue to one of disappointment. He then said.

"Alright commander that's fine, but I believe there is more to you than meets the eye and can tell you have had a very interesting life."

"How could you tell that?" Said Kirov.

"It's the way that you walk, talk, and act. Your body language says it all." Said Elias. Kirov suddenly disliked what he hears and spoke.

"Let's keep our conversations for now on professional unless I say otherwise, Is that understood?" Elias then frowns slightly before saying.

"Ay commander." Kirov then looked at his watch and looks back at Elias before saying.

"Well it's nearly dark, let's turn in before they girls send a search party to find us." Elias then responds with.

"I'm all done here anyways, let's head out."

"Where is your shield by the way?" Asked Kirov.

"It's back at at the tent do you need to see it?"

"I might just have to. the design on your shield is quite unique and very intriguing, 24 flashbangs in the press of a button how in the world does a man come out of that with his vision intact?"

"You would be surprised just how tough the human eyes are to disrupt."

The two men begin to walk out of the weight room. As they walked the commander thought to himself how surprised he was by all the different personalities he had found on his team and wondered what effect that would have on the way his team operates. But he felt confident that these men and women were Athena's finest, and that they will complete the objective because after all, they are elite warriors who are trained to follow orders. As they approached the tent they were greeted by Ash and I.Q. once again. Ash then says in a Sarcastic Manner.

"It was almost dark we thought, we might have had to come looking for you." I.Q. then says.

"Yeah, and I'm not sure Elias here would be smart enough to find his way back to the tent….." She said with a smile.

"Oh I'm always smart enough to find where the lights are on in darkness, and I don't even need that fancy gadget of yours." Said Blitz

"Oh really…. I don't even think you know what this thing can do… Come on, let's go find some electrical circuits to play with." She said while turning and walking away from the tent. Blitz looks at Ash and Kirov before saying.

"Well, I better make sure she doesn't get hurt… Hell, what am I saying I'm probably the one who's going to get hurt…" He said in a joking manner.

"You coming!?" I.Q. shouted to Blitz from across the grass.

"Well, see you later guys we're going to blow some stuff up," Blitz said as he began to walk off.

"Those two" Ash said while shaking her head. "There always up to no good, like two partners in crime. Or two peas in a mischievous pod." She said while laughing. The Commander and Ash then walked into the tent.