Chapter 10: Unexpected Allies.

Stone moved silently through the halls of the prison building, moving towards Mulder's cell. As he came to the corned for the cellblock where he was kept, Stone hear voices. Flattening himself to the wall, Stone looked past the corner. There were AD Skinner and Agent Doggett, freeing Mulder. Stone back away, into the shadows. The three men ran past without noticing him.

Stone followed the men, at a discreet distance. Then another surprise, DD Kersh, was now assisting Mulder's escape.

Stone continued to follow, a young marine came into the hallway, behind the four men but just in front of Stone. The young marine never knew what hit him, Stone took him down hard and fast, the marine didn't even have time to see the four men as they now turned a corner.

As the four men made for the fence, the alarm came on, never knowing that they had been followed. Stone made his own escape, past patrols looking the escapee. There was one moment that he saw Rohrer, that he was temped, but he knew it was futile.

As Stone joined his team, he knew that he had to follow the escaping couple. But first was to report, this unexpected event to the General's.

Kingston grabbed Stones gear, placing it into the rear of the SUV. "What the hell happen?"

Stone sat into the backseat as Kingston sat into the front, with Tarkove driving. "I have no idea."

Tarkove drive in a western direction. "Martinez and Arrsen are in pursuit. But they can't continue for long."

"Shit, get Durrant and Walker in the air. They can follow them until we have a plan."

"Da, I am on it."

"Kingston, get me comm!"

Grabbing the secure comm. from Kingston, Stone contacted Command.

O'Neill voice came back. "Achilles, report!"

"Alpha escaped without our help."

"Explain?"

"Other interested parties intervened, I allow them to proceed. We are in pursuit. Need a new plan. Have three hour window."

"Understood, the Titians are still in session with our friends. I will get back to you in thirty."

Stone looked at the landscape, after laying down the comm. "Where the hell are they going?" He said out loud.

"Boss?" Kingston turned to Stone.

"Nothing, just thinking out loud." Stone then turned to matters at hand. "Are Durrant and Walker on station?"

"Three minutes." Tarkove said.

Stone stripped his most tactical gear off, leaving only the holster for the pistol on his thigh and magazine pouches on the belt. "Where are they heading?"

Kingston was looking at the computer. "In a westerly direction. But the best way for them to escape is to the north or south. Why the hell go west?"

Stone looked over the shoulder of his friend, at the computer screen. "Mulder has to be going for something, I don't know what. But we need to know where." Then the comm., piped.

"Achilles."

"Achilles, this is Olympia." O'Neill voice came over the comm. "A MH-53J from Pope AFB is in route to a LZ up a head of your route. They will meet you in two hour; you need to get your team aboard, there is also a team of Air Force Special Op's, onboard to assist you if needed, but they are not aware of the full extent of the mission. You will then shadow the Alpha and Beta to where they are going."

"We don't know how far they are going."

"We know. A UAV is being prepped, it will be on station within five hour and four more are on the ready line after it. They will handle most of the surveillance. Sending the location of the LZ."

"Olympia, location received. Achilles out."

Two hours later, Stone and four members of his team ran into the MH-53 Pave Low. Eight Air Force SO's soldiers were onboard. Stone, ignored them for now, going to the cockpit. The helicopter was already in the air, moving towards the escapees, which were now in Kentucky.

"How long until we reach the objective?"

The pilot looked at his instrument. "About fifteen minutes."

"Shit, that is cutting it close. But still, doable." Stone clapped the pilot on the shoulder. "What are you orders?"

"Pick you up and then pursue a vehicle, without them noticing us. Until ordered to stop. Nothing more."

Stone looked out in the dark night. "We will be relieved in about three hour, but first we must relieve the copter that is now pursuing the vehicle. When we are relieved I need you to refuel, this could take some time and we need to be ready at a moment's notice. That means that we don't set down."

The pilot looked back at Stone, then he saw that Stone uniform had no insignia and branch markings of any kind. This was in the pilots mind, nothing new, intelligence, or black ops. "Understood."

Stone went back into the cargo area. His team was already seated, he went over to the leader of the SO group, a Lieutenant.

"Lt. do you have a package for me?"

"Sir, we were instructed to assist you and your team, the package is with my sniper, sergeant Walters." The Lt. called up the sniper, who was carrying a long object.

Stone took the object and unraveled is cover. Inside was a Barrett M82A1, with a scope and extra ammunition.

"Why the firepower? Sir." The Lt. asked.

Stone hefted the rifle, looking into the scope. "Just a feeling, Lt." Turning the sergeant. "What is the zero?"

"400 meters. If you need to change, the table is on the scope, divide by 50 meters."

Stone pulled out the table and read it over quickly. "Thank."

The pursuit lasted for two days, through Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma and finally into New Mexico, into the Indian reservation. Stone and his team used as much of the time as they could to sleep, not an easy thing to do in a helicopter. But all knew the need to be as rested as possible.

The SO were taken back by the laded back attitude of these men and the multi-national, composition of the team. Stone made the SO's, know that his team was the main contact team, they were the backup. But took sergeant Walters as a spotter for himself, to leave him men paired up.

Stone was sleeping when Tarkove woke to him. "Boss, command wants to talk to you."

Stone went to Kingston, who had the comm. "Achilles."

O'Neill's voice of came over the radio. "They are heading for old ruins of an Indian village. They will reach it in fifteen minutes. Sending you the location, now."

Stone looked at Kingston. "We are ten minutes from this location."

"I will relay it to the pilot." Stone said as he stood up heading for the cockpit.

Stone went into the cockpit, the pilot was sleeping, and co-pilot was flying. Stone shook the pilots shoulder.

"Yes?"

Stone leaned forward. "We have a location; we need to get there before the objectives. While we are on the ground, your will circle at a safe distance. We will call you when we need pickup. How long can you stay up here?"

The pilot looked at the instruments. "Three more hour."