A/N: With the posting of the last chapter this story officially hit the 100,000 word milestone. Guess those extra long chapters caught up quickly. I appreciate ya'll coming along for the ride and truly appreciate the reviews and PMs that have helped me so much.
As always Kim Possible and all other 'Mouse' related references are the sole property of Disney; Logan and any other Marvel references belong to Stan Lee. Blake, the Bastards and the other OCs created here are out of my own twisted mind/memory and many are based off incredible people I have had the honor of knowing, please contact me prior to utilizing them in your own stories.
Chapter 10: Fortune loves preparation
Mt. Yamanouchi, Japan
Op Center
While the team was intensely training and learning from the thirty three ninja volunteers, Wade had been busy. On top of the demanding task of leading the effort to find Kensaku he had coordinated the re-building efforts that were on going at the school to build him a semi permanent structure for an op center.
Thinking ahead to the need to brief over forty people he had enlarged the planned space significantly. When choosing to build a new building out of wood and plaster he also elected to move it further back in the compound as not to be such an eye sore in front of Yori's personal dojo. Stripping all the functional equipment out of his now riddled and dilapidated trailer system they had elected to simply push the trailer off the side of the cliff to be collected at a later date.
The new facility was even more interactive and functional than the first. Almost daily, new equipment had been delivered to the remote school by any means available. As Wade looked out over the sea of expectant faces he knew the effort was worth it. Bonnie, Monique and Wade were about to give the most challenging and important briefing of their lives.
One of the things that struck Wade as he waited for everyone to settle into their chairs was how diverse the crowd was. Of course the 'Bastards' were named for their multi faceted backgrounds but surprisingly the Ninja students of Yamanouchi reflected this as well.
Even though Alexandria had explained to him about Master Sensei's dedication to his students and that he 'recruited' folks from all over the world…it still seemed at odds with what one conceptualizes as a 'ninja school'.
At least half were of Asian descent, but within that there was a healthy mix of Japanese, Chinese, Korean and essentially most of the people of the Western Pacific Rim. Beyond that there were several Americans, Latinos, Europeans and even two from Africa. It was truly a testament to the founder of the school's belief in 'balance'.
Wade noticed Blake's nod that they were all accounted for and should begin.
"Good evening everyone. For those of you I haven't met, my name is Wade. I run the Tech and Intel for the group here. To my right is Bonnie and Monique both are intelligence experts and have been instrumental in building the package of information we're about to brief you on."
As he looked down at his notes, Bonnie was doing her best to suppress a prideful grin. Wade had been adamant that he needed to start getting over his fear of briefing in front of people and with whatever free time they had she had been coaching him. He had come along way and she marveled at his new found confidence in front of what to him would seem a huge group.
"The reason we have had such a difficult time getting a target package built for you guys is the fact we don't know who we can trust. We can say with confidence that it was likely Kensaku's network of spies and agents that helped shut down communications and internet access when Razzan attacked here a few months ago.
It appears that Razzan was unaware that Kensaku was aiding him and currently we have no idea what motivated him to do so. But what we do know is that the intelligence communities' assumption that they were able to purge their ranks of moles was false.
Knowing that; we have been able to trace back the leads that led us to the obvious trap in Pakistan as well as the dead end in Paris. From that information we were able to make some headway.
Monique was able to build a profile of Kensaku's men based on the fact that from the few suspects identified there are almost no similarities or connections with known terrorist groups. It's like they just coiled into a dark corner and were waiting for something. No offensive ops prior to the other night have been identified.
With this she was able to help narrow down possible leaks. Once we knew which ones were probably false…we were able to identify moles. That led us to some very interesting findings. Most importantly it was a means to verify our hunches and other sources."
Wade took a deep breath and looked around the room before proceeding,
"We are working completely with out a net here folks. There is essentially no government agency we can trust if our profiles are correct. The plus side is that by being outside those lines, we can keep Kensaku blind to our movements and continue to feed him disinformation.
The biggest challenge has been finding out what is actually the 'truth'.
I won't get into a philosophical lecture on that ancient question, but at the core of the enigma that is Kensaku…it is relevant. The man has bent everything that I thought I knew about world religions and in many cases history itself.
Through the looking glass we have at our disposal now we can see his finger prints on so many key events throughout the recordings of man that he makes Razzan look like a Boy Scout.
The most disturbing part is we think he actually believes he's doing the 'right' thing. And that's where the truth issue comes about. Once we realized he honestly sees himself as the 'good guy' it helped fill in some holes; especially about his men and what they have been up to on his behalf.
Another problem has been the realization that he can morph his features in a way to look like anyone. At first we thought this was a show stopper until Monique identified a trend. Each occasion we could positively identify that he had impersonated someone; he only did it for a short amount of time.
We suspect that what ever 'glamour' or capability he possesses in this regard is very time sensitive, meaning he can hold it for only a very finite amount of time. With that factored in it became a much easier task of picking out the cases of him pulling a doppelganger. It also allowed us to narrow our search for him personally and where he likely has Han.
Rufus figured out Afghanistan and the general area of operations that he frequents most. When you've seen him hopping around on the map it sorta lets him 'see' the world and traverse it with relevant data in scale. It's pretty amazing.
Han herself actually narrowed it down to the Upper Helmand River Valley by sending us a pulse message embedded in of all things a kid's internet game, Virtual Pets."
Ron interrupted with a question, "But how? Mom and Dad wouldn't even let her watch TV or play video games for fear she'd have grades like me. I don't think she's ever even touched a computer before."
Wade shrugged, "Well she must have managed to teach herself. Dire circumstances motivate people to do amazing things. Sounds like she just rose to the challenge. Good thing she did it the way she did too, if she would have used any of the standard e-mail browsers or search engines there's a good chance she could have tipped her hand.
When I back traced her IP address it looked like she's clean and no one else spotted her actions. I sent her back a message that said "Ronny the Raccoon is coming to the party soon and will make everything better." She only responded once and has not accessed the site since so I'm confident she understands.
Ron asked hopefully, "What was her 'one' response?"
Wade smiled wide as he looked at Shego, "Please have him ask the green cougar to come too and bring some punch, there are mean people here who need some!"
All eyes turned to the now flustered woman. She was close to tearing up at the thought of Han trapped there and asking for her by name…well sort of. Feeling the eyes on her she defaulted to her snide self and flared her plasma just slightly,
"I'm not old enough to be a 'cougar' thank you very much!"
Chuckling a bit to himself Ron patted her shoulder and with a comforting voice he said, "Hey at least your not a scavenger little mammal that regularly carries rabies. Anyways the important thing is we know she's safe-ish and she got her message through. She knows we'll be there for her."
Nodding they both looked up and gestured for Wade to continue.
"Actually I'm gonna turn it over to Bonnie at this point, she was able to 'follow the money' to positively ID at least five of Kensaku's training camps as well as verify where he has Han."
Bonnie gave him a nod of thanks and stepped to the front, "It was more a matter of identifying who paid for the satellite Kensaku is using to wire in his house there in the Valley. Turns out US Space Command has issued several complaints about it interfering with Coalition actions in the area.
The company that launched it is out of Russia and the money trail ping ponged back and forth across almost every continent on Earth. But eventually we were able to make sense of the auditing and it quickly became apparent where the purse strings led.
Once Ms. Kennedy turns the Financial Forensics experts loose on the data packet I have ready for her they will sift through and get rock solid evidence against every one of the camps as well as every person he has ever exchanged money with.
Oddly after taking care of his army and his other nefarious acts, a significant portion of his fortune goes to subsidizing the Helmand Valley itself. Not necessarily quality of life for the people though. Rather he seems to be ensuring that it is rarely ever interfered with by government agencies. He also spearheads projects he's interested in, such as the diverting of mineral mining to other parts of the country so it won't pollute the Helmand River.
It would seem this financial trend carries over into other parts of his life. As Monique is the 'people person' here who identified it I'll have her explain."
Monique thanked her and looked over the group. Her eyes caught on Dark Elk a tad longer than the rest and she smiled before she spoke,
"This deep interest in the Valley certainly caught our attention. It jives with what we have seen on the personality traits and interactions as well. His profile suggests a tendency to fixate on certain things or people, like Han. If he wasn't so erratic in other areas of his life I'd classify him as borderline OCD.
He has cultivated relationships with key people in his many guises as means of being the major power broker in the area. According to the back ground work I did with Alexandria this is likely where Han was born, where her mother was buried; it has every quality that a fractured mind needing a stable refuge would latch onto."
Yori stood and walked over to the large map of the Valley and gestured politely to ask a question, "So you seem to believe he has a love of, perhaps even a loyalty to this Valley? He may even consider it his true 'home'?"
"That's a fair statement, why do you ask?" Monique responded.
Yori traced her finger up the serpentine blue line signifying the Helmand River until it stoped abruptly at a sizable lake to the North East. "Then I suggest we use this dam as leverage."
"Yori, breaching that dam could potentially kill thousands of people. You aren't suggesting we actually blow it up are you?" Blake sounded truly concerned as if he was doubting her motives…or frame of mind.
She took a deep breath and responded with a cool and collected tone, "This experience has been trying for me, but it has also taught me the sanctity of innocence, the purity of life that must be cherished.
To a man such as Kensaku, these are completely alien concepts. You put ME on that dam with a thumb on a detonator…his mind could only grasp one conclusion that I mean him revenge."
Several people began to speak at the same time but she cut them off with a gesture of patience and spoke with a slightly resigned tone. "Of course I won't do it. But he would never suspect I'd be bluffing after what he did to me."
Bonnie sensed that the tension in the room was coming to a head and offered, "Well why don't we finish up the final details of the briefing before we get into actual planning?"
Blake smiled at his sister for the quick thinking and smooth handling and nodded in agreement as did Yori. The intel crew filled them in on some of the finer details regarding challenges in logitics as well as maneuvering in the area. Besides the obvious issue of thousands of I.E.D.s and the ever present Taliban; the valley itself was crisscrossed with imaginary lines of 'ownership'.
The British military owned a huge chunk to the south, the US Marine Corps showed two battalions of grunts strung along the numerous bases. And finally US Special Operations Command had several teams operating in smaller little 'islands' of battle space between them all. The valley was a veritable patch work of battle spaces and potential turf wars.
Blake smiled at their assessments, "That could be a problem, but let me give Roscoe and some other friends a call… I should be able to cut through the red tape and get us freedom of movement."
Wade nodded and indicated that the briefing was concluded. Blake thanked him and the team while he stood and looked over the group.
He offered no pre-amble or words of encouragement after the bleak picture, he chose to dive right in.
"The biggest learning point from the recent failed op was that we tried to tailor the mission to the team- we sent our 'mystical' and sneaky folks all to one place while taking our more conventional forces to a perceived straight up fight. I don't make the same mistakes twice. With our recent training each team will be far more balanced.
We need to build a comprehensive plan to destroy this threat…completely. I want everyone's input. No idea is too crazy. After thinking about it some more I feel Yori's idea has real potential and think we should start there."
Adam piped up with a serious and cutting tone, "This man has managed to manipulate empires. He was likely the puppet master of friggin' Genghis Kahn…fruit loop or not, he isn't going to flip out over a single pronged attack."
Blake smiled at the young man's succinct and well made point, "Your right, but we hold one key advantage. Thanks to our crack Intel team here, we have circumvented his usual means of intelligence and keeping tabs on us. He currently believes us demoralized and just licking our wounds. He has no idea that we have grown from this."
Brett's caught his boss's meaning and spoke up, "We need to make it seem as if we are everywhere."
Nodding Hannifi added, "That his world is crumbling around him and that all his plans are falling through his fingers like sand."
Yori's voice was cold as ice as she finished their train of thought, "We will twist him and…break him."
After a brief pause as everyone's mind's wrapped around this direction of thought, Shego pointed out a problem, "Without his leadership though his army and agents through out the world may likely enact revenge or go rogue."
Wade answered that with a confident tone, "That's where we come in. With Monique's profiles and identification of key agents, we can coordinate through Deputy Director Kennedy to prep a massive operation to purge the remaining moles in numerous networks.
To ensure nothing leaks she will hold the plan until our operation is under way and then work out the details personally with the heads of intelligence agencies world wide.
It's feasible that with Blake's contacts, attacks can be coordinated on the other known training camps and strongholds within Afghanistan utilizing Coalition forces. As long as we keep the targeting 'need to know' as much as possible we should be good to go. It appears that Kensaku didn't invest many assets into infiltrating the military."
Adam decided to summarize, his sarcasm somewhat back in place, "So now we just need to pick our targets, undermine a psychopathic genius who has tormented the shadows of man since the time of Jesus AND his mystically charged, highly disciplined army.
For bonus points we need to manage to do it without triggering a cataclysmic, world wide backlash of revenge attacks from the survivors…."
Ron added with fervor, "…and save my sister."
Shego reached over and patted his shoulder, "Don't worry Ron, I have just the thing in mind for that part."
Blake looked at the map briefly and then turned back to the group, "Adam's right. We barely made it through the Battle of Yamanouchi as a combined force. Razzan is seemingly small potatoes to what Kensaku is bringing to the party. I think it's time we get WAY outside the box here.
The geography is lending itself to a multi pronged attack as well. The river will cut off rapid re-enforcements from one side of the valley to another. That will enable us to funnel the scheme of maneuver north east towards the dam.
Here's what I propose, Yori, Logan, Chad and Dark Elk; work out the details of what she has in mind for the dam and 'bluffing' Kensaku.
Ron, Shego, and Adam I want you to pick the sneakiest ninjas from Shego's little class the other day and develop a plan to get Han back. I want what ever our big picture plan becomes to start with getting her safe." Ron nodded in appreciation to that and Blake looked back at his own sister briefly before continuing.
"Brett I want you to take Whiskey and Rudy and start going over the imagery of the known targets on the west side of the river. Let me know which looks the best and I'll do the same with the East side using KP, Hannifi and Ryan for my team.
I think a simultaneous attack cutting off his most likely re-enforcements will be necessary before we converge on the big prize.
I want each of the groups to consider the best skills and traits we identified in our Ninja brethren over the last few weeks and build a roster of which will be best suited to which portion of the mission. Yamanouchi clan I need your input on this, please don't hesitate to put your thoughts on the table as we develop this."
They sat down in their designated groups and began outlining a plan of attack. It was impressive to watch. As the traits of the Ninjas were assessed each was folded into a specific group. This however did not build separate 'tribes' so to speak so much as oriented each to the goal ahead of them.
As the separate groups intermingled to collaborate and build a cohesive approach Wade, Bonnie, Monique, even Alexandria and Rufus jumped from group to group offering what ever support or data was needed.
At one point everyone agreed to take a break to eat and decompress a bit. As they all were mingling and chatting Shego's voice bellowed out a rather pertinent question,
"Has any one thought about how we actually kill Kensaku? I mean it sounds like he is way worse than Razzan and to kill THAT guy Ron and I had to basically shred him from limb to limb."
SNIKT! The distinct sound of Logan's claws snapping out silenced the conversation as he said, "I like it, I say we start with that plan and take it from there."
Ron rubbed his eyes and looked again as he could of sworn he saw a faint pulse of energy shoot out from Logan's claws as he spoke. Shrugging Ron put in his two cents,
"I may actually have a 'Plan B' if 'Puree' on the blender doesn't work. While me and the ninja students were trying to channel the powers of the blades to help augment them I noticed some things.
It seems that every time I got all the components closer together, my own powers magnified…"
Logan interrupted, "Well we expected that didn't we? In fact wasn't it YOU that gave us that little demonstration and warning against Kensaku getting all the pieces?"
"Yeah I did. But what if it takes that sort of juice to shut him down? I mean Master Sensei had to build a special vault in the North Pole just to silence Yono's heart…and Yono was simply Kensaku's creation! I think we may need to consider a mystical solution as well as slicing and dicing this time."
Blake concluded, "Well I like where the collective plan is heading. As we continue to fine tune it I would like Ron, Shego, Yori, Logan and Rufus as our subject matter experts on the topic to come up with some options in that department."
The group returned and continued at a frenzied pace long into the night. They met the rising sun optimistically as they felt they had a planning product that would work.
Realizing that everyone needed rest but wanting to ensure that everything was solid they went through it one more time before turning Wade loose on getting the final logistics in place.
Blake looked across the room of dreary yet determined eyes. Every person had a cup of coffee, tea or other stimulant in hand as they listened closely.
"Step 1, insert into the area of operations. As not all of the Ninjas are free fall qualified, we will defer our usual HALO approach. All four teams will insert via two commercial airliners owned by a shell company of Rockwaller Industries. They will touch down at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan in approximately 20 hours. Once we hit the ground all four groups will break up and follow their prescribed ingress route…."
He stopped briefly as he looked over to Ron, Shego, Adam and their six hand-selected ninjas which not too surprisingly included Katniss. He chose to address them by the name they had jokingly came up with to title their part of the operation,
"'Team Han' please outline your basic scheme of maneuver focusing on the movement from here to the final prep for 'H' hour or the beginning of the combined operation."
Ron stood and walked to the map, "At the British Airfield Bastion we will grab our equipment and be driven across the base to the US Marine Corps area known as 'Camp Leatherneck'. There we will link up with a small Marine Special Operations Team that will be going out on an overnight helo raid advising their Afghan Commando counterparts. Their target is a small village about seven kilometers south of where Han is being held.
After talking with their team leader, he assures me that they will be more than enough of a 'distraction' to enable us to slip out and travel the remaining distance." He smiled briefly after looking at KP. The thought of having a Spec Ops team being HIS distraction was amusing to them both.
"The team works in and around that area quite a bit. They're confident that their gun fights with the Taliban are normal enough that it shouldn't spook our guy. They were however rather concerned about our traveling via foot through the valley and recommended that Chad set us all up with an IED recognition course before we step off. I know our team will defiantly be doing that later this morning.
There is a dense vegetated area that looks almost like a small jungle near the river to the West of his compound. Once we find a good site in the nastiest part of that with good cover, we'll hole up for the day. The next night we'll set into final positions and wait for the fun to start the next morning."
Blake nodded. He was relieved that the team possessing the least military presence had a solid grasp of the logistics & tactical patience required to set up the operation. He turned to the next group and tried to keep a straight face when he said,
"'Team Dam Bluff' could you tell us what you came up with?"
Chad and Yori stood, Chad looked at Yori who nodded and then he spoke, "Both planes should arrive at Bastion around 0900 tomorrow morning. The day light will not be optimal to move about up there…unless we fold up into the typical military traffic in the area.
I have an old friend in the Navy Sea Bees at Camp Leatherneck right now who is confident he can slide us onto a normal logistics convoy heading up almost right to the dam. Once we arrive at the small outpost they are building a road for, we plan on 'borrowing' some local vehicles and driving up to a small abandoned compound we found on imagery.
It has a great vantage point on the dam itself. The local SF team in the area said they plan on sweeping it that morning for IEDs and Taliban as part of their scheduled patrol pattern so we will just slide in after the team gives us the green light.
If we time it right we should be driving up just as they are leaving. Then we will spend the next 30 hours or so observing the dam on optics to identify who the key personnel are and refine our plan to evacuate the civilians prior to Kensaku's arrival the second morning after Ron gets his sister back."
He gestured to Yori who then concluded, "That morning about three hours prior to sun rise we will split into three groups to best cover the avenues of approach. Chad and four ninjas will set the charges. Dark Elk and the remaining five ninjas will spread out on the far bluff from an elevated position with machine guns and rockets. Logan and I will traverse the top of the bridge and await Kensaku's arrival."
While Blake wasn't too keen on them actually rigging the dam to blow he did see the logic in thoroughness and that the power of the bluff came primarily from your preparation. He turned to Brett,
"Team 'Kilo' what you got?"
Brett stood, "Well boss pretty similar to your plan actually. Our target is Kahli A Ghaz which is essentially a no man's land smack dab in the middle of Taliban neighborhood. It's not so much a training camp as it is a logistics and supply hub where Kensaku's crew stock piles weapons and supplies and makes some side money selling to the Taliban and local criminals.
We plan on linking up with a small Green Beret ODA just across the river on the East side. We'll get there by catching a CH-47 Helicopter after we land tomorrow and setting in for the next day or so. We'll be talking with the team on the ground and maybe even heading out on a patrol or two with them.
That final night we plan on taking two small Zodiac boats across the river and moving into position before dawn. Whiskey will take one of his stellar archers up with him and set up an over watch while Rudy me and the other eight ninjas will establish a solid 'L' cordon utilizing the terrain to box them in. We will wait for your call to initiate the attack."
Blake let out a tired sigh, "Very well. Like you mentioned, my team will be setting up in a very similar manner with the target in Musa Qal'ah. We will helo out via a MV-22 Osprey and set in with a Marine Spec Ops team that has been living in a near by village for several months. There we will conduct a reconnaissance package and set in that final night after coordinating with you all. We plan on leaving the fancy boat stuff out of the mix though…have fun getting wet guys."
He offered his Number Two a good hearted laugh and then asked, "Alright that covers the basic nuts and bolts. I am completely aware that even the best laid plans rarely survive the first few shots of a gun fight, so maximum flexibility is needed here.
Brett and my teams are primarily causing chaos and cutting off the cavalry then racing to the dam to re-enforce the rest of you. Team Han is getting the kiddo safe then essentially smacking Kensaku in the face to force him into reaction mode and finally Team Dam Bluff is the anvil we hope to crush him against.
While I am certain many things will have to be adjusted on the fly, I feel we have a sound plan and the capability to adapt to the ground truth when we get there. Does anyone have any questions or something to add?"
Yori walked to the front and took them all in with a powerful gaze which finally settled on her students to whom she offered a prideful smile,
"Captain if I may? Thank you. Students of Yamanouchi. You have bestowed great honor on your clan, this school and the spirit of our beloved Master Sensei. I am very proud of the initiative and sacrifice you have embraced to make this all possible.
That said there is something we must realize. This school was founded on the principle of balance, especially the knife edge one may walk when disciplined enough between the honorary Samurai concepts of Bushido and the practical and stealth oriented skills of the Ninja. While the essence of this fight is good vs. evil the asymmetrical battle field we now embrace will be anything but black and white.
When facing vastly superior numbers, with this much hanging in the balance…you must kill with out hesitation and with out warning. You give your enemy no advantage…no quarter. If you fail in your endeavor, fail to learn to understand the 'grey' that fills the arena of actual war…all will be lost.
I am confident that you will all fight with valor, but keep in mind that this fight is bigger than all of us. It has been a conflict in the making for over two thousand years. We have inherited this challenge…and we will be victorious."
After a brief gaze over the collective eyes of her students she turned and bowed to Blake before adressing him.
"Thank you again for your efforts in this. May I suggest that we get some rest before our IED classes and final prep before departure?"
Blake returned the bow and agreed, "Excellent idea. And your points are well made in regards to the upcoming battle. I know me and my crew needed to hear that as much as the Yamanouchi clan. We are honored to go into the fray along side you."
With that they set the schedule for rest cycle, classes and departure.
Shego noted that Adam and Katniss departed hand in hand not too far behind Dark Elk and Monique. The looks in their eyes left little doubt where each pair was off to.
Shego looked over to Ron who was nursing his cup of coffee and looked up at her with dark circles under his eyes.
He was a bit startled by the penetrating look she was giving him, "What!? Do I have something on my face or something?"
As he was brushing at his chin frantically she just leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Breathing heavily on his ear she whispered, "No, but it does look like YOU could use some 'Ron-shine'. Lets go see if I can do something about that."
Pulling him up by the hand she sauntered them both out of the building and back to their room.
Bonnie had watched everyone depart. She could still feel the tension in the room as everyone grasped the magnitude of the operation they were embarking upon. A movement out side the open door caught her eye as she noticed Logan and Yori sitting beneath the Lotus Tree by the cliff talking briefly and gazing out over the vista.
She looked in at the rooms few remaining occupants. Blake was going over a data feed with Wade at a large terminal. Kim was checking her equipment in the corner. The room suddenly felt empty and yet still charged with emotion.
Her initial impulse was to run over and hug her brother. This was so much to process and she knew he would always put him self as close to the fight as he could. But as she watched him drive him self mercilessly to ensure everything was in order she knew that he needed the same rest and decompression he had ordered his men to get.
And she knew she wasn't the one that could make him do it. Turning her head back to Kim she recognized the same determined and focused face that had always baffled her in high school. She better understood now where that drive came from, why she needed it.
She also recognized that it was likely the key to her and her brother ever having a chance together. Intuitively though she knew the two of them would always put the 'mission' before themselves and perhaps needed a little 'bump' in the right direction towards taking care of each other.
She got up and kneeled down beside Kim as the red head was cinching down the straps on her large back pack.
"Hey Kim, you got a second?"
Startled out of her inner musings KP jerked her head around, "Oh, sure what's up Bonnie?"
Sighing she replied, "OK, here goes, just don't fault me for how weird this sounds…but I think you and Blake need to go find some 'alone' time. If you guys don't capitalize on this little bit of rest cycle you'll just drive your selves into the ground." Sighing she just decided to put it out there, "Kim I think you need to go take advantage of my brother while you have the chance."
Stunned Kim couldn't even frame a response. While her brain was trying to catch up she studied the brunette's face. She could see true concern and compassion there. It was such a drastic change from the snide remarks and vicious rivalry that the two of them had long harbored.
Recognizing that she was being sincere she began to see her point and stood. Instead of trying to speak she simply reached out and hugger her. Both young women knew at that instant that their bad blood and long past was behind them.
Kim let her go and squared her shoulders as she marched over to her commanding officer with a purpose. She could tell that he and Wade were in a deep conversation as they didn't even hear her approach.
With no warning she swept under Blake's arm as he pointed at something on the screen and ducked low.
Thrusting with her well developed legs upwards she lifted him up off the ground in a smooth fireman's carry. Secretly thankful for all the long hikes up and down the mountains now that built her physique up to pull this stunt off she said in a matter of fact voice,
"You're coming with me Marine. Wade can wrap it up from here."
Catching the playfully terse tone and guessing her intent he just let his head droop, "Yes ma'am. If I come willingly will you at least let me walk?"
The last thing Wade and Bonnie heard as they exited the door was her intoning, "We'll see…I'll probably make you work for it though."
Helmand Valley, Afghanistan
Kensaku's Home
The ancient man was pleased with the progress he had seen in his daughter. Since yesterday she had been increasingly more cordial. She had been playing so nicely with the toys he had bought her he made a note to buy some stock in Disney. It would appear he'd be buying a lot of their merchandise.
He was in a good mood. He had just learned from his sources that none of the American team's intelligence search patterns came anywhere near his actual operation. They were confident that the ninja school was focused primarily on re-building and recuperating from their losses.
Everything was going as planned. He was initially furious that his men were unable to claim the chalice as well. However he knew that after a month or so of licking their wounds and coming up with nothing on him they would quickly lose hope.
These soldier types, especially Americans, have no sense of patience.
His long life had taught him that the best things came from the willingness to wait and see them to fruition. Nothing happens quickly. A month seemed but seconds to his frame of reference and they would be but putty in his hand. He would bait them out and crush them completely.
He was enamored with the idea of somehow luring Sensei's 'daughter' to his side. To have her as a surrogate mother to Han would be just and fitting. His emotions were conflicted on the fact that he had raped her.
He knew that at times his mind seemed to diverge from plans and he could do almost anything. But his moral compass always found a way to rationalize it. He actually wondered if there was a way to make it up to her.
No! She wanted me in the first place! Sensei never deserved a jewel like that in his life! I suffered in darkness while he planned around me. I was in the right! She had better just figure that out if she wants to live to see her precious school again.
Needless to say he was of at least two different minds on the matter.
He looked at the data pad in his hand to try and refocus his mind before the damn head aches came back.
He noted with some interest that his men were making a tidy profit with the weapons and supply depot to the south. That money would go well towards his plans to possibly 'buy' the next government of Afghanistan. With the American President foolishly promising to leave soon he was certain that it was time to start taking a more active role in the shaping of the country. Why limit himself to just the valley? Once Han was on board and his loving daughter once again, this small country would be his spring board to setting ALL the world's wrongs to right.
Whether they liked it or not.
Helmand Province, Afghanistan
Camp Bastion Airfield
Being as it was early spring they were not treated to the usual rancid smells and sweltering heat that normally served as a welcoming committee to most US troops arriving at this hub. The brisk air and darkening storm clouds did however remind the team that they had better get moving.
The air field was the third busiest British Air Terminal in the Crown's worldwide network. Twenty four hours a day it was a bustle of activity. After stowing their gear in the hangar Blake, Brett, Ron and Chad went off to find their contacts.
A half hour later everyone was linked up and ready to depart. Firm hand shakes and a few hugs went round as they all departed, ensuring that no one said the words 'good by' but rather 'see ya on the flip side' or 'catch ya later'. No use in tempting fate.
'Team Han' had the shortest trip and was meeting up with the Marine Special Operations Team a short 20 minutes later across the base. Linked up with an Afghan Commando element they were in the final rest and prep cycle themselves for that night's raid. After off loading their gear, grabbing some chow and some final coordination…everyone caught some much needed shut eye. It was going to be a long night.
Chad's Sea Bee buddy was good to his word and had them on a convoy heading north within a few hours of arrival. The bumpy, dusty and cramped ride in the heavily armored RG-31's had Logan debating the merits of getting out and walking.
A brief recollection of Chad's class on IED's reminded him that this little battle field was no less savage than when he was in Vietnam. No reason to take unnecessary chances. After looking over at Yori in her military uniform, armor and helmet he couldn't help but grin.
With a suspicious purr she asked, "What are you smiling at?"
"Ah hell darling, I was just thinking that if they had made soldiers as good lookin' as you in my day…I'd never have gotten out of the service!"
The assault teams were pleasantly surprised to find their helicopter pick ups running on schedule. They smoothly delivered them to their destinations with little to no fuss or questions.
Blake leaned over as the rotor wash settled, "Wow, Kim remind me to send Roscoe a gift basket or something."
"Why?"
"Cause that guy must have more pull than I realized! The air wing never runs that efficiently. This same trip would have taken me days when I was in Recon. Nice to have 'friends in high places' for once!"
He noted a Humvee and a large truck waiting for them on the other side of the helo pad.
Walking up to them was a large and very furry man in green fatigues. As he neared, he grabbed Blake up into a crushing bear hug.
"Blake! How the hell have you been man?" Putting him down he noticed Kim as she took off her helmet letting her long red hair down.
Chuckling he elbowed him rather hard in the ribs, "Forget I asked brother I can see you're doing just fine. Kim Possible, nice to meet you! Welcome to the Helmand Valley. Tourist destination and party hub of the cross roads. Why don't we get you all buttoned up in the rigs and back in side the main base before someone sees that hair and decides to take a pot shot."
"Chief! Stop flirting with my girl. I aint' seen you in years, you aint' changed a bit, well except for the beard…and hair. What, did you go native on me out here?"
Smiling wide he retorted, "Hey fucker, fur is beautiful…just ask my wife. I'd ask her myself but then she'd inquire if I'd gotten the last care packages full of razors and clippers as 'hints'. Anyways let's get moving folks."
Kim couldn't help but smile at the warm hearted exchange between the obviously old friends. The banter just kept up as they loaded the equipment and jumped in the vehicles. Noting her look he explained,
"Chief Blair here was the corpsman on my first team back in Recon, just a motivated HM2 at the time and look at him now…he keeps getting uglier and older."
Smiling over his shoulder as he drove, "Funny I remember finding a skinny ass little 2nd lieutenant trying to figure out what side of the gun went 'bang' in Fallujah. Good thing you had a doc who could set you straight!"
After noting Kim's slightly aghast expression he explained, "See ma'am, I have a particular skill that has served me well over the years in grooming young officers and accomplishing missions…"
Blake interrupted, "You mean the ability to bull shit and/or power over anyone you come across?"
Feigning an insulted look he retorted, "I prefer to think of it as 'respectful insolence' thank you very much! Besides worked out good on you didn't it?"
Hands up in surrender he admitted, "All joking aside yeah it did Chief. Damn it's good to see you. So you don't mind putting us up for a night or two?"
"Hell no! Compared to the usual travel train of combat tourists and high ranking idiots tromping through here hoping to get a Combat Action Ribbon…you're a breath of fresh air. Got rooms for everyone waiting and hot grub on the griddle."
"Uh…you didn't cook it did you?" Blake asked nervously.
"Bite me…sir. See Kim, that's an example of that skill I was mentioning."
Within an hour they had the gear stowed, rooms prepped for some shut eye and were getting an overview of the area from Chief and the other senior members of the team.
The 'ground truth' as usual, was far more refined and detailed than what they got at the school. After studying imagery and agreeing that Blake and Ryan would come out on an early evening patrol with some of the Marines they settled in for some rest.
Kim was restless and decided to take a walk around the small base and let Blake catch some shut eye before he went out. Everything she could see was 'hardened' against mortar attacks with sand bags or ammo cans filled with sand. However when she looked closer she could see numerous 'special touches' meant to make life in this remote outpost a little more enjoyable.
Hand built 'porches' made out of the slats from packing containers. Screen doors cobbled together with the wood from large ammo crates and scraps of shade netting. Ingenuity through dreary conditions obviously drove the men posted here to make do with little…and do it well.
She noticed a small building near the center of camp that had a sign built out of blown up circuit boards from computers and terminals. Taped bundles of wires wires clearly made out the words "Internet Café".
Walking in she found a few people scattered around a half dozen or so dusty computers.
Several were on Skype with loved ones. The sight of these hardened warriors in fatigues making funny faces at their children half a world away damn near brought a tear to her eye. Noting a familiar tangle of bushy brown hair in the corner she walked over.
"Hey Chief, what's up?"
Before he could click the screen off quickly she noted it said something about 'Fan Fiction'. Shrugging she noted that he smiled widely as he said,
"Not much actually. Don't tend to sleep much lately so I picked up an old hobby on line. How bout you little lady, I figured you'd be racked out cold?"
"Honestly I feel a bit keyed up so I was just wandering, didn't mean to disturb you."
"Nah, I'm good. Can I offer you a cup of Joe and the Nickel Tour?"
"Well Chad and Rudy did say that if you wanted good coffee find a Navy Chief…sounds good."
With a grin he nodded and led the way. After a stop at their small chow hall for a pair of cups he took her around what little there was to see ending at one of the security towers.
"Now you see that draw in the hills there? Yeah that one about four kilometers out. Your target is just through that on the other side. We can cover you just fine from here with long guns and mortars, but Blake doesn't seem to want us near the party to help. It sits right between the battle space lines of us, the Brits and the conventional Marine Corps.
I don't mean to pry but I hope your thirteen man crew brought a lot of firepower. This aint' the nicest neighborhood."
Realizing that Blake was attempting to protect his old friend and his teammates she just shrugged.
"Hey at the end of the day I'm just a troop in this outfit. I'm sure he has his reasons. But sure appreciate you being willing to help us so much."
She was a little startled by his tone when he responded. She had expected another quick witted joke; instead she saw a very long look in his eyes as he looked out at the desert.
His voice was a bit distant as he asked, "He really never mentioned me or the old crew to you before?"
She wasn't sure how to answer and just said, "Well we've only known each other a few months and those have been more than a little action packed. We haven't gotten into each others pasts too much. Why?"
After a deep sigh in which she could tell he was deciding how much to tell her he spoke, "Not a big surprise actually. It's just I hope you know that's one hell of a man you're heading out there with. I'd follow him into hell and back…actually I guess have.
A lot of folks don't know there were two Battles of Fallujah in Iraq. The first got left out of most of the books cause it was just plain ugly and over too quick for the reporters to get out there to make it 'real' for the folks back home.
Anyways Blake, well he was young but damn can that guy fight! Him and I were working separate from the rest of the team setting up an over watch to cover the boys as they moved through a cemetery. Next thing you know the friggin' Mujahadeen had us dead to rights.
Now most young lieutenants would have played it by the book. While I was ripping loose with the SAW I heard him jump on the radio and figured he was going to maneuver the team out and around the bad guys to save our asses.
Imagine my surprise when he ordered them to find cover half a click away and then proceeded to bring an air strike down damn near on top of us!
After the dust settled we went and checked out what was left of the enemy position. Over 50 heavily armed fighters had been hemmed up in a courtyard just waiting to ambush the team. If he had played it any other way we'd have been wiped out.
I aint' telling ya' sea stories to get you all hot and bothered about him. I just want you to know that if that man has a hunch or a 'feeling' about somethin'…you'd do well to listen to it."
They drank their coffee in a comfortable silence for a while after that. Kim was trying to picture the man she loved in that desperate situation making truly life and death calls on the drop of a dime…and found it rather easy to picture.
She had seen him in action several times now and knew that his calm under fire was borne of experience and hard earned confidence. But hearing it now, from a man that had known him from the start, it was a perspective she was surprisingly comfortable with.
With a respectful voice she asked, "Hey Chief, I have a kinda personal question for you."
"Well I may have a kinda personal answer for you."
"Why do you do it? You mentioned earlier that you have a wonderful wife and kids…what keeps drawing you out to shit holes like this away from them?"
After another long sigh he spoke in a clear voice, "If I had a dime for every time I asked myself that very question I'd be rich enough I wouldn't have to. But honestly I think it's somethin' folks like us are drawn to. I mean you certainly didn't have to go chasing off after villains through your teens did you?
At the risk of sounding too preachy I guess it's about 'balance' to me." As he organized his thoughts she remarked,
"Funny, I seem to be hearing a lot about 'balance' lately…how do you mean it?"
A glimmer of his usual grin came to his mouth as he explained, "See most folks figure a guy would have to be bi-polar for my job. I mean your tax dollars went towards ensuring I'm highly trained to heal people AND kill them. But somehow for me it just makes sense.
I got friends from high school still slaving away at some job they hate, who pay big money to go out and try and find something to feel 'alive' every weekend ya know? Skydiving, bungee jumping, pouring it in a bottle at the bar…whatever.
I want to be able to raise my kids with the knowledge of what it means to LIVE life. I want to be able to look my wife in they eye and see that she sees me as an equal…as her partner. I want to earn that every day…they deserve nothing less.
The same with these guys here, my brothers. They deserve nothing less than me putting everything out there for them 24/7. The day I stop doing that, or feel it's not for me, well I guess then I'll have to figure out what I'm gonna do when I grow up."
He sighed slightly then she saw an evil quirk to his mouth, "It's also nice being the thing that goes 'bump in the night' that keeps these terrorist assholes jumpy around the camp fire. Coming over here to remind them just who they're fucking with tends to keep them out of my kids school yard. If that helps some folks sleep better at night back home…well I guess that's just what I was meant to do.
Sound about right to you Kim?"
With a brief nod she simply clanked her metal coffee cup against his and said, "I'll drink to that Chief."
Meanwhile Brett's team was having a somewhat bumpier insert than the rest.
The helicopter they came in on took some pretty heavy small arms fire on the way in. No one was hurt but it made for a helluva hard landing. Then once on the deck and set up with the local team they realized that the fording was going to be much more difficult than expected.
Due to spring thaws, the River had risen a solid foot in the last forty eight hours and was clipping along at a pretty fast pace. They were going to have to figure something out quickly to adjust their plan. The boats would be swept too far down the river if they set in where they were planning with out engines. Engines would be far too noisy and to put in further up the river would expose them to a lot of unfriendly people with cell phones and or guns.
Realizing he needed fresh ideas on a solution; Brett called everyone in for a brain storming session.
He quickly regretted it.
"You want to do what!?" Brett asked the loud mouthed Mexican across the table.
"Hey I know it sounds rough but I know I can do it. I've swam against way tougher currents in the Pacific and if any thing goes wrong you guys can just reel me back in."
Whiskey weighed in, "So let me see if I'm readin' you partner. You want to foot patrol 100 meters upstream of where we planned to cross. Have us tie a rope to you while you swim across a raging river, IN ENEMY TERRITORY, with nothing but swim trunks and a pistol?"
"Yep, the river is shallow in several places so I shouldn't get swept too far, and I can always walk back up stream if needed. One guy out there with this cloud cover will be damn near invisible. I'll tie off my end at the crossing point; you do the same on yours, snap link the boat into the line and pull yourselves across. Easy day!"
"Yeah except for the part where you have to fight off bad guys by yourself holding only your cock and a Glock!" exclaimed Brett.
"So we get a few guys from the SF team to set up a security position for us. They can even set a sniper in to watch me every step of the way. Seriously Brett I can make this work."
Cracking his trademark smart ass grin he cinched the deal, "I mean hell, how do you think I got across the border to become an American anyways? I aint' a fast enough runner to jump the fence!"
Smiling Brett looked at the map and imagery, nodding that it might just work he sat down to work the details out with all the key players.
That night Shego, Ron, Adam and their crew boarded three CH-47 Chinooks and headed in on their actual insert.
After a fast and cold trip riding the nap of the Earth the whole way they were dropped of efficiently in a recently rutted out field. Every step was damn near a catastrophic tumble trying to negotiate the uneven terrain with the two dimensional night vision goggles.
Eventually their Afghan Commando counterparts 'borrowed' a local compound and they settled in. The Team Leader that was hosting their insert oriented them on their maps and the terrain they were looking at from the roof.
It was decided that they would head out with a rather large patrol leaving shortly and at the northern most turn they would simply fade into the brush and begin their trek towards Kensaku's home.
As they set off Ron was impressed by their Afghan counterpart's professionalism. They took their job very seriously and seemed far more focused than the standard Afghan Army soldiers he had seen back at the base.
He was about to whisper something to Shego about that when a deafening BOOOOOM!
And then another BOOOOOOM! burst the silence of the night not very far ahead of them.
Over their head sets they heard the call for a medic.
Not sure what exactly they should do, Ron motioned for Shego to stay with the three ninjas they had near them and help hold security while he and Adam went forward.
They worked their way up the column and found the team medic frantically working on three bodies.
One Afghan Commando, a Marine and one of their Ninjas were in bad shape. Apparently the Commando walking point triggered an IED and when the Ninja rushed to help he triggered another one positioned to take out rescuers.
The Commando was missing both legs just below the knee caps, the Marine was gasping frantically trying to get air into his collapsing lung and though the Ninja was able to instinctively 'roll' with the blast, he was still badly shredded by shrapnel.
Ron could tell that the Medic was doing everything he could but needed help if these folks were going to live. The metallic smell and even taste of copper seemed to compete in the air with the scent of burned explosives and moved earth.
Each of the injured were trying desperately not to scream and further compromise the team, but their pleas for help were clear in all three languages they were being bellowed in. Their blood was pooling together making the ground moist and footing treacherous.
The raspy and labored breathing of the Marine was alarming and in its subtle tone seemed even more terrifying than the languishing cries for help.
Ron was apprehensive, knowing that to heal these folks with the Blade would compromise the mission from the 'light show' it always put on.
He also needed to get to his sister.
Realizing how selfish that was he immediately kneeled next to the Medic and asked if he minded some help. The medic looked at him skeptically when Ron asked for a blanket or something that could cover light.
Grabbing a foil emergency blanket from the Marines' medical kit he handed it to Ron who immediately spread it over the Marine and disappeared underneath with him. Before the medic could start cussing him out for getting in the way blue light began pouring out from the edges of the blanket.
Seconds later the Marine ripped the blanket away with a gasp and clearly yelled, "What the hell was that!?"
Ron grinned, "Just call it 'Eastern Medicine' you'll get the bill in the mail. Care to help me try and keep the corners of the blanket down while I work on the others?"
Ron quickly did what he could. The Ninja was basically good as new but the Commando while stable, was not able to get his legs back. There was only so much even the Blade could do.
Stunned the Marines and Commando's began to help their wounded back to the compound. Ron called his crew together and guessed this was the end of their little 'escort' on the patrol.
"All right folks, we've seen just how serious this IED threat is. I can't keep using the Blade like that and not expect Kensaku to sense it or some villager to see the lights. We need to take it slow and steady up to our hide site. Cool? Adam you have the most experience in this sort of patrolling, can you take point?"
While he was instantly slinging his ruck and walking forward he couldn't help but remark, "Sure the one guy who doesn't have a fancy sword has to walk through the mine fields… I see how it is!"
Katniss' voice hissed, "Hey Marine, get us there in one piece and you might get something better than a sword. Now get moving!"
With that they were off. Adam took them through the nastiest, wettest and most un-inhabitable areas of the route he could find. Just before dawn they scrambled their way into a rather painful thicket of briar bushes not 100 meters from Kensaku's house. The brush was so thick that there was no way anyone would find them there.
It did however pose a problem when it came to observation. That's when Adam reached into his pack with a smile,
"No worries! Wade figured this might be a problem and sent us out with new toys!"
He set a small device up on a tripod and aimed it at the house. After it warmed up a perfect three dimensional picture came up.
"He said it's some new fangled tech that configures infra red, thermal and some sort of 'spatial awareness' soft ware to essentially see through shit like this. Should even give us a general idea of the lay out of the house."
After setting a security and observation rotation they settled in for some much needed rest.
Before they drifted off to sleep in each others arms Shego heard Ron mutter, "It's OK Sis, we'll get you back soon. I love you."
Mt. Yamanouchi, Japan
Op Center
"That's it! All the teams are in their insert points." Wade put down a data pad linked into satellite communications and turned to Bonnie and Monique before he continued,
"Sounds like Ron and Shego had a rough walk up north but they are set in and have good eyes on the house. Brett said there's some issues with the river crossing but their handling it. Considering how many moving parts had to jive just right to get to this point I'd say we're doing pretty well."
Rolling her eyes Monique noted, "Boy, why you have to say stuff like that? No better way to make things go sideways! Oh well, they do seem more than capable of fixing problems."
Nodding Bonnie added, "Yep my big brother is the best. If anyone can pull this off it's this crew. Let's make sure our part is ready to pull off."
Wade swiveled his chair back to his monitors, "We're tracking on all parts. Jessica has the data packets ready to deploy on our call. All the banks are hacked and primed for our needs. Nothing more we can do but wait. Couldn't hurt to get some sleep."
"Uhhg! How am I supposed to sleep with everyone out there risking their necks!?" bemoaned the frustrated brunette.
Monique just smiled, "One of the first things you learn at The Farm…get it while you can. Tell you what, why don't I hold down the fort and you two see if you can go…work out your frustrations?"
Noting her lewd tone and gesture Bonnie and Wade looked at each other and grinned, "That is the best idea I've heard all night!"
Watching the couple leave she couldn't help but marvel Never would have seen those two together but somehow it works. Good to know the nice guy CAN get the girl.
If only she knew that the 'nice guy' was finally getting back at Bonnie for all her innuendo and sultry flirting. While she struggled half heartedly and tried not to smile he was trying his hand at being 'not so nice' while attempting some new knots he learned to the bed posts.
Helmand Valley, Afghanistan
Each of the teams spent the day either resting or performing reconnaissance on their objectives. Being this close and waiting was eating at their nerves. Knowing that the next morning, everything was going to get fast real quick, they did their best to meditate, eat, chill or whatever suited their needs.
As the sun set over the western lip of the valley the teams waited until well after the evening call to prayer and let the locals get settled in for the night before venturing out.
Blake's team had a decent trek across open ground that they hoped to make quickly.
Brett's team obviously was counting on Rudy's aquatic skills to get things set up.
Chad had a long night ahead of him sneaking around the dam and setting charges.
Ron and the crew were slowly and meticulously moving their way into their positions soon after midnight.
All said this is the time of any military operation when tensions were highest, when the unknown lurked behind every corner. Their minds and bodies ached for things to 'just happen already!' But it is the ability to focus through that anxiety, to martial fears and set yourself to a purpose that sets the professionals apart from the dead in this high stakes game.
As Shego scurried back to the brush line she whispered into Ron's ear, "The package is set. Don't worry, we'll get her back. I promise."
Even behind his closed eyes she could make out a blue glow as he reigned in his emotions, "I know darlin', I never doubted getting her back, especially with you at my side."
Smiling at the compliment, she noted his feelings through their bond, "So what's wrong then? Somethin's eating you."
She noted a feral grin spread across his lips as his eyes opened and looked directly into hers. The deep, dark blue energy broiling about his irises didn't so much glow as radiate venomous power as he remarked in a calm voice,
"My only concern is how long I can keep him alive."
In response to her puzzled look he explained, "I want him to grasp something he should have figured out from the last time I was in this part of the world…no one messes with my girls."
A/N: Due to some technical issues over here, I am forced to write the last few chapters and then get them posted at another base. So enjoy the action packed conclusion! If you don't mind though please read and review each chapter so I can improve on each section for the next story. You've been great and looking forward to your thoughts!