USS George Washington (CVS-73), two hours later...
There were no restraints. The spacious meeting room she was placed in twenty minutes earlier was still empty. Comfortable chairs, a nice wooden table, and somewhat harsh lighting. If it wasn't for the metal lined bulkheads and the faint swaying motion beneath her feet, she could just convince herself she was in some low budget hotel. Closing her eyes, it was almost like she was back on her own ship. Though the choice of decor was something she wouldn't pick unless she was extremely drunk.
She didn't delude herself though. Koko was a prisoner.
The ships surrounded the Atlas, American Marines offered a short challenge to her ship along the way. She had a choice: resist, and her ship would be sunk without quarter. Surrender, and enter custody. A Hobson's choice in the end. Five minutes after a full platoon of the troops boarded her ship, the closest thing to a true home she had, the rest of her men made it back. They too were summarily taken into custody, all of them disarmed and herded together onto one of their ships before being taken away.
Any other time Koko might've felt a little flattered at getting the chance to go aboard the flagship of the US Seventh Fleet. The truly massive supercarrier was a sight to behold; lit up by innumerable lights, more than a thousand feet long, and bustling with activity. It seemed less of a warship and more of a floating city. The dozen or so other ships around it, destroyers and cruisers, only added to it's majesty. As she was brought aboard a fighter was in the process of taking off, a complex choreographic exercise that was at once routine and amazing.
In the distance she could see more ships, none of them quite as impressive as the George Washington. She couldn't identify specific ships in the darkness, but she could tell what types they were based on their profile. Aegis destroyers, Arleigh Burke classes, a dozen of the vessels held position nearby the supercarrier. Escorts for the massive ship she knew. A few yellow red streaks overhead announced the presence of either missiles or more aircraft, she didn't get a good enough look to tell for sure. In daylight it would've stolen her breath away.
She did not feel excited. She did not feel anger, shock, joy, fear, or even nervous. Holding Koko's heart in an icy grip was numb entropy, one that hadn't decreased at all since Lehm and R explained to her what happened in Roanapur earlier. The Marine guards kept a careful eye on all of them, though there was nothing to fear in the end. Even when she was separated from her men earlier, she did nothing to resist.
It was a trap. Kaspar had it all planned out. That Witch of his, Black Gold Saw, she killed Jonah. Rock, well, she went berserk. She's something else entirely now, some kind of monster, Lehm's voice drifted back to her.
Are you sure? Koko asked hoarsely, even as one of the guards barked at them to stay quiet. He nodded.
Once they were brought aboard the carrier, her men were dutifully shuffled off to the holding cells. Koko was taken to this meeting room and left alone. There were two thick doors, both locked of course. If there wasn't a pair of guards outside each one she would be amazed. She knew why she was there of course; soon a stern faced officer would enter and begin questioning her extensively about what she knew was happening in the city. A day of this, two maximum, and she would be shipped off to stand trial for her many crimes.
Koko calmly went through the process with clinical detachment. It was thorough, mechanical, and ultimately heartless. In their shoes she would've done the same thing, only with much more efficiency. For now, the only thing that could be done was to wait. Wait and stew over the quiet bombshell that Lehm dropped on her, shattering her entire world and robbing her of anything else.
Jonah was dead, and if Black Rock Shooter was still alive she wouldn't be for long. According to the men's testimony, perhaps that was a blessing.
A part of her wanted to laugh at the irony. Lehm and R chose their way, no one forced them. For Black Rock Shooter, fighting and killing was her nature. She could no more help it than a wolf could avoid hunting. Jonah didn't have a choice, really he never did. I had to was essentially his life story. They were still young; the boy could've changed his ways, became whatever he wanted to be. The girl was going to be a challenge, but with enough effort and with the strength that Koko admired she could've persevered.
Yet it was the bitter and hard men that lived, not the children. Kaspar's words rang with her still, the accusations that stung deeper than any insult. And in the end he was right. In the end they were just kids, and the boy died for her. He, and soon they, died for no greater reason than Koko's selfish vengeance. She demanded that her brother be killed immediately, thinking with her heart instead of her mind. Truth was a bitter medicine she reflected.
Koko didn't laugh. If she started to laugh, then she would lose every shred of sanity that she had left. The pain sunk its barbs into her, and only by keeping her emotions bottled up did she keep it at bay. The mask had to be maintained, otherwise the enormity of what happened would catch up to her. Later she would grieve, possibly while she rotted in her cell awaiting execution, assuming they wouldn't administer summary justice the moment she was in her new location. She had the feeling she would thank them for it.
When one of the doors clicked Koko let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her posture straightened, pushing everything aside with practiced ease as she leveled her cold gaze to the entrance. Two Marines strode into the room, the picture of calm while they took up a wary stance beside the door. In comparison the man in the cheap suit that entered after them was pathetically sloppy.
"So, betcha you didn't think this is how this would end" said a practically swaggering Jerry Schatzberg, code name Scarecrow.
The blonde man pulled up a seat at the table opposite of Koko, slumping into it and leaning back. An unseemly smirk was on his features, with no hint of exaggeration. He was genuinely pleased with himself, she could tell why. Meanwhile both of the Marines watched with disciplined interest, arms behind their backs and holstered guns at their sides. Though seemingly aloof, she knew that if either of them did anything they would react quickly.
When Scarecrow look his self proclaimed nemesis in the eye, he found himself unconsciously shrinking back. Koko stared at him with an intensity that he was unused to, her mouth set into a rare flat line, not so much as a hint of a grin. If he expected fear, he was sorely disappointed. She was colder now than any point he had ever seen before, than most people in fact. If anything he seemed to go on guard, like their positions were reversed.
"Scarecrow" Koko acknowledged. The man unconsciously gulped.
"No smile? The hells gotten into you?" he snapped. A frown started to descend over his features, his plan of how this meeting was supposed to go was already being derailed.
"One of my men died tonight. The other will join him soon if she hasn't already" Koko answered in the blandest of tones.
Scarecrow opened his mouth to retort, but he stopped himself. It closed back up, the agent comprehending what was spoken.
"Shit" he murmured, shaking his head a moment later. Unless she was badly mistaken, there was a flash of sympathy across his features.
"How'd they die? Did they piss you off?" he tried to tease, attempting to come off as condescending but instead sounding hollow.
"They died trying to get the bastard that caused all this. They went for him now, when I should've waited a few days and sent a bomber to blast him back to hell" Koko said, her voice a monotone.
"Because you told them to" he answered with contempt.
"It doesn't matter now. They're gone. Because of me" she said with a slight shake of her head.
"Too bad. If I were you though, I'd be a bit more concerned with your own self" he said, a cocky smirk coming on. This time when she affixed her hard stare he didn't shrink back.
"What about my men" she said lowly.
"They're fine for now. These are Americans you're dealing with, not some two bit dictator that you're used to. They'll be well treated until their trials are over. You'll get the worst of it I'm sure" he smirked.
"I don't care about myself. Whatever you're going to do, it doesn't matter. The only thing that does is Kaspar" venom filled her tone at the very mention of that name.
"A life sentence will have you singing a different tune, assuming they don't just put you on death row" in the next few seconds his smirk faded "But that's not my call."
Koko's brow raised a quarter of an inch. Scarecrow rose from the seat, taking a second to readjust his coat.
"Get up. There's someone higher up on the food chain that wants a word with you" he stated, disappointment lining his words.
When Scarecrow moved out of the way, one of the Marines produced a pair of handcuffs. Koko stood up and offered her wrists to the man, doing nothing to resist. A quick set of clinks and the restraints were on her hands. The large guard did look into her eyes for a second while he did it, showing a flash of sympathy before his features returned to the stone like countenance that his ilk prided themselves on.
The other Marine went behind her to plant his hand on her shoulder, gently but firmly guiding her while the first strolled out the door, Scarecrow sullenly following in their wake. Outside another pair of guards in light combat gear and armed with M4 carbines took up positions around her, forming a diamond shape before going into a canter. The few sailors in the vicinity wisely cleared out when they spotted the group coming down the cramped hallway.
None of the guards spoke to Koko, each one keeping their flat gazes ahead to their destination. Even if she was in the mood to talk, she doubted they would say anything. The most she was likely to get was a curt "Quiet" or something along those lines. While they marched her off, she couldn't help but idly compare their actions to her own bodyguards. They were too close together, with no room to maneuver. They'd tripping over themselves if someone shot at her. Then again, they were in the bowels of a floating fortress. Ironically she was safer here than near anywhere else on the globe.
For whatever reason Koko half expected to be carted off to the bridge of the mighty vessel, but after a few minutes of tense marching they arrived at another meeting room (or whatever this warship used for one). Two more blank faced Marines were outside this room, the guard leading her group stopping in front of them and offering his ID. She thought it pointless considering her presence, but she knew that, with very few exceptions, militaries were obsessed with protocol. It didn't matter what their flag was, rules were rules.
The new guard nodded and rapped his knuckles against the door twice, making whoever was on the other side swing the thick metal door outwards. The guard behind her lightly pushed her to the new opening, and she complied. Oddly enough he let go while the rifle armed Marine took over his duty, his counterpart entering first. Koko couldn't help glancing back at the door while Scarecow slipped inside, seeing the one sympathetic man give an imperceptible nod to her before one of the men inside the room closed it shut.
The pale woman glanced around, discovering an near exact meeting room as the one she was just in. The rifle toting guard guided her into an awaiting chair while she briefly checked out the room, idly finding the presence of three people evidently already waiting for her on the opposite side of the table. Out of the corner of her eye she noted Scarecrow backing up to lean against the wall, apparently not allowed to sit with the rest of them. When she looked over, she felt the first real flash of emotion in two hours.
It was the one in the middle of the table that did it. She was young, perhaps no older than twenty at first glance, with pale skin and a strange black outfit consisting of a short black coat with a bikini top underneath. Red toned horns that sprouted from her black haired scalp twirled lightly while her head moved, absorbed with the set up in front of her. The large claws in place of her hands, made of red tinted black metal, were preoccupied with a plain white pot and matching small cup.
As Koko watched she carefully poured a stream of brown tea into the cup, steam wafting from the pleasant smelling drink. One clawed hand wrapped a finger around the small hoop to bring it up, while the other briefly stuck a single metal finger into the hot liquid to stir it for a moment. Before she lifted it to her lips, the so called Witch lifted her gear inlaid red eyes to her own cerulean ones, a polite smile forming.
Koko had one guess what this one's name was.
"Greetings Miss Hekmatyr. I don't think we've ever been formally introduced. I am Black Gold Saw. Pleasure to meet you at last."
Black Gold Saw theme: Heathens, by Twenty One Pilots.
It was fortunate the Marine guards were in the room with Koko, otherwise there wouldn't have been anyone to grab her when she tried to jump out of her seat. Handcuffed and at their mercy, she nevertheless tried to get to the other side of the table to choke the life out of the smiling monster. She thrashed and snarled, but in the end she couldn't do anything to stop the guard from forcing her back down, though to her credit the other guard had to join in to pacify her.
Several minutes of struggling passed before she finally stilled, shuddering with fury and twisting her features into a barely contained glare. Black Gold Saw never flinched, she calmly took a sip of the tea and kept that polite smile on her face.
"Are you finished?" questioned an irritated new voice. While still furious, Koko was distracted enough to glance over to the speaker that was situated two chairs over.
A thirtiesh woman in green fatigues with long brunette hair sat there, giving her own sullen glare at Koko. The pale woman blinked, identifying the rather stunning woman after a few seconds of thought, noting that she had changed much in the past few years.
"Hex" Koko half growled.
"Koko" Hex spat.
The CIA Black Ops agent that once took the life of one of her bodyguards leaned back in her chair, contempt written all over her features. She suspected that there wasn't much stopping the operative from giving her a lethal dose of vitamin lead. That raised several questions, first of which was what prevented her from doing just that? As a corollary, why was she here in the first place?
Someone cleared their throat. Koko finally looked over to the third one in the room, discovering the third individual that she initially overlooked.
He was in his forties, Anglo, portly, and wearing a sharp blue suit with square glasses that seemed to reflect the harsh light. The man stayed where he was, hands clasped together on the table in front of him. At first glance, a second one even, he didn't appear dangerous at all. But Koko immediately went on guard, noting that Hex reduced her scowl several degrees. She had an uncomfortable feeling that whoever this was, he was dangerous in more ways than one.
"And who are you?" she questioned dryly.
Black Gold Saw let a short chuckle escape her. The man took a second to adjust his glasses.
"Someone who's had a vested interest in you for a long time Miss Hekmatyr" he answered enigmatically.
"You didn't answer me" she retorted.
He grinned, and Koko felt a chill crawl up her spine.
"George Black. Chief of the European branch of the National Clandestine Service" he answered politely enough. She narrowed her eyes.
"CIA" she said lowly.
"That's correct. If you wish, you can call me Bookman" the senior chief offered. He glanced at his watch, perhaps he was waiting for someone. Koko took the chance to glance back over the operative and the Witch, affixing a glower on them both.
"That explains you" she said to the scowling human woman before turning to the inhuman one "But not you."
Seconds later the door Koko entered from swung open again, a new man strolling in far faster than she did. She noticed everyone with a uniform went to attention, stiffening up and losing whatever emotion they had. In her field of view, she noticed both Hex and Bookman adopting what was clearly attentive respect as well. From behind her she heard Scarecrow leave the wall and straighten up. The only one who didn't react overtly was Black Gold Saw, but she did set her cup down out of respect.
The new arrival promptly waved them down before taking the chair at the head of the table. Unlike them he wore a blue digital patterned uniform of the US Navy, one that she thought was ridiculous when she first saw it and never changed her opinion of it since. He was an old bald man with a bristling white mustache that radiated command. Koko didn't recognize his appearance at first, but one look at the pipings on his shoulder made her realize his position, and a glance at the ever helpful name tag alerted her to his identity.
"Gentlemen, ladies" Vice Admiral Scott Harbinson Swift, commander of the US Seventh Fleet, greeted in the most perfunctory tone that Koko had ever heard.
"Sir" Bookman and Hex replied in unison.
Vice Admiral Swift nodded in acknowledgment, though she knew he had no reason to. He was a man that held more power than some world leaders, had an area of responsibility spanning thousands of square miles, commanded a force that could squash several countries if ordered, and could muster a smile if he absolutely had to. Many of Koko's nightmares had a scenario much like this one, only she never expected it to ever actually come to pass. The commanding officer flicked his attention on two of the guests aboard his ship, giving the pale woman an uninterested once over before lingering on Black Gold Saw for several seconds.
The Witch nodded, offering her teacup to him after a moment. He shook his head.
"Chief Black. At noon today the Thai Royal Navy contingent I was supposed to be practicing a war game with left the staging area and began steaming back to this country as fast as they could go. The Prime Minister personally called me to request military assistance from Seventh Fleet to put down a large scale terrorist attack on their soil, even making their airfields available to us. When I said I was going to deploy the Marine battalion attached to the fleet they suddenly claimed that there was an unknown biological agent in the city, and refused landing rights. But they're still insisting we continue hostile operations, assuming no friendlies in the area" Swift explained in a clipped tone.
His eyes narrowed "I am not a happy man at present. A long standing ally is all but begging for me to flatten one of their own cities, as soon as humanly possible. I'm told you have answers. I want them. Now."
It was the tone of a man that wasn't going to take a 'no', and woe betide the one that gave it to him anyway. Bookman took a second to clear his throat before he started.
"Strictly speaking Admiral, both of those accounts are correct. The city, Roanapur, is suffering a combined terrorist attack and biological outbreak. The one responsible is a man named
Kaspar, the brother to Koko Hekmatyr here" he explained, gesturing to the handcuffed woman.
Admiral Swift's narrowed further.
"I realize that was vague, but if you will allow me to turn this over to Agent Gold Saw-"
Koko sputtered out a gasp, interrupting the meeting. Swift's hardened gaze swiveled to her, but she wasn't paying attention.
"Excuse me, did you just say agent!?" she demanded incredulously, her eyes bulging.
"Provisional field agent" Bookman elaborated. Koko slumped back into her seat, utterly shocked for the third time since the sun set.
"I always thought 'we have people everywhere' was a load of crap" she muttered.
"Agreed. Care to explain?" Swift asked, phrased in a way that wasn't a question.
"Agent Black Gold Saw has been a mole in Kaspar Hekmatyr's inner circle for quite some time. Until two days ago she's been feeding us information about his intentions and goals, giving us valuable intelligence regarding his activities. However, when she passed along news of this attack, I'm sorry to say none of us quite believed her" Bookman explained apologetically. Koko's hard gaze returned to the smiling Witch.
"You've been spying on Kaspar this whole time" she said lowly. Black Gold Saw nodded.
"It was a lot easier than you think. He assumed that since I was like your own pet" she cheerfully ignored Koko's fresh scowl "I would be loyal to him, and I wouldn't even think of betrayal. I didn't dissuade him from this notion" she explained in a meticulous tone.
"I do not like the mushroom treatment" Swift stated sullenly. Scarecrow chuckled darkly.
Black Gold Saw smiled and took another sip from her tea, savoring the flavor for a moment. Swift did not look pleased at her flagrant lack of respect, adopting a similar glare as Koko until she finally set her cup down.
"Admiral, what am I?" she asked. The older man blinked, frowning as he took in her appearance once more.
"Odd implements aside, you appear to be a woman in her early twenties" he answered carefully. Black Gold Saw's smile grew a notch, and she stood up from her chair to absently push it away. Around the table the half dozen guards tensed.
"A reasonable assumption. But false. Observe" she lifted one claw over the table and clenched it.
Dots of multicolored lights flashed into existence around her hand, coming together to form black metal. Starting as a hilt, the lights danced outwards to transform into a length of black and silver metal. One of the Marines quietly swore, a second later each of them went for their guns. By the time the four sidearms and two rifles were trained on her, there was a large artfully designed sword handing over the table, politely held away from the prisoner.
Koko chanced a glance around, looking for reactions. All six Marines had guns aimed at her, barrels slightly trembling in shock. Scarecrow had his mouth agape, staring in abject amazement at the incredible sight. Even Swift had wide eyes, his decades of discipline protecting him from making an unseemly display. On the other hand, she noticed that while Hex and Bookman watched the display, neither seemed too surprised.
"What in the world...?" Swift murmured, having difficulty keeping his eyes off the masterfully crafted sword that effectively appeared from nowhere.
Black Gold Saw set the sword down on the table, the sharp point a handful of inches away from Koko. The pale woman was seized by a grim picture of the horned Witch ramming the weapon forward with as much strength as she could muster, impaling her where she sat...
The vision passed. Instead of causing any injury with it she slid it sideways, so the hilt was facing the Admiral. Then with the same hand she gently slid it down, inadvertently digging tiny scratches in the table. She kept at it until the sword was within the older man's reach before finally leaning back and dropping back into her chair, an arrogant grin on her features. Swift gave her a well justified glare, but he did silently wave the guards down.
Rather than speak, Black Gold Saw gestured at the sword. Reluctantly the American commander looked away, turning his gaze back to the weapon.
"What kind of metal is this?" he wondered out loud, carefully reaching out to touch it. The black and silver metal felt strange to him; it looked like steel, but the texture was not quite right. Titanium perhaps? His fingers slid over the surface, trying to come up with an answer. He frowned when a rust fleck of all things attached to his finger before he flicked it off.
"Shoddy workmanship" he decided.
His decades of strict military discipline failed him when a snap sounded out and a large crack spread across the body of the blade, blinking in surprise. A few of the Marines watched interestedly as well, having a much more difficult time of keeping their own feelings in check. As the humans watched, the ornately crafted sword was falling apart in front of their eyes. The cracks multiplied exponentially, entire pieces ranging from specks to finger sized slivers simply fell off as the weapon simply disintegrated.
Thirty seconds of stunned observation later, the largest piece remaining was smaller than the Admiral's fingernail. What was (dare he say) an art piece of a sword became little more than a pile of dust.
"Never gets old" Black Gold Saw chuckled. The old man's eyes lifted from the display, noting first the smirk on her features and then discovering that both the CIA agents and the prisoner looked unperturbed.
"What...are you?" Swift finally got out. The horned woman leaned back in her chair, flipping one armor plated leg sideways on top of the other. She directed her head to the Admiral, but there was no doubt she was addressing a sullenly interested Koko as well.
"Tee-ell-dee-are, I'm not human. I'm a living creature, ergo biological. I am quite dangerous, in other words a weapon. QED" she said. She sipped her tea again before proceeding,
"Longer version: we don't have a formal name for ourselves. Used to, we had a civilization, our own culture, that whole setup. That house of cards fell apart a long time ago though, no I don't know how it happened. These days, most of us are little more than feral rabble that will just as soon attack you as say hi. Personally, I'm fond of the term Otherworlder" Black Gold Saw explained loftily.
Koko's eyes narrowed. In response she sent a smirk her way.
"Let me guess, your pet never told you any of this" she probed.
"I gave her a job, I made her welcome. She was never a pet" Koko spat. Bookman leaned forward again, noting the questioning look on the Admiral's face.
"As far as we know, the first of these Otherworlders, we've termed them Oscar Whiskeys in our reports, to come to this planet was encountered by Miss Hekmatyr. She took the girl in" he offered. Swift's curious gaze briefly swiveled to Koko.
"Who are you anyway?" he questioned.
"Koko Hekmatyr, an arms dealer and a terrorist" Hex butted in. She folded in when his hard eyes switched to her.
"That's right" Koko sourly agreed, feeling the bile in her throat. Swift kept his eyes on her for a moment before turning back to Bookman.
"Continuing, that one was apparently the first. There was two others within a month, we're not entirely sure which one arrived first. One was in Woodcrest, Maryland. The other arrived within Roanapur, the same city your forces are bombing. Black Gold Saw was the fourth, but due to the rather chaotic situation here she was identified third" he went on.
"Are there more" Swift asked flatly.
"Yes. Many in fact" Koko picked up in alarm. Bookman took a second to withdraw a sheet of paper, adjusting his glasses before reading.
"Discounting the situation here, in the past three months there's been seventeen confirmed cases all over the world. Perth, Hyderabad, Gdansk, Tripoli, Hong Kong, Santiago, Vancouver, Alamogordo, Brasilia, to name a few. The one of greatest interest is near Cape Town" he said.
"Why?" he questioned. Black Gold Saw took over again.
"Otherworlders arrive in this world via tears in reality, portals for lack of a better term. They appear at random times and random locations, though I've noticed that they always seem to form near large concentrations of humans" she explained.
Hex, who apart from the insulting outbursts was largely quiet thus far, added "These portals never last more than a few minutes at a time. Just long enough for one of them to slip through if they find one. The one exception is near Cape Town. We're not sure how long that ones been active, weeks at least."
Something clicked in Koko's mind.
"Doctor Miami" she blurted out. Bookman nodded.
"That's right. Your friend discovered it. Thanks to an accident, Black Gold Saw was able to track it down and reveal it's existence to Kaspar." Swift narrowed his eyes.
"So, that's where you things come from. I can guess this Kaspar was able to gather up hundreds of Otherworlders thanks to this effectively permanent portal?" he checked. To Koko's quiet respect, he seemed to get over his shock quickly.
"That's right. Oh, and it wasn't hundreds. Two thousand four hundred and nineteen to be exact, myself exempted" she easily, smirking at the wide eyes and dropped jaw of Swift and Koko respectively.
Vice Admiral Swift rose back to his feet fast, taking a moment to breathe deeply.
"Chief Black, Miss Hekmatyr. Seeing as you two have the greatest experience with these...these Otherworlders, what would you classify their threat assessment at?" he asked lowly, authoritative but visibly strained.
"Take a good long look at the city Admiral. You can figure out the rest" Koko stated flatly. Bookman could only nod in agreement.
"Deploying the Marines now isn't going to accomplish much besides wasting the lives of good men" he advised. He began to walk away, but a set of metal knuckles rapping against the table surface caught his attention.
"There's one question you forgot to ask" Black Gold Saw pointed out with a grin. Swift narrowed his eyes.
"I'm sure you'd love to enlighten us" he said dryly.
"I do indeed. The question being 'why here?' Why a city of a hundred and thirty thousand people in effectively the middle of nowhere? Why not London or New York? Shanghai even" she leaned back in her chair, her cocky smile never wavering.
A snort reminded everyone of their last guest. Scarecrow gave a respectful nod at the Admiral before he spoke.
"I figured that out on my own. The fact is there is you can't find a better place. High population density, super high crime rate, probably averaging twenty or thirty guns per resident if you compare numbers. Good replica of an urban battlefield, with the benefit of the site being completely expendable. I'm guessing this was basically a field test, throw a big mob with no training at them and watch what happens. If it works, brand new weapon is on the market. If it doesn't, someone else cleans up after him. Either way, this is the end of Roanapur, the greatest shithole in the region" Scarecrow explained grimly.
A genuine scowl came over the Admiral. He wasn't the only one, the Marines looked like they wanted to vent some frustration on the horned woman.
"He timed this attack with Operation Shaman. We're cleaning up his mess and there's nothing we can do about it" he snarled indignantly.
Vice Admiral Swift turned and stormed out of the room, two of the guards jogging after him. Once the door slammed shut again, the rifle toting guards took up their old vigil locations while Scarecrow slumped into the chair near Koko with a groan.
"I'm impressed Scarecrow" she admitted. The agent that had been hounding her for quite some time, one that she regarded as little more than a nuisance, smiled sheepishly.
"Gotta give Schokolade credit this time. She's the one that put two and two together" he admitted himself.
Koko smiled. When she turned her head back to the three across from her it quickly morphed into a scowl.
"Before you start" she preempted both Bookman and Hex "First priority is finding Kaspar."
A small smile and a vicious smirk came over the respective Central Intelligence Agency employees.
"I imagine after that little show Swift's going to task half the fleet to finding him. Simple arms dealing is one thing, but after this stunt I'll make sure half the planet is going to be after him" Bookman agreed.
"While there's nothing I want more than to torture you to death" Hex flashed a glare at her "I'll settle for this bastard's head this time. But mark my words, once he's dead I'm coming for you" she promised. In response Koko smirked.
"Glad to see you care. Now, there's one thing I want to know before you question me or whatever it is you're going to do" when her eyes rested on a still smiling Black Gold Saw, refined loathing seeped into her voice.
"Why did you kill Jonah" Koko questioned icily. Scarecrow blinked, seeing that coldness in her once more.
Black Gold Saw didn't seem to care that she made an eternal enemy of the pale woman. She leaned back, the cocky smile never leaving her.
"How about I tell you a little tale?" she offered.
"What makes you think I give a fuck?" Koko answered back.
"Because I'm largely certain I saved your life a while ago. Besides, you're not in control here" she pointed out.
Koko leaned back in her chair, her calm blue eyes never leaving her "Go ahead then. Enlighten me" she said sulkily.
Black Gold Saw poured herself a fresh cup of tea, noting with disappointment that it had gone cold. She took a sip and told the woman her tale.
A/N: There. Hope that answered a lot of your guys' questions. Hopefully that didn't make a whole batch of new ones though. I realize I cut out a pretty important part, but that'll have to be saved for the next chapter. Don't want to dump all this on you at once. *sigh* Not much of this has went according to schedule.
By the way, Vice Admiral Scott Swift was the real Commander of the US Seventh Fleet from September 2011 to July of 2013. To anyone that knows of the man, I know his portrayal here is hardly accurate. If Swift himself is reading this, sorry. I really didn't want to make up a character for such an important posting, just didn't feel right. In my defense, the current US Navy uniform is goofy looking. Just, blue camo? Really?