"You've got to be kidding me..." Koko's annoyed tone made it perfectly clear that whatever she'd just been told by HCLI HQ was NOT even a hint of amusing. "None whatsoever?"
Jonah and Rock were sitting nearby, both watching Koko tapping the tip of her pen against a blank sheet of paper she had prepared at the start of the phone call from HQ. So far, she hadn't written anything down, but clearly expected to.
"How many trucks are we being provided with for this job?"
Koko's pen tapping suddenly stopped, and her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she started writing at a rapid pace. It took the Linked teens a moment to realize that Koko was writing in Old Speak runes, but from their angle they couldn't read them properly. Several lines of runes later, Koko paused, clearly still listening to a long explanation or a recited passage.
"And this is all a PR stunt cooked up by my... Of course it is. Yes, I'll handle it. Where's the retrieval point?" Koko made more notes, still bearing an 'I'm not impressed' expression as she wrote the runes. "You and I both know that's a powder keg situation... Oh, is that so?" Koko's tone shifted to unveiled, but still reasonably tame anger. "And what am I supposed to do with a bunch of hothead mercenaries like that from such a small-time company?"
Koko still had the sense to wait out the reply before speaking again, still angered by whatever she was hearing. "I don't care if they're already doing local protection detail for the trucks! I'm not taking this contract with hair-trigger mercenaries being anywhere near me, my cargo, or my children!"
Somehow, that slightly unplanned outburst got Koko's point across better than anticipated. She blinked in confusion, since to her two youngest, it appeared she was getting what she wanted, or at least a compromise was being suggested.
"I'll speak to him about that myself. In the meantime, I want to make it perfectly clear that I will personally bust a cap in their other heads if they so much as sneeze in my general direction. I shouldn't have to explain what that threat entails, now should I?"
A short pause, and Koko smiled. "I thought so. Now, tell him to call my home number immediately." She then hung up and slid her sat phone back into her blazer's inner pocket before heaving a huge sigh and sitting back into the couch with her eyes closed, briefly collecting herself before suddenly speaking to the two of them. "Afghanistan, flight's tomorrow afternoon. We're delivering construction materials intended for building a school. Problem is that our local assets already have a PMC called Excalibur doing protection while they await our arrival. I know the company, and they're not going to be a pleasant lot..."
"So who's calling you?" Jonah asked, already eyeballing the nearby house phone's handset.
"My father, Floyd Heckmatyar... He's the one that owns HCLI itself." Koko covered her eyes with one hand. "I intentionally neglected to inform him that I have four children now."
"I get ze impression zat you're not Daddy's little princess." Rock spoke up, noticing Koko's tone was very similar to the one that she used herself when speaking about her mother.
"Might not seem like it, but I'm the heir to the company." Koko retracted her hand from her face to smile at her daughter's bemusement. "So that brings along a lot of expectations from my father, since he's also my boss."
With that, the home line began to ring, and Koko took a steadying breath before retrieving the handset and accepting the call. "I presume you were given a brief summary of what I said?"
"Indeed. At the very least, I want to know your reasoning for bringing them on official business arrangements."
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, in all honesty. They know the risks, for themselves and for me." Koko replied, already reaching her limit of tolerance for her father.
"How many?" Floyd asked with a an audible exhale through his nose.
"Four. Three girls, one boy."
"Adopted, I presume?"
"All of them."
"I see. Very well, I will not intrude any further, fulfill the contract in Afghanistan." With that, Floyd Heckmatyar hung up the phone, already aware of his daughter's testy tone.
Koko likewise hung up and set the phone back into the charger, letting out a slow breath again to collect herself. Rock quickly got up and sat by her side, wrapping her arms around Koko's shoulders, which was quickly reciprocated to her own.
"Hey, I think that went rather well." Koko kissed the top of Rock's head with a slight smile.
"And I zink zat you need a stiff drink." Rock countered, chuckling slightly at Koko's weak joke to lighten the tension in the air after her father's call.
"Ah... Man, I really wanna shoot summat."
"I'm gettin' all stressed out, yeah."
"Is that all? Didja see the tits on that woman up in Truck 2? I wanna shoot all'a my stress all over 'er rack, if yah know what I mean!"
"I want a round or two with Snow White the arms dealer herself!"
"Did you see the backside on that one pale lass up in Truck 3? Oh man, can't wait till she's legal! Imagine that ass after it's been aged a few more years!"
I don't think they realize this is an open channel... Lehm remained silent, as were the rest of the professionals presently listening to the crude banter of the Englishmen that formed the ranks of the Excalibur PMC spread out around the convoy of eight HCLI transport trucks, all of which were being driven by the adults of Koko's crew, while Jonah was presently perched atop the front of the trailer of Truck 3 with his FNC strapped against his chest. He was acting as a lookout, while Strength was on the top of Truck 8 with her usual MP5 doing the same to watch the rear - none of Excalibur were doing that with them, stating it was far too exposed - while they drove along the road with Wiley setting the pace in the lead truck.
"Hey, I know they're a bunch of pigs and all, but I do appreciate that one guy's compliments about my ass. Good to know it's being admired right alongside Valmet's big boobs." Rock spoke into the line in Old Speak after all the mercs stopped laughing, well aware that none could understand her like the others could.
Now it was their turn to laugh, even Valmet, who was driving Truck 2 with Koko by her side in the passenger seat.
"Now now, Rock, that wasn't a compliment. It's just a pig making noises through the fence, knowing he can't have what he's looking at." Koko replied in kind to her daughter's commentary. "A real compliment makes you feel good about yourself, not about just the one part of you that's being talked about like that."
"I still have a great ass though."
More laughter, and one of the mercs managed to be heard through the line as he asked. "Hey, did any'a ya catch a lick'a that? I didn't und'astand a thing."
"Must be their local language or summat." Another merc suggested. "Sounds like it's like, Eastern European or summat like dat."
"Vehicle approaching from rear, attempting to pass." Strength's softspoken voice suddenly came through the line in English, surprising them all - Koko's crew all knew her voice and fell silent, while the Excalibur mercs were nearly smitten by it's timid cuteness - as she continued reporting what she saw in the car. "Single occupant, middle aged male, local. Appears unarmed."
"Alright, Sarah, thanks for the callout. Excalibur, clear a lane for the car to pass the convoy." Koko also spoke into the line in English, glancing into the side mirror of the truck to see the distant sedan.
"Shoot it." One of the leader mercs suddenly ordered without acknowledging Koko's command.
With a screeching of tires, one of the Excalibur Technicals moved to block the sedan, already directing the mounted M2 Browning HMG at the car's engine block a moment before a torrent of .50 cal rounds started their heavy throb of destruction.
In seconds the sedan was engulfed in billowing black smoke and roaring flames, swerving off the road into the ditch as the mercs cheered like they were at a sports game. It exploded a few moments later, rendering any chance for the driver's escape doomed before it could've even happened.
"Jonah, Blake... Minigun them." Koko didn't even hesitate in giving the kill order in English. The mercs were paying the price for their stupidity, just like stepping on a landmine. "Trucks 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8... slow down to avoid taking any bolts from their Cannons."
Rock was quickly swinging herself out of the truck cab and stood by Jonah's side in little under four seconds, watching as Truck's 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 all slowed down to avoid the incoming torrent of red and blue bolts that would be directed at the still celebrating mercenaries that failed to notice the widening gap between the third and fourth trucks for several seconds. When they did notice, they were still completely clueless to their fatal mistake.
"Oi, Truck 4, what gives? Why you lot slowin' down?"
"If any of you manage to survive, we'll tell you." Lehm chuckled darkly, rather than his usual sarcastic dry chuckle as he watched the Linked teens spawning in their matching Gatlin Gun-mode Cannons and started firing at the same time.