Night – somewhere just west of Puntas De Valdez, Uruguay
"There's a lot of people down there with guns," Dom warned, looking at the monitor.
"Well, it's a base camp for the Firm," String responded, scanning the area in front of him.
String searched for a clearing sufficient in size to set down Airwolf. He scanned the area as he lowered her into the small clearing. He'd picked up Michael on the scan several minutes ago and knew he would be waiting for them with a jeep when they exited "The Lady".
"Michael, this had better be important," Hawke said, as he neared the gentleman dressed in white.
"I told you it was," Michael said, moving to climb back into the jeep as Hawke and Dom approached.
"Your idea of important and our idea of important aren't always the same," Dom said, climbing into the passenger side of the jeep while Hawke climbed into the back.
"This is important. We're getting ready to extract a very important defector who's been working in a secret Russian lab here in Uruguay on a biochemical compound that if released acts like a flesh eating virus and is airborne," Michael explained.
"Sounds like a mission for one of your extraction teams Michael," String said, watching the trees go by as Archangel drove them back to the base camp.
"I have an extraction team on the ground; led by one of my best agents," Michael said.
"Then why'd you call us?" Dom asked.
"Because my agent is pretty sure someone in our midst is a double agent. Only we have no idea who. But, we've tried twice to extract this individual and both times some part of the plan fell apart. Not, something obvious like an ambush that put the team in jeopardy; but once the intel was wrong and the scientist wasn't where he was supposed to be and once we had a major equipment failure."
"Things go wrong, Michael," String said, but not with a lot of conviction.
"Exactly," Michael said, picking up on String's hesitation. "Sometimes things do go wrong; but twice in one mission under a top notch agent. Those are coincidences that make me nervous," Michael said, looking over his shoulder at Hawke.
"So what are we supposed to do?" Dom asked.
"The team will be told that you guys are going to help us extract the scientist on Friday. We will have team meetings, practice drills, briefing meetings all for a very well-constructed snatch. In reality, the two of you, myself and Storm, my agent, will grab the scientist on Wednesday and get him out of the country. Then, we'll release to the group that we've done the snatch and give a location where we are keeping him until he can be transferred back to the United States. The traitor should try and get him back from us."
Dom turned to look back at String, his eyebrows raising.
"You want us to grab a guy you've failed to get twice with probably a third of the man power?" String asked.
"A quarter," Michael corrected him. "And yes."
"Then make ourselves targets for the traitor to come after," String said, looking at Michael.
"Would you rather have your skin peeling off your face from a biochemical compound that's released by the Russians?" Michael asked.
"When do we meet this agent of yours?" String asked, resigned to the fact he had to do the mission.
"Soon," Michael said, as he turned the jeep to follow the coastline. He turned inland and drove through a clearing in the trees.
"Nice place," Dom said as the camp came into view. He looked around at the quickly built structures that used the face of the mountain as one wall and tent material to create the rest of the structure.
"It's not built to be a long-term compound," Michael said, getting out of the jeep.
Michael walked toward a group of men standing around a fire; rock formations jutted up behind them and out over the water below. The air was thick with the humidity, the temperature still well into the 90's even though the sun had long ago set.
A purple streak of heat lightening lit up the night sky; illuminating a woman standing on the highest rock point. The wind whipping her hair around her. The color dissipated as quickly as it had come and the woman was lost in the dark once again.
"Where's this Storm fella we'll be working with?" Hawke asked.
Michael looked from String to Dom and back to String. "This way," he said, heading past the group of men and toward the end of the rocky structure. A lone man stood holding an assault rifle on the water's edge.
It was just a few moments before the lightening lit the sky again. This time when Hawke looked to where the woman had been standing, he did not see her. It only took a moment to find her again; she was moving quickly along the rocks coming their way. The glock strapped to her hip confirming she was part of the extraction team.
"Michael," the woman reached the edge of the rock formation and paused, she was still six feet above the ground. Michael reached up and she leaned over allowing him to help her down. She slipped her arms around her neck and gave him a quick hug.
"You're looking lovely as ever," Michael said, returning the hug and giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"Well, you keep sending me places where I get to keep up my tan," she laughed.
Michael turned to look at String and Dom. "Abby Mason, Stringfellow Hawke and Dominic Santini, the reinforcements I promised. Gentlemen, meet Storm." Michael looked at String as he said the name.
"No," String said, looking over at Michael.
"She's the one on the mission, Hawke. She's the best agent I've got."
"I'm not working with her," String said, ignoring her and looking at Michael.
"I hate to break the news to you," Abby started, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "But this is my mission and you're not working with me, you're working for me."
'No, I'm leaving," String said, turning around.
"Flesh melting off the bodies of half the U.S. population," Michael said.
String paused but didn't turn around.
"You don't need to worry about me; I can handle my end just fine."
Hawke turned to face her; and made a point of letting his eyes roam slowly up her body. Combat boots fit over tight black pants. He moved his eyes up to where a black tank top clung to her body showing off a small waist and ample bosom. "I doubt it," String said, his tone cold.
"Seriously, this is what you brought me. The man needs to be sent back to a 1950's TV show, where he can have a wife that vacuums in a dress and high heels and he gets to be the king of some suburban castle. He doesn't belong on my mission," Abby said, her hands on her hips and her tone angry as she turned to face Michael.
"Stop it, both of you," Dominic said, his voice firm. "If Michael's right and there's a virus out there that will eat your flesh and is air born; we have to get it. That means the two of you have to work together."
"Dom's right," Michael said.
"Well, I'll be," Dom said, surprise crossing his face.
"Don't start," Michael said, looking at him.
Abby and Hawke stood looking at each other, neither one saying anything.
"What about the traitor? Who do you suspect?" String finally asked, breaking the growing tension.
"Not here," Abby said, looking around. "Come into my tent."
She led the men across the compound to her tent.
She waited until they were inside and had taken a seat at the small makeshift table before she began to speak. "I honestly don't know. My immediate team consists of 4 men, other than myself; we've been together for years. I trust them," the frustration was apparent in Abby's voice. "The rest are not part of my standard team; but they are all high ranking agents."
She shook her head. "But, I can't ignore two failed attempts to extract Dr. Larson. I specialize in figuring out rotational puzzles, when people are being moved between multiple locations with some sort of pattern," Abby explained at Dom's confused look. "Dr. Larson should've absolutely been at that location for the first attempt. I am positive I had their pattern for moving him right. On the second attempt, I had personally checked all of the equipment the night before and then suddenly two of the caravan vehicles won't start. No way," Abby shook her head again.
"Maybe you just screwed up twice," String said, turning in his seat to look at her.
She met his gaze and held it. "I wish I had," she said quietly.
Morning – still somewhere in Uruguay
"Would you like some coffee?" Abby asked, as Dom emerged from the makeshift tent he'd slept in the night before. He stretched his back with a groan.
"Definitely," he said. "I'm getting too old for this stuff."
Abby handed him the mug. "Mr. Hawke left about an hour ago to fly around the area and get some better maps for our first mission briefing."
Dom nodded. He studied her for a few minutes.
"I'm sorry he was so rough on you," Dom said, looking down at the metal coffee mug.
Abby laughed. "I've been in this business a very long time, Mr. Santini. Stringfellow Hawke's chauvinistic attitude doesn't even make a blimp on my radar."
"Call me, Dom. And you're not old enough to be working in this business at all, let alone a long time," Dominic said, looking her over.
Abby smiled at him, but didn't answer.
They both looked up as Airwolf flew overhead. "Looks like String found a different spot for The Lady," Dom said, as he watched Hawke start to lower just over the rock structure from the compound.
"There's a small inlet in those rocks. It should actually be really easy to camouflage her against the rocks of the mountain."
"What's the plan for today?" Dom asked as Airwolf dropped below the rocks and out of their sight.
"We're gonna run a few drills on how this mission will work. That's what the team will expect for today and I don't want to raise any suspicions."
Training area – Uruguay
"Okay, this set up is very similar to what we're going to experience at the location we've chosen to pick up Dr. Larson," Abby said, moving in front of the group of agents. She gestured to the training area that had been set up to depict the outdoor café where the team thought they were going to pick up Dr. Larson.
"Jack, Tom, Tyler and Wylie – you're going to be our Russian protection team," Abby said, pointing out the four members of her regular team.
"Jacob, Matt, Rick and Steve – you guys are going to be the extraction team. You'll grab Dr. Larson and get him to Mr. Hawke and Mr. Santini, I mean, Dom, in Airwolf. They will come in at the last second, and hover right over there," Abby pointed out a distant clearing.
"For the purpose of our exercise Michael is going to portray Dr. Larson," Abby pointed to the direction of what would be a public parking area in the real location.
"Andy, Kaylie and I will be your perimeter security," Abby said. "Everyone locked and loaded?" Abby indicted the paintball guns they would be using for this simulation.
A chorus of ready came from the multiple participants. Dom and String moved toward Airwolf.
Abby waited until all the members were in the place. "On three, 1, 2, 3."
Michael moved toward the makeshift café. Jack and Tom took up positions next to him as his protection. Tyler and Wylie moved out to create protection leading into the area. Jacob and Matt circled to one side of the perimeter while Rick and Steve moved to the other. They did not get to Tyler before he spotted them and the sound of the paint guns being discharged could be heard around the area. Rick dropped to the ground, hit by Tyler's fire. Abby moved out from her hiding position and fired, hitting both Jack and Tom squarely in the chest. They dropped to the ground. Andy and Kaylie moved in helping to eliminate Wylie and protect anyone else from entering the area. Jacob and Matt grabbed Michael and moved him toward Airwolf.
No one was paying any attention to Abby. She switched out the color flag on her outfit and moved toward Airwolf. She fired and hit Jacob and Matt before they could reach the helicopter. String jumped out of Airwolf and fired at Abby. She backed up to a safe location and String put Michael into Airwolf and took off.
They all met back at the campsite. Michael, String and Dom walked up to where Jacob and Matt were arguing loudly with Abby. "But you didn't tell us that you were going to switch sides!"
"We have no idea how many people are going to be protecting Dr. Larson," Abby said. "We are expecting 4, but there could be 6. They may all be near Dr. Larson, or there may be some waiting outside of the area like I was just now. You cannot get so focused on Dr. Larson that you forget to watch the area for the unexpected."
"We know that, Abby," Jacob said, his tone exasperated.
"Then why are you dead?" Abby asked.
"Because that wasn't part of the mission practice," Matt said.
"No practice session can possibly predict all the possible things that happen. You don't work at less than your best because it's practice," Abby argued. "Eat lunch and we'll run it again and we'll keep running it until you get it right."
The agents huffed away.
"What?" Abby said, when she looked at Michael.
"You could've prepared them for an unexpected person."
"The Russians aren't going to send us a telegram tomorrow laying out their plan for moving Dr. Larson out, Michael. They're professionals, they need to be ready – even for practice."
"Hope you don't mind eating alone," Michael said, looking at the group of agents that were getting food. They were talking amongst themselves and while they couldn't hear their words, their tones were angry.
"I'd rather be eating alone than shopping for a black dress," Abby said. "Besides, it won't be the first time."
"Or likely the last," String added sarcastically.
"You should know," Abby retorted, before moving toward her tent.
Sunset – coastal inlet in Uruguay
"You have to give the girl credit for persistence," Dom said, as he dug his fork into a mound of baked beans and leaned back to enjoy the sunset over the water.
"Seven practice drills this afternoon, for a mission they aren't even going to do, it was excessive," String said.
"Do you really think that? It was only in the last two drills that none of the good guys got killed," Dom said, taking another bite.
String looked at him and said nothing. He looked over at the water.
"How old do you think she is?" Dom asked.
"How would I know?"
"She said this morning she's been in this business a long time. I'd guess her to maybe be in her early twenties. Certainly not old enough to be in this business a long time."
"Why don't you ask Michael," Hawke said, not looking away from the sunset, but just then Michael appeared around the edge of the rock formation.
"She's twenty-six," Michael said, moving over to join them. "And she has been in this business a long time."
"How's that possible?" Dom asked.
Michael sat down and looked at them. "Her parents were agents."
"So that doesn't mean she's been in the business a long time. It means her family has been."
"Abby's dad was my first partner. I introduced him to Angela, the woman he eventually married, Abby's mom. They made me Abby's godfather," Michael said, looking over the water.
String turned to look at him.
"Abby was nine when they died," Michael said, his voice quiet. "I was in no position to raise a child; but there wasn't any other family."
"You brought her into the FIRM," String said.
"She stayed in the training bunkers with the female agents that were training. She had a natural ability to learn, anything and everything. We started sending her to classes. She was working in the recovery division searching for stolen goods by the time she was twelve. She worked her way up from there. She's been in the field for over a decade."
"You had her working as an agent when she was just sixteen years old?" Dominic asked, his tone making his feelings on that very clear.
"She was a courier at 13," Michael said, matter of fact.
"How is that even possible?" String asked. "She couldn't even drive herself to the destination."
"In case you haven't noticed, she's a very beautiful woman. She was a beautiful teenager too. She worked as a model and couriered information all over the globe."
"That doesn't make her a good agent," String said.
"No, her continued success under the most difficult of circumstances makes her a great agent," Michael defended her.
Hawke stood up, he turned back to look at Michael, "It doesn't mean she won't end up dead." He walked away, heading down the beach.