Chapter 6 Trips
Sunlight filtered through the leaves and a soft breeze brushed her check. Noin stole a glance at her husband out of the corner of her eye and found his complete focus on the ridge in front of them, the apparent site of Silver's information cache. With an internal sigh she returned her own attention to the trees in front of them.
They'd left Silver's cabin two days ago. To his credit, Zechs actually waited until after breakfast before diving into the computer system, the Devil hot on his heels. The two men had poured through every file Zechs had access to.
This Black Rose operation showed every aspect of being exactly what Silver described: a few fanatics with delusions of grandeur originally. Then someone had stepped in, someone with military knowledge and tactical savvy. The terrorist organization had taken over an abandoned, and forgotten, local military installation only some two miles away from the cache site. And Silver had been as good as her word, the files held a mind boggling amount of information – the most prevalent being the money trace. The shoestring the originals used seemed to have evolved into a very substantial looking stream of money. But, even with the sheer amount of raw data gleaned from the 'net, no hard facts on the upper leadership or the guiding mission of the group existed ("other than the usual mayhem and destruction," Zechs snorted derisively).
So Silver had decided to insinuate herself into the organization, leaving Winter and her message behind for Zechs.
While Zechs and the Devil combed through the maps and figured the location of Silver's cache and the Black Rose base, Noin had sent a message of her own to Preventers' headquarters, for Une's direct attention. That a terrorist organization had formed on Earth, under the Preventers very nose, troubled her. And, if she couldn't turn this information over in person, the next best was a copy left at a drop site known only to her and the General.
They'd left the next morning.
Noin snickered and Zechs flicked a glance in her direction. "What?" he asked quietly.
"Oh, nothing." She smoothed out her expression.
"You're thinking about that damn wolf again, aren't you?"
"Don't ask questions you don't want answers to."
He grumbled and turned back to his surveillance. Noin allowed the grin to spread. Really, it had been too funny. Zechs was just annoyed he figured so prominently in the scene.
The morning after rummaging through Silver's information, they'd risen early.
Noin turned from loading their few bags, plus the extras liberated from the cabin and computer room into the back of the SUV. Zechs stood at the foot of the stairs, eyes locked on the door he'd just secured behind him. A beautiful morning surrounded them; skies clear, birds twittered in the wood, a slight breeze waffed by with the clean scents of evergreen, sunlight and the wild meadow.
And the tension radiated off her husband in tangible waves.
Noin sighed. Their first night here they'd both fallen into an exhausted sleep soon after the discussion. But last night, last night Zechs and the Devil had pushed themselves until the wee hours of the morning. When she finally herded them upstairs, Zechs had paced until she'd pulled him down onto the bed. The she uttered the fateful words.
"Tell me about her."
The slight rock of the SUV under her hand pulled her attention away. A pair of yellow eyes stared calmly at her through the back window.
"Um, Wind?"
A noncommittal "Hmmmm?" drifted back.
"No, really, Wind."
Devil looked up from lashing his pack onto his bike.
"I though you said the wolf would stay behind."
"And?"
"Anyone tell him that?"
A muffled snicker came from behind her.
Zechs turned slowly.
Winter gazed steadily back at him through the open side door.
The man broke the contact first, eyes closing. "Winter, you can't come."
The wolf settled to lay lengthwise along the back seat. Noin could still see the top of his head. And the decided "Oh yeah?" twitch to his ears.
Noin stifled her own giggle.
"Winter, we don't truly know what we're headed into. Not to mention the travel time…." He trailed off as Winter's head disappeared behind the seat back. Zechs turned a helpless gaze on her.
A snort that sounded suspiciously like a guffaw escaped her.
He narrowed his eyes. "You're not helping."
"Sorry," she answered cheerfully.
And, since Zechs apparently didn't have nearly the clout Silver did and moving 80-odd pounds of unwilling wolf was unfeasible, it brought them to this point, scanning a patch of trees somewhere in Eastern Europe, waiting for Winter's all clear sign.
Barely disturbing the undergrowth, a grey shape emerged and gave two sharp yips before disappearing back into the forest cover.
"Let's go."
The door to the interrogation room slid open and Adam Tresky forced his jaw to unclench. The scene before him had been nauseating on the video screen, but in person … He strode forward, eyes as cold as his moniker.
"Enough Sulkoff."
"Ah, Tresky. Come to participate after all?" The other man stepped back from the woman strapped to the chair, a neat row of empty syringes laid on the wheeled prep table at his side.
Adam brushed past the officer and crouched before Angel again, and only long practice kept his face expressionless as his heart rate jumped.
Her eyes stared straight ahead, locked on something only she could see. A mix of fury, terror and helplessness swirled in them. Idly Cold wondered what the sadist at his back had given her, then dismissed the thought as unproductive. Only Sulkoff knew the counter to this cocktail, if one even existed. Adam suspected time was the only remedy. While many of the drugs available to those in their profession could kill or reduce a victim to a complete vegetative state, he highly doubted Sulkoff would take that step. To do so would reduce the reaction he would receive at future "sessions." And as much as he hated to admit it, the Silver Angel had plenty left to give.
"Angel?"
The muscles in her arms spasmed, even as her hands hung lax. The eyes never flickered, never blinked.
"Cyn?" That earned him a small glance, with no recognition. The cocktail had effectively trapped her in her own head. Earlier she had responded some to outside stimulus; that was when Sulkoff had conjured whatever world she was currently trapped in. The screams had been what first pushed him to hack into the security camera system. The man had never touched her, except to inject more drugs into her system. But, he whispered to her the entire time, bent low over her head, painting God-knows what pictures with his words. Adam shuddered to imagine the images Cynthia must have dragged from the depths of her mind. Theirs wasn't a pretty line of work.
He straightened and turned to the man behind him. "She's almost non-responsive. Are you through?"
Sulkoff shrugged, and motioned to the two guards who'd entered with Tresky forward. The men removed the restraints and hauled the woman upright with a decided lack of attention to her injuries.
Cold Strike saw the flicker in her eyes a split second before she moved.
Lashing out with her foot, Angel buckled the knee of the man on her right sideways, a direction no knee was meant to bend. Snake quick she slammed an elbow into the face of the man on her left, followed by a hard right punch to the sternum. Snapping the same fist upwards, she connected solidly with his jaw, and dropped him like a stone.
In a separate, analytical part of his mind, Cold admired her moves for the economy of movement and the energy given her current state. Actually, the drugs were probably feeding her adrenaline levels, giving her resources she wouldn't have had if Sulkoff hadn't been toying with her for the past two hours. Then even that small part turned itself over to defense.
Angel turned with a heel hook kicked aimed at his side, designed to drive out his air, and allow her to get inside his defenses. Inside was good for her, bad for him. He blocked that one, then the round house kicked that followed it. They exchanged a flurry of blows, his more defensive than hers, hampered as he was by the desire not to hurt her. Too bad Angel's not playing with the same rules, he thought as he barely deflected half-fist she aimed at his throat. That was a killing blow with enough force behind it.
Suddenly, she stumbled, just a little, her left shoulder dipping. She whirled to face this new attack and Adam saw the dart, just to the left of the large bandage covering her right shoulder blade. Across the room Sulkoff lowered the gun, a small smile playing around his lips.
To her credit, Angel managed two steps before wavering. At the third she collapsed to one knee, breath that hadn't been tax in the fighting a moment before starting to come in gasps. Slowly she seemed to crumble as the sedative took effect on her system.
In the sudden absence of movement, sound filled the air – the whimpering moans of the guard with the shattered knee and Cynthia's labored breathing.
"Satisfied, Tresky?"
"What?" Adam spared the man a quick glare as he moved to check on the fallen woman. Her heartbeat was thready and fast, her breathing shallow. But, she was breathing. Reassured, he turned to the fallen guards.
"None of this would have occurred had you not interfered."
"What?" Adam asked incredulously as he tried to still the writhing man. "Don't move," he murmured. Even his untrained eye could see that the Angel had done a number on that knee.
Sulkoff spread his hands to encompass the three bodies. "This. The Silver Angel has been very … cooperative. Had you not interfered I doubt she would have reacted in such a manner."
"Really?" He turned to the other guard, just starting to come to and coughing as his mind registered the blow to his chest.
"The Angel has understood her position; I made sure she heard the standing orders to the guards to only take a disabling shot, not a killing shot should she decide to run. She has been a model prisoner thus far. She would not have acted so precipitously had she not been moved in her current state."
Adam took the guard's weapon and helped him to sit upright. "A state you put her in." Then he caught himself. Arguing with this ghoul would get him nowhere fast. Instead, he moved to the comm. unit in the room and called for the infirmary. Both guards needed attention. Not to mention Cyn.
"Well then. I'll leave you to this." Boot heels clicked through the open doorway. Adam watched the man go, and briefly rubbed his eyes. God, and to think, I've only been back on base less than 24 hours…
The small, hand-held GPS locator led them easily to the cache. Zechs knelt and began clearing the fallen leaves and deadwood from the base of a huge oak tree. The Devil moved next to him with a utility spade. Between them they unearthed a stainless-steel rectangle in record time. They moved it to leveler ground and sat back in satisfaction.
"So, anybody have the key?" Noin asked dryly.
Devil blinked up at her, then back at the box. It was clearly hinged, meant to be opened, and just as clearly sealed. He began to run his fingers around the edge, looking for clues.
Zechs shook his head, produced a small data slide from his chest pocket and held it up with two fingers.
Noin gave him a small half shrug and inclined her head in return.
He cocked an eyebrow at her.
A small grin tugged at the corner of her lips, along with a slight rolling of her eyes.
Trust her to tweak him if she could.
"Here." Zechs moved to the box and a small indention on the front. Placing the slide flush with the metal produced an audible click. The lid lifted smoothly revealing a computer screen and keyboard. The small machine hummed to life under his hand.
"Looks like a laptop on steroids," the Devil muttered under his breath.
Zechs chose to ignore the comment, although another twitch of Noin's lips told him she'd heard as well. Once past another password request, Zechs was into the meat of the information. A more detailed schematic of the compound, a rough counting of the personnel, armaments –
"Whoa," the Devil breathed. "They've got silos in here."
"And a high probability of the missiles to use with them," Zechs added. This was just getting better and better…
"Now what?" Noin asked.
"What do you mean 'now what'?" The Devil looked at her. "Now we use what data she left to get her out."
She shook her head. "This needs to get back to the Preventers. Information like this can't be jeopardized," she paused, "not for one person."
"Excuse me?" The Devil rose lithely to his feet. "I've finally found Angel and you're telling me we're just walking away? I don't think so lady."
"And I understand that. But, we're still talking about one person here. One. Who has been a prisoner already for who knows how long. She said it herself – no rescue attempts."
"Like hell. I know the Angel. She's still alive. And I'm not leaving her in there."
"How do you know that? Divine inspiration? We can't take that risk."
"I'm not leaving without her." And just that suddenly the Devil shifted from outrage partner to a taunt, cool professional. Oh, on the outside nothing changed – his eyes still blazed daggers at Noin - but something snapped about the man, hard enough to jerk Zechs' head up and kick his adrenaline. He saw Noin shift according, moving to free her gun hand and solidify her stance of the forest floor.
"Wai-"
He never even finished the word.