REMEMBER ULYSSES
by Lyda Mae (RavenDove) Huff
Chapter Thirteen: Stop the Rocket
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In the command center Ulysses, and Thor worked feverishly trying verify calculations. One by one; the monitors began to blink, and spew out gibberish. Ulysses looked at his screen; the cursor was going across the screen over and over. What was it writing?
I'M LATE, I'M LATE, FOR A VERY IMPORTANT DATE. NO TIME TO SAY HELLO, GOOD- BYE. I'M LATE, I'M LATE, I'M LATE!!!!! I'M LATE, I'M LATE, FOR a VERY IMPORTANT DATE. NO TIME TO SAY HELLO, GOOD-BYE. I'M LATE, I'M LATE, I'M LATE!!!!! I'M LATE, I'M LATE, FOR A VERY IMPORTANT DATE. NO TIME TO SAY
Ulysses stared at the maddening message on the screen. It taunted him; his security was a joke. Persephone would not launch as planed; those meddlers had seen to it. He would not be stopped; they must die then his plan could go on.
Kali-Shiva looked at Ulysses; perplexed by the grin that spread across his face. "What do we do now? Oh! fearless leader." The remark came off a bit more sarcastic then she intended. She didn't have long to regret it though.
Ulysses no longer cared for his second in command's skills. He had enough of her smart mouth. Grabbing the monitor with the message from Jeanette; he hurled it to the floor. It shattered, and imploded with a deafening sound. Then snapping the network cable from the machine; he cornered Kali-Shiva wrapping it around her beautiful neck. She struggled with all her might as the maniac pulled the cable tight. After several minutes she hung there limp. When Ulysses was certain she breathed no more; he let her fall to the floor.
Thor was baffled by what he saw. They did not kill their own; that was code. "What have you done Ulysses? Was she not one of us?" Thor stood looking a Ulysses with apprehension in the dim light.
Ulysses did not care. He was the man that would deify gods. Who was the this worm, this cure to question him? He drew the forty-five pistol he carried openly on his hip. Aimed square at the questioning heart, and fired before Tor knew what had hit him. The squirrelly man hit into a shelf full of monitors, and servers, and various other bits of equipment as he fell back. It all came tumbling, smashing and crashing down; the shocked face of Thor looked up at Ulysses, and the few now dead or dieing computers that remained untouched.
Ulysses knew that Bond would come hear looking for him. He ducked out of the room; formulating a plan as he went. He would be ready for them.
-----
Bond, Ande and Jeanette hurried through the corridors; dispatching various thugs as necessary. By the time they reached the command center; all the computers in the room were blank. In the blackness it was hard too distinguish features. Bond knelt by the limp form on the floor; while Ande made her way to the demolished shelf, and computer equipment.
Bond looked at the form using a small flash-light Q had given him. "This one's dead. It's are old friend The Mistress of Pain." He stood looking in the direction of Ande.
"This one's been shot through the heart, but I don't know him from Adam." She stood looking between Jeanette, and 007. "We best find the storage bay for the rocket. That would be the best place to set the explosives."
Jeanette opened a side door; gesturing Bond through. "The rocket, and satellite are this way." She looked where Ande played her flash-light across the face of the body she'd been examining. "That would be Thor; he designed the cursed think."
Ande didn't need to be told twice; putting away the flash-light she readied her machine-gun. She was agent 015, and there was a mission to finish. Once the base was neutralized she could get 007 back to London, and Pantheon would be no more. Jeanette would be safe with any luck; though minus her twin sister. The loss would be hard to live with for them all; witnessing the death of a fellow human being had an effect on one's soul. Bond had seen much death, and killed many men. He did not kill indiscriminately, but still he was a killer. So was she; before that day she had only witnessed death. Now she had brought death, and she would never be the same again. She had never before intentionally killed; she had no regrets, but her life had changed. She thought back the few days since being sent after 007; it had been plane to her then that this would change her life.
They came to the end of the passage, and carefully climbed down a short, metal, scaffold type, staircase. There in a large room lit only by the headlights of an idling vehicle were stacks of crates, but no sign of life. The vehicle was a type of truck, modified to carry a missile, and act as a launch tower. The satellite delivery rocket was held on it's bed.
Bond inched forward carefully; looking with each step at the shadows. As they passed a large crate; no one saw the hand reach out; until it was to late. Hobear stepped out from the shadows; his arm around Jeanette, and his gun pointing beneath her chin. Both 007, and 015 had guns leveled at him, but he stood in such a way that neither had a clear shot. Jeanette dropped Ande's Walther TPH to the floor.
The man they called Ulysses laughed. "So this is what it has come too. Two spies and a traitor, against me. At the moment I have the initiative, so put down your guns, or Jeanette will have to leave."
Ande looked at this smug man in front of her. "If you kill her you have no shield."
Bond spoke next remembering a similar scene. "If you shot either of us; then the other gets a clear shot. You can't get a good shot at either of us from there, and when you shift that will leave you open"
Hobear screamed his demand again. "I said put down your guns."
Ande was trying to think, they had too stall. "Why would we want to do that? If you kill her then we both have a clear shot, and you can't shoot both of us before one of us can shoot you."
"Make up your mind Ulysses; how do you want to die?" Bond spoke in unmistakable terms. There was no way for Ulysses to escape him; Bond would not let him live. If he died to ensure that Persephone would never come to be; then so be it.
Hobear the man that would deify gods; this self proclaimed Ulysses who would rule the world, saw his dream fall from his grasp. He threw Jeanette aside; taking aim at Bond. He did not have a chance to fire; as soon as Jeanette was out of the way Bond, and Ande let fly with a rain of lead. Hobear stood a look of puzzled defeat on his face; he slumped to the ground as the volley of death ceased. He tried to fire at his chosen target, but by that point his aim was gone. The single bullet for his 45 hit Jeanette near the heart.
Both agents converged on their friend. Ande felt for a pulse; it was very weak. Jeanette tried to sit up, but couldn't. a faint whisper came out at her last breath, "Stop the rest...".
With that the last bit of life left her. Bond closed the piercing dark eyes. Ande helped to lay her in a dignified position. Then retrieving her gun from where Jeanette had dropped it; she turned to Bond. "Now only one thing remains; let's get this over with."
He walked toward the rocket; pulling off his pack. As he knelt beside the back end of the truck setting up the explosives; he looked up at Ande. "For Jeanette, and Annika."
Ande looked at him solemnly; removing her own pack for the detonators. "For Annika, and Jeanette. May they rest in peace; knowing the evil that hurt them will claim no more victims."
Bond looked up at her again. "Now is not the time to be profound 015." He looked back to his work setting the charges where they would do the most damage. "Though I admit it was a worthy sentiment."
"There is never a time to be profound; until the profound has passed." She knelt beside him handing him the detonators, and deadman switch. "Five minutes should be enough time for us to get to one of the helicopters; that's far enough form the blast to be safe. You do know how to rig that so if anyone tampers with it once it's set it detonates immediately?"
Bond didn't even look up to answer. "Of coarse; that's basic knowledge."
Ande stood watching the entrances. "Just checking; 'better safe than sorry' as they say.
Bond had the job finished in short order. Taking only their guns, and the first-aid kit they fled through the small door at the side. The bay or garage style doors frozen shut when Bond had sabotaged the generator. Running across the open ground between the building and the air field they met no resistance; most of the Pantheon members, and thugs having fled once they realized there would be no launching tonight, or ever.
They came to the helicopters; only to find the women called Athena, and Freya readying their escape. Deducing that the helicopter they were readying would be fueled Bond had an idea.
They sat; waiting for the explosion. Only a moment later the Earth shook as Prosepheney was made no more. The complex became an inferno; engulfing and consuming the evil that created it.
Ande stood, and strolled from behind the crate. Feigning nonchalance she struck a pose ready to dispatch the women thugs where they stood. "Hay! You two; over here." They turned almost in unison toward her.
Seeing her they began to charge in a fit of pure anger. Not looking at anything, but their target neither one saw Bond's outstretched leg. Athena tripped crashing hard to the cement. Freya; distracted by her comrade's fall never saw the butt of Ande's gun. It hit the back of her neck, and she too crumpled to the ground. Bond did Athena the same favor, and they made strait for the helicopter.
Bond checked too see all was in order. "That worked rather nicely. You have guts Ande; in this line of work you'll need them."
As Bond began powering up the engines, Ande began to climb in. The figure that was fast approaching went undetected. The figure raised a knife; already wet with blood. He plunged the knife deep into Ande's lower back. She cried out in pain. Bond turned to see Anancie pull the blade from her body. In an instant he had his Walther PPK drawn, and fired. Hitting the goon between the eyes. Anancie fell to the ground; there was no doubt that this time he was dead.
Ande gasped in pain; it felt like the wound was on fire. Bond pulled her into the helicopter. After rummaging through the first-aid kit for what he needed; Bond cut the vest and shirt away to expose her wound. Then tied a heavy compress tightly against the deep hole. By now she was unconscious; Bond lifted her into the co-pilots seat, and strapped her in.
All preparations made; he took off across the English channel. Bond could only hope that 015 survived till they reached London. He had hoped for a chance to know her better; after what they had been through it seemed unfair not to. Hopes, and dreams aside; he had a mission to finish.
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Chapter Thirteen: Stop the Rocket
-----
In the command center Ulysses, and Thor worked feverishly trying verify calculations. One by one; the monitors began to blink, and spew out gibberish. Ulysses looked at his screen; the cursor was going across the screen over and over. What was it writing?
I'M LATE, I'M LATE, FOR A VERY IMPORTANT DATE. NO TIME TO SAY HELLO, GOOD- BYE. I'M LATE, I'M LATE, I'M LATE!!!!! I'M LATE, I'M LATE, FOR a VERY IMPORTANT DATE. NO TIME TO SAY HELLO, GOOD-BYE. I'M LATE, I'M LATE, I'M LATE!!!!! I'M LATE, I'M LATE, FOR A VERY IMPORTANT DATE. NO TIME TO SAY
Ulysses stared at the maddening message on the screen. It taunted him; his security was a joke. Persephone would not launch as planed; those meddlers had seen to it. He would not be stopped; they must die then his plan could go on.
Kali-Shiva looked at Ulysses; perplexed by the grin that spread across his face. "What do we do now? Oh! fearless leader." The remark came off a bit more sarcastic then she intended. She didn't have long to regret it though.
Ulysses no longer cared for his second in command's skills. He had enough of her smart mouth. Grabbing the monitor with the message from Jeanette; he hurled it to the floor. It shattered, and imploded with a deafening sound. Then snapping the network cable from the machine; he cornered Kali-Shiva wrapping it around her beautiful neck. She struggled with all her might as the maniac pulled the cable tight. After several minutes she hung there limp. When Ulysses was certain she breathed no more; he let her fall to the floor.
Thor was baffled by what he saw. They did not kill their own; that was code. "What have you done Ulysses? Was she not one of us?" Thor stood looking a Ulysses with apprehension in the dim light.
Ulysses did not care. He was the man that would deify gods. Who was the this worm, this cure to question him? He drew the forty-five pistol he carried openly on his hip. Aimed square at the questioning heart, and fired before Tor knew what had hit him. The squirrelly man hit into a shelf full of monitors, and servers, and various other bits of equipment as he fell back. It all came tumbling, smashing and crashing down; the shocked face of Thor looked up at Ulysses, and the few now dead or dieing computers that remained untouched.
Ulysses knew that Bond would come hear looking for him. He ducked out of the room; formulating a plan as he went. He would be ready for them.
-----
Bond, Ande and Jeanette hurried through the corridors; dispatching various thugs as necessary. By the time they reached the command center; all the computers in the room were blank. In the blackness it was hard too distinguish features. Bond knelt by the limp form on the floor; while Ande made her way to the demolished shelf, and computer equipment.
Bond looked at the form using a small flash-light Q had given him. "This one's dead. It's are old friend The Mistress of Pain." He stood looking in the direction of Ande.
"This one's been shot through the heart, but I don't know him from Adam." She stood looking between Jeanette, and 007. "We best find the storage bay for the rocket. That would be the best place to set the explosives."
Jeanette opened a side door; gesturing Bond through. "The rocket, and satellite are this way." She looked where Ande played her flash-light across the face of the body she'd been examining. "That would be Thor; he designed the cursed think."
Ande didn't need to be told twice; putting away the flash-light she readied her machine-gun. She was agent 015, and there was a mission to finish. Once the base was neutralized she could get 007 back to London, and Pantheon would be no more. Jeanette would be safe with any luck; though minus her twin sister. The loss would be hard to live with for them all; witnessing the death of a fellow human being had an effect on one's soul. Bond had seen much death, and killed many men. He did not kill indiscriminately, but still he was a killer. So was she; before that day she had only witnessed death. Now she had brought death, and she would never be the same again. She had never before intentionally killed; she had no regrets, but her life had changed. She thought back the few days since being sent after 007; it had been plane to her then that this would change her life.
They came to the end of the passage, and carefully climbed down a short, metal, scaffold type, staircase. There in a large room lit only by the headlights of an idling vehicle were stacks of crates, but no sign of life. The vehicle was a type of truck, modified to carry a missile, and act as a launch tower. The satellite delivery rocket was held on it's bed.
Bond inched forward carefully; looking with each step at the shadows. As they passed a large crate; no one saw the hand reach out; until it was to late. Hobear stepped out from the shadows; his arm around Jeanette, and his gun pointing beneath her chin. Both 007, and 015 had guns leveled at him, but he stood in such a way that neither had a clear shot. Jeanette dropped Ande's Walther TPH to the floor.
The man they called Ulysses laughed. "So this is what it has come too. Two spies and a traitor, against me. At the moment I have the initiative, so put down your guns, or Jeanette will have to leave."
Ande looked at this smug man in front of her. "If you kill her you have no shield."
Bond spoke next remembering a similar scene. "If you shot either of us; then the other gets a clear shot. You can't get a good shot at either of us from there, and when you shift that will leave you open"
Hobear screamed his demand again. "I said put down your guns."
Ande was trying to think, they had too stall. "Why would we want to do that? If you kill her then we both have a clear shot, and you can't shoot both of us before one of us can shoot you."
"Make up your mind Ulysses; how do you want to die?" Bond spoke in unmistakable terms. There was no way for Ulysses to escape him; Bond would not let him live. If he died to ensure that Persephone would never come to be; then so be it.
Hobear the man that would deify gods; this self proclaimed Ulysses who would rule the world, saw his dream fall from his grasp. He threw Jeanette aside; taking aim at Bond. He did not have a chance to fire; as soon as Jeanette was out of the way Bond, and Ande let fly with a rain of lead. Hobear stood a look of puzzled defeat on his face; he slumped to the ground as the volley of death ceased. He tried to fire at his chosen target, but by that point his aim was gone. The single bullet for his 45 hit Jeanette near the heart.
Both agents converged on their friend. Ande felt for a pulse; it was very weak. Jeanette tried to sit up, but couldn't. a faint whisper came out at her last breath, "Stop the rest...".
With that the last bit of life left her. Bond closed the piercing dark eyes. Ande helped to lay her in a dignified position. Then retrieving her gun from where Jeanette had dropped it; she turned to Bond. "Now only one thing remains; let's get this over with."
He walked toward the rocket; pulling off his pack. As he knelt beside the back end of the truck setting up the explosives; he looked up at Ande. "For Jeanette, and Annika."
Ande looked at him solemnly; removing her own pack for the detonators. "For Annika, and Jeanette. May they rest in peace; knowing the evil that hurt them will claim no more victims."
Bond looked up at her again. "Now is not the time to be profound 015." He looked back to his work setting the charges where they would do the most damage. "Though I admit it was a worthy sentiment."
"There is never a time to be profound; until the profound has passed." She knelt beside him handing him the detonators, and deadman switch. "Five minutes should be enough time for us to get to one of the helicopters; that's far enough form the blast to be safe. You do know how to rig that so if anyone tampers with it once it's set it detonates immediately?"
Bond didn't even look up to answer. "Of coarse; that's basic knowledge."
Ande stood watching the entrances. "Just checking; 'better safe than sorry' as they say.
Bond had the job finished in short order. Taking only their guns, and the first-aid kit they fled through the small door at the side. The bay or garage style doors frozen shut when Bond had sabotaged the generator. Running across the open ground between the building and the air field they met no resistance; most of the Pantheon members, and thugs having fled once they realized there would be no launching tonight, or ever.
They came to the helicopters; only to find the women called Athena, and Freya readying their escape. Deducing that the helicopter they were readying would be fueled Bond had an idea.
They sat; waiting for the explosion. Only a moment later the Earth shook as Prosepheney was made no more. The complex became an inferno; engulfing and consuming the evil that created it.
Ande stood, and strolled from behind the crate. Feigning nonchalance she struck a pose ready to dispatch the women thugs where they stood. "Hay! You two; over here." They turned almost in unison toward her.
Seeing her they began to charge in a fit of pure anger. Not looking at anything, but their target neither one saw Bond's outstretched leg. Athena tripped crashing hard to the cement. Freya; distracted by her comrade's fall never saw the butt of Ande's gun. It hit the back of her neck, and she too crumpled to the ground. Bond did Athena the same favor, and they made strait for the helicopter.
Bond checked too see all was in order. "That worked rather nicely. You have guts Ande; in this line of work you'll need them."
As Bond began powering up the engines, Ande began to climb in. The figure that was fast approaching went undetected. The figure raised a knife; already wet with blood. He plunged the knife deep into Ande's lower back. She cried out in pain. Bond turned to see Anancie pull the blade from her body. In an instant he had his Walther PPK drawn, and fired. Hitting the goon between the eyes. Anancie fell to the ground; there was no doubt that this time he was dead.
Ande gasped in pain; it felt like the wound was on fire. Bond pulled her into the helicopter. After rummaging through the first-aid kit for what he needed; Bond cut the vest and shirt away to expose her wound. Then tied a heavy compress tightly against the deep hole. By now she was unconscious; Bond lifted her into the co-pilots seat, and strapped her in.
All preparations made; he took off across the English channel. Bond could only hope that 015 survived till they reached London. He had hoped for a chance to know her better; after what they had been through it seemed unfair not to. Hopes, and dreams aside; he had a mission to finish.
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