Columbia
The neighborhood embracing Manuela's safe house is a gated community by the definition of an Israeli settler, with timeless crash fences encircling each estate, and with a single gate linking a "quadrant-"every four estates, to a single parking lot. Serving the lone gate were two security guards from a major Pan American firm. Cameras turreted on every corner, and a patrol bike regularly loitered by at every quarter of every hour. The guards were armed with the Alliance surplus infantry or MP gear Oz soldiers freely auctioned off after Operation Daybreak, and their duties consisted of little more than pressing a button to open the gate. Zechs discovered from the "confidential" website that the next shift swept the lawns and parking lot at the end of every hour, and a personal bodyguards come as a separate service.
Zechs and Noin drove by once, taking stock of the front gate.
"This one's wrought iron, as usual. The walls are concrete, probably steel-reinforced, with a stucco façade. The cameras are nothing special, and we're a few minutes into a new hour. What a foolish website they setup. I just had to setup a mailbox and wait for a codeword before I could access the "secure" site. A shame that," Zechs bragged, un-holstering his Oz- issued pistol, this one originally designed by Heckler and Koch (Chief Engineer Igor Tuberov confiscated H and K during the war), the gun holds fifteen rounds and is generally thought of as an M9 Baretta pompously embellished for the European aristocracy.
Noin followed his lead as she one-handedly made a left turn. One more point should be made about the security arrangement- the four houses share an outdoor pool- also mentioned on the "secure" website.
Zech's
re-holstered his gun at the small of his back, Noin imitated the
maneuver, and they disrobed their upper layers of clothing down to
swim ware.
Noin stole a look at the Count.
"Here
we are barely in our twenties, with ideal beach bodies, and we're
lucky to ever find a beach."
Zechs returned a glance.
"So let's take a visit to Havana once we bring this guy in. I'll make weekend reservations, and you can hold me to it," he replied, hopefully not revealing he'd been planning it for eons.
Apparently not, for his consideration earned a light peck across the mouth, but not really a proper kiss. Darn.
They have the jeep parked at a playground parallel to the estates, so they uncomfortably stroll across the street in swimsuits under an LED streetlight, jaywalking, and the security bike is scheduled to prowl in a few minutes.
Across, Zechs hoists Noin atop the two-meter fence, and clutches to Noin's hand and swells over the wall. From there, it's a run across the length of one home to the pool.
"Please have water, please have water, jackpot!" They both expressed relief at the reflection of light from the pool surface, taking the time to partly immerse in the Op point.
"Manuela
should be in the house to the front right, the furthest away,
naturally," said Zechs sardonically, "we'll want to take the
side door and hope we can take it down swiftly."
Noin agreed,
distantly, taking a lap across the surface of their side of the pool
as the retiring security shift made their retiring rounds, something
the Preventers took into account.
"How are y'all doing tonight?" They asked before clearing out.
"Fine, guys, this is a good night," said Zechs.
"Yeah, super," Noin replied gregariously.
"Glad too hear it. Have fun," they departed. They counted to sixty, then climbed from the pool.
"That's my experience with security guards; they're toadies with guns." Noin giggled, and retrieved her gun.
"Zechs." They got to business, keeping their guns directed down, and galloped to the door.
It gave under the Colonel's charge, and the couple jumped on the panicked response.
"Surrender immediately!" The side door opens into a kitchen (no occupants) into a dining room (empty) to some swinging doors, into the living room (occupied).
In that living room sat a fat console displaying an interrupted video game. The Preventers followed the controller cable to a Lazy Boy recliner, where they jointly expected a muzzle flash. Diving, they avoided just that.
Noin hit a couch positioned to the left, and returned fire. Zechs hit the carpet, but also retaliated.
As Noin retrained her aim, her partner advanced his hand over the chair arm, firmly gripping the shooter. The gun discharged again, Noin's bullet grazed the chair's left arm, Zechs quickly defused the battle.
"Got him. Noin, cover the entrance." On queue, she double-tapped a jarring hinge of the door. Zechs hurled his cuffed captive head first into the dining room floor, and hugged the wall as he flanked the door, aiming for a golden shot at a guard's temple. A head bobbed in; sorry friend. That guy doubled over, and Zechs followed by hooking his left arm around the entrance and triggering some blind one- handed shots, giving Noin an opening for a carefully aimed coup de grace.
"Get
Manuela!" Zechs pursued by taking a shortcut outside to the parking
lot, in effect also cutting off a route to the gate, while Noin more
directly pursued inside the house.
The result was a spectacular
shoulder-tackle.
"Guess what, buddy? You're under arrest on the authority of the Preventers!" The trio scrambled down the extraction route, past the pool and over the back left cover wall.
Together, the Preventers aggressively lobbed Heorot clear over the fence, leaving him now burned and bruised on consecutive days.
They followed, retrieved him, and escorted the prisoner into the jeep. A successful arrest.
