CHAPTER FOUR: Meeting The Boys

London, England

"Man, are we ever gonna get assignments someplace tropical? I'm seeing white, sandy beaches and women in bikinis", came the all to familiar complaint. Smiling, Alex turned to see Malcolm Smythe coming towards her.

Considering they were currently standing in an always present, fine London mist, she was starting to agree with him. "Malcolm, you're Australian, how much more tropical can you get", she said with a laugh. And for the record, you're gonna have to come up with something else to complain about. You say that every time we have a new mission. Besides, vampires don't do daylight, remember. I think a tropical location would be the last place for them to congregate."

The Australian was tall, about 6'2" and tanned from his recent vacation in his home country. He had obviously been doing some surfing and fishing. Alex had to admit he was attractive, if you were into the California Surfer thing (which she wasn't). His hair was bleached almost white by the sun and hung to his shoulders. His pale blue eyes looked like they'd been washed out by the sun and had those crinkles at the corners from where he constantly squinted against the bright glare of the sun's rays. His nose was long and straight, except for the bump at the bridge where it had been broken one too many times.

He was the first person she had called; well, after she spoke with Thomas to verify Sir William Grey's identity and his story. Malcolm may be laid back, but there was no one else she would rather have at her side. They had worked on more missions than she could remember. They worked well together. In fact, if she had to put together a team, Malcolm was always on it. They seemed to know what the other was thinking and what they needed each other to do. He had saved her life on numerous occasions, as she had his.

Malcolm had made his way to her side and dropped his bag at her feet. "You gonna bring this in for me boss lady", he asked jokingly, knowing her response would be to tell him what he could do with that bag. Never one to disappoint, Alex retorted, "You can carry your own damn bag!" They were laughing when the third member of their team pulled up.

The car door opened to reveal a red headed Irishman by the name of Daniel O'Reilly. "How come I always miss out on all the fun", he asked with a grin. Daniel was an excellent addition to the group. He had a natural easy going personality, and it took a lot to make this man loose his cool. But underneath that joking exterior was a keen intelligence and nerves of steel. He was a communications expert and one helluva shot. The man had the eyesight of a hawk. He was the sniper whenever one was needed. And on all the missions they'd been on together, Alex could never remember Daniel missing a target.

"Hey Irish, how's it going", Malcolm called out, using the nickname they all called Daniel.

"Everything was fine and dandy till I got the call from this crazy lady"; he said jerking his thumb in Alex's direction. She just stood there with a huge grin on her face. Daniel retuned the smile and kept on with his good natured complaining, "I hadn't even been in bed for an hour when I got a ring from her telling me to get my ass up and into London, ASAP."

"Are you finished yet", Alex asked sweetly.

"No, I still have plenty of bitchin left in me; but, I know it's not gonna do me any good", he said, with a twinkle in his bright green eyes.

"Ya know she's a slave driver Irish, you may as well give it up", Malcolm said getting in a jab at her expense.

But both men stopped dead in their tracks when they glanced over at their team leader and saw she'd taken out a 9 mm Glock, and had taken the safety off. She stood there with her legs slightly apart and her arms in front of her body. Her left hand was loosely holding her right elbow and the gun in her right hand was pointed towards the ground at a slight angle. She looked at them with a smile on her face,

"The complaint department is now officially opened. You can file your grievances, right here", she said. The men looked at each other and started backing up with their hands held in front of them, "No way", said Daniel jokingly, "I'll take my chances with the creatures of the night."

Putting the safety back on, Alex took out the clip and showed them it was empty. "Don't worry boys, I wouldn't waste good ammunition on your lazy butts", she informed them. Besides, we're due inside for a briefing as soon as everyone arrives", she told them. So, gather up your stuff and let's go." Malcolm retrieved his bag and followed Alex and Daniel into the compound.

This area was set up for briefings and mobilizing troops. It was a large open room with a rectangular table towards the back and a screen for visual slides. But it was the table to the left of the room that drew Alex's attention. Not only was there fresh coffee brewing, but the two remaining members of their team were already present and availing themselves to the warm beverage.

Alex glanced over at the two men and immediately felt at home. Unlike the two team members she had met up with outside, these guys were fellow Americans. The shorter of the two men raised his hand in greeting while the taller one nodded his head once in their general direction. Both men were good and dependable in the field; she was pleased they were available.

She sat her bag down on the floor and walked over to greet them and grab some much needed caffeine. She knew this team was strong, and they had all worked well together in the past. This was her dream team so to speak; and, the two men before her added so much to the team as a whole. One was a short Hispanic male, Jorge Garcia, and the other was Sterling Jackson, a huge African American. Both men were at the top of their fields in their area of expertise.

Jorge was the mole and explosives expert for the group. At 25 he was the youngest member of the team, as well as the newest. He was about 5'6", thin (maybe weighing 120 lbs. soaking wet), and quiet. But the man could get into the smallest places imaginable and stay underground for hours, no problem. You could always count on him to find an alternative entrance or exit when the conventional way became unavailable.

And Sterling, the man was huge. He stood 6'5" and weighed in at about 250 lbs. His hobbies were weightlifting and more weightlifting. His skin was dark as night and he wore his long hair in corn rolls pulled into a low ponytail at the back of his neck. For lack of a better term, he was literally her muscle. When brute strength was needed Sterling was her man. You add to that, his brilliant strategies, attention to detail, oh, and a master swordsman as well, it made him indispensable. He was a man of few words, but when he spoke, people listened and he was respected.

Everyone she had contacted was better than good with both guns and knives, and followed her orders without hesitation. They would give their lives for her and she would do the same for them. And just as important to Alex, was that in all actuality, these men respected her talents and authority. The fact that she was a woman didn't bother them at all. Because as good as every single one of these men were, they would readily admit she was better.

They were all well known for their individual talents, but Alex could and would do it all. She never asked her men to do a task that she herself wasn't willing to perform. She knew no fear. She seemed to have a seventh sense, which told her what to expect in dangerous situations; and, she had learned long ago to listen to her gut instinct. It had never failed her. She was a master sharpshooter, could rig explosives, and was lethal with either a knife or a sword. She had mastered most forms of martial arts and was even willing to go a couple of rounds in the ring with anyone wanting to spar.

It wasn't that she thought she was invincible, quite the opposite actually. She new there was always someone out there bigger and stronger than she was. The trick was to be prepared for any situation and to know when to push on or when to wait for a better opportunity to come along. To look at her, she knew no one would ever expect to find the level of control, cunning, strength, and lethal practicality that lay just below the surface.

She stood 5'3" and weighed in at 122 lbs., which was mostly muscle, though she did have some very obvious curves. She had long, straight red-gold hair that hung to her waist; which she kept braided, ala Laura Croft, when she was working. She had a heart shaped face with almond shaped, amethyst colored eyes, a full mouth and a small pug nose. Then you add in a voice, that much to her chagrin her fellow operatives often referred to as her phone sex voice, she definitely didn't look, or sound, like your normal agent or soldier. She had to overcome her looks and prove to everyone around her that she was more than capable of taking care of business. Which she did. She never gave her physical attributes a second thought. She only wore makeup for special occasions (which here lately, never seemed to occur) and never did anything more than wash and brush her hair. But after many years as an operative, she found that her looks did serve one purpose: people always underestimated her. They thought she was nothing more than a pretty face. So when this curvaceous, attractive woman pulled a gun and shot the bad guys point blank, they never expected it.

Feeling good about her team, Alex walked over to the coffee maker and grabbed a white Styrofoam cup, hoping to grab a quick boost of energy before they headed out. "Well gentlemen", she said addressing her fellow countrymen, "I'm happy to see you made it."

Jorge looked up with a flush tainting his brown skin, "Yes ma'am, Agent Douglas. Agent Jackson and I came in together." Sterling flashed a smile, the white gleam of his teeth glowing bright against his dark skin. "Jorge, and I met up in Washington and caught a ride with some Marines".

"Good are we ready then?", she asked turning to the others in the group. She was answered by a chorus of "yeahs".

They all grabbed their coffee and congregated around the table. There they listened while Sir William Grey, outlined the information he had given to Alex over the phone. When he finished, he asked if there were any questions, when no one responded Alex stood and addressed her team.

"Okay men, first and foremost we need to find how the Lycans managed to avail themselves of what appears to be our ultraviolet ammunition. It is the councils' understanding that we are the only group that currently uses this type of weaponry.

Secondly, we need to ascertain why the Lycans are after Michael Corvin. What is so special about this one particular human? Willie here has thoughtfully provided each of us with a dossier about the man", she said with a nod in Sir Williams' direction. Receiving snorts of laughter from her men, she continued, "And while he does appear to be in good health and intelligent, I don't see anything else that is of great importance.

Finally, what are the lycans doing that they want kept under wraps. Realistically there is no love lost between the vamps and wolves, but the lycans started a riot in a Budapest subway in order to keep the vampires unaware of their interest in regards to this Michael Corvin. This is not only highly unusual but, most troublesome", she said finishing their objectives.

Glancing around at her team, she felt confident in their abilities but her gut was telling her something was up and she was no longer sure of the outcome of this mission. Trying to shake off the bad feeling, she began issuing orders.

"Grab your gear, but bring only what's necessary. Plenty of ammunition, both ultraviolet and silver nitrate, Jorge make sure you pack extra silver nitrate minis. If we should run into a large group of lycans, those little bombs will come in real handy. Night vision gear is a must. Remember, we will be on their turf working in their favorite conditions. Bring only the knives and swords made of silver. No, the silver doesn't bother the vamps like it does the lycans, but it will injure them just as badly as a steel sword and there's no sense in bringing more than is absolutely necessary. "Does anyone have anything else to contribute?" When everyone shook their heads no, she said, "Then let's get over to Budapest and check in with the local bad guys." Everyone retrieved their gear and weapons; and, then headed out to the air pad and the waiting chopper transport.