Author's Note: First off I owe a big apology to all of you. I didn't mean for the update to be this late. But unfortunately due to the nature the world is in right now, all of us are struggling to deal with this epidemic. Isolation and boredom can cause your interest in things to grow and falter at the same time. But I forced myself to get back to this. And I'm not going to let this story become a dead link.
Like I said, this damn virus is hindering everyone and just halting life. I haven't really been to work in over two weeks now, I haven't sat down in a good restaurant in four weeks, haven't really been to the gym in three weeks, and with all the lock downs we can't even leave base to at least get out and see things. At times I wonder if God just pressed the reset button on the twentieth century sometimes will all the craziness that's happened in the last twenty years alone.
But all we can do is just move forward and pray this madness comes to an end sooner rather than later.
Chapter 59: The Growing Battlefield
June 9th 2011 1000 Hours
DARPA, Arlington, Virginia
Founded by the former commander of the entire Allied Expeditionary Force in World War II and President of the United States, Dwight Eisenhower, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency was the foremost developer for new technological leaps for the US military. Which also kind of meant that they followed a lot of red tape bureaucratic bullshit as any normal federal entity. They were slowly being outperformed by other up and coming private contractors like Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, and Northrop Grumman just to name a few. Not to mention that their budget was nowhere near theirs. But we didn't have much of a choice in who to go to in order to analyze the items I got from Japan. Parts for a doomsday weapon isn't something you just show to someone. So the concept of need to know and secrecy here was one of the few times I agreed in which it really mattered. They were already used to this type of protocol since the Cold War.
That didn't mean though that the researchers and engineers for the computer science department here were incompetent in their work. Truth be told a lot of really bizarre projects were happening here. Hard to believe when the research lab I was in just looked like another office only with a lot more computers. When they heard that we brought them the next step in quantum science they practically started to drool. But I didn't care about what this piece of technology could do, only on how to stop it.
"You know I remember as a boy growing up watching the first 'Superman' movie of Jor-El sending his son off of Krypton. All those crystals in his lab? I feel like I'm looking at one!"
"I'm just as in awe about it as well. It's hard to imagine I was just doing simple research on the theories of quantum computing and I'm looking at a piece of it with my own eyes."
I just rolled my eyes and tried my best not to be annoyed by the two nerds who were geeking out at something that was gonna kill a lot of people.
"Hey Mercer, when you're done can you figure out how we can possibly corrupt that things system so that it doesn't work?" I said getting his attention while imploring urgency.
The guy that was my escort and partner for the day was Charles Mercer, who at first glance just looked like another run of the mill CIA office drone. Glasses and slick back blonde hair with an educated yet arrogant method of speaking. According to Bookman though, he was his head agent for his cyberwarfare and cybersecurity team. He was the one who managed to figure out that Hekmatyar was putting together a quantum computer.
A little too late though. So he better give me some better answers on how to combat this thing.
"Keep at it." He said to the scientist and then came to me. "You did give us a big part on how the computer operates but this is just the…how should I put this? The mechanical way on how it operates. It's the programming methods we need to figure out how it works."
This wasn't something I wanted to hear. "So I just made a whole trip across two continents for nothing?"
"We have a piece of Koko Hekmatyar's machine. That's not nothing. Thanks to you we now have a way to start countering Koko's abilities."
I then took out my phone to give dad the 'good' news.
"Which you and your overweight boss could have prevented if you acted with a little bit of personal initiative instead guessing which outcome would best benefit you."
Four eyes saw through my calm method of speaking that I was insulting him as the phone rang.
"Dad? Turns out the geeks here can't formulate a solution unless I go back to get more parts of her computer. But that's just walking right into a trap. Options?"
"Considering what you've been doing to her and her company, they'll be taking every preventative measure to ensure that her assets are safe or even close up shop. And there's no way in hell I'm sending you directly into a fire."
It sucked that what I needed to get, she knew where I'd look. I only had so much luck left and I needed every single bit.
"Well she can't risk closing anything down. Not yet anyway. She was planning on expanding her computers capabilities. And that thought alone scares the hell outta me."
"What makes you so sure?"
"I got the idea from one of her customers. Since she already has that damn thing, it makes no sense to make another one. This isn't something she would just share. What about the files I pulled from the Kiseragi Labs? Doesn't it have some kind of delivery schedule on where it was supposed to go?"
"No. All you pulled were the nanocrystal design aspects. But we managed to confirm that before you got there, Kiseragi had cancelled his primary shipment. He was going to send it somewhere else, but it seems he never got that message."
Looks like my ambition in crippling her system worked a little too good. If I didn't strike when I did, I would have gotten a more direct lead to her. But regardless, I was still nowhere near figuring out how to stop 'Jormungand'. I needed a specialist in computer hacking to at least counter her when the time came. Problem is that it's being done on a system that's technically in the theoretical stage and doesn't really exist yet. But Hekmatyar was tenacious enough to plow through that.
"I feel like I'm just running around in circles Dad. I need to find a way on how the thing runs it's programs. The only problem with that is the one person who knows how will be just as hard to find as Hekmatyar. "
Mercer then gave me a look that we were about to head back to Langley. I followed him through the building as Dad and I continued talking.
"We still have no leads on Professor Amada. But I think this is now the time for a more tactical approach to this instead of direct."
"What do you have in mind?"
"You're not targeting her finances as well as you think you are. You're just going after her property. You need to get to her money directly."
I was starting to wonder what Dad had in mind. I hoped it wasn't as silly as the question I was about to ask.
"Umm…what does blowing a bank have to do with this?"
As we started to get to the main lobby to exit the facility, Mercer turned around to look at me as if he wasn't imagining things.
"You're not gonna go straight up 'Jesse James' and steal a bunch of cash." He said making me implore my common sense. "You're gonna follow her money and plug up the flow of it."
There was an idea I liked. It was another part of my plan to cut off her capital anyway. Plus it'll slow her down enough that I can catch up with a countermeasure for her computer.
"Interesting. Where do we go from here?"
"Come back to Langley and I'll give you the full brief." There was a pause as we got to the car. "But you're not going alone this time."
"Dad…"
"This isn't up for debate boy. For this one you will need help. You can't be in two places at once."
I was hoping it wouldn't come to this. I wanted to keep this little private war as personal as possible. The more that Hekmatyar was focused on me, the better. It can distract her enough so that when the time comes I can exploit any openings she might make. But I trusted Dad when he said this next one I can't do by myself. Big difference between that and won't.
"Ugh…alright fine."
1045 Hours
Langley, Virginia, CIA Headquarters
"NO FUCKING WAY!"/"NO FUCKING WAY!"
Or maybe not so fine considering the first person I saw when I walked into the conference room was the blonde dipshit that booted me in the face. The only way he could have found out about this in the slightest was Black. What the hell was he thinking? During one of my quiet talks with Dad it was unanimously agreed that we'd keep this matter of need to know as small as possible. But if we did need someone, it was kinda implied that we shouldn't bring along an idiot who would screw this up. Having an incompetent ally is far worse that a well-trained enemy.
However, trust was a commodity that was in short supply with me. And like I said the only one I truly trusted was my father so he would have a good reason. I was only slightly glad that I wasn't gonna buddy up to whoever Dad said was gonna give me help because it was going to be very temporary.
This however was pushing it. But even though he got off a lucky hit, I seriously doubt this asshole would stand a chance against me one on one. It lessened my rage enough to where I would let him make the first move so that it wouldn't be my fault when I stomp his head into the floor.
"ANYBODY else but this fucktard!" I said pointing at him with just a table and air separating us. "He couldn't even catch fire even if he doused himself in gas and lit a match!"
"What the hell Bookman!? You seal her file, don't tell me why, and now you think I'm supposed work with Koko Hekmatyar's personal dog!? And why is he here anyway!?" He said pointing a finger back.
Dad and Black stood at the end of the table lined up with us. They both just looked at us expecting this. Surprisingly with Dietrich standing/cowering behind them. We both wanted the same answers and I didn't want to make what was going on worse.
"Scarecrow, I'll tell you why later." Black then looked too me. "Damien, he's the only other asset I have that wants to take down Koko just as bad as you do. There's a reason why he's good at tracking down the true uses of finances regardless of the fact that they are legit or not."
Blacks persuasion didn't work.
"Yeah because sitting back in an office like a little bitch instead of going to man up and fucking execute is so much better."
"As compared to you who throws finesse out the window because Hulk only knows how to smash." He said with a childish deep tone matching my sarcasm.
"Oh yeah since your approach to stopping your enemy is to just go up to people and saying you can lock them up for whatever reason is SO much better. How's that shit workin' out for ya?"
He then bared his teeth. "I don't need to take criticism from a psycho like you! You think just because you've done one good thing like coming forward to us with a layout of Hekmatyar's operation isn't gonna send you to the noose? You'll just go to the chair instead!"
I leaned on the table, daring him. I didn't have time for back and forth bullshit or is weak stance on justice.
"I've done more to stop her in little more than a few weeks than this whole goddamn building has ever since she first came on your radar. If it's taken you a year to figure out that she's more dangerous than you realize, I applaud her for making you reveal your inner dumbass."
He sneered. "Well I applaud her for letting you finally show your true colors by seeing how high you can count the bodies you fucking terrorist!"
The dare worked. I clasped my hand around his throat before he even knew what happened. If he wanted to see real terror I'll gladly deliver it to him. But as I was about to wind up for the pitch…
"BOY!"
Dad's shout stopped anything from happening. As painful as this was to admit, I needed to build some kind of trust with this asshole. If he knew how to track dirty money then he was beneficial to me. It makes no sense to make an enemy out of an asset. I just shoved him back across the table. He just recomposed himself and formed a dirty smirk.
"Still a dog on a leash." His arrogance knew no bounds. "I wonder why you ran from you old master to…"
"Shattzberg, if you say one more word to my son I will kill you." Dad said to him with a snap.
The idiot recognized a credible threat when he heard it at least. That and the minor amount of sweat and gulp he made, let him realize that Dad would do just that.
"Your boss and I didn't call you and the young lady here back from London to start some school yard bullshit. We are racing against a clock where we have run out of time. My son has been effective in damaging it, but we need to find a better way to cripple the financial structure of Koko Hekmatyar so we can stop 'Jormungand'."
"Your-my…huh?" He said with a raised eyebrow.
"Short version; hacking the whole world so that war doesn't happen anymore."
He looked at me and no surprise he didn't believe a word I said. It was written all over his face.
"I don't care if you believe me or not Shattzberg. I'm here because I didn't want to be a part of full-fledged, world scale destruction and genocide. She's more of a monster that I could ever be."
"Do you have any idea of how insane you sound right now? Bookman, no more games. I don't believe any of this crap! I want real answers! This is real sketchy."
"He just gave you the one answer you need Scarecrow. Whether or not you believe him is relevant." He said calmly like usual. He had more patience than I realized.
"What is relevant Shattzberg is that we are under an enormous threat and you have readily available skills we need. So like it or not, you're gonna play nice and help my son."
Shattzberg grit his jaw harder and harder realizing that no matter which direction he went with this, he'd end up screwed. Dietrich on the other hand looked at both Dad and Bookman with concern each time they addressed the situation. Whether it be her care free personality or the stereotype of being blonde she took the threat of what was really going on a lot more seriously than her partner.
"Umm…General Andrushko sir?" She said timidly.
"Yes?" He said not looking at her.
"I don't know if we actually can help you with this." She said somewhat nervously.
"Why do you believe so?"
Dad does come off at times as cold and uncaring. Many average people think that is a trope among military officers when they reach a certain rank. But in reality they have a responsibility for the wellbeing of a lot of different people. You can't use the same approach with everyone. Especially if they're nowhere suited for the rigid and stressful military life.
"We already had her financial flow laid out with both internal and external audits. Including direct interviews with the banks HCLI has deposits in. While going through a few shell companies, her investments and profits were funneled into legit research and development companies. Each one publicly open about computer science and technology. Legally speaking she hasn't done anything wrong. The banks won't suspend her assets."
"You're correct young lady." He said looking back to her. "And she has a machine that can manipulate a system without even knowing she was even there. Despite all that 'Jormungand' can do, what she's using it for is just another way of getting someone to focus on one hand so much that you don't see what the other hand is doing. She's hid it so well that we can't really do anything about that."
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Shattzberg said skeptically but less assholeish that time.
"I believe that's my cue." Said an old man's voice from the conference room doorway.
In stepped Dad's connection to the NSA, a man named Peter Carlyle. From what Dad said he was the NSA Director's go to guy for wanting a cyber case cracked. This was also apparently the guy that Hekmatyar manipulated to put all the blame on what happened with the Cuba job on an innocent man. Hinoki gave me the details on that story on the plane ride home from Japan. The guy who got busted was cleared but there was still some very bad blood between the two that wouldn't go away anytime soon. Hell, I would too is someone decided to put me in cuffs in front of my family.
"Damien, talk to Scarecrow about which assets Miss Hekmatyar has holds in. Preferably newer ones."
"As long as he can keep his head out of his ass so he can hear me, that ain't no problem."
He glared at me, Dad rolled his eyes, Dietrich suppressed her laugh, and Carlyle just continued like nothing happened.
"Miss Dietrich, I'm gonna need your help to put together a special package we're going to deposit. I believe you can make improvements to the code."
I think I knew where this was heading. I didn't expect Chocolate Girl to be a hacker though. But being a techy does mean you sit in front of a computer a lot.
"Some virus is not gonna work Carlyle. Especially on an ultra computer ten generations ahead of current ones. And I don't even know where the hell it is."
"It's not for her Damien." He said looking at me a bit deviously. "She may have an indestructible cyber wall protecting her empire, but what about the nations surrounding it?"
Sometimes I hate metaphors. Including ones where you could interpret it wrong. And I'd had enough of them from the people who wrecked my life.
"Lay off the cryptic wisdom and tell me what you have in mind." I said annoyed.
He stifled a laugh. "Ok, ok. She may be taking all the measures to ensure her own system is secure. But I doubt she'd care about the safety and security of her banks."
June 12th 2011 1500 Hours
United Overseas Bank, Singapore, Malaysia
It had just hit closing time, that was my cue and it had long since passed that I heard any noise outside the armored truck I had arrived in. I was sweating through my clothes after being cooped up for a while. The summer in a tropical climate wasn't a good thing either. While not restrictive I hoped I wouldn't make too much noise. After getting my equipment prepared, securing my pack, and tying my hair in a ponytail I was ready. As I gently opened the rear door of the truck, I saw that I was alone. I then got on my ear piece.
"Schokolade, I'm in."
"Copy that. External connections for the security systems have been severed. You won't need to worry about the police or the building getting locked down. But remember that the internal systems are still in effect. You can't plant the virus unless you disable them first. Then you can go right to the core mainframe."
"I already know that Chocolate Girl." I heard this plan a million times already. "Where's the security terminal I have to go to?"
"Ugh…I'm not edible!" She protested. "Anyway, take the door out of the garage to the stairs. Get on the second floor and follow the hallway down on your fourth door to the right."
This was one of the places where we stopped at on my trip across Asia with Hekmatyar. It was where she funneled a portion of her money into that rocket launching platform in the Solomon Islands. It also was one of the firms she was getting her investments from. Since the banks can't legally freeze her assets, the only way to do it was to physically go there myself and make it impossible to get her money.
By planting a virus in its mainframe and wiping out all of her records.
This one required a little bit more stealthy approach to do it. Carlyle said what I was going through in the last month was on the job training in actual espionage but I told him I wasn't sticking around for this once this was all over. I was kind of getting a crash course in spy work but this wasn't really that much different from the infiltration skills I'd honed over the years.
The challenges though continued to grow. It was gonna be a lot more difficult since this was being done in broad daylight. Two was a crowd so I'd have to do this myself on the inside while outside, Dietrich and Shattzberg were two blocks over in a van with a system most law enforcement agencies use for stings and surveillance. She'd run support for me, and asshat got the driving job which kept him away from me. Carlyle though was back in Ft. Meade just supervising. I knew he, and maybe Dad, would be listening in but let us do the job.
Set in the financial district the building was one of several dozen skyscrapers packed in overseeing the bay next to it. Quite the cityscape skyline on my first visit here. Set about forty stories high, it held money from over five hundred different multi-million and billion dollar companies. But despite the spectacle of some things, a lot of it is rather plain when you see it up close. It's just a more secure office building with a lot of heavy doors.
Along with armed security. I couldn't put any of these guys down or else they'd get suspicious and the whole building would be on alert. If need be I'll do what is necessary, but these guys just work here.
Getting in and out without being seen doesn't matter as far as the environment goes. It does vary on how you do it. Distractions come in handy though.
"Schokolade, I see the terminal room but they guy's not gonna leave his post. I need him to be away for more than just a minute. Anything you can do?" I said in a whisper.
"Hold up. Let's see if I can…Ahh shutting off that fire alarm sensor should work."
After a few seconds, I heard Malay coming from the room and he left grumbling in his language. I then took his place and went to the desk with the numerous monitors. I then took a signal receiver drive and put it in the back of one of the towers.
"Ok put the signal through."
"Digital overlay is transmitting now. Don't worry about him finding it, now get to the mainframe on the upper floors. If you've hit the vaults then you overshot it."
"Moving now." I said as I moved quietly down the hallway making sure no one else was around. "How's security up there?"
"Not as many as you might think. You're only going to one spot."
As I got to the elevator and pressed up. Another voice came on the net that I could really do without. The man must have been really bored or really stupid.
"What's wrong? Thinking more you can handle if you get caught?"
"Ballsy for saying that on the shared net." I muttered before I pressed the mic to respond. "Unless you got something to contribute to the mission at hand, shut up."
"I do. The only thing I want to know for sure is that you're really on our side. You'll forgive me if this seems so sketchy you can't shake it off."
"Oh dear God…this again?" Cutting to the chase didn't seem to work.
"I'm gonna say it as many times as I want. Hekmatyar's personal squeeze just quits and runs to us because she's now a mad supervillain? Now I'm expected to work with him based on a whim? I don't know what kind of sob story you gave to Bookman and Carlyle but I'm not buying it. A computer that'll hack…"
"Scarecrow." Dietrich cut him off sternly. Probably because of something he shouldn't just say on the radio. "Like he said, unless you got something to contribute…shut your mouth…you arrogant prick."
As I was following the layout given to me to find the vault I was kind of surprised and glad that the sweet sounding Dietrich whaled into him like that. The net did get quiet real quick and I could only imagine the look on his face. But I think he was serious if he wanted to find out now of all times since he did bring it up more than what was necessary.
"Schokolade, I appreciate that. But I'll answer his question. -Since he's been badgering me nonstop.- I'm on the side of who needs me the most right now. No matter what, it will never be hers again."
I found the core room and took out the electronic tumbler from my pack. As well as a temperature gauge that I could mount on my wrist. As the gizmos did their work I continued to answer.
"And furthermore, if you really want to settle this, know that when I boot you in the face your whole damn head is gonna go flying off along with it. Don't try and talk tough when you get off a cheap shot. It makes your ass that much easier to kick."
"Don't think I'm just some sort accountant with a security clearance Andrushko. The Farm weeds out weakness of all types."
I really did my best not to laugh.
"You have yet to prove that, dickless." The tumble flashed green letting me know it worked. "So if you don't mind, we'll have to put your measuring contest on hold. Schokolade, I'm about to enter the core room now. How long do you think I have?"
Like Dietrich said earlier, certain internal security parameters we couldn't bypass but could at least delay. It was the Chief Programmer and Head Accountant's biometrics were needed to totally disable the system for complete access. Who's data we needed, we didn't have time to get. Luckily we weren't going to take anything.
"A few minutes at most. The core temperature room is controlled to within five degrees. Moment your body steps through the door it'll start to change. Keep an eye on your gauge. Play it safe and if it gets to two degrees below control, get out of the room and let it cool down so you can finish."
"Copy that. Let's hope this don't get too tedious."
As I opened the door, I ignored the cold blast of air and entered the cylinder shaped room with data panels surrounding the room. It was split up into the upper and lower floors divided by stairs, where I needed to go was below. Keeping an eye on the temperature monitor on my wrist I skipped a few steps to get down faster. Seeing the keyboard and monitor to the system, I had to manually insert the virus to wipe it out. It took a second to find the drive but opening it to upload it took just a click and type.
"Uploading now." No alarm, so that was good. But there was something else making me nervous. "Is it supposed to take this long?"
"Calm down. An instant upload will recognize the virus as a threat and lock you out."
When time needs to be precise, sometimes I glance too much at my watch.
1514 Hours
When Allen looked at his watch it had been fifteen minutes since he overheard that Damien had begun his mission to infiltrate the bank. According to Kasper, they arrived in Singapore as planned with the CIA agent who was hassling them. Turns out the intel he had on him was solid. With Singapore being within Kasper's territory it was easy to recognize a face that shouldn't belong there. They didn't have the methods to hack into CIA encrypted chatter. Koko was rather insistent that she wouldn't share 'Jormungand' with anyone, not even her brother. But that didn't mean they couldn't listen in on the person in general with a highly sensitive directional microphone from the buildings third floor observing the CIA undercover van. He then got on his phone.
"Hey guys, it looks like he won't be moving for a few minutes. It's now or never."
Dressed head to toe in black and sporting their skull face masks, Damien was not alone inside the bank. Several floors above him near the upper vaults, Kasper Hekmatyar's personal guards had snuck into the bank via the rooftops twenty minutes before he had arrived at the bank in the armored truck. They were there to intercept him, and only that. He wanted to know why he would behave so irrationally, why he was running around violently causing mayhem for HCLI, and more importantly what he had told the CIA.
"Alright get out of there and head back to the truck. Let us know when the van moves, it'll move quick once he knows what's happening."
Chiquita wanted to take him alive to find out as well. She wouldn't believe her mishka would mutate into a vicious monster bent on nothing but carnage so suddenly. Her motherly instincts toward him led her to take a delicate approach to handling this in the least painful way possible. But her warrior instincts told her to not take any chances if the need presented itself. He was a trained killer, and so was she.
But it still pained her to see him in the state he was in and what he was doing. Her smile became harder to maintain as of recent. Losing one out of the three people she smiled the most for would do that.
"Your call Chiquita. Yes or no?" Edgar said holding up a detonator with Poe keeping an eye on.
They weren't planning on taking anything anyway. They just needed to send Damien into a panic. The vault door would more than likely hold with the amount of C4 placed on it.
"Remember that no matter what happens we need him alive. Do it."
"It's gonna get loud in here."
1517 Hours
BOOM!
Just as it seemed like it was gonna be easier than I thought, shit just starts flying in out of nowhere. My luck just has a never ending stream of sucking.
"What in the fuck!?" Was all I could say when the alarms started blaring like crazy after the blast I heard and the building shaking for a moment.
The inside of the core room started to flash red as well and the screen to the mainframe turned black with the red words, 'EMERGENCY OVERIDE INITIATED'. I didn't know if the virus had made its way in or not, I couldn't even type anything in. So after slapping the wall, I just grabbed the UBS drive with the virus and hauled ass out of the core room.
"Schokolade! Abort! Abort! Get the van to the secondary extraction area!"
The moment the alarms went off it would lock down the elevators too. The stairs would take way too much time. So that left the final emergency option. I hoped the rope would be long enough and I'd have enough of a window to escape.
"Damien what happened!? Every alarm in the buildings going off! What did you do!?" The girl said in a panic.
If something did happen then after figuring out that their external systems were cut off. The security guards would probably just call the police another way. I'd wager no less than nine minutes at best. But I had to get a little closer to the ground so I would only take two or three flights of stairs down.
"I don't know!" I said in between breaths sprinting down floors. "There was some kind of blast above me. I don't know if the virus got planted or not. Get the van over to the south side of the building!"
"Blast? What the hell are you talking about!?" Scarecrow said.
"I said I don't know!" I said in a shouted whisper. I heard voices at the floor I was about to rappel out of . "Just hurry up!"
I kept my sidearm holstered unless the guards shot at me first. So after a quick silent hustle to an empty office I took off my pack and took out what took up the most space, rappel rope. Normally you would wrap this stuff around a very solid anchor but there wasn't a lot inside of an office building. Luckily the desk in the private office was large enough that it would support my weight.
After working as fast as I could to make sure everything was properly tied I looked at my watch and saw I had about a three minutes left of breathing room. So now came the part to go loud. By shooting out the window in spots to weaken it enough to throw something heavy out it to break it all at once. Nobody better be standing where that file cabinet was going to land.
"About to jump out of here." I hopped up to the window ledge. No time to enjoy the view. "You guys close?"
"About to pull up now. Police are already on their way! Hurry Damien!"
Dietrich didn't need to tell me twice as I jumped out and started to move twenty stories down fast. My boots slamming into the windows with each bounce. And the heat from the friction burning through my gloves along the way. I'd have to tolerate the pain for now and hope the knot in the rope didn't come loose. But the quiet sounds of the city outside gave me enough of a cool down period where I could think for a moment.
What in the hell even was that? Who would…?
…
Oh you gotta be shitting me.
I think I just found out who set off that explosion which triggered that alarm. I wasn't sliding down the rope by myself. There was a figure dressed in black coming down the rope towards me. In my shock of what was actually transpiring, my brain wasn't registering the fact that the person on the rope had let go of it and was falling toward me.
"Oh crap."
SLAM!
Desperately trying to hold on to the rope with my break hand, all I could register was some asshole in black with some fang mask was punching me in the face repeatedly. I tried to bat him off with my free hand but with the increasing friction from the rope was making my brake hand feel like it was on fire.
For a brief moment I saw that I was almost near the ground. But in my haste to get away I wasn't on the south side of the building, I was on the East where the main entrance was. A glass overhang where some high end clients could get valet parking.
Knowing it wasn't the worst idea I'd ever come up with, if this fucker wanted to take a leap of faith then so would I.
Releasing my hand from the rope I grabbed the bastard in a bear hug and let gravity do the rest. I squeezed tight and got my enraged look extra close to his face to see green eyes filled with fear realized what I'd done.
Familiar green eyes.
Correcting my assumption of the gender of my enemy by what I could feel on my chest by holding her body so close to mine.
That was the last thing on my mind as we both plummeted through the glass ceiling.
With our fall concluding with the two of us landing on a car.
CRASH!
"GAH! MOTHER FUCKIN' FUCK!"
Ending with excruciating pain on the right side of my body.
"Damien! Where are you!? You said you're on the way down!"
I ignored Dietrich's call as I tried to move. Her voice sounded like a muffled echo. I tasted blood. I had problems trying to move my right leg. My head feels like it's about to split open. But I could still move and I didn't have time to linger around.
Maybe I do push myself too hard sometimes.
As I rolled off of the car I crumpled to the ground. Several civilians started to approach me but stopped once they realized that getting near a person who just fell off of a building and started walking around was a bad idea. They got even further away when I took out my sidearm and fired a few shots in the air. I needed as much chaos as I could so that I could disappear in the screaming crowd.
"Damien! Come in! Where are you!?"
"You better answer her damnit! Shit's getting hot here!"
I got to my feet and started to stumble away. "Yeah asshole. I'm at the front entrance. Had to get down a little faster. I'll be right…"
"Mishka!"
It was the familiar voice of an ex-wife I heard as I leaned on a parked car to prevent myself from collapsing again.
"…never mind. Get out of here." I said as I turned to her standing proud but in pain.
"Oh no Damien…!"
"Shut up Prudence and go." I said as I ripped out my earpiece.
I already knew that she was here for me. If she found them with me she'd consider them expendable. I pulled out my sidearm, but I was too slow on the draw because of my disorientation. She wasn't there when I aimed. More than likely taking cover.
"I don't got time for this shit." I then tried to get the adrenaline to work but I just accelerated my stumbling.
"Damien stop!"
I turned to fire. But all I hit was nothing. I tried to run again.
But she appeared behind me like a ghost.
Not having any time to react she bent the pistol out of my hand and kicked me in the side. I fell instantly to the ground yelling in pain. Her tolerance was only slightly higher than mine cause she was struggling to stand too. As if things couldn't get any worse, now Hekmatyar brought her brothers thugs into the mix as well. It was even more insane that she still had that much strength and stamina despite falling off a rope a few stories off the ground. I wish she just shot me and got it over with. I was getting sick of this crap.
As I looked up to her in pain and anger, she took off her skull mask and dropped it on the ground with a wet sounding landing. She was bleeding bad and she wasn't smiling like usual. I must've struck a real nerve with her. Whether it was pulling her down the rope with me or fucking over her boss's sister I could care less.
"This is over mishka. You're coming with me and stop whatever it is the hell you're doing."
"How many times do I have to fuckin' tell you…UGH!…I'm not your fucking cub!"
"Just tell me you're not doing this on a whim or out of anger and I'll believe you."
I can't believe she still has some kind of faith in me. She's just as crazy as she is.
"Drop fuckin' dead. I got nothin' to say to anyone who wants to throw the entire world into war just for the hell of it."
She then took out a pair of zip ties. While looking at me with disappointment.
"We'll continue this later. And for your information, the old man already told me."
"So you're ok with this asinine plan as well?" I said if she was really willing to go along with it.
She didn't answer. But what I did hear is the sound of an engine revving up and getting closer. It was the van with Scarecrow and Schokolade, coming full speed on the sidewalk towards us. Chiquita took out her own sidearm and started shooting at the driver's side. Taking advantage of her distraction I started to roll away. The van did swerve out of her way anyway but didn't stop. Instead the driver side door opened up and slammed right into the woman sending her flying backward.
The van then screeched to a halt. Then the last person who I wanted to rescue me stepped out.
"That's for cutting me you bitch! Not so tough now are ya?" He said with cockiness and looked toward me as the rear doors opened up.
"Get him in here Scarecrow we gotta go!"
"I got him! I got him!" Not really having a choice I took his hand. "Come on muscle head let's go."
As Dietrich did her best to pull me in the doors closed behind me. Two seconds later the van accelerated away. The last thing I heard and saw before passing out from the pain was Dietrich on the radio. Giving information to back home and telling Scarecrow to get to the emergency safehouse connected to the US Embassy. This was a total farce.
Carlyle, your plan didn't go so well.
June 13th 2011 1100 Hours
Hekmatyar & Chevalier Logistics Incorporated Headquarters, Zurich, Switzerland
After the constant badgering from her father and his representatives. Along with the formal authorization to put a hold on all her activities with conducting business on behalf of HCLI unless she came back to headquarters in person. Koko Hekmatyar had now finally returned to the home office for the first time in years. She didn't bother with formal introductions with her father's secretary when she entered the building. She just went straight up to his office and waited for him in the wood walled waiting room lined with paintings and books. It more along the lines resembled a lounge or an extension of his main office on the top floor.
"How do I look?" She asked one of her two original guards that were with her for the longest time.
"Same as always Koko." He said bored and annoyed that he couldn't smoke inside.
He needed one since yesterday when he found out Chiquita ended up in the hospital with a concussion, some cracked ribs and internal bleeding. But Kasper ensured him that she would make a full recovery. Even though he didn't show it, Damien's lack of self-preservation just try and take her out led his determination to stop him go through the roof.
"That's not what I meant."
He humored her since she wanted her father to focus only on her business activities. And not the bombshell that she didn't want to tell him regardless. It was hard to dress business casual for her current condition.
"Normally it's all there out in the open once you reach the fourth month. You'll be fine."
"Are you sure you don't want us with you in there once this starts Koko?" Wiley said cleaning his glasses.
"I'm not telling him that and I won't answer him even if he asks."
She took a moment to look at her hand. Her skin was already starting to brighten.
"I've already laid out the plan. I'm leaving here with what I want no matter what he says."
Both men looked to their employer with a small sense of pride. Regardless of the tension between her and her father, it was good that she'd managed to reach the point of actually discussing proper business with him along with personal matters.
At least that's what they hoped. They did brace themselves for a possible shouting match.
The double doors to Floyds office opened. "Miss Hekmatyar, your father is ready to see you know."
Koko just walked past Gretchen like she wasn't there and sat in one of the two leather chairs facing his desk crossing her legs. Her father was in the corner putting away a file and conversing with his head of security.
"Won't even let us finish our conversation. Go on and say hi to Mr. Lehmbrick and Mr. Nelson Mr. Jones. We'll continue later."
"As you wish sir." He then left and saw them immediately. "Hi John."
"Hey Abe. How's it hangin?"
"That'll be all for you too Ms. Von Braun."
"Yes sir." She said as she closed the doors behind her.
They were now alone.
Floyd Hekmatyar was a businessman and no matter how noble they act in real life, all businessmen must have a degree of ruthlessness in them. It's how they build and maintain their success. They have to be stronger than their competition and ensure their own foundation was well supported. That meant keeping their own subordinates in line.
But this was his daughter. He knew she wasn't incompetent. So a different approach was needed. He merely leaned on his desk.
"You were starting to scare me a little you know? With all that's been going on as of recent."
Koko just looked at him seeing that he wasn't asking any questions yet.
Good. Because it's about to get a lot more horrific.
"Naturally this hasn't been the first time the company has dealt with situations like this. Normally I would go to Mr. Jones or one of my contacts in a nations military to resolve them. But when the incidents follow a very similar pattern without trying to hide its objective. I don't need to look very far for answers."
Koko just kept staring at her father as he stood up straight. All he wanted to do was just help her. The petty teenager attitude wouldn't cut it here.
"Koko please. Someone is deliberately targeting you. They know where your merchandise is and it's being destroyed. Our clients are falsely seeing that we've become invested in some heinous activities and are backing away from us in droves. And now someone deliberately erased all your accounts in Singapore. Top that with the destruction of your factory in Port Elizabeth, the next step you make will more than likely make you flat broke."
"I'm aware of everything that's happened to me and HCLI in the last two months father." She said flatly.
"Then tell me who you've upset! I can't help you if you don't tell me."
Koko was surprised that her father actually showed this much concern for her. She would have cared if he did that for her whole life instead of just here and there. But he was right about one thing though, according to the information she received from the UOB her funds were like they just up and vanished. But she wasn't worried about money. According to Dr. Miami, she could rectify that situation in a day, no matter what the banks would do.
Or her last barrier between her and her new world for that matter.
"I never once needed your help and it won't start now."
"The events that have been transpiring say otherwise."
Floyd had enough. He crossed his arms and looked down to his daughter. He still didn't realize he was looking down on his grandchild too.
"I tried being reasonable, now I'm telling you. What is going on?"
Well lets see if this finally shuts him up.
Koko was glad that she finally accumulated enough power to finally surpass him. This was the first choice she could make in front of him and he couldn't do anything about it.
"That I am finally no longer your prisoner." She said with a smile.
"Again with this? What did I ever do to wrong you in such a way?"
He knew of this attitude she put out before. It wasn't the first time he asked this question. But it looked like it might have been the last.
"Honestly, that you crafted another piece of your ability to profit. Instead of raising a child as a parent. So I'm going to completely take away your ability to do that. By taking away war. Maybe then you'll realize that I've always hated the life you gave to me. It wasn't even a life at all."
Floyd just looked at Koko like she was delirious. It seemed that she wanted to play this to the very end. But games were not something that interested him.
"Very well then. As of this moment all your activities within HCLI are to be suspended indefinitely along with your remaining accounts. Unless you tell me what you've been planning your career as an arms dealer is over young lady." He then sighed heavily. "Including your right as heir to HCLI. Honestly I wanted to give it to both you and Kasper. I thought the both of you could do it together. I was wrong."
Koko held her smile. "You think that just mere words are going to stop me? It's funny you should mention my inheritance though because the only reason I'm here was just to tell you that I'm cashing that in early and I never have to think about you again."
Floyd had dealt with a few rebellious moments with both Koko and Kasper growing up but nothing this blatant.
"What in the hell are you even talking about?" He demanded as Koko's satellite phone rang ignoring him.
"Yes? Ah, good. You might want to check your email Floyd."
Her calling him by his first name finally broke it. He then grabbed her wrist with her phone in her hand. Her face contorted from smiling to anger instantly. She said to him that words wouldn't stop her, maybe this would.
"Koko, this ends now." He said sternly.
"You're right. It does. Rhodes?" She called.
In stepped a former SAS operative in a three piece suit with a full beard and long red hair accompanied by two others, Spencer Rhodes. He was the other one on the phone as he put it away and looked to his subordinate on his right. He opened up a briefcase with a few manila folders in it.
"I figure I might as well give you a hard copy as well as a digital form. You can never be too careful." Koko said casually as Rhodes looked on with a satisfied overconfident smirk.
Floyd let go of his daughters wrist as he took the documents angrily. What he looked at shocked him to the core. Stock transfers, board signatures, financial authorization, all transferred to his daughter.
All explicitly approved by him with a written statement saying he was stepping down as head of the company.
"You expect me to believe these cheap forgeries? Much less the board? Or anyone else that knows me personally!?" He said unbelieving what was happening.
He didn't know she had a computer that could make such things appear easy by comparison which would take months or even years to legally do.
"I don't care if they do or not. Much less you." She stood up to leave since her business was concluded. "Now you'll see what its like to live inside of a cage."
"Koko-!" Rhodes stepped in front of him.
She had to use him to get the point across. Lehm and Wiley would have never went along with it fully. They would think twice about burning that particular bridge so she needed someone that wouldn't hesitate. She only wished he didn't act so pompous when he did it.
"I don't think you should approach the new owner of HCLI so aggressively old man. Unless you want to end up severely fucked over."
Koko didn't even look back to her father. She just smiled as the double doors closed behind her only imagining the look on his face. Exiting his office brimming with confidence of newly acquired power she now had more of a way to counter Damien's pathetic crusade of trying to bring her down. She then got back on the phone to her best friend.
"Hello Minami? It worked like a charm. Tell Dr. Baburin I owe her greatly. I now have full access to all of HCLI's assets. We're reinitiating the development and construction of 'Jormungands' second brain."
"Understood but…are you sure this was what you wanted Koko?"
She acknowledged her friends concern, but she wasn't one of the children of Floyd Hekmatyar.
"I've come too far to fail. I have no more patience for distractions. I'll just keep the old fool where I can see him while he watches me rise above him. As for Damien, he was a significant threat. But now he's about to walk straight into a losing battle. I'd like to see him try to stop me now."