Author's Note: Ok we're back! Sorry that this took so long. I've been having a stressful summer so far just trying to find motivation to do anything. And I will admit, I have hit a bit of a writers block but I managed to find a way over it. I will have work related things coming up soon and they kind of take priority, so be a little patient for the next chapter.

But anyway, here's the official thank you for the 100 plus follows and favorites. Even though this is a simple hobby I'm glad it's found promising readers all over the world. It makes one feel like they've done something special. No matter how small.

Chapter 61: The Mistletoe Spear

July 4th 2011 0700 Hours

Bull Run Estates, Virginia

Sometimes the best way to get over an injury or even a sickness is to beat it out of yourself with some type of physical activity. It had been a long time since I had run around the old neighborhood. That's if I could ever call it that since dad's house was so far away from everyone else. It took me a good twenty minutes to even get into town to make my turnaround point before I headed back. People do start their days rather early around here and since it was Independence Day I figured everyone was preparing for the day ahead. To my surprise it was weird but I didn't run into anyone I knew, and if I did I wouldn't answer them.

There wasn't a need. I was dead in that old life.

But not as much as my lungs about to cave in on themselves as I got back to the front porch breathing hard. My shirt and shorts were drenched in sweat. My long hair in a ponytail was sticking to my skin like ivy covering a tree. The humidity in the morning air made it feel heavy.

"Shit. I need to get my momentum back up."

It wasn't over yet. Since I still had my combination of hand clap push-ups and burpees to do once I was done. Rather than get my hands wet from the morning dew on the grass I did them on the sidewalk leading to the porch. Drops of sweat coming off my forehead each time I came up and off the ground. Even though my left side was more sore than painful at this point I was starting to struggle a bit. Average people like to perceive that SF types are indestructible machines that are in perpetual momentum but that's just pure fantasy. We all have our breaking points.

Some not as easily though. She didn't seem have any. It was like she transcended from being human into something far more powerful. This was beauty in that, and she matched it in her body and face as well. But beneath it was something deadly and focused in perfecting a kill. I honestly couldn't believe I was able to get so close to her to feel a warm and comfort I'd never felt before.

Oh God. Why am I thinking of her like that again?

And in the end I fucked up on a unmeasurable scale.

It wasn't the first time some of the more memorable thoughts of Velmer and the rest of the crew. But she tended to stick out just as much as Hekmatyar did and it was physically painful every time it happened. So I had to force myself to realize that she was and still is a vicious killer. Next to the old man, she would be her most loyal protector and the most dangerous. Not many can claim that they faced true Tier One warriors and live.

"And there's seven others that are just as tough with their own 'Matrix' skills and an army to back them up." I said as I took a knee finishing a little too early and glancing at the shield on my wrist. "Ironic that she still needs an army to keep her safe until she throws the world into another insane peoples republic."

As I got up on both feet a bottle of Gatorade came my way and I caught it by instinct. Dad was standing on the porch, probably having just got out of bed in simple shirt and shorts. Most soldiers, career ones especially, don't have much in terms of style. Since they were the uniform so much they don't own a lot that sticks out from the crowd unless they're going somewhere nice.

"The thing about tyrants thought is that they rarely receive true justice. Saddam may have gotten what he deserved but he doesn't even compare to guys like Yahya Khan, Kim Il Sung, or Leopold II. They got away with the slaughter of millions and their fate was either disease or old age."

"Or because people didn't care because it wasn't politically convenient enough?"

"I thought I taught you that we're not the world police. And if there ever was one, no one would take them seriously."

It was too early for this shit. So I decided to go inside and get breakfast.

"Happy 4th of July Dad."

"Same here boy."

After kicking off my running shoes I heard dads phone ring. He didn't have a landline in the house so we knew whose phone was ringing. If it was his office wondering if they were going to do anything for a barbecue they could forget it. I had better things to do on the nations birthday.

"Dad. Phone's ringing." Like making sure other people could do it again next year.

Still though I felt like I was living in a state of constant tension as opposed to fear. She has that computer, so why the hell hasn't she used it yet? Maybe Schokolade was right about all those technical work arounds being not so easy to fix. Maybe Hekmatyar got too ambitious and realized she overstepped her expectations. Maybe all of this ended for real when I capped Faiza.

I was working with too many assumptions and not enough facts.

"Are you sure!?" Dad shouted as I went to grab the eggs. "Wait a minute why him? Can't you just…? Seriously? Well that's not gonna happen because you know he's in no condition to go anywhere."

Like hell I am.

Whatever was going on it involved me and it implied that Hekmatyar had gotten sloppy for one moment. That was the moment I needed since she saw only me as a threat and nobody else. Her arrogance let her think that it was just me against her. To be fair it somewhat was, just as long as I could keep the CIA playing to my tune. Plus I had waited around the house long enough. It was time to get back in the fight. I headed toward the basement for what I needed.

The combination on the safe was still the same and the ammo cans were neatly organized by caliber right next to it. I'd have to get the rest of the support equipment from Langley. As well as have Dietrich and the stupid asshole ready to go.

"Bookman I'll call you back." Dad said from the top of the basement stairs as I heard him walk down them. "Mind if I ask what you're doing?"

"Save it Dad. Just tell me what I want to hear." I said as the first one I went to was his old Glock. Probably shouldn't use that one since I don't want to run the risk of it going off in the holster. "If the fat man says he needs me, then it's an opportunity I can't afford to miss. I'll go in 80% if I have to."

He then gave an irritated sigh. "You never listened to me before when I warned you about certain things and there's not a lot of dumb shit that you can really top anymore."

I didn't really want to look back at him because that cut a little deep.

"I just want to know why you're going through MY stuff." He said as he snatched his own customized M4 away from me.

"I need shit that I know won't fail on me. Plus my .45's are badly in need of maintenance that I can't do myself."

He then put his hand on my wrist as I went for his double barreled sawed off.

"Worry about that later. Don't you want to know why Bookman was so insistent on needing you? You're jumping ahead before the mission's even beginning."

Sometimes I do get tunnel vision when I've been cooped up for too long. I just wanted to do something other than recuperate. Sitting in the house while Hekmatyar is just free roaming the planet with that machine was making me very jumpy. I didn't even care what today signified. All I was concerned with was when I would be fit enough to get back in there. I wasn't going to do anything today anyway but that changed. So I would celebrate America's birthday by getting back into the fight that determines everyone's future.

And not just Americas.

"What's he got?"

"Not what. Who. We have someone that wants protective custody and in return he'll point us in the direction of her."

I only had a one word question. "Name?"

July 7th 2200 Hours

Hekmatyar Estate, Zurich, Switzerland

"You know the only thing that really surprises me is that he took this long to figure out he's totally screwed and he had no other options."

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe he did take all that time to confirm that?"

It never got old when Dietrich shut him up. But the meaning behind the statement was true, and sad as well.

"Ok, Schokolade. Am I green?"

"Sensors are down. Cameras are on a loop. Go for it." The girl made it look easy compared to Singapore.

"Moving now. Hopefully this won't be as bad as last time." I said as I chambered the first round in my USP .45. "But keep the engine running and prepare bring the hammer down if necessary."

The hammer being an SUV on loan to us today from the Swiss FIS. Normally used for VIP protection details it was fast enough to get away from sticky situations and armored well enough that nothing could get through, short of a cannon.

We touched down the day before and did a long range recon on Floyd Hekmatyar's home. Pretty old and fancy place considering some of the more modern amenities. Strange though that there weren't any guards on patrol as there was only a few doing what looked like a check in. But apparently from the one guy that still had faith in his boss, Hekmatyar was a prisoner in his own house. This Jones guy got screwed as well. Short version; he got replaced by someone who wanted his spot for years. Greed is often a common cause for war but I don't think he realizes that if the world goes to shit, then it won't matter.

What I'd like to know is how the hell he really tracked down his daughter. There was no doubt he had a lot of military contacts in his years as an arms dealer but I wondered how deep it reached. I guess the only reason why he did a better job than any of the intelligence agencies did was because a lot of people don't like to associate themselves that have a dagger under their cloak. The world sometimes can really be a law unto itself.

Some of the lights were still on as I made my way around to the side entrance to the chateau. The man was expecting me but he did have to keep up the appearance that he was held prisoner by his own daughter. After letting myself in, and not making too much noise, I kept my gun holstered and began my search. I hoped he was alone and I wasn't walking into another trap.

The place wasn't really as big as it looked from the outside. Just a lot of lavishly decorated and empty old rooms on the first floor. Nice place considering. Lots of old real estate in Switzerland are original structures that go back several hundred years. So after that I made my way up the foyer to the second floor, trying not to make the old wood floors creak from my boots and heavy weight.

"I didn't expect a visitor at this hour. Down here, young man."

Floyds voice was coming from a lit open door down the hallway. I poked my head inside to see that it was his office. He was sitting in one of his guest chairs going over a few papers and closing a laptop. Dressed in a three piece suit that probably cost more than what I made in a month during my time as a Lieutenant.

"You alone old man?"

He looked at me. Those ice blue eyes were exactly like his son and daughter. I'd be lying if I didn't feel a chill.

"No. I'm always being watched. I figure they're on their way now, so we must make haste. I must say Damien, this was rather reckless."

"Not necessarily." I mentioned him to pause as he stood up. "I got a bit of tech wizard that can make those guard dogs keep an eye on the steak instead of the door." I said as I shifted my thumb to one of the cameras.

"Mmm. Clever. The CIA can still at least perform some measure of hiding in plain sight. I have all of what I need. Let's be off and I'll tell you where Koko is so that I can bring her back under my care."

This wasn't what I needed. And judging from his intel on what's really happening, he didn't have a clue. I would say his confidence had turned into arrogance but it looked like his daughter played him for a fool.

"Hold up old man." I said sternly and him noticing. "I need to know where she is now. We're on a short time table and I don't think you have the slightest clue on what she's really planning."

"I know exactly what she's planning. I will not let her drag our company, our family, and herself into a world of violence. Our family profits from war, yes. But it doesn't choose sides and we decide whether or not to do business with them."

Ok. He REALLY doesn't know what's going on.

"Listen to me damnit. Your daughter doesn't give a fuck about your company, much less you. She's been planning something insane for years behind your back. And YOU gave her the last piece to finish it with the Global Grid!"

"What in the world are you talking about!?" He demanded.

2217 Hours

Through the winding night roads leading out of Zurich were three black SUV's. They were heading towards Floyd Hekmatyar's chateau. In them were twelve heavily armed men waiting to execute their task of apprehending Damien Andrushko by any means necessary. Three of them were Koko Hekmatyar's bodyguards. One was the newest head of Floyd's old protection service Clandestine, Parker Quinn. A man not renowned for his patience. His lack of it caused him to be relieved of his position in the US Army.

"Can't you drive faster?"

"I've never been to his place before! You want to get lost and let him get away?"

"That's on you mobster. Your boss may be practical but I am not her. Besides, it's been so long since my group has had a fight. They're itching for it. That panty waste Jones was so intent on keeping us all on a leash that it made me sick."

In the leading SUV, Lutz was riding in the back seat next to Tojo trying his best to ignore the argument coming from Ugo and Quinn up front. He had his suspicions about Koko becoming a little too hardcore some time ago but he let it go when the Cuba job was finished. It seemed that his suspicions weren't so conflicted when Damien betrayed them however. Koko almost never dealt with people like Rhodes or Quinn. They were the types of men that gave regular soldiers and even mercenaries a bad name. They didn't give a damn about causes, their loyalty was purchased. He would tolerate them for now but he kept his guard up even though he knew that Koko couldn't be out bid.

"Hey Tojo." He said to quietly get his attention. "Don't you think it's weird that the little lady would send us here on this short of notice. Damien has been getting better at staying off the grid."

"Well I couldn't really ask her too many specifics. I know the tone she has when she's pissed. But how'd she know that Damien would be here?"

"I told her." Quinn said eavesdropping. "She must have figured that it would be a good idea of leading her nemesis into a trap. Old man Hekmatyar obviously didn't listen to the rules so now he has to take his punishment. Oh yeah speaking of which…"

He took his cell phone out from his jacket pocket and looked in the rear view mirror. His view was directed at the second vehicle.

"Ask him where they would go next if they had to get out of that house in a hurry."

On the other end of the line was the sound of heavy breathing. Koko's team looked to him with curiosity.

"Why would I know that?" Tojo had recognized the voice of the old man on the other line.

"Cristos?" Quinn said casually to the one receiving the call.

Suddenly there were two suppressed shots on the other end. Lutz twisted his head around to see what had happened. Only to see the door on the passenger's side of the SUV open up and a woman's body shoved out and began to tumble on the road as the three trucks left her behind. Lutz looked in horror at the senseless kill and back to the bulldog face of Quinn. An annoyed look while scratching his unshaven face.

"You're getting senile you old fuck. If you had just kept your mouth shut and not asked that secretary to be your messenger I would have left her alone. That's on you."

There was no response on the other end. He had been as silent as he could after the last day and a half of Quinn and his men trying to beat some information out of him.

"So stubborn. Alright, one last time. How did the old man find out where his daughter was?"

"God you are just as stupid as ever." Jones had cut him off with a gritting growl.

"My loyalty is to my friend Floyd. Not a woman who claims to be his child. Gretchen was innocent in all this so if Koko is willing to go this far, I know what will happen if I say anything. But you were right about one thing, maybe I am getting senile. I didn't see that who I was hiring on was getting to be a little too straightforward in their job. World hasn't really been the same in the last decade alone. So take your questions, take your threats, take these thugs you've made my company into, and fuck off!"

Quinn was starting to sweat under his greying hair from anger. But he didn't care since Jones would die anyway. Just not yet.

"Keep an eye on him for now." He said to his man as he hung up. "This pretty boy pet of Miss Hekmatyar you all call a Green Beret better be worth it."

Ugo squinted his eyes. He hated when his opponents underestimated him sometimes but he got more upset when he saw others believe themselves to be superior just because of either who they were or who they were associated with. He saw so many of them in his time when he was with the Mafia and with Koko's crew that he was determined not to make himself an expendable asset. He wanted to let Koko know that he would make her proud to part of her team.

"He's none of those things. He's simply a man that was dealt a bad hand in life and will fight with every fiber of his being to make sure he comes out on top. If you think that just because you can catch him off guard with some kind of cheap shot that he'll have a problem trying to fight back, trust me, you're gonna get your head ripped off."

"We'll see if he…"

"AND another thing…" He said asserting his dominance as the crew's big man. "You can trash talk him all you want. But don't disrespect their time together. The feelings they had for each other were real. Same was mine."

"And mine."

"Same here, arschloch."

Quinn knew that he was surrounded on three sides. All he could do was just look forward, angry at the embarrassment he had just received. They were almost there to Hekmatyar's home.

2224 Hours

Even though it had gotten a bit repetitive when this first started, trying to get people to understand absolutely ludicrous facts were still a challenge to get right. Her doomsday machine was easy to explain. The problem though was Hekmatyar kept asking the same question just different ways over and over again on why his daughter was doing what she was doing. I couldn't answer 'She's out of her mind' anymore times just short of screaming it at him. I didn't know how to deal with a distraught parent who couldn't realize his child was beyond saving. Psychological study of how the human mind operates isn't really amongst my talents.

"You can't expect me to just put Koko's life in your hands in such a volatile situation. Not with what all that's transpired. And not with what she's managed to create. What would happen if it fell into the hands of someone worse?"

Too late.

"Damnit I'm getting tired of repeating myself. If you wanted to know why she's gotten this way then I'm gonna be totally blunt. You turned your own daughter into something that doesn't even have a sense of self! That's unbelievably shitty! Because of that, she's going to take out her self-righteous hatred on the world! She has the power to do that thanks to you! But pretending like nothing is wrong and that she'll eventually come around is not going to make things better. She won't stop and I am out of options in finding her. She is about to unleash something that she will have no control over."

The old man was determined to make his point stick. A classic trope of a man who once wielded incredible influential power. They still believed that their name, accomplishments, and heritage alone would be enough. But sometimes that's not always the case.

"I didn't contact the CIA just for them to help kill my daughter. I know that they will simply take that computer once they have no use for her. The reason I wanted you and only you to help me was that I knew that you'd be the one person that would protect her once this whole affair blows over. I'm trying to save her life!"

"By letting her kill hundreds of thousands of people!? Not to mention condemn several million more to follow!?"

This caused us to both take a pause. This argument was getting nowhere. His fears were confounded though. And if I didn't pull the trigger, than someone else would. This was a problem that I should have foreseen but no matter what I would have to do my best to improvise. I couldn't make a good call in this no matter how much I spin it. Lying to him wouldn't work either. I'm also in no position to say anything to the contrary without sounding hypocritical. Dad was doing all he could to help ME out in my current situation. Floyd was doing the same in helping his daughter.

"Damien? You there?" Schokolade said over the net.

"Yeah?" I put my finger over my earpiece to hear her better.

"I'm not sure how to tell you this but satellite shows you got multiple victors closing in on the house."

"What? Where!?" I said as I went to the side of a window trying to peek out into the night.

"Main road leading toward the hou-WHOA!"

I could hear shuffling and engine revving in the background. As well as Schokolade cursing out Scarecrow.

"You've got a lot of company dirt bag! Get out of there! Now! Head to the back of the property and I'll pick you up on the old path!"

He cut the transmission before I could tell him to go fuck himself. It so figures that this would happen again. I might as well just prep everything I do from here on out to be ready for a full frontal assault. Since the house was pretty isolated, it wasn't hard to see the headlights from the vehicles coming this way.

"We'll continue this conversation later old man. It looks like our smoke screen just ran out." I then chambered a round. "We gotta move."

He stood firm like a statue. "Not without reassurance that you will keep Koko alive."

But before I could respond…

THWIP!

It was a single shot that went past my nose so close I could feel the pressure of the round traveling through the air. I was also standing still at the time which meant two things. Either I was incredibly lucky or someone wanted me to stay just where I was.

But this wasn't the time to think.

"DOWN!"

I leaped forward to the old man as we planted ourselves on the floor and started to make our way out of the room. He at least didn't ask questions when he knew the obvious was happening. I was surprised of the natural reaction he had to seek the nearest cover or safest position which was out of the room we were in. VIP protection was a bit of a shared experience between the service provider and the client. He had these kinds of situations drilled into him.

"Wait!" He said. "Get my briefcase! It has what you need to find Koko."

"Urrgh…Christ!" I grumbled as I crawled along the old carpet, doing my best to stay out of the snipers angle of fire.

The case felt a bit light but if it had what I needed, I considered the possibility that old man Hekmatyar was excess cargo. It was good that he prepared himself for this but I couldn't take a chance there would be something missing from the intel and only he knew about it. His own personal insurance to keep himself alive.

I'd worry about that later. Right now I had to figure out how to get out of his house alive and escape. I just hoped they didn't cut off the back of the house. The sniper out front made that direction an absolute no-go. I needed as much cover and concealment as possible.

"Where's your fuse box? I need to make it as dark as possible."

"Kitchen downstairs. Next to the pantry."

Just then I had an idea.

"Your stove. Does it use gas?"

2229 Hours

"I figured he'd have recognized that it was me. Sorry guys it looks like he wants to do this the hard way."

Lutz deliberately missed his shot because Quinn wasn't his boss. Taking in the Little Lady's instructions on bringing Damien back alive. He thought that he'd recognize that it was him that had Damien in his sights. Turns out he must have done his damnedest to erase him from his memories.

"Don't sweat it. I don't think he knows we're here."

As Lutz was confirming with Tojo that Damien was on site, Ugo noticed all of the lights on the property just went out. He parked the lead car a safe distance to the right side of the house instead of directly up to it. Springing an ambush in the dark wasn't something he wanted to walk into.

"That or he doesn't care."

"Alright everyone listen up." Quinn said trying to suppress his anger after he was threatened with a beating from Ugo. "Orders are to take him alive. So don't aim for his head got it?"

"What about Hekmatyar?" One of them asked about their old client.

"Hmm…that's up to your discression. But the kid comes first."

Ugo just rolled his eyes at the coldness of Quinn. He knew he just gave his men free reign on the rules of engagement only applying to Damien. Ugo still didn't feel comfortable with Koko just casting aside her own father like she did. But he made a promise to her to back her up no matter what. It appeared it was finally time to stop messing around and go after Damien themselves. Seeing as how he would not expect them this soon.

After Quinn and his men had cocked their weapons and secured their kits, they were the first on point moving towards the house with Tojo and Ugo in the rear. Several had broken off to cover the rear of the house. Each one had honed their skills as a part of the best that their militaries could muster. Clandestine was a diverse group made up of special forces operatives from all over the world. Very similar to Koko's crew, only much much larger. They no longer held their regulation requirements of appearance. Each one had a style that reflected their personality. From lavish, to care free, to independent, or decided not to break away from prim and proper. But they all moved as if their training never left them.

They had perfected the art of killing. And with Koko being unable to be there during her current situation, her three bodyguards wondered they could keep Quinn and his men on their leashes.

There was no need to be stealthy since they were actively looking for Damien but Tojo and Ugo were glad that they didn't go with a super loud approach by fragging and clearing. Since Quinn's men had the keys to the house, they simply unlocked the double front doors and moved in two at a time into the foyer. Tactical lights illuminating the silent house as the two listened in on their radios.

"Clear."

"Copy that. Cristos, sweep the whole house. Jimenez, I will let you know when we're exiting out the back door. If anything leaves, light em up."

"Got it." He said with a pleased tone.

Quinn's men were excited that they finally managed to get some action in. But only three amongst them knew Damien. Given what he did in South Africa by himself and without any support by the CIA yet.

"Don't wanna sound cliché but you guys know it's too quiet." Tojo said on their private channel.

"That's obvious."

"I'm just waiting for what's going to happen next."

Just to make sure that they wouldn't get burned later. Tojo decided to let Quinn know that he should watch out for anything out of the ordinary.

"Quinn…you might want to tell your men to stay on their toes. The place is huge and we can't cover every room."

"Noted." He said surprisingly with a pause to take into consideration.

But then he heard the static in the background that signaled that Quinn had changed frequencies. It appeared that either he wanted to let someone specific know something that they didn't want to hear. Or he was thinking strategically. Either way Tojo and Ugo kept their eyes on the house waiting for the inevitable.

That consideration was justified as his men were clearing the dining room which was near the kitchen. The point man stopped as he noticed something in the air apart from old wood, cloth, and musk.

"Oh God…GET BACK!"

Cursing under his breath that they found out a bit too soon, he lit a candle from a closed off room and threw it in the direction of the kitchen.

BANG!

"And there it is."

Lutz saw the explosion in the distance first before the others. Damien's flair for destruction hadn't faded. The trio knew that this was battlefield tactics 101 for distracting an enemy or hinder their approach if escape is necessary. It was something they all practiced often on bodyguard detail and Ugo was the one who ensured that they always got away when they needed to.

"Damien had to have already called for backup by now. There's no other cars here and I doubt he came all the way out here on foot. Tojo do you think you can pull up one of the satellites to get an image of the surrounding roads?"

"It'll take a few minutes for them to get into place. But yeah I can see if there's anyone else out here besides us."

"Lutz we're coming back to get you. Get ready." He said as they both headed to their car.

"Roger that."

The blast was not an explosion of violent proportions but it did blow out doors, windows, a portion of the old walls, and began to set fire to some of the furniture due to the old cloth fabric absorbing the methane gas. Due to the awareness of his opponents, none of them were caught in the blast. He then grabbed Floyds shoulder and directed him where to go next since they were distracted.

"That table went all the way back to King Louis XIII." Floyd said with disappointment.

"What's more important? A piece of wood or your life?" Damien whispered in annoyance.

"I know what's at stake. It does not mean I can't express frustration."

The two then made towards the other side of the house away from the explosion towards one of the open windows. Making sure it was clear, Damien went first as Hekmatyar followed. They kept crouched as they made their way to the garden in the back yard.

The garden with men lying in wait since they weren't told that anyone was leaving the house yet.

"Contact!"

Jimenez and his men were only distracted by the blast for only a moment but it wasn't enough to divert their attention from their field of observation. They began their assault with single shots in the direction of the two silhouettes in the dark.

The larger one of them began to return fire. But both sides had ample cover and concealment of the dark with the shrubs and concrete decorations. Damien's objective was to escape, not to stand and fight. So the battle was a gradual push back into the forest. The ones with the firepower could simply overwhelm him but that was not their objective since Floyd Hekmatyar was still with him. They had to take it slow but not fall behind.

"Schokolade! Shit's getting hot here! You on your way or what!?"

"We're trying not to roll the truck Damien! We're almost there!"

Damien could make out the clearing in the dark to the old dirt road. He had managed to distance himself between his attackers but he knew he hadn't lost them yet.

"ANDRUSHKO! I know you can hear me! And I know that old fart is still with you! So stop running! There's something you need to hear!"

He then looked back into the darkness to the voice of a man he didn't recognize but knew his name. He cursed, decided not to listen, and continue moving with Floyd at first but it changed quickly when he spoke again.

"Hekmatyar! I have an old friend of yours that was rather helpful in letting me know you were planning something stupid!"

The shipping tycoon, his shoes and pant bottoms stained in dirt, stopped immediately and turned in the direction of Quinn. Damien stopped when he realized that Floyd wasn't following him.

"The hell are you doing!?" He whisper yelled while grabbing him. "We don't got time for this shit!"

Quinn continued his rant.

"If you don't this geriatric fuck to have a hole in his skull you'll walk your ass right to us and maybe we'll put out that fire in your house!"

Damien then formed an angry look. He knew what was about to happen.

"Forget it old man. He's dead the moment you go in that direction and so are we."

"Calm down Damien, I know. But I don't think Mr. Quinn knows that Abe has never lost his touch."

Seventy five meters in the distance behind the two, the battered and beaten Abraham Jones was held at gunpoint by two of his former employees. He had held a gun longer than most of the men in this old forest of Switzerland had been alive. He knew that a terrible situation like this would have happened eventually, so he was prepared for it. Many old war veterans have a lot of regrets, not all of them are on the battlefield. He made peace with the family he broke apart because as long as he wasn't around them, they'd be happy. So that was good enough for him. But being unable to help one of his oldest friends try to save his daughter was heavier than he thought. Sometimes there's only so much one man can do, he only hoped that Floyd knew what he was doing. Damien may have wanted to stop whatever Hekmatyar was planning just as much as Floyd did, but the feelings they had for why were polar opposites.

"Hekmatyar! Andrushko! This isn't a fucking game I'm playing! You can either run and die later! Or stop and pretend this never happened!"

Jones then felt a rifle barrel at the back of his head.

A good example of opposites was standing not more than three feet from him. Jones had seen a lot of his type before. They put on a good show, but their loyalty was never to their countries, their ideals, or their people. They just wanted an excuse to kill and get the thrill of battle for themselves. They were not warriors, not like him, not like John, and not even like that boy Damien. Despite all his skills he was just another fool with a gun.

This is the last thing I can do for you Floyd. It's in your hands now Mr. Andrushko.

After he was dragged from the car he was held prisoner in plastic ties. In his belt he had a special slip made to hide either a cuff key or a razor blade in case of emergencies. Using the cover of night and when they weren't looking he took the opportunity to free himself and wait for the right moment.

That moment was now.

Jones then grabbed the end of the rifle and spun to the ground yanking it out of the henchman's hand before he knew what happened. Only to be double tapped in the chest as the others around him turned to see Jones free and began firing at whoever was around him. Being caught in that close range with no cover was where one would make their last stand.

It was one last gift from one of his remaining friends as Floyd heard the gun fire and chaotic shouting in the distance.

"Good work Abe. Let's go Damien. The roads not too far from here."

Damien just stood for a moment, realizing he wouldn't last long.

"Shit." Then continued forward as he got on his radio. "Scarecrow, you better be close."

His assumption was correct. Unless the shots were properly aimed at the vulnerable areas, the latest generation of polyethylene and armor plates tend to be a useful shield against 5.56mm rounds. With no cover and little to protect himself, a mere burst through his torso put Abraham Jones on his back. The stary night with a canopy of pine trees his last vision.

"Goddamnit that hurt!"

Quinn was the second one shot but managed to get his bearings back enough to where it was him that put the final burst into him. But it wasn't enough. In a rage he stomped over the dead man and put an extended burst into him. It was total overkill and unnecessarily personal.

"You just couldn't die easily could you!? You decrepit old fart!"

One of his men grabbed him hard by the shoulder to get his attention.

"Quinn! They're getting away!"

He realized he still had a job to do but not without asserting his authority. He grabbed the stolen assault rifle from Jones's body, walked over to the first man shot, pulled him up forcefully by his vest, and slammed the rifle in his injured chest. Clenching his teeth in pain.

"You let something like that happen again I'll blow your fucking brains out. The rest of you! Get them!"

2247 Hours

"Ugo! Where the hell are you going man!? They're back that way!"

The crews driver was making a beeline away from the Hekmatyar Estate. In their rush, he and Tojo didn't have time to brief Lutz on the plan to intercept them.

"There's no other roads that we can get to in order to reach them." Tojo said looking at the satellite images on his laptop. "This is the only one that will lead back to the city. There's nowhere else they can go."

"We only got one shot at this." Ugo was listening in on Clandestine's radio. "Lutz, do you still have those armor piercing rounds?"

Lutz reached in his satchel and held up a single elastic band normally mounted on hunting rifles for quick reloads. It held five .338 Lapua rounds with specialized tips designed to pierce through steel.

"If my PIT doesn't work, then take out the driver. I got a feeling regular rounds won't do much good against armored glass and doors."

Suddenly the net lit up like a match.

"Keep moving! We right on-SHIT!"

"Incoming fire!"

"What the hell's going on!?"

"He's getting away!"

"FUCK!"

That confirmed to the three that Quinn's half cocked plan to try and secure Koko's father and Damien had failed. Now was time for the pros to go to work. They all just looked to each other knowing what to do and Ugo hit the gas.

That didn't mean that they weren't unmoved on the inside. Damien may only be trying to get away but that didn't mean that he wouldn't fight back. The only unoccupied one was Lutz, so he had nothing to prevent his hands from shaking. As a sniper that was something he didn't need right now.

I wish I could say this wasn't personal Damien. But you have no idea how much you hurt Koko and all of us.

2311 Hours

Zurich

"We should be at the safehouse in about twenty minutes. There's no one out driving tonight and as long as we don't come across the cops we'll be fine."

As Dietrich was looking at me in the rear view mirror I was practically out of breath and bullets by the time they had rendezvoused with me. But it was over now and we would be on the first available flight back to the states in a few hours. With it, the trail to Hekmatyar's daughter and an end to this madness she calls a new world.

"I don't care as long as we get out of Switzerland." I then took out by empty MK23. "Where are my spare clips?"

"Under my seat. I know you know but the M4's are still in the trunk."

I nodded as I went to reload. She knew about not being caught off guard again. I also knew what kind of face Scarecrow was making even though he wasn't looking at me. Smug prick was probably gonna say I should have gone in more prepared but at least he kept his mouth shut knowing the situation. If those guys were the same protection detail Hekmatyar had when we first met then it was no wonder I had a problem holding them off like I did even though the night gave me more cover.

"Now that things have calmed down a bit. I've yet to hear your answer Damien."

As the outskirts of town were coming up I looked at him for a moment. I forgot that we were arguing for a bit about what might happen when this all ended.

"Is now really the time for this? Can't it wait until we get back to Langley?"

He clearly didn't care that a few moments ago we were running for our lives. I wondered if anything freaked him out. But then again I was sitting right next to her father. He was used to this.

"I now have no one else I can trust. Kasper will more than likely just let her do as she pleases. And her influence is so great that I can't rely on anyone in my company. So I'll ask again; no matter what happens will you keep Koko safe?"

The amount of times he's repeated the same questions was starting to make me wonder if he truly was delirious. That he couldn't accept the fact that what was happening around him was real. So he just kept asking until he got the one answer he wanted to hear. Stubbornness on the point of arrogance was something I saw in a lot of terrible people in my three year trek across the globe. Floyd Hekmatyar wasn't one of them but he was teetering on it.

"Damn it she…!" Getting angry wasn't going to work so I pulled back. "She was the one who sent those goons to your house to take YOU out as well. They weren't there just for me."

I felt like an idiot for not realizing how this all transpired sooner. The girls a cunning strategist.

"I already knew of the risks I was taking to contact the CIA. What makes you think that they were there just for you?"

"She knew your skepticism on what's been happening would lead you to do this. She was planning on you acting as bait to draw me out."

Only difference is I expected her to act, he didn't.

"Then what the hell makes you so important to her?"

CRASH!

It hit out of nowhere with a significant force as we were about to turn the first block back into the city. All I could recall was an impact of creaking metal, followed by spinning, and a heavy thud while landing on the SUV's roof. There wasn't enough time for anyone to scream because it happened so fast.

"Ugh…Dietrich! Shattzberg!"

They didn't respond. I hope they weren't dead.

As my vision slowly started to come back I saw that that Hekmatyar was being dragged out of the SUV by a figure I couldn't make out. I was upside down and I had to free myself from the seat. After painfully reaching for my knife, I cut the seatbelt and then landed on the ceiling. Noticing we were at a cobblestone intersection in between two street lamps. After fumbling around and getting my bearings back I didn't have time to get the M4 in the trunk so I grabbed my .45 and kicked out my door. This was going to happen very fast and I couldn't let them take away Hekmatyar. Circling around to the engine I saw two of them hobbling along with him. I couldn't just blast them or I'd risk hitting the old man.

"Freeze!" I screamed. "Let him go!"

It was a dumb risk exposing myself. But they didn't shoot back. I also noticed that while they had the same gear, they didn't use the same weapons the others had. My eyes then widened when I also recognized familiar blonde spiky hair.

"Still tough as ever Damien…" And the perfect English of a Japanese Intelligence operative.

I tightened my grip and focused my sights on them. It seems like it was finally time. I didn't expect this soon though. She must have gotten bored of me and decided to end this here and now. Only Tojo turned completely around. Lutz just looked at me. And after a brief glance I saw the large figure of Ugo in the driver seat of a barely smashed front end of a car with a reinforced chassis.

"…and just as ruthless." Tojo finished.

"Don't expect me to say something clever. Give him to me and we can kill each other later."

They didn't blink. I didn't expect them too. I then adjusted my feet to dive for cover if need be.

"She was crying her eyes out. And was having panic attacks for a whole day you know?" Lutz said sharply.

"I'm not gonna ask again." I could care less about the monster in white.

He tightened his lips. "Koko did say you more or less shut us out completely. But she also told us to bring you back if we could. Looks like now's not that time."

I didn't have time for this shit. I had to think quick. But then it was so obvious that if any more there'd be a sign stating it.

This actually changes everything. All I need is one of them. Floyd's being too stubborn and one of them will take me right to her. I can end this all tonight.

But before I could do anything, a shocked look appeared on Ugo's face and leaned out of his vehicles window.

"GUN!" He screamed while firing his Desert Eagle.

I then heard assault rifle fire come from the rear end of our overturned SUV. To my surprise it was Scarecrow of all people giving me support.

I was no longer thinking at this point, only to react.

I bolted forward and slammed into all three men as they were trying to take cover. Get in close enough and they won't be able to use their weapons. With all four of us on the ground, I backhanded Tojo across the face as I grabbed Hekmatyar's wrist and tried to fall back. But I immediately felt the force of a rifle butt to my lower back as I fell to one knee. I turned around in time to see Lutz try to deliver a follow up but I caught the rifle with both hands.

"Move it old man!" I screamed at him to run. He did just that and managed to scramble to behind our flipped car.

Lutz couldn't match my strength and height advantage as he tried to wrestle his weapon free from my grip I slowly stood up and pushed him towards Ugo. Slamming into his vehicle door and the door into him causing him to drop his gun. Taking advantage of his pain, I then hit Lutz in the head with his own rifle. But he then decided to power through it and stomp on my heel, following up with a knee to the side but I still didn't let go. I then felt my left leg buckle under a blow to the back of my knee and then to my spine again. Tojo was trying to get me off of Lutz. But as he prepared for the third kick, I ducked my head out of the way and the blow landed in his gut. That was enough for Lutz to let go of his rifle.

The adrenaline then kicked into massive overdrive. Time itself seemed to have slowed. As I fell backward I flipped the safety off on his .338 Blaser R93 and spun it towards Tojo. It appeared that he would be the first one. But he saw the danger he was in and began to dodge out of the way. I didn't have time to aim so…

BANG!

The both of us hit the ground at the same time. But the former JSDF officer just sat up and quickly checked himself.

He wasn't hit.

What was hit was the rear passenger window of our truck.

Cursing, I tried to reload but Lutz dashed forward and kicked the rifle out of my hands. Then he mounted himself on top of me and tried to start choking me. There was a look of rage in his eyes that I hadn't seen before. A stark contrast of how we used to joke around. Now both of our hands were at each others throats and we were punching each other in the face, seeing who would break first.

"Lutz! Get down!" Screamed Ugo.

He reacted instantly as I heard more rifle fire and he started to roll out of the way.

"Damien! Get over here!"

That was Schokolade. It seems as though we were all good for now but since it looked like Floyd was back in our hands we would need to deal with them anymore. If only I was more prepared I would have nabbed a bigger prize today. But that would be for another time.

Getting off the ground fast, I sprinted towards the truck and dove into cover. Ugo and Scarecrow exchanging fire to keep themselves occupied.

"Good shooting asshole." I said half sarcastic and half serious. "Give me the other rifle. I'll hold them off while you get…"

"Damien!" Schokolade grabbed my arm hard. "Look!"

With the combat high still going strong I didn't notice that Hekmatyar was slumped over.

Gripping his side in pain.

And bleeding.

"How the hell did that happen!?" I said in a fury.

"I don't know! He just screamed and I saw he was hit!" She said confused and in a panic trying to stop the bleeding.

"It's alright young lady." Floyd said trying not to sound like he was suffering. "It just feels worse than it looks."

Bullets don't just fly over solid cover. Especially with a reinforced armored car as cover. But then I saw where the bullet came from. The window on the SUV was shot out from the same area I tried to hit Tojo with. Lutz must have had armor piercing rounds in his rifle specifically used to stop the car.

I shot him and I didn't even know it.

Why does my luck suck so damn much!?

"Hey! They're pulling out!"

In my moment of self-dejection I heard tires screech and the sound of an engine getting further away. A few seconds later the three of us knew why. The distinct sounds of European sirens were getting closer.

"Shit. If they find us here were screwed. Scarecrow, sanitize the truck! Dietrich help me with Hekmatyar!"

Scarecrow was just mumbling obscenities to himself on how he shouldn't have signed up for something like this. But as I started to lift up the old man, I saw Dietrich shaking. She was staring at her blood covered palm. Clearly she wasn't used to the action on this level. And this was minor compared to what I normally went through.

"Prue!" I grasped and shook her shoulder hard. "You need to keep it together right now. This is what happens on the front. Cowgirl the fuck up and help me!"

She shook her head, probably hating the fact that she was here right now, but did what I asked. It was going to be a longer trip to get back to the safehouse but it wasn't far. Floyd struggled, but he got to his feet.

But the one that really needed motivation right now was me. I was operating on autopilot right now. It's default mode was my anger. I had more than likely just axed the only lead I had. I was screaming in my head wondering why everything I touch turns to shit.

"The case. Where is it?" I asked.

"Right here Andrushko." Scarecrow said as he finished arming the sanitizer.

"Let's go."

The sirens were getting closer and we managed to get a distance away that the Zurich police would focus on our car rather than us. I just hoped the plan didn't go up in flames as well.

BOOM!