Summer had since come to the part of Earth they were on. School was out, Tak effectively moved in, Dib became a regular visitor, helping himself to the workshop within the underground portion of the base. Up above, the ranch house was fixed up and thoroughly cleaned, the barn good as new, various outbuildings either torn down and rebuilt or repaired. Horses and cattle dotted the acres of land.
Kazak couldn't have been more at peace. The ranch consisted of a great deal of manual labor effectively from dawn to dusk, but it was enjoyable. He finally realized he found what he wanted outside of being a soldier, and he was living it. Along with it also came with his indulgence in individuality, finding his sense of fashion from Earth; he still had to adopt a separate wardrobe for going out as Tak had to have him dial back when he once attempted to leave the property dressed like Wyatt Earp.
A trail came to end at the top of a hill overseeing the property and out to the street. Kazak sat perched atop his raven black stallion that had since become his animal companion on the ranch. A Winchester 1886 sat in its scabbard, Kazak dressed as if it were the Old West, complete with a cavalryman's hat, devoid of insignia and with holes for his antennae to poke out of.
"Isn't it beautiful? The tranquility, the open space, the livestock going about their lives, the life in the woods around here. Almost like it's a world unto itself when you get away from the civilization of this planet."
"It's less eye-gougingly horrendous to look at, yes." Tak dryly admitted in her usual sense of humor, beside him on her own mount. "For a smooth-brained Speckie…you've made a great deal of progress here. You have been instrumental in furthering our goals, disguised or otherwise."
"Gee, nice to hear I'm not a complete rock bashing moron." Kazak shook his head, but the smile on his face betrayed that he was taking it well.
"They're nice rocks." She teased with a smirk at his expense, turning her attention back to the panoramic view across the acreage and homestead-turned-base. "You truly have outdone yourself. To the passing, average human, this is nothing more than one of many agricultural centers dotting the countryside. The passive income it generates linked to my cover is a benefit as well. I would say you would've made a fine Invader, but, well…you learned from the best before you got yourself killed."
"I mean, I heard what Skrem said about your scores," he chuckled before pausing. "That aside I think I also found I'm actually good at something outside of just shooting people for a living. Something more…productive? Useful? I can't put my finger on what it is about all this but it's fulfilling. Almost forget there's a war on doing this."
Her violet eyes drifted to the fenced pasture nearest the barn. A quartet of barrels evenly spaced about and currently being rounded with haste by a familiar face from horseback. Another, standing at the fence, watched on as she put her horse through its paces.
"Yes…almost…" Tak sighed, looking to Kazak. "Difficult to fathom half a universe away where its very fate is being decided, isn't it?"
"Just about, especially given how far away we are from it. Then again, when the village idiot sabotages his own schemes, it doesn't leave a whole lot for us to do…and Dib can usually handle it when he manages to not shoot his plans in the foot."
"Indeed. Your commanding officers required a fallback position and base of operations in the event of dire circumstances. You have achieved that and excelled tremendously." She observed, watching the spectacle below with the rapid thunder of galloping hooves echoing distantly. "...still trying to figure out this strange obsession with these smelly beasts you and your ilk share."
"The best description I've heard is that they're big, dumb, empathetic dogs." Kazak laughed as he gave his mount a head rub. "You have to be calm riding these. If you're tense, angered, anything like that, they'll pick up on it and react accordingly. It's intensely therapeutic; you can't ride mad. Can't ride, can't work."
His attention turned below as he withdrew a set of small binoculars to observe. Zha running through her paces in a set out training paddock. Nearby was the General himself in a Highland cut jacket and vest in Highland Green, pipe lit as he enjoyed a smoke. Vaukt even discovered his own eccentric flair as he adopted Scottish fashion, complete with a kilt of Clan Campbell that caught his eyes.
'You know, Zha said this is also the first time she's also seen the General dress nice? Quite funny how she says the man won't wear his dress uniform but now he's galavanting around like he's Scottish."
"That or he feels pretty in a dress." The not-Invader facetiously spoke with a bemused huff. "Humans are strange. The rest of you stranger…but to each their own. Part of this whole…individuality thing that's so alien to us."
"You've seen my sense of fashion and the growing collection of firearms from this planet I've been gathering." Kazak smirked as he turned his mount so he could easily face Tak. "How are you adapting? You've learned everything we've been up to, know what we're doing, find anything you've found to your own liking in breaking away from the old?"
"Old habits die hard. Always scanning rooms for escape routes, structural weaknesses, ambush opportunities, killzones…but the more time I spend at the education center, the more intrigued I become." She admitted, her steed shuffling in place with a shake of its head. "Primitive as these people are, their past is vibrant and varied. The lowest of lows and highest of highs, persevering through it all. Until recently, they had something we lacked: identity. Culture, precedence, aspirations, goals, dreams…makes me wonder what is next for them if and when they achieve spaceflight to our capacity."
"All things they take for granted, all the things robbed of us…and that we're starting to discover once more…" Kazak paused again, "and something it seems I've found. I guess you've been looking through all that data Corr gave us with the history of our own people in your off time as well?"
"Have to break up the monotony of watching our resident members of royalty shovel dookie somehow." Tak dryly commented. "I realize these records provided are only a narrow view into the past. History is written by the victors, after all. The victors also always happen to be considered the side of "good"...strange, isn't it?"
"Yeah…really strange how 'the good guy' tends to win every conflict in recorded history, isn't it?" Kazak commented as he sighed, "Irk sure wasn't the good guys way back when and we sure as shit aren't the good guys now. I mean we are but…you know what I mean." Another pause followed, "and Dib has become wiser over these many months but I wonder if it's still wise to leave him unattended in my workshop where he can fabricate many, many things he probably shouldn't be."
"He'd find a way in even if you locked him out." Tak scoffed at his ingenuity. "...he's taken quite the liking to you, you know."
"He's all right…maybe he likes having an army guy as a friend." The sniper chuckled, "It's quite strange, I have a small list of people I tend to like and the majority of them are actually here."
"Your warm personality attracts friends like moths to a flame." She snarkily commented, giving her reigns an adjusting tug to move her mount into a casual trot. "Should probably get back before someone accidentially sets something on fire."
Kazak soon followed, "Good idea. Plus I need to check if I need to discipline the two stooges." He smirked, "You should try beating them with a riding crop when they misbehave. It's quite cathartic."
"I'll leave that to your expertise. Threatening to tell Zim they're here forever works wonders in motivating them." She deviously grinned. "Though it does lead me to wonder what the end goal is with them. Are they to be here…forever? Is this a fallback position or a political prisoner resort?"
"At times, I almost welcome a sentence of exile if it means a life of peace. Though at the end, it's all an illusion if the others fail and the Empire ends up coming here anyhow."
A moment of silence overcame the pair as they slowly made their way down the trail meandering through the woods, losing sight of the farm and homestead.
"...are you going to return to familiar space and help if called upon?"
That question…it didn't draw an immediate answer from him. The sniper remained quiet, trying to wrap his head around the idea. He gave his mount a reassuring rub on the neck as he sensed the man's mood sour.
"Genuinely, part of me wants to stay here. Finally found a small measure of peace that I now find myself reluctant to surrender. It's weird, I never felt this way before. I genuinely don't know if I would or not."
"Understandable from all you've told me and what Vaukt has shared with us." Tak reasoned, glancing at him as their horses navigated the path. "It would get lonely around here without your winning charm and stunning charisma."
"And I'd miss having a woman constantly riding my ass." Kazak's mood rebounded as he chuckled, "Like we're an old married couple as the locals say."
"Someone has to protect you from yourself." She teased with an authentic smile.
A momentary pause amidst the warm breeze carrying through the leaves around them.
"...you'd really miss me?"
"Genuinely would. You're one of the few people I can actually stand in the universe. Funny how it started with a big fight and you nearly running one of your PAK legs through my neck."
"Give it time, I may make true on that yet." She morbidly joked, making light of the subject matter. "...I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't miss your company. Aiding you and this movement has given me purpose once more. A better application of my skills and talents…and one of a handful of people I openly trust."
A sigh followed.
"...but I also understand the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. If they called upon us to aid, then so be it. The Empire isn't going to simply go away or disappear over time. We all have to be ready and willing to do whatever it takes to bring it to an end so our entire people can live boring, mundane lives like this."
"You know it makes me rather tired of living through historical events. I'm actually liking this whole mundane life thing." A laugh followed, the ranch definitely helped his outlook on life and his general mood. He may have still been an asshole and rather standoffish but he was far more relaxed and enjoying life rather than being bitter about things.
"It's nice having you around here rather than only getting to see you on weekends."
"Your company is preferable to that of snot-nosed dirt children, if only barely." She teased, turning her attention to look ahead as they walked the trail. "Look on the bright side…if this charade continues for an extended period of time, I only have a few more years left before the human authorities will leave me be as I will be of "legal age" and considered an adult by their societal standards."
"We both just have to be short, huh?" A soft, single laugh escaped him, "I had to make boots with thicker soles to squeeze in a couple inches so I wouldn't be considered a 'manlet' by the local terminology. Apparently by adult human male standards, I am rather short and thicker soles bump me up to average."
"No amount of tread on our feet will change the fact both of us are as tall as adolescents on this backwater dirtball." Tak derisively huffed in good nature. "Equal parts advantageous as it is annoying. Blending in with the worm-babies is beneficial but also a hindrance when the adults are able to control every facet of their lives. Even here, the tall rule the small."
"Well maybe if you had went for being a midget or something instead of pretending to be a child like I have…" The sniper shot a smirk at her, "I'm just two inches off of being considered average for a man on this planet. Two inches! It's insulting, but I've taken the manlet comments in stride if they came so far. Rodeo performances tend to shut people up."
"Maybe you can be one of the fools that run about to distract the animals. You already dress like a clown."
"Hey, not my fault you don't like the same human era of fashion that I do. Then again it is pretty funny imagining you in a hoop skirt."
"Can you imagine me punching you?"
"Oh come on, you wouldn't do that."
Tak gave him a knowing look without saying a word. For someone who lacked social skills and empathy for others, he wasn't in short supply around her. Perhaps it was their likemindedness and personalities meshing well towards the common goal of furthering the movement.
He shot a smile back at her. The place helped him lighten up to a great degree. Even so, they were pretty similar. A sniper and an Invader seemed an unlikely duo and yet here they were, getting along just swell at that. Whatever it was, he was different around her, unlike with others of the team he was with before.
The two of them came to a stop near Vaukt and Zha running through her paces on the opposite side of the fence. "General," Kazak tipped his hat brim slightly.
"Cowboy," Vaukt nodded back to him. "You know, considering making it Generalissimo, bit of a self promotion given I'm sort of the current de facto highest ranking member of this movement while my beloved gets back on her feet mentally."
"Why Generalissimo?"
"Sounds fancy, a bit of daring allure to it. Might even integrate this kilt into a new personal dress uniform of mine. Really taking a liking to it."
As they conversed, Zha trotted up to the gathering casually, maintaining expertise and control of her steed. Much like the rest of them, gone was her Imperial uniform. In its place was more appropriate attire for the saddle. Riding boots, pants, jacket, and helmet with leather-gloved hands clutching the reigns.
"For someone quick to dismiss social affairs and obligations you are quick to attract attention to yourself." She chided at his expense with a smirk, looking to Kazak and Tak. "Luckily for him he looks pretty in a dress."
"Or maybe you're saying that because of other advantages this offers." Vaukt was quick to quip back at her. "It's honestly very cozy. Besides, it's different when you want to be the center of attention and when you don't. Don't has been my usual mode both within officer affairs I have no desire to deal with or in the field."
"You know they used to wear those into combat, right?" Kazak pointedly asked, still seated upon his stallion. "Combat history going right back to Culloden from what I've been reading of the Scots."
"And it's quite a dashing look isn't it? Not something I'd personally do with that set of power armor and the circumstances of what we deal with…but in an age of gunpowder and the need for distinctive uniforms and bright colors as a friend or foe identification system, it works."
"Fascinating. It's still a dress." Zha dryly spoke. "Curious as I am about Earth and its customs, the two of you have taken to them a little too well."
"Good to know I'm not the only voice of reason around here." Tak concurred.
"I'm seeing a pattern here."
"Indeed."
"Know your enemy and know yourself…or in this case, know your surroundings and find out what sort of eccentric sort of things you like. Like you and your poofy riding pants." Vaukt smiled at Zha.
"My poofy riding pants are for riding, not everyday attire, thank you very much. Tak, how many human men have you seen wearing a dress in public?"
"...inconclusive. These people are strange."
"Allow me to rephrase. A dress like his. The…what did you call it? Plaid?"
"Exactly zero."
"One, it's tartan. Two, it's a kilt. Three, I went for a disguise as a Scotsman!"
"Yes, a Scotsman. A human man of Scots." Tak responded, long used to dealing with Kazak's nonsense. "The country of Scotland, thousands of miles away from here and isolated by an ocean."
"She's saying you're weird like Kazak." Zha piled on, smugly grinning at him. "I'm certain she's the only reason this operation wasn't ran into the ground before our arrival. What would you ever do without her, Kaz?"
"Be living out of that Vortian shuttle like some sort of interstellar hobo." Kazak shook his head, "Seriously, General, me running around like I am dressed like I'm some US Marshal from a couple centuries ago makes more sense than being a Scot in this part of the country."
"Well if looking fashionable in this kilt is wrong I don't want to be right. Found something I actually like wearing outside of power armor for a change." Vaukt threw up his hands, "I might just go back to armor now because Zha's complaining about it."
"You're adorable when you get all flustered." Zha teased with a snicker, leaning to rub the neck of her horse affectionately. "In all seriousness, I can't thank the two of you enough for what you've done here. All of this has made things a little more…bearable in recent weeks."
"I'm just glad to see I'm not the only one who took a liking to these magnificent creatures." Kazak smiled, "If you're feeling daring and you don't mind sleeping in the field for a few days, might just have to take you on a cattle drive."
"Cattle…drive? How does one drive cattle? Is it like the cars?"
"Moving the other big, smelly, filthy animals from one location to another." Tak summarized. "The ones that get sold for money so humans don't ask questions about this place and their authorities don't come snooping around."
"Rail yard's a bit over a hundred miles thataway." Kazak pointed in the direction, northeast of them. "They got a corral there owned by the human father Tak duped into her disguise. We drop them off there, get our money, ride back."
The former High Marshal shrugged with a pursed expression.
"Sounds simple enough. I take it we keep them grouped together for the duration of the trip from horseback?"
"That we do. Easier to manage, we cover more ground. Thankfully I haven't run into any cattle rustlers but that seems to be an older problem, not quite prevalent today. I keep this around because you just never know." Kazak tapped the stock of his lever action sticking out of its scabbard.
Tak rolled her eyes. "Yes, the incredibly advanced alien species choosing the weapons of primitives. You do realize that may as well be the equivalent of a slingshot to our standard fare, right?"
"Now, Tak, it is part of his disguise as well managing his quaint homestead." Zha placated with a smile. "I happen to find it a quaint, albeit loud, slingshot."
"There must be something in the water here for all three of you to turn native the longer you stay here."
"Maybe I should let Zha have fun with that German…Mascheengeweer or whatever it is," Kazak laughed. "The one that sounds like a buzzsaw."
"What is a buzzsaw?" Zha queried, genuinely confused.
"You know the loud, greasy machine that runs on dead carbon-based lifeforms he packs around to hack up the trees with? That." Tak clarified. "Another relic from human history whose impact was as psychological as it was strategic…ironically, the forces that fielded them we can draw parallels to Imperial doctrine."
"How do you know that?"
"Something of limited value comes from their education center occasionally."
"That and their very confined version of the stellar extranets we're far more familiar with. They call it the internet around here." Kazak added, "We've both done a fair deal of reading on them."
"And so have I when it comes to the ones who caught my eye." Vaukt chuckled, "Those breakfast sausages I've made lately are Scottish style."
"Really taken with them, huh?" Kazak turned his head towards him.
"Suppose it was bound to happen with all of us being able to indulge in individualism here on this planet where there's no need to…match or anything."
"Be that as it may, don't cast aside our roots entirely." She warned of their guests and Kazak. "We are in an extremely opportunistic position to experience the rebirth of our people first-hand. Guide and shape it, really. It should be wholly Irken, of Irken, by Irken…not imitating others around us. We will find the answers in our own past, not someone else's."
"She is right," Vaukt's head nudged at Tak. "What we're finding here applies more at a personal level for us. Our personal eccentric tastes, what we want for ourselves. When it comes to our people, we do have the information from Byte. We can look back at what we had, the faults of the Republic, how to blunt future corruption."
"Gotta admit, the humans do have a sense for fashion," Kazak smirked.
"I'm inclined to agree. I actually found fancy clothes that are enjoyable to wear." Vaukt grinned as he looked at Zha, "Maybe this Irken pseudo-Scot should take you out for a nice dinner, my dearest poofy pants."
She gave a single humorless laugh.
"You? Willingly going in public? Around people? Who are you and what have you done with General Vaukt?"
"He's a bit more relaxed when he doesn't have his own supposed allies and enemies alike wanting to kill him. Surprising, I know."
"Mmhmm…well, how about you go change out of your pretty dress into something more inconspicuous and I'll take you up on that nice dinner?" Zha countered smugly as she made to dismount her horse.
Well-practiced in the saddle by now, she swung her leg over the creature with her other foot in the stirrup before coming to rest on the ground next to the horse with reins in hand and an affectionate stroking of the soft hide of its thick neck.
"Soon as I put her up in the stables and change, I expect you to be ready."
"I am dressed nice," Vaukt countered.
"She means go throw on the trews, General, so you don't draw too much attention."
"If that means "pants", then yes, please do."
"If you think I'm drawing attention…either of you two notice your two lately? I think my kilt is the least of our concerns if you got locals watching you from afar."
Tak's brow furrowed in equal measures of confusion as concern.
"Locals watching? From where? Who?" She pursued, attention drifting around as if seeking out the apparent perpetrators. "This place is remote enough from the road and any nearby human settlements. Nothing has been picked up on our monitoring equipment."
Vaukt pointed in the direction, Kazak looking and seeing a tell tale glint of glass in the light. Something someone in Special Operations would be familiar with and most definitely a sniper.
"Yup…yup someone's definitely looking in on us." His attention turned back to Vaukt. "How long he been there?"
"Couple hours, give or take."
"And you didn't think to tell us?"
"You went off riding. Besides, I got my woman to worry about here."
"Rid-" Tak began incredulously, struggling to temper her anger rising. "You just stayed here and let them watch?!"
"What else were we to do? Let them know we know they're there? Attack them? The four of us set into motion our inevitable demise after poking the sleeping beast that is humanity's law enforcement, government agencies, and military forces?" Zha countered, defending Vaukt's off-the-cuff response. "We are at a disadvantage and putting it lightly. Nothing remains hidden forever. Not even Invaders or Spec Ops."
"Yeah, attacking the locals sounds like a great way to have them just drop a few bombs on us aliens and call it a day." Vaukt added to Zha's assessment, "Sometimes you learn in warfare the best move is not to act and kill everything in your path."
"Right, because allowing them to gather intelligence unopposed is going to certainly work in our favor in the end." Tak challenged sarcastically with a scoff of disbelief.
"Terrific," Kazak sighed and looked at Tak. "Clearly if there are humans watching us and we didn't catch it this isn't the standard fare."
"I don't understand why either of you are surprised by this." Zha continued casually. "You have been here for several months, establishing a presence, with routine visitation from that human child coming and going to what should be an abandoned property. Between his dress and your best imitation of those strange films on the glowing idiot box, I'm surprised this hasn't happened sooner. If we were a threat, they'd have done something by now."
Kazak sighed, "She's right. I mean, Zim's awful, blatantly awful. The Internal Affairs types here likely discovered him early on but since he's such a moron they haven't done anything. Or, if the internet's memes are to be believed, they're incompetent and only target the mentaly feeble…but this leads me to wonder why they haven't tried to lure Zim into a plot of theirs as of yet."
"Imagine being too stupid to be maliciously taken advantage of and subverted." Tak concluded with a scoff, turning her attention back to Zha and Vaukt. "If they're half as intelligent as we assume them to be, they'll make their move once they believe they have us down to a schedule. Strike when we least expect it."
"All I'm hearing is for us to be spontaneous and lead them all across the city on an extravagant date." Zha grinned at him. "I'll go change and you better change or we're going clothes shopping for you first."
"Really, what's wrong with the kilt?" Vaukt threw his hands up, "I think it looks very fashionable."
"Generalissimo, you can't be blending in and be the center of attention." Kazak quickly added, "Just do what she says."
"I shouldn't just to spite her but, you're right, this does stand out." Vaukt sighed, "I'm mixing this into my new personal dress uniform though. The Scots inspire me with their ferocity in combat."
Kazak smirked and looked to Zha, "You're right, maybe he does feel pretty in a skirt."
"Assholes, the both of you."
Vaukt headed inside, bound for the kitchen first to enjoy some Guinness while Zha, Kazak, and Tak brought their horses to the barn to remove their tack and let them loose in the pasture. Once they were all inside the house, a black sedan made its way up the dirt road. The Impala came to a stop at the front of the house near Kazak's SUV, a Humvee, and M151 Jeep he acquired from his ranch work also parked out front.
"Hey, that look like one of ours?" One of the human men asked his partner.
"Mhm, that's an FBI style SUV if I ever seen one. Check it out, even got light bars inside."
"Bet they're blue and red too." The two men, clad in khaki cargo pants, polo shirts, and plate carriers with ATF and Police patches made their way up the porch and knocked on the door.
Kazak was long since aware of the disturbance. Vaukt went down below to grab his power armor, as did he to quickly change into his Vortian armor set. The sniper spoke over an intercom he installed next to the front door, needed to divert the attention of these human authorities from what they were doing somehow.
"Can I help you two?"
One of the males searched the doorframe, finding the wireless doorbell and camera. He produced his official ID and badge, flashing it in front of the lense. Agents of the National authorities of the country they resided in.
"Agent Rollen, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Am I speaking to the owner of this property?"
"That you are, Andrey Kaznarov, at your service," Kazak replied with his assumed identity.
Agent Rollen's partner's brow furrowed, checking the clipboard in his hands as he thumbed through the documents. That didn't sound right.
"Right…well, Mr. Kaznarov, we've had several noise complaints of automatic weapons fire attributed to originating on your property. Our records don't show any registration of Class III firearms. As you know, it is a federal offense to be in possession of an illegally-modified, unregistered machine gun. We're here to verify the origins of these complaints. Are you in possession of any such weapons?"
"Even if I were, don't you think it'd be-"
As Kazak was speaking, he was suddenly cut off by a rather apparent Scottish accent.
"Oi, don't tell the duffers a damn thin'!" Vaukt signaled to Kaz to go outside, all the signal he needed. Kazak grabbed some items from a table, donned his mask, took one of the hidden exterior exits he designed into their base out of view of the front and cloaked. "Jus' who da ya lads think ya are?! Comin' over 'ere without narry a fuckin' warrant?!"
"Who is this? Where is Mr Kaznarov?"
"Tom." His partner hissed, getting his attention. "Sure we got the right address? Property card for this place belonged to a Michael Hunt, deceased. Declared abandoned."
"Does it LOOK abandoned, Danny?"
"Well, no-"
"All the more reason to investigate probable cause, quit distracting me!" He turned back to the camera. "Now…identify yourself. I was speaking to an Andrey Kaznarov before. Who are you?"
"Laird Harold Campbell! And 'e ain't sayin' another damn word ta ya, lads, lest ya got the court papers."
"Mr Campbell, you and Mr Kaznarov are currently trespassing unless you can produce documentation of ownership of this property. I only need to take a look around for my report. Nothing more."
Kazak, meanwhile, cloaked as he was, made his way over to the sedan of the two agents. In his hands was…a potato, which soon found its way jammed into their exhaust pipe before he made his way back towards his own parked vehicles.
"Only trespassers 'ere now lads are ya two. An' 'less ya two are interestin' in brawlin' a Scot…"
"Sir, if I have to go get a warrant, it will be for your arrest. We are not local police. This is a serious matter. I have probable cause to search the premises as-is. I'm trying to be courteous."
"So am I. Those plates 'a yers level four, lads?"
Danny's face visibly paled at the utterance, looking to Tom. The latter remained better composed, If only barely.
"We-…have a pleasant day, sir. We'll be back. Don't get comfortable."
"Whatever ya say, lad."
Kazak smirked behind his mask as he watched the two agents return to their vehicle, the cloaked Irken resisting the overwhelming urge to snicker as they started the car…and headed off? Weird, the old movies on the flashing idiot box showed that trick working? He went back inside, seemingly defeated, but little did he know it actually worked, just on a delay.
Down below, at the bottom of the dirt road, another black SUV had pulled up. Another man in a black suit was waiting for the two agents. This one clearly of a different breed. What were these ATF loons thinking interfering with an active investigation? Still, their first encounter could be useful for some sort of recon. He watched their sedan roll down the dirt path, engine off, clearly in neutral, having car trouble already?
The Impala came to a stop and went into park, the sound of the hood popping followed.
"Did you remember to get the air filter changed, Tom?" Danny said as he got out of the passenger seat. He paused as he saw the suited figure approaching them. "Can we help you, sir?"
"Yeah, you can," the agent withdrew his badge and ID and showed it to them. CIA. CIA, operating within the US. "Agent Jack Adams, CIA, and you two just interfered with an ongoing investigation."
"What's he going on about?" Danny's compatriot called from the now-open hood of the vehicle, attempting to troubleshoot their mechanical woes.
"I'm talking you two fuckin' Waco tier goons may have just given everything away that we're watching them." Adams ran a hand down his face in frustration. "No matter, what's done is done. Did you two at least find out anything about them or see them?"
"What's your problem?" Tom scoffed, turning around to face the supposed agent. "We were following up on a tip of possible illegal Class III activity. They were less than willing to talk to us. Threatened us, actually. Some Scottish prick and a Russian dickhead. Both of them are squatting on abandoned property. On our way back to the office and get a warrant for threatening us."
"Yeah, don't bother, this is a CIA operation as of now." Adams spoke flatly, deadpanning at both of them. "You're dealing with things I'm not at liberty to speak about that are at this property…and they even managed to sabotage your vehicle without your knowledge."
"Sabotage? Wha-" Danny began before Adams quickly interrupted him.
"Check your tailpipe."
"Tailpipe? What the hell could be in the tailpipe?" Danny mused as he made his way back and knelt down to look…with a pause he withdrew a pocket knife, stuck it into the exhaust, and dislodged the object…a potato…a potato in the tailpipe. "Tom…try it now."
Confused at the sudden turn of topics amidst their discussion, his partner obliged. Walking back around the front of the vehicle to the driver's side, he leaned in to bump the keyed ignition. The car turned over, starting with ease and idled as normal.
"The fuck…" He muttered, looking back to Danny over the roof to see him holding up the culprit on his unfolded knife. "Oh you gotta be shitting me…really? How'd they even do that?"
"Classified. But suffice to say, these fuckers can turn invisible, that's all I can tell you."
"Invisible? No way. Look, man, we're going back to the office and getting a warrant. I recommend clearing out before we get back."
"Yeah…about that…you're not getting that warrant."
"Listen, pal, you're real close t-" Just then, Danny's phone rang, prompting him to answer the phone, "Agent Warner….Director, sir? ….Yes, sir…Yes, sir…I understand, sir…Will do, sir." Danny spoke between the pauses of what was apparently the Acting Director of the ATF, calling them personally, and yelling at him over the phone. "I'll inform my partner, sir….Yes, sir…Goodbye."
A sigh followed as Adams smirked. Danny turned to Tom, throwing up a shrug.
"Yeah, we've been ordered to log this as a non issue and that everything is legal and above board."
Tom's annoyance quickly deflated at the conclusion of the call, looking back to this supposed CIA operative standing before them in disbelief. So this wasn't some ploy or hoax after all. Morbid curiosity was quickly overrode by paranoia in the reputation that surrounded his handlers.
"...right…non-issue. We'll…log it accordingly. Back in the car." He settled, closing the hood as he spared a final look to Adams before making to get back behind the wheel.
Adams let the two agents go before getting on the phone to his own superiors. "Sir, the Waco types have just departed…The Director called them. We're ready for deployment at zero dark thirty…Wait, he's coming? …You sure, sir? …Understood." He hung up the phone, getting back into his SUV and driving away…for now.