CIA Safehouse E9
West Berlin, March 12 1981
"How's the rust on your spanish"
"I can pass easily in Spain"
"In Havana they'll identify me as a gringa as soon as I open my mouth" Park admitted as Adler closed the door behind them.
Bell tried to watch them through the windows of the office when Park made eye contact with him and shut the blinds. "Fortunately, I don't plan to talk much"
The real conversation began once they realized Bell had finally stopped eavesdropping on them and went outside. "You and him aren't still…." Adler trailed off.
"Who?" Park asked, finding Adler's tone uneasy.
"Bell."
Park realized what he was implying. "No, we decided that it would be best to remain on professional terms." She said looking away from him as she put out her cigarette.
"Good, I don't need you thinking you two can just run off into the sunset together like everythings a fairy tale."
The small room became silent before Adler broke the ice. "If tomorrow goes wrong, you know he's our last shot at redemption. So when we all extract together tomorrow, I want him hooking into the line first. No matter what, we can't afford to lose such a valuable asset." Adler lit a cigarette, and leaned against the desk. "I've been patient with him, and giving him his dosages but tomorrow we might not have a choice. I just need you to know all this so you can prepare you and your team for the worst."
"I understand, but how do you even plan to…" Adler cut her off.
"Is that concern I hear agent Park?" Adler suffocated his cigarette in the tray, diminishing the light from its ashes.
"No, I trust you'll know what to do. I'll help you when the time is right." She said through her poker face. In truth she wanted to punch Adler in the face and shayter those stupid sunglasses he always wore. But she knew that her careless actions could put her in a situation she didn't want to be in.
"I'm glad we're on the same terms then." Adler said, opening up the blinds to the small office and opening the door.
They both went their separate ways after their private conversation. While she did ask the questions she wanted to, she used those as a way to bore Bell until he finally left them alone. However she figured Adler had a few questions too, she just didn't know what.
Daniel Folten: 30 miles south of Havana Cuba
March 13, 1981
1600 Hours
They made their way to the second floor after a few more bloody encounters with the enemies.
"27B, Adler we're heading inside." Park informed Adler.
She quickly took a keycard from her pocket and unlocked the door. Bell assumed she must have found it back in the security room.
"Lazar man the door." She said, already walking past him.
"You got it Park." Lazar said, keeping an eye out.
Bell followed her inside. The door revealed three bodies that was left of the muder scene. He noticed that one of the bodies still had a bit of life in him. "Pershing", he thought to himself, glad that he was still alive.
"Bell canvas the room."
"Already on it." He replied, picking up a piece of intel.
Park went over to the limo Hastings and kneeled down beside him. "Hastings, start talking."
She must have taken him by surprise when he let out a panicked joult. "Perseus was here! Shot us! Escaped!" He said trying to hold on to the last bit of his life.
As Hastings explained to Park what occurred, Bell wandered over to the corner of the room finding a small box of health stims. Figuring they might come in handy later he grabbed a few of them and stuck them in a pouch on his vest. Once tucked away, he noticed a small TV to his right. Walking towards it he saw its screen flicker, showing what he recognized to be old war footage. "Is that 'nam?" He asked, confused. However the flicker went as soon as it came and when he blinked, the screen was black again. He stared at the black screen wondering what he just witnessed.
"Perseus would never leave his precious nuke behind." Park said.
"He forced us to reverse engineer the detonation codes! Give him full access to Greenlight…" The bloodied man said, trying to speak past his pain and give them the info they wanted.
Greenlight… that snapped Bell out of his own thoughts as he turned around.
"What?!" Bell exclaimed. If what he just heard was true then their situation just got ten times worse.
"Are you telling me Perseus can detonate multiple nukes in Europe!?" Park asked, her voice full of shock.
"I'm so…. sorry…." The man uttered. Bell had heard stories of people's last words being of regret and sorrow, he hoped he would never be able to relate to that.
"Hastings! Stay with us!" Park asked her hands on the doctor's bloodied shoulders.
"Tell us how many greenlight devices Perseus can detonate with those codes!" Bell kneeled down beside Hastings, asking desperately.
"He can detonate… all of them" Those were the last words that would ever come out of the now dead scientist.
"He'll wipe out half of Europe!" She said standing back up.
"And blame it all on the USA." Bell said, realizing Perseus' intentions.
"We need to find Perseus, now!" Adler said over the comms.
About that time Lazar knocked on the door and opened it.
"Time to go, no?" He asked.
"Contact! Chopper coming in low!" Mason said over comms.
"That's gotta be Perseus!" Bell chimed in.
"All teams, head for the roof!" Adler ordered everyone.
"Move! Move!" Park ordered Lazar and Bell.
As they made their way upwards, they could hear Woods over the comms. "Adler, we got hell of a lot of reinforcements circling the compound!"
"Great." Bell said to himself. There were turrets outside that started to shoot through the windows, nearly killing them. Bell went first as he sprinted towards the door, almost knocking its hinges off. Park and Lazar quickly followed.
"Adler! I got eyes on an HVT! South rooftop! Could be Perseus. He's climbing into a chopper!" It was Woods again.
"Lock it down!" Adler told Woods.
While the other team was dealing with the chopper, Park, Lazar, and Bell scrambled to find a way to the roof.
"Uh, Uh… Quick out the window!" Lazar said staying behind until the other two went out first.
Getting through the window first and running to the top Bell saw a chopper fly right past them. "Woods how's that chopper coming?!" Bell asked over the comms.
"It got away!" Woods responded sounding frustrated.
"Forget the chopper we've got bigger problems!" Mason said.
"Adler! Where the hell are you?!" Bell asked, reaching the rooftop.
"Bogged down! Don't wait for us! Prep for Skyhook!"
Bell sighed in frustration. How much worse could things get. As he, Park, and Lazar, hopped over the small gate they were quickly greeted by two other CIA soldiers.
"Balloon is up and ready! Skyhook, this is Ground Team, confirm you have visual!" The soldier said over his radio.
Bell heard the pilot over the radio respond. "Roger that Ground Team, we have visual! Fasten your harness, cross your arms, and remember to keep your backs to the wind, inbound in two minutes."
Those two minutes seemed like a lifetime. The power of his Redeemer caused catastrophic damage to those whose bodies it's bullets went through. He had never used such a powerful pistol before.
"We're sittin ducks out here!" He heard Lazar say.
"Tell you what Lazar, when we make it out of this, we're all going to Burger Town, my treat." Bell said as he reloaded his remaining bullets into his Magnum.
"Now that's something worth fighting for!" Lazar said, smiling.
It wasn't long until he along with the others began to run low on ammo. As one wave of enemies died off, another was deployed.
The pilot chimed in again, grabbing Bell's attention as he continued shooting. "Ground team, this is Skyhook. Your zone is hot as hell. Can we lend an assist?"
"That'd be much appreciated, Skyhook!" Park responded as she reloaded.
"Roger that. Clearing the roof now."
Within moments bodies were being obliterated left and right, thanks to Skyhooks assist .
"Ground team, we've only got enough fuel for one more pass. Be ready to extract. You will not get another chance." The pilot informed the three.
"Copy that Skyhook!" Park acknowledged.
Lazar looked off into the distance. "Park I can see the plane! Park, we need to hook into the line! Now!"
"We'll do it in turns." Bell said looking at them. "Lazar, you go first."
"No, Bell you need to go first, now!" Park ordered.
"Why, I don't think it matters. I'm not hooking in until you both have!" Bell protested.
"Bell, we don't have time for this, just hook yourself in. Now! That's an order!" Park said sternly.
Bell nodded, not understanding why she was being so insistent on him going first. He walked over to the line and hooked it to the clip around his waist.
Seconds later an enemy came around the corner with an explosive, pointing right at them.
"RPG!" Lazar shouted. "Take cover!"
"Oh.." Before Bell had time to finish his sentence the explosion had already shaken them, throwing Bell on his back. When he regained consciousness moments later, he opened his eyes seeing the balloon that Skyhook was going to use to take them back to base any moment now. He tried to resist the pain he was feeling and rolled over on his stomach to see his friends, injured. His balaclava was torn diagonally, revealing half of his mouth all the way to his nose, better revealing the expressions on his face. He looked over to Lazar who tried to reach for the harness to hook into.
"Aghhh! My legs!" Lazar cried out in pain.
He looked over to his right to see Park who wasn't in any better shape.
"Bell, I can't… reach the harness." She said extending an arm.
If only she had let one of them go first instead of him, then this could have been easier. He wanted to take both of them, and leave himself behind, but he knew it was too late for that now.
The pilot cut in, interrupting his thoughts. "Ground team, we have contact in T minus 10… 9… 8…"
He looked back and forth to his friends, a look of desperation in his eyes wishing he didn't have to make this choice. He looked to Park whose expression reminded him of what they had agreed on before coming on this mission. She knew it too, that's why she wasn't asking for his help now. He nodded in response to their same thoughts and looked back to Lazar.
"Lazar…. I'm sorry!" Bell exclaimed.
"7
"6"
"5"
He crawled his way over to Park and hooked her harness in. She looked at him in distrust. "You promised me." She said, clearly not happy." She could see apologetic expression he had on his face.
"2"
"1"
He didn't have time to respond when they were both snatched backwards by Skyhook, their backs to the wind. All Bell could look at was the image of Lazar getting smaller and smaller as they got further away. "I'm so sorry Lazar." Bell muttered to himself. However they didn't get too far when a missile shot down the plane that was Skyhook.
"We're going down!" The pilot exclaimed over the comms.
"Park cut the line, now!" Bell said over his shoulder.
"Quick hand me your knife!" She said.
Moments later their line was cut and they were falling towards a flowing river.
