Into the Lower Levels
Disclaimer: Same as before...
---
"There is a mysterious virus ravaging the computer systems of Area 51. Three of our teammates are trapped here on this facility. We're here to bring our teammates out alive and render what assistance we can. Agent Angela Bennett of the FBI and Dialtone of G.I. Joe are going to try and stop the virus." Captain Travis began. Shortly after he'd briefed his team to be on ready five status he had been called into HQ.
"Roger that sir." Master Sergeant Chong replied.
"Chong. You and I will man our CP at the main hangar." Travis said. "We'll link up with HQ. Sergeant Draper, you'll man our communications as well."
"We leave ASAP for the tarmac." Travis replied.
The team headed for the tarmac. Battle gear and medical and comms gear was checked for the last time, weapons were locked and loaded and the team headed towards the bird where Angela and Dialtone were waiting for them.
As they waited Dialtone asked Angela. "So where did you know Sergeant Draper from?"
Angela stopped short for a second. She didn't want to answer that. There was still so much raw history laid out from the time she met Carl in Qatar hours ago.
Dialtone could see that he'd asked the wrong question. He guessed there had to be some more than personal history between Angela Bennett and Carl Draper.
Saved by the bell. Angela thought when she saw the CSAR team crossing the tarmac.
The team boarded the helicopter and it took off, racing across the Nevada desert.
---
"Sergeant?" Senior Airman Ahmed said, "The latest comms intercepts from Iranian territory."
Lady Jaye nodded and said in perfect Farsi, "Thank you."
Ahmed's eyes widened as he replied in stammering Farsi, "You're welcome. I didn't know you spoke the language."
"I'm learning it right now,." Lady Jaye replied, pointing to a copy of Rosetta Stone on her desk, "I have a feeling it's a necessary language to know for this assignment of ours. I appreciate the work you've been putting in. Your work with Fahrahnakian shortly after the Omnidroid attack on Bandar Abbas was excellent."
"Thank you." Ahmed replied, "Quite a few of the transmissions deal with identifying freighters that seem to wander into their claimed territorial waters. In the brief dialogues before the Iranians started shooting there were references to holds full of Heartless. The ships tried to protest in vain that there was nothing onboard and that they were in international waters, but as the two cases before me attest the Iranians are shooting first and asking questions later."
Ahmed left the room to return to the communications center. He was working a twelve hour shifts with two of the Pit's other five Farsi speakers in three man teams in the communications center monitoring Iranian radio and communication traffic.
Other than going to the intelligence shop to drop off his findings every so often the only time he'd moved from that room was to tell Carl Draper, his house-mate, that he wouldn't be able to come home that night and that the leftover Chinese food would likely go stale.
---
Angela Bennett looked around at the command post for the Area 51 containment effort. An officer with tousled blonde hair, glasses, and a mustache headed over to her and Dial Tone.
"You must be the computer experts G.I. Joe sent. I'm Colonel Bagley, commanding officer of this facility." Bagley replied.
"What can you tell us about this virus?" Angela asked.
"Only that it appears to have infiltrated all areas of our computer system and is downloading files to an offsite location." Bagley replied.
"Have you attempted a trace?" Angela asked.
Bagley frowned at the female FBI Computer Crimes expert, "We attempted to run a trace but the virus simply gave us a dummy lead."
Angela said, "It sounds a lot like a variation of a virus by the Praetorians."
"Praetorians?" Bagley replied.
"A computer terrorist organization." Angela replied.
"Roger. I've heard the last of their activities was in 1999." Bagley replied.
"They seem to have become active once again." Angela replied, "This virus being evidence of it."
"Can you defeat it? Restore our security systems?" Bagley asked.
"That's what we're here for." Angela said as she and Dial Tone were punching away at a couple computer terminals.
Nearby Staff Sergeant Carl Draper was setting up his communications gear. "I've got a line to the Pit, sir."
"Roger." Captain Travis replied as he was conferring with Master Sergeant Chong and Major Bollard, Directorate of Operations of the 211th Security Squadron, Area 51's security unit's second in command after his C.O. Lieutenant Colonel Josephine Lockwood had gone missing.
"The last contact we had with Sergeant Aiden's team stated they followed a QRF team into the facility's lower levels." Travis said.
"I'm already on it sir." Draper replied, "Bloodhound 1 this is Houndtooth 13. Radio check over?"
"No joy yet, sir, I'll keep trying." Draper continued, trying to keep frustration out of his voice.
"We got wounded all over the base from those Heartless escaping from the lower levels." Koester said, "I'm taking Kumar to go try and assist the Area 51 medics."
"Check." Travis said.
"I'm taking Strickland with me. Base security's sending another reaction team down to the levels and we're joining up with it." Cho said.
"Good. Keep comms with Sergeant Draper." Travis ordered.
"Yes sir." Cho replied.
Kumar and Koester headed for the medical triage area. The base hospital had sent out mobile trauma units to a cordoned section of the hangar.
Several airmen and civilians lay on cots or gurneys groaning as they clutched at wounds. "What happened here?" Master Sergeant Chong asked as he followed Kumar and Koester.
"Some of those Heartless creatures got out of the lower levels and started attacking the base. Security managed to drive them off and the containment protocols were engaged, sealing off the lower levels." Major Bollard replied. He was a thin, mustachioed man with horn rimmed glasses and a holstered 9mm pistol.
"How many wounded?" Chong asked.
"At least fifty." Bollard replied.
Koester and Kumar were already starting to run an IV to a bleeding airman, with the assistance of another Air Force medic.
"How is security holding?" Chong asked.
"My guys are managing to contain the intruders to the lower levels. We're not sure how they infiltrated, but we haven't been able to retake several key sectors of the lower facility." Bollard replied.
"Roger." Chong said and headed over to inform Travis.
"Sir, Cho and Strickland have linked up with security team callsign Tracker 21, they're headed down the elevator shaft right now." Draper replied.
"This isn't a virus." Angela said as she peered at her computer screen.
"I agree." Dialtone said from his own console.
"What is it then?" Draper said as he turned his head to talk to them.
"Draper, keep comms with the teams down below. I'll worry about that virus." Travis said.
"Yes sir." Draper replied.
"This is Tracker 21 we've arrived on the lower levels..." came Strickland's voice on the radio.
"Roger. Keep me posted Strick." Draper replied.
"What about that virus?" Travis asked.
Angela motioned the Air Force captain over. "It's showing more and more signs of being a Trojan as opposed to a random computer virus. And what's more disturbing is that it's a type of Trojan even military computer security protocols should have detected and defeated."
At Travis' frown she added, "No offense."
"None taken. I'm just trying to figure out how exactly such a virus was able to get past security protocols." Travis added.
"I was just getting there." Angela said, "Dialtone found the logs of the Area 51 Firewall. It detected what looked like the old Melissa Worm from almost a decade ago. Easily defeated. Right?"
"I follow you." Travis said, "Kind of."
"Well. That's where a trapdoor got triggered and the Trojan hiding under the Melissa Worm's encryption entered the system." Angela replied.
"Trapdoor?" Travis asked.
"It's programmer lingo." Angela said as she typed in some more commands, "We build them into networks all the time to allow us to access the system from the inside. Usually it's for when operators screw up and lock the system up. It lets us go in 'behind the scenes' so to speak and fix the issue."
"OK. I follow you now. But that must mean that this infiltration of Area 51's computer network was a deliberate breach with a likely inside job." Travis said
"Even worse," Angela added, "The Trojan began to start downloading files from the Area 51 network as soon as it entered the system to an offsite location."
"Can you trace it?" Travis replied.
"We're trying right now." Angela replied.
"What! Damn it!" Dial Tone said.
"What's going on?" Angela turned towards the G.I. Joe networking specialist.
"When I ran the trace program it started to delete the log of the Firewall." Dialtone said, "And its deleting copies of the files that its downloading."
"Sounds like a classic Praetorian ploy." Angela replied as one of the four radios Draper was carrying crackled to life.
"Houndstooth...Bloodhound 1...we got Sorcerer...wounded..." came the garbled radio transmission.
"Bloodhound 1 this is Houndstooth." Draper said, "I copy you have one wounded man. Sorcerer."
Angela looked up just then. "They got him." Draper said and then spoke back into his mike, "How bad is he?"
"He's ambulatory. We're headed towards a security team callsign Alpha One. They couldn't med-evac him." Bloodhound 1 said, "He's conscious he just can barely walk."
"Tracker 21 this is Houndstooth." Draper began over the radio, "Be advised to head for Alpha One's position to rendezvous with Bloodhound 1. Also they have one ambulatory patient with them."
"This is Tracker 21, copy all." Strickland's voice came over the radio.
Angela glanced over at Draper and tapped Dial Tone's shoulder after she yawned, "Can you excuse me for a minute."
"Sure." Dial Tone said, "While you're up could you get me some coffee too?"
Angela headed over to where she saw a coffee pot brewing and poured a cup for herself and Dial Tone. After leaving a cup by Dial Tone she went back for a third cup and headed over to where Draper was tending the radios.
"Hey." Angela said and handed him a steaming coffee cup.
"Thanks." Draper replied and sipped at the cup.
"Don't thank me yet. It tastes like two day old sludge from a truck stop, reused grounds and all." Angela replied.
"As long as it's strong enough to double as battery acid I don't really care about taste." Draper said.
Angela lightly chuckled despite herself, "You haven't changed one bit."
At Draper's askance look she added, "With the coffee habit I mean."
"Oh." Draper replied.
"It's gotta be rough..." Angela said.
"What do you mean?" Draper asked.
"Carl, I know you're worried about something. I know you well enough." Angela replied.
"My buddies are down their risking their necks and I'm relatively nice and safe up here." Draper replied.
"You're doing a good job of keeping everyone on track. You used to say the pilot may fly the plane but the Air Traffic Controller ensures he lands the damn thing." Angela replied.
Draper smiled at her remark, feeling oddly uplifted by her presence and feeling that her stopping by wasn't just to give him a cup of coffee. Hell. I'll sort this whole thing out later. Mission first...The guys are down there. Draper thought.
Angela headed back to her console to try and continue the pursuit of the mysterious Praetorian virus.
"Houndstooth. Houndstooth! This is Tracker 21!" Strickland's voice came up over the radio.
"Send it!" Draper said.
"We've got contacts down in by the elevator area! It looks like the Heartless have overrun the entry point." Strickland said, the sounds of gunshots and screams could heard.
"Captain Travis!" Draper shouted, "Captain Travis!"
Travis headed over. "Sir, I'm getting a report from Tracker 21. They say the entry area's been overrun. They're retaking it now."
"Roger. Tell them to push through to Bloodhound 1." Travis said.
"Roger sir." Draper replied.
---
"I don't like this one bit, Cho." Strickland replied as he stuck a fresh clip into his M4 Carbine. The bodies of fifteen Heartless lay atop the eight corpses of the squad that had been overrun before Tracker 21 had appeared at their position about sixty seconds too late to rescue them from their grisly fate.
"Just keep comms with Draper going." Cho replied.
"Roger." Strickland said as he adjusted the transmit button on the handgrip of his M4. As a modification Strickland had duct taped a transmit button to the forward handgrip of his rifle so he could talk and shoot at the same time.
"Now what?" Strickland said.
"Get on the line to Sergeant Aiden." Cho said, "I shouldn't have to tell you that."
Arrogant fuck. No wonder Drape hates him. Strickland thought, "Bloodhound 1 this is Tracker 21. What's your position over?"
---
"Shit. Looks like 3rd degree burns to the front torso area and fifty percent 2nd degree burns to the arms." Kumar said as they reached a severely burned Airman. Much of his BDU top had been burned into his upper body.
"No chest injuries?" Koester said.
Kumar bent over to look, listen and feel at the patient's breathing. Aside from the occasional moan of pain there wasn't any sign of labored breathing. "None. Dressing wounds now." Kumar replied.
Koester checked the next patient. "One facial laceration..."
The man lay on the stretcher moaning. His face had been slashed by a three clawed hand and he had numerous puncture wounds and scratches on the torso. His forearms and hands were cut and bruised as well.
"No obstructed airway." Koester said as he began to bandage this casualty.
"Two more for the ambulance!" Kumar shouted and paramedics appeared to take the next two patients to the base hospital.
---
"Bloodhound 1, this is Houndstooth." Draper said over the radio, his voice sounding dim and barely coherent in the darkness, "You've got another squad, Tracker 21 with Cho and Strickland coming your way."
. Darryl Aiden made his report. He was glad that he heard Draper's voice on the other side of his radio. That meant that the unit had gotten their message and was on their way over to help them.
"What's going on?" Sorcerer groaned.
"Our guys got my message. They're sending another team down to try and help us out." Aiden replied.
"Hope it's soon Sergeant." Wayland said as he shot down a Shadow Heartless that had been trailing them with a single round.
"It'll be about high time you become an expert rifleman then Brooklyn." Aiden replied.
"I told you, Sergeant, I'm from Manhattan." Wayland replied.
"Later Brooklyn. I've got comms with Tracker 21 coming in and...AGGHH!!" Aiden shouted as a Heartless leapt from behind a panel and tackled him.
Wayland couldn't fire. Occam was in his line of sight. The muscular African American leveled his M4 and squeezed the trigger. CLICK. Occam released his hold on his M4, still attached to his body by its sling and extracted his Beretta 92F sidearm. He started to fire round after round into the Heartless, spraying black blood into the walls and all over himself and Aiden.
Aiden got back up on his feet with Occam's assistance. "Are you alright?" Occam asked.
"Fine Oc. Thanks for the save." Aiden replied.
Occam reloaded his M9 and checked his M4. A bad round in the rifle. He ejected the bad round and reloaded with a fresh magazine before putting the mostly empty magazine into one of his cargo pockets.
In the midst of the floor was the remnant of yet another bloody battle. Four dead Air Force security guards lay in the middle of the floor. Waino let out a slight grunt to express his anger at the sight of four of his buddies dead.
He bent down to examine the battlefield at line of fire level. The team had been taken by surprise. That much was clear. Bullet holes lined the wall as they had returned fire at something moving fast. Spatters of black blood and the corpses of two more of what . Aiden had identified as Cobra-La Royal Guard Heartless lay in the middle of the floor.
"Alpha Team, this is Bloodhound 1. Over." Aiden began.
"This is Alpha Team...we're under attack. We've lost seven people already. Barricades to Research Lab One are failing...there's too many of them!!! AAAGGHH!!!" A wet ripping sound accompanied the distinctly human scream.
"Shit..." Aiden said, "Houndstooth this is Bloodhound 1. Alpha Team's position has been overrun."
"Bloodhound 1. Do you have a fix on Tracker 21's position?" Draper's voice echoed back.
"Standby." Aiden replied, "Tracker 21 this is Bloodhound 1. Posrep. Over."
"We're at Tunnel Junction 19." Strickland's voice echoed back.
Draper's voice echoed over both sets. "Bloodhound 1. I hold Tracker 21 at 150 meters from your position..."
"I concur." Aiden replied, "Deconflicting."
"Blue. Blue. Blue." Strickland shouted.
"God it's good to see you guys." Strickland added when the team came into view.
Cho shook his head at Strickland's lack of professionalism with that comment. The airman should be concentrating on the mission. Not wasting time with unprofessional comments like that.
Strickland felt heated at Cho's disapproving scowl. Cold hearted bastard. No wonder any time he and Drape are within 100 feet of each other Draper looks like he's contemplating murder. Strickland thought.
---
"Can you stop the downloads?" Captain Travis asked.
"We're still working at it. But if we can't I connected an external hard drive to Area 51's mainframe. Whatever file the Praetorians download will be copied to my external hard drive." Dialtone said, "Also Angela's working on damage control."
"Keep me posted." Travis said.
"Sir." Draper began. "We've got Tracker 21 and Bloodhound 1 merged."
"Our people?" Travis asked.
"Aiden, Occam and Wayland are safe." Draper replied with more than a little relief evident in his voice.
"Good news." Travis replied.
"Sir! Three more teams have been overrun!" A radio operator shouted from his station.
Colonel Bagley wiped sweat from his face. More and more of his command was starting to deteriorate around him.
Major Bollard said, "Have that team retake Alpha Team's position."
"Respectfully, sir, if that point's been overrun the enemy strength might be too large for two squads to handle." Travis replied.
"Captain Travis. My orders are to retake the lower levels of Area 51 by any means available." Major Bollard replied.
"Sir with all due respect. Five of those troopers are my men." Travis said.
"Very well. But I could use your men in the fight." Bollard replied, "Are you really intending to pull your men out of an operation when their fellow airmen are at stake?"
"No sir." Travis replied.
"Captain Travis!" Draper shouted, "I've got Kilo Company from G.I. Joe QRF enroute to our position. ETA half an hour."
Travis smiled triumphantly and said, "Sir. I believe we have help on the way for you."
"Kilo company?" Bollard replied.
"They're part of an infantry unit, affectionately known as Greenshirts, assigned to G.I. Joe and tasked as our support troops." Travis replied.
"Right." Bollard replied, "The lower levels are priority for this mission."
"By the way, Drape, let Beach Head know I love his timing." Travis replied.
"Yes sir." Draper replied.
---
Senior Airman Ahmed had never been so busy in all his life. Lady Jaye had to brief General Hawk and Scarlet was keeping her eye on some hush hush situation. He was now driving Scarlet's government SUV towards the medical facility.
He headed towards the Pit's Infirmary where Lifeline was tending to the wounded engineer. The man had awakened and had been talking about his experiences. He had been instructed to retrieve Psyche Out and wait in the room with him.
"Hans Pfitzer," Lifeline said as Psyche Out followed by Senior Airman Ahmed walked into the room, "This is Doctor Kenneth D. Rich and this is Senior Airman Faisal Ahmed, his aide."
Ahmed took out a laptop computer from a bag and started to boot it up as Psyche Out introduced himself.
"Are you feeling better, Engineer Pfitzer." Lifeline said.
"Yes. Your doctor is remarkably skilled at his trade." the Dutchman replied, "But I am afraid I'm still not quite right as rain Doctor."
"Would you mind telling us what happened?" Lifeline said.
Ahmed was typing madly at his keyboard.
"We were on a routine cargo run through the Persian Gulf through to the port of Basra." Pfitzer replied.
"It was dark that night. There was almost no moonlight and the stars were obscured by the clouds." Pfitzer said, "I had just eaten supper and was making my rounds through the engine room when I heard the scream of "Boarders!" on the announcing system. I remembered friends of mine had been hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia and so I began to try and lock down the engine room."
"As I was dogging down the hatch I saw the face of a not-quite man in the window. He had a white helmet. I originally thought he was an Iranian frogman." Pfitzer continued, "The Iranians had been so paranoid of late, especially after Bandar Abbas was attacked on CNN. They had boarded a few civilian tankers that got too close to their claimed territory. But they hadn't actually started killing people. Yet."
"Shortly after the door had been thrown open with a violent force. I found I was on my back and standing atop me was this glowing eyed beast with midnight black skin. I heard screams and those included my own as the thing ripped me open before I passed out..."
Ahmed continued to type at his computer until Psyche Out motioned for him to stop. The two left the room to prepare their findings for Lady Jaye.
---
"Running low!" Wayland shouted as he fired more rounds of his M4 at yet another Cobra-La Heartless.
The creature fell twitching to the ground but it had taken half of Wayland's magazine to kill it. "Here! Make this count Brooklyn!" Aiden said as he tossed another magazine towards the PJ.
Jacob held his hands over his ears. The PJ, Wayland, knelt beside him to protect him from any Heartless. The man had been shooting steadily at the Heartless that bubbled out of any conceivable opening to try and take down the two squads that had taken the room down.
"It's OK man. We're gonna get you outta here." Wayland said to Sorcerer and then aimed his carbine at Soldier Heartless and fired several shots while shouting, "Take that you unholy sonofabitch!!!"
"What did you say?" Sorcerer said as he tried to cover his ears.
"Die you unholy prick!" Wayland shouted and gunned down a Shadow Heartless, he turned to Sorcerer and said, "Uhm I said you're gonna be alright man."
"Man down!" came the shout.
A Heartless was on top of a security man, clawing at his chest. Occam gunned it down and dragged the wounded man from the line of fire.
"Can you still shoot?" Occam asked.
The man nodded weakly and Occam pressed the airman's 9mm into his hand. "If anything gets too close and it isn't human shoot it."
He kept on treating the cuts. They were bloody but mercifully they were shallow. The Heartless didn't have time to puncture the airman's chest entirely before Occam had killed it.
Aiden passed the report, "We could use some help down here. We have three dead and two wounded..."
"Standby." Draper's voice replied back, "We've got QRF's Kilo Company headed your way. Hold on..."
"We're doing our best." Aiden replied tightly as more gunfire erupted.
More Heartless came clamoring up through various doors and hatches, crawling over the dead bodies of their mates. Gunfire raked into the creatures. But ammo was starting to run low.
Strickland was wrestling with a Shadow Heartless that was clinging to his chest. Occam had run to help him only to be tackled by a large Soldier Heartless as he was taking aim.
More gunfire echoed and cries of "Yo Joe!" came into the room.
Several men in the Army Combat Utilities came rushing into the room. Aiden couldn't help but smile as the QRF troopers ran in and beat the Heartless back.
"Need some rescuing Air Force." 1st Lieutenant Conrad Hart, 2nd Platoon commander, said.
"Never thought I'd be happier to see you Army bubbas in my life." Aiden replied.
---
Draper sighed audibly as he heard the radio traffic. The QRF team was clearing the lower levels of the facility room by room.
"Damn it!" Angela swore, "I wasn't able to stop the downloads and the Praetorians wiped Area 51's whole mainframe."
"My external hard drive has a lot of the files left. Almost seventy-five percent of Area 51s files." Dial Tone said, "I also engineered a trace program embedded in one of the files. If the Praetorians activate that file it'll mark their position on our tracking system."
"We make a good team." Angela said and lightly punched Dial Tone in the arm.
Draper glared slightly at Dial Tone and the G.I. Joe computer expert felt the ire of the Combat Controller. He had heard rumors that Angela Bennett and Carl Draper had a past affair and he was clearly seeing that the rumors were true.
Well. Angela was an interesting woman. But after what he'd had to deal with that one time he and Lady Jaye had something going, before she married Flint of course, he wasn't about to get in a thing over a woman again. And besides he got the sense that there was still something between Angela and Draper.
Angela headed towards Draper. She wasn't sure what would be too much at that point. She could see he was clearly on the downswing of all that focused energy but she didn't want to accidentally lead him on.
"We did it." Draper said. "We got our people out of there."
Angela could see the immense relief. While his life hadn't been directly threatened, Carl Draper had been guiding units through some very difficult circumstances. She gave him a gentle pat on the back.
Draper smiled back at her. Angela felt a feeling she hadn't felt in almost ten years regarding him. Despite the fact that he had an almost two day old beard growth and looked somewhat bedraggled and tied she wondered if he had the same stamina he had as a twenty-two year old. Where did THAT thought come from? Angela thought.
They were distracted by the sound of banging coming from a nearby airduct. Draper raised his weapon and Angela pulled the ventilation duct back.
A small creature resembling a house cat with cream colored fur with a brown tail tip and brown rear paws. Its oval shaped head had six prominent whiskers and an oval gold coin atop its head. The fur was somewhat singed and burnt and a layer of dust covered it.
"Oh my God...it's OK...you're gonna be alright...easy girl..." Angela said.
The strange cat sprinted past Angela before Draper caught it. The thing tried to scratch him. "Hey! Take it easy...it's OK...It's OK..." Draper noticed a tattoo in the inner ear of the cat, "Meowzie...it's alright."
"What is that?" Travis asked.
"I don't know sir." Draper replied, "Some kind of cat or something."
The cat tried to scratch him again. "Easy. Easy. It's OK. I won't hurt you..."
"Carl..." Angela said with concern in her voice.
"It's OK Angela I know what I'm doing." Draper replied. Angela handed him her FBI windbreaker.
Draper wrapped Meowzie in the improvised blanket and she licked the side of his face.
"Hey...that tickles..." Draper smiled as he headed towards the helipad with the rest of his team.
The team boarded the helicopter and the bird lifted into the air in company with the G.I. Joe QRF birds.
---
Kumar staggered back from the CSAR debriefing. He'd been up for almost a full day and some change and was utterly exhausted when he staggered into the house.
He stripped off his evil smelling BDU top and t-shirt. He thought of throwing it into the laundry basket, but he didn't want to stink up the laundry room. He decided to go into the small backyard to hang them off the wooden table on the patio when he was taken aback by a sight.
He could see Vanessa lying on her back on one of the lawn chairs. She was wearing a silvery blue bikini that took a lot of guess-work out of the equation. Her reddish brown hair was piled behind her head in a simply pony tail.
Kumar instantly forgot fatigue at that moment as his eyes fell upon his wife. "Hmm...honey do you think you could do my back?"
"Vanessa...do you have any idea how bad I smell right now?" Kumar said with an audible swallow.
Vanessa turned over on her stomach, "I guess you're gonna have a shower after you're done. We can't have someone all dirty in the bed."
Kumar could not help but see the seductive smile on Vanessa's face. He untied the knot on the bikini top behind Vanessa's neck and then the knot behind her back before he lathered the suntan lotion. He felt himself getting hot under the collar with Vanessa's muttered, "Mm, a little lower..."
After he was done, Kumar went to take a shower. He'd no sooner taken off his clothes and turned the water on when he heard the door open. He saw Vanessa, still in that very eye catching silvery blue number of a bikini.
"I couldn't wait." Vanessa said.
"I thought you had work today?" Kumar said, "Not that I'm complaining."
"Scarlet gave me the day off today for some reason. She said I've got some longer days ahead of me and I might as well enjoy this one." Vanessa said.
He eyed his wife up and down. "Well you can't take a bath with clothes on..." Kumar remarked.
"Well you are the senior airman of the two of us." Vanessa replied as she turned around, arms folded over her breasts.
Kumar undid the knots for Vanessa's top at the back of her neck. She craned her neck to kiss him and he angled his face so he could kiss her lightly on the lips.
Vanessa met the kiss as Kumar was undoing the knot behind her back. She could feel his frame against her backside as her bra fell away. She turned to wrap her arms around his neck, kissing at his mouth and neck as he reached for her hip and undid one of the knots there, causing the bottom to fall away to the floor.
They embraced passionately and kissed in the shower as the water rushed over their frames. Soap and towels were forgotten as the lovers made love.
---
"So. Leaving soon?" Draper asked.
"Probably tomorrow." Angela replied, "After I get debriefed and after we're done briefing General Hawk. Director Womack wants me back at Quantico in a hurry to brief him on the new Praetorian threat."
"I'm gonna miss you." Draper said, "In a lot of ways. I still have feelings for you, you know."
Angela stared at him, "I still have feelings for you too. But now wouldn't be the best time."
"There never is a best time." Draper replied.
Angela looked knowingly at him, "There's just so much going through my mind right now..."
"I won't force it then." Draper replied, "As I said I've got all manner of emotions going through me right now. I'm just so happy to see you again."
Who am I kidding? I'm still in love with this woman. Draper thought. I never stopped loving her.
"Same here." Angela replied, she was almost positive she saw a twinge of sadness behind Carl's eyes, "Please call or write me. Don't be a stranger."
"I promise I won't wait ten years to try and call or e-mail you." Draper joked.
Angela couldn't help but smile at the remark before lightly putting her arms around him. Draper returned her hug.
"I'll hold you to that." Angela replied as they parted.
Watching the scene discretely were Ben Randall and Torpedo.
"Didn't know there was a past between Draper and Bennett." Randall said, "But I always suspected it the second the woman walked onto the Pit."
"Despite that past they did well on the assignment we had." Torpedo replied.
"So you really think it's a good idea to have Draper escort her back to Quantico?" Randall said.
"Of course, Master Chief." Torpedo replied, "It might help the man bring closure to that chapter of his life."
"Or it might not." Randall said.
"I could change the assignment. Put Cho or Strickland or..." Torpedo said.
"Sir, you know better than to backpedal from decisions." Randall said, "If you think Draper's the best man for the job and it will help him then I'm all for it."
---
"Is everything in order for the next blow?" Syndrome asked.
"Yes. My Eels have taken over the Al Ejaz tanker and have almost two thousand Heartless and as many Nobodies onboard." Cobra Commander replied.
"We've also altered the computer navigation and GPS systems of the tanker Islamabadi." Trelawney replied.
"We've also purposely leaked some information to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Reports indicate that they are stepping up their maritime patrols near Bandar Abbas, even reinforcing their naval assets in the area with vessels based out of Bushehr." Cobra Commander replied.
"What if the Iranians sink the Al Ejaz instead of the Islamabadi?" Trelawney replied.
"Either way they risk angering their neighbors, the Pakistanis. Both ships are Pakistani registered." Cobra Commander replied.
"And Al Ejaz shouldn't be fired on..." Xamot began.
"...Because it is already cleared to dock at Bandar Abbas." Tomax replied.
"Which means when its at the docks the Heartless will be released to create havoc at Bandar Abbas." Xamot and Tomax replied.
"Why Bandar Abbas, may I ask?" Trelawney replied.
"Well. If you must know. One of my most valuable operatives was detained by the Iranians after the incident with the Heidelberg Star. Zartan is vital for infiltrating select merchant ships." Cobra Commander replied.
Idiot. Discussing secret plans of his organization like that. Trelawney thought but said, "Unusually noble of your organization."
"Noble has nothing to do with it. Zartan is a valuable asset. The Eels will spring him from the Bandar Abbas interrogation center with the Heartless forming a screening and at the same time capturing more hearts for our uses." Cobra Commander replied.
"The Iranians' trigger happy habits of late are also playing right into our hands." Syndrome replied, "World opinion of their practices has crumbled and they are almost isolated in the international community."
Xamot said, "The United Nations are discussing..."
"...A sanction against Iran." Tomax added.
"This has the making of repeating the Tanker War of the 1980s." Xamot and Tomax replied together.
"What of the North Koreans?" Syndrome asked.
"Already taken care of." Destro added.
"Extensive Enterprises is continuing..." Tomax began.
"...financing the North Koreans' rearmament program." Xamot replied.
"While the North Koreans start their terror attacks in South Korea with their special forces troops, we'll keep rearming the North Korean People's Army before turning them loose on the Korean peninsula."
"Very well then. After the attack on Bandar Abbas I'll authorize the North Koreans to start their terrorist operations throughout South Korea..." Syndrome replied, "Oh and Mirage place a call to Reverend Stryker. I want to know how his plan to abduct Senator Shale at that Mutant Rights Rally in Orlando is going."
Mirage nodded silently and left the room.
"And one more thing, Trelawney. Your operatives were careless in letting that trace program get put into the files they downloaded from Area 51." Syndrome said.
"I'll see to it that they're reprimanded." Trelawney replied.
"No need. I had them disposed of already. But you have a mission to dispose of a certain Angela Bennett...not that you need coercing. I understand you have a very personal score to settle with her." Syndrome replied.
"Precisely. I already have a team ready to take her out when she reaches her home in Quantico..." Trelawney replied. Get a grasp of Syndrome's whole scheme and then start to make inroads. There have got to be parties in this organization that are chafing under this cyborg brat. In the mean time stall him...
Trelawney punched in a number in his Blackberry when he was alone.
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Up Next: While COBRA strikes Bandar Abbas, the Praetorians attempt to exact revenge on Angela Bennett and Sorcerer for their roles in the Area 51 operation.