The Attack
Disclaimer: Same as before.
"Hey Angela." Vanessa smiled as she walked into work.
"Good morning." Angela replied. She was getting used to working on the Pit, having been there for almost a month. True to his word Carl Draper had helped her move into her new house, which was actually next door to the house he and Senior Airman Faisal Ahmed shared.
Angela asked the young airman, "Are you feeling any better?"
"Not really." Vanessa replied, "Still feeling a little nausea. I just think it's probably stress."
"Hey. I'd go see Lifeline." Angela replied.
"You're right. I wonder what caused it though." Vanessa replied.
"You could be pregnant." Angela guessed.
"That's impossible." Vanessa said.
"When was the last time you had sex?" Angela asked.
"Lately Kumar and I have been so busy with work, the last time was almost a month..." Vanessa said.
"Go see Lifeline. I'll let Mainframe know."
"Thank you." Vanessa said.
---
"Hey Drape, what's shaking?" Kumar asked as he walked out of the SAR Office.
"Nothing really." Carl Draper replied as he headed into the office.
"How are you feeling?" Kumar asked.
"About what?" Draper replied.
"You know. Angela being here on the Pit." Kumar replied.
"I'm OK." Draper replied as he sipped another sip of coffee.
He went in to grab a couple folders at the office when 1LT Meaghan Travis walked in, wearing her maternity uniform. "Sergeant Draper, have you seen my husband?" Meaghan asked.
"Sorry ma'am, I've only just come in so I've not seen him anywhere." Draper replied, "But if I find him I'll let him know."
Carl walked out of the office only to see LT Travis following him. "Ma'am?" he said.
"I'm going to go to the Control Room." Carl replied, "I believe he might be over there."
"I'll join you if you don't mind." Meaghan replied.
"Not at all." Carl said as the elevator opened to reveal Angela Bennett.
"Morning." Draper said as he walked in.
Meaghan followed them into the elevator and introduced herself, "Meaghan Travis."
"Angela Bennett." Angela replied.
The two waited inside the elevator as it started up and then stopped violently. The lights flickered out.
"What happened?" Meaghan asked.
"I don't know." Angela said.
Draper took out his cell phone and called the Command Center.
"What's going on?" Angela asked.
"Do you want the good news first or the bad news." Draper replied.
"What's the good news?" Angela asked.
"The good news. They know where we are." Draper replied.
"And the bad news?" Angela asked.
"The Pit's under attack." Draper replied.
"By what?" Angela replied.
"According to Strickland before he hung up we've got the Heartless all over the Pit and we've got a mysterious computer attack." Draper replied.
Angela took out her laptop and plugged her air card into the USB port before turning her computer on. "Praetorians."
"And they're basically staying they want us to hold on. They'll come get us as soon as they've cleared this area." Draper replied, "We might as well make ourselves comfortable."
"Great." Angela replied.
"Ow..." came a groan.
"Are you alright?" Angela asked Meaghan.
"It's OK. I'm just trying to get comfortable." Meaghan replied.
"Are you sure?" Draper replied, as he tried to turn on his cell phone, "Damn it!"
"No signal?" Angela said, "It's OK. I've got my access on my laptop."
"I figure it's only a matter of time before the Praetorians shut off computer communications." Draper replied.
"Don't underestimate me." Angela replied testily.
"I wasn't saying I was doubting you. I just am digging the trench behind the command post." Draper replied as he tore open the elevator control panel.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Angela replied.
"Trust me." Draper replied as he pulled a pocket knife and a Leatherman Multi-tool from a pouch on his belt as he started to trace wires. He cut one wire to splice it only to receive a mild electrical shock.
"Carl!?" Angela shouted.
"I'm OK." Draper replied as he fiddled around with the wiring.
Angela continued typing away at the computer keys as Draper was messing with the wiring in the elevator panel. "I think I've got it...YOW!"
"What are you trying to do?" Angela replied.
"Once I get the wiring right the elevator intercom is gonna be a transponder." Carl replied.
"If you don't electrocute yourself first." Angela replied.
"Hey. I know what I'm doing." Draper replied, before thinking aloud, "One more twist and ZOUNDS!!!"
"Be careful!" Angela admonished.
"Let's see now." Carl said, "Guardian 6 this is Guardian 21..."
"Hey. It's Sorcerer." Jake's voice sounded, "I can hear you guys and see you through the camera."
"Great." Draper groaned irritably, "Kumar and the guys aren't gonna let me live this down for years."
"Ooh." Meaghan groaned.
"Are you OK?" Carl asked.
"Fine." Meaghan said weakly, "Just the baby moving a little."
"Damn!" Angela groaned, "This Praetorian bug is downloading files from the Area 51 mission."
Carl was about to reply when he was interrupted by a scream of pain from Meaghan.
"What's going on?" Carl asked.
"We have to get out of here now!" Meaghan said with tears in her eyes from the pain.
Both Angela and Draper saw the puddle on the floor where Meaghan was sitting. Her water had broken. The baby was coming.
---
"Hey! Captain Travis." Sorcerer said from his console, "I've got voice communications with the elevator."
"Nice job Sorcerer." Travis said.
"Don't thank him. Thank Sergeant Draper." Ben Randall said, and then said into the microphone, "Despite electrocuting himself three times he basically wired the elevator intercom into a giant transponder."
"What's going on?" Travis asked.
"Sir!" Sergeant Draper's voice echoed through the transponder, "We have a problem here. Your wife...she's gone into labor."
Thunderstruck for about a second Captain Travis turned and said to Senior Airman Strickland, "Get one of the guys up here, ASAP!"
"Captain Travis." Strickland said, "All our P.J.s are either on mission or in flight."
Travis got on the radio to one of the security squads, "See if you can't escort a medic over here, ASAP. We have a situation."
A few minutes later the security team showed up with Bree. "Captain Travis. I heard you have a problem."
"Yes, we have three people trapped in an elevator. One of them is pregnant and just went into labor." Travis replied.
"Let me guess, the pregnant woman is your wife?" Bree asked.
Travis nodded. "Captain, take care of the rescue efforts. I'll talk them through the delivery of your baby." Bree said.
"Status on reaction forces?" Travis asked.
"We've got all the base elements from the 188th Security Forces Squadron and the 392nd MP Company in action." Strickland said as he got on the radio, "I've got QRF fanning out into the affected areas..."
---
Meanwhile in the Pit's Command Center Surefire, an Army Lieutenant Colonel that was the base security officer walked into the area. He knew QRF teams from the US Air Force's 188th Security Squadron and the US Army 392nd MP Company were already responding.
"QRF's out sir." 1LT Douglas Bryant, US Air Force, said.
"Good." Surefire said. He'd been running reaction drills regularly with these men knowing an attack by COBRA or the Heartless or any number of terrorist cells was possible. Now he was certain all that training was going to pay off.
---
Staff Sergeant Evan Speyer, US Air Force, checked his M16A2 for a chambered round before he gathered his team around him. "Alright." he began, "We've had an assault by Heartless into the Pit. Numbers are presently unknown but they've gone after the command post, the communication facility, and Hangars One and Three. We're going to Hangar Three to reinforce our guys already there."
Speyer felt the ice build in his stomach. These twelve young men and women's lives were in his hands. He'd only just recently been promoted to squad leader. He put the tension somewhere else in the back of his mind as he signaled for his team to head out towards Hangar Three.
As they headed towards Hangar Three the squad could see several dead Heartless near the approaches to the hangar. Already the Flightline Security unit had pulled out of the overrun hangar and set up a cordon. The corpses of several dead Heartless that tried to rush to cordon lined the asphalt.
Second and Third Squads from the QRF were already there and he could see 2nd LT Colin Danvers making radio calls. He got close enough to hear what his flight leader was saying.
"Alright. Cordon's in place. We enter the building through the east end. Watch your sectors and
There was another airman in the stack. Staff Sergeant Harold Cho, one of the PJs from the CSAR unit that had just stood up on the base. Somehow it made Speyer's pulse drop a little to have one of those uber-combat medics in the stack with him.
The team broke into the hangar and Speyer heard the gunshots as the first team came into contact with several Heartless. As he broke into the hangar he could several dead Shadow and Neoshadow Heartless.
---
"Oh dear God, the baby's coming?" Draper asked.
"No you idiot! I just sprang a leak! Of course the baby's coming!" Meaghan snapped as a contraction hit.
"When do you think it'll be clear enough to get maintenance down here? Or get Kumar or one of the P.J.s down here." Draper replied.
"We don't have an answer yet. Security's still fighting the Heartless over the building." Randall said as the sounds of gunshots echoed, "You two will have to take care of the delivery."
"Master Chief, not that I don't trust you but is there a medic up there." Angela asked, "Preferably a
female."
"I'm here." Bree's voice replied, "How long ago did Lieutenant Travis' water break?"
"About twenty minutes ago." Draper shouted back.
"OK. We need to get her into the birthing position." Bree said.
Angela put her computer down and helped assist Carl with the task before she got back to her computer. She opened a new internet window and typed the word childbirth into Google.
"Now I need to know how far she's dilated." Bree said.
"How do I do that?" Draper asked.
"Check the cervix." Bree said.
"You want me to do what!?" Draper replied as he realized where the conversation was headed.
"Sergeant Draper. We need to know how far LT Travis is dilated so I can ascertain how far along in the birthing process she is." Bree replied.
Great. Captain Travis is gonna have my ass. Draper thought as he lifted up Meaghan's skirt to observe the area.
"Oh please," Angela quipped, "It's not as if you haven't seen it before."
"I don't recall you being pregnant nor us being trapped in an elevator." Draper replied as he observed the area before saying: "I'd say between seven and a half to nine centimeters but I don't happen to have a tape measure handy so I can't be sure."
Angela had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. The look that Meaghan gave him would have burned a hole through the elevator wall, the concrete wall, and through the next three buildings nearby.
"Shouldn't you be the one doing this?" Carl replied.
"Why me?" Angela said.
"You're a bit more qualified in this department than I am!" Draper replied.
"Me? Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean that I know a lot about giving birth." Angela replied.
"Will both of you shut up and help me!" Meaghan shouted as another contraction hit.
"OK what the hell am I supposed to do now!?" Draper replied.
Angela opened another window on her computer and Google searched Childbirth. "Be sure she breathes and pushes." Angela replied.
"OK. Breathe. Push..." Draper said.
"What the hell do you think I've been doing Sergeant!?" Meaghan replied.
"Thank Google for making things sound so simple." Carl groaned.
---
Senior Airman Artie Wayland held his GAU-5 carbine at the ready as the breacher from the base's 392nd MP Company smashed down a barricaded door with the hooligan tool, a large crowbar on steroids. The stack of military policemen in front of him stormed into the room. Artie knew that Heartless were unlike human adversaries. Most of them didn't have projectile attacks but they tended to sneak up close to you until you were too close to raise a weapon before pouncing. Those damn Nobodies were worse. If they survived first encounters they tended to learn fast.
He saw a Dusk coming from a hole in the ceiling and fired several shots. The Dusk shook like it was being electrocuted and let out a strangled and feral cry of pain before hitting the ground, spraying grayish blood all over the place. Had he not been glancing upward the Nobody would have leapt on top of his head and snapped his neck.
"Nice shooting Brooklyn." Staff Sergeant Dan Kowaleski, US Army shouted.
"I'm from Manhattan!" Wayland protested. Damn Army wiseasses. Bad enough that his own Air Force buddies, and to boot non-PJ and non-CCT guys, were calling him the new nickname but now these Army pukes...
"Brooklyn! Watch your six!" PFC John Winters shouted as he gunned down a Creeper Nobody that had come out from a hole in the floor with the shotgun.
,The creature fell dead, minus its head as Winters reloaded his shotgun.
There was a groan from further into the office. "Sarge!" came the shout one of the MPs, a big black guy, Private Turner that everyone called Queequeg.
Wayland raced over to find a female soldier, one of the supply chicks. He felt sickened when he realized that it was Specialist Abigail Callen. Since he'd gotten to the base he'd been trying to ask her out, to the point that it was something that everyone else gave him grief over.
He could see she had a bloody but not threatening head injury and that she was holding her side. That was the more worrying injury and her hands were on top of it. "Abbi. Hey I need you to move your hands out of the way..."
She weakly complied and Artie noticed that there was a what looked like a dart of some kind in her side, just below the ribs. He packed gauze around the wound and bandaged it. He wasn't going to take the object out. It'd do more damage than anything else and Abbi would bleed to death.
"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Artie asked.
He checked her hands and noticed that there were small cuts on them. Characteristic of self defense wounds. He bandaged those and the head wound as Specialist Dan Kaplan was calling in a medevac.
"Thanks Brooklyn..." Abbi said.
"You're welcome." Artie said, "Hang in there, you're gonna be fine..."
"My head hurts..." Abbi said, "I just want to go to sleep."
"Abbi. I know it sucks but stay awake." Artie replied, he had to keep her engaged, keep her conscious, "Tell me where you're from."
"I'm from San Francisco, California." Abbi said.
"Nice." Artie said. He could hear the ambulance outside and saw the EMTs rushing in. He helped them get Abbi onto the gurney and she clasped his hand, "Hang in there OK?"
"OK." Abbi said weakly.
Artie raced back deeper into the room as the MPs were engaging the Heartless and Nobodies that overrun the Motor Pool.
---
"I-I don't think I can do this anymore." Meaghan said. It had been over five hours since her water had broken and she was spent.
"Oh come on! That's crap!" Draper replied, "You're a Travis. Too stubborn to give up."
"Martin!" Meaghan panted after a push.
In the command center Travis damn near tore Bree's hand off to grab the microphone, "I'm here honey. You're doing great."
"That's easy for you to say you asshole!" Meaghan screamed as another contraction hit home, "You're not the one giving birth! I swear if I had known that damn book would have lead to this!! I would have hit you over the head with the damn thing you bastard!!"
"It was a paperback honey." Travis replied.
Draper tried desperately to hold in his laughter but it came out of his nose in a snorted chuffle.
"What the hell are you laughing at Draper!? Quit gawking and get this damn thing out of me!" Meaghan screamed with another contraction as Angela took her hand and gently rubbed her hair for support.
"Yes ma'am." Draper gulped.
"I swear Angela. Men are completely and utterly u-uu-useless! The only thing they're good for is continuing the species." Meaghan said with another push.
Draper thought about some wise remark but held his tongue despite the fact that his half of the species was being verbally eviscerated.
"I'm sure not all men are that bad." Angela remarked.
"The only ups and downs in the relationship they care about take place between the sheets...." Meaghan said as another contraction hit and she squeezed Angela's hand hard. Angela had to stifle screaming herself.
"I can see the head!" Draper remarked.
"OK. She's crowning." Bree's voice came, "You need to wipe the amniotic fluid from the baby's face with a clean cloth and some water."
"Best we can muster is a water bottle." Draper remarked, "But the good news is I haven't opened it yet."
"Do what you can." Bree said, "You also need a string to tie off the umbilical cord and something to wrap the baby in."
Draper unbuttoned his DCU top and held it out ready to receive its special cargo. The cries of the laboring woman were echoed by the cries of the tiny being that had just emerged from its mother's body.
Angela took a shoe string from her right sneaker and handed to Carl who tied off the umbilical cord.
In the control center tears of joy freely flowed down CPT Travis' face as he watched the baby being cradled into Sergeant Draper's arms.
"Nicely done you two." Bree said, "Do we have a little girl or a little boy?"
"Congratulations sir and ma'am, you have a daughter." Draper said to the camera.
"Welcome little one. I'm your Mommy." Meaghan said as Carl put the baby, wrapped in his DCU top, into Meaghan's arms.
"Have you and Martin thought of a name?" Angela asked.
"We agreed that if it was a boy he'd be Harvey. Brigit for a girl." Meaghan said as she held her finger in front of the baby's face as her tiny hand reached up to grab it, "What do you think little one, do you like being called Brigit?"
As the baby cried again the sound of boots landing on the roof of the elevator could be heard. Draper aimed his sidearm at the access hatch and immediately lowered it when he saw Kumar Patel's face .
"Kumar. I've never been happier to see your ugly face." Draper replied.
"Dude. Things are starting to wind down." Kumar said, "We've retaken most of the base. The Motor Pool is the last area we need to take. It's almost secured."
"Pleasant news." Draper replied.
"Maintenance should have you guys out of here in another twenty minutes." Kumar said, "Bree sent me to check on the baby."
"Sure we've got room for one more." Angela quipped as Kumar climbed into the elevator. He disconnected his climbing harness and went to do a checkup on the baby.
"Hey little miss..." Kumar said as he smiled as he checked on the infant. The baby grabbed hold of Kumar's finger as he did his examination.
Despite himself Draper smiled, "Beautiful isn't it?"
Angela smiled, "Yeah. We make a good team don't we?"
"I agree." Draper replied, "Just next time we work together and it involves delivering babies you're designated midwife."
"I guess we're not seeing any baby Draper's in the near future." Angela smirked.
"We could. But I'm insisting that we deliver in a hospital or with a qualified midwife." Draper replied.
Kumar's eyes widened. "Holy shit."
"Kumar. There are babies and ladies present." Draper remarked.
"Are you two back together?" Kumar asked.
"No." Both Angela and Draper said simultaneously.
It was kind of a turn-on to see him be such an attentive if amateur midwife though. If we ever did have a baby...Easy easy. It's too early to be thinking about restarting the relationship again. Angela thought. But it's an attractive thought.
Draper knew that Angela was deep in thought about something, he just had no idea what that something was. "Angela?"
"I'm fine. Just doing a little thinking..." Angela replied.
"About what?" Carl asked.
---
"Things are really going to hell." Bob Parr groaned as he read the newspaper. The headline read: Iranian Aircraft Attack Pakistani Border.
CNN showed footage of Iranian fighter bombers dropping bombs into a Pakistani town. The line across the bottom of the screen stated that thousands of people on both sides of the Iranian-Pakistani border had fled their homes.
Bob and Helen were at the Pit while Dash and Violet were at school and Xavier, Beast, Jean Grey, Cyclops, and Wolverine were there.
"Agreed. It appears the Organization's goal of trying to incite chaos and divide the world is working." Xavier said.
"Look at this..." Helen said.
Footage of an Iranian flak battery shooting down a Pakistani Q5 fighter-bomber could be seen on Al-Jazeera.
"Allah Akhbar!" the shout of the Iranian anti-aircraft gunners could be heard. Moments later three artillery rounds from the Pakistani side landed on their position and the Al Jazeera screen went dark.
"The Iranian delegation has placed blame solely on Pakistani leadership." The BBC reporter was saying, "Fighting has continued to intensify over the last few weeks. Neither Iranian nor Pakistani forces have made significant gains. Though no official reports have been released the death toll is estimated to be in the tens of thousands on both sides."
---
It felt like being released from a jail cell when they were finally out of the elevator. The EMTs were already waiting and put Meaghan onto the stretcher still carrying the baby.
"Excuse me. Pardon me. Let me through damn it!" the sound of Captain Travis could be heard as he barreled his way through the crowd.
"Martin. I want you to meet Brigit Charlene Travis..." Meaghan said as she held her baby in her arms,
"Sir. Respectfully, next time you decide to have a baby could you make sure I'm at least three states away." Draper remarked as they all came out of the elevator.
"You're out of uniform, aren't you sergeant?" Travis joked.
"Yes sir. But for a good reason." Draper replied.
Travis smiled as he saw his daughter, "I couldn't agree more..."
"Go with your wife, sir." Randall said, "Chong and I will police everything up around here."
Needing no encouragement Travis climbed into the ambulance with his wife.
---
Kumar headed into the communication center of the Pit to see Vanessa. "Hey sweetie are you alright?" he said.
She smiled wanely, "I'm fine. Just still feeling a little sick."
"Angela did say you could go home, didn't she?" Kumar said.
"Yeah. I just wanted to close a couple things up." Vanessa said as she turned her computer off.
"Did you see the doctor?" Kumar asked.
"Yeah. Before the attack." Vanessa replied.
"What's wrong?" Kumar asked.
"Kumar," Vanessa began, her brown eyes almost liquid and shining, "I'm pregnant."
Kumar's eyes rolled into his head and he promptly hit the ground just as Benjamin Randall walked into the room.
"Any reason why I've got an airman unconscious on the deck, Harris?" Randall replied.
"He just got some news, Master Chief." Vanessa said.
"Which was..." Randall replied.
"I'm pregnant." Vanessa replied.
Kumar sat up just then. "Congratulations, Patel, you're a Dad."
" My God!" Kumar said and threw his arms around Vanessa's neck.
---
Some time later when things had calmed down Angela stood outside on the veranda of the Pit's communication center. "Hey. What are you still doing here?" came a voice.
Angela turned to see Carl Draper standing there. "You changed your shirt." Angela observed.
"Well, seeing how Captain Travis' baby managed to soak up my DCU top, I had to break a new one out." Draper replied.
"That was something else, wasn't it?" Angela observed.
"I know." Carl said.
"If you ever decide not to make the Air Force a career you could go and be a midwife." Angela joked.
"Absolutely not!" Draper replied.
"Why not?" Angela teased, "You could say on your resume that you delivered a baby in the middle of an attack by the Heartless while trapped in an elevator..."
"An experience I never want to repeat ever again." Draper replied.
"It got me thinking too." Angela said.
"Really?" Carl asked, "About what?"
"You're not gonna laugh?" Angela asked, regarding him with a brown eyed gaze.
The darkness and the dilation of her eyes made them seem almost doe-like. Draper reflected that the name Angela was definitely an appropriate name for such an angelic beauty.
"I couldn't..." Carl replied.
"Well. Seeing Meaghan give birth today got me thinking about things." Angela said, "Like how I'm not in my twenties anymore and then my biological clock is ticking..."
"Angela, how could you think I'd be such an insensitive clod as to laugh at something like that. I understand you're worried now about your biological clock and about having a baby of your own." Carl began.
"I don't mean I want one right this minute, Carl. But it got me thinking about having a child" someday." Angela replied.
Taken aback Carl said, "I still love you, remember."
"Carl. I never doubted that." Angela replied, "But there's also so much we've got to worry about right now. The Praetorians coming back and with Trelawney trying to kill me every time I turn around. The Heartless and God knows who else Syndrome's aligned himself with now..."
"I know. And I'm honestly scared too." Carl said, he bit back the temptation to add honey on the end of it.
"It's just so much to think about right now." Angela said.
"So what do you think we should do about it?" Carl said.
"It's just so much that we're worrying about right now." Angela replied, "I just don't know about restarting us just yet. I mean a relationship isn't like a computer. You can't reboot a romance."
She saw that she might have said the wrong thing, "Carl, I still love you too. I'm just saying maybe we should take it slow for the time being."
"I can live with that." Carl replied.
She stepped closer to him and lightly kissed his lips. Draper returned the kiss. A small, light kiss, but one that spoke volumes of promises between two people. He could feel her fingers digging into the fabric of his sleeves and pressing into the skin underneath. His own hands felt at the fabric of her shirt at her upper arms.
After they broke the kiss they looked at each other for a brief moment, locking eyes. Angela was the first one who spoke, "Please be safe out there? It would break my heart to lose you."
"Angela. If anything I have one more reason to come back from missions in one piece." Carl replied.
"Let's take this one slow. OK?" Angela replied, "I really want it to work this time."
"So do I." Draper said, "But as long as I don't see any more dear Carl letters in my jacket pocket or anywhere else I don't see us having issues."
Before Angela could reply the sound of footsteps heading towards them could be heard, "Hey Agent Bennett?"
They both turned to see Arcade of the Misfits heading right for them.
"Uhm. Sorry to interrupt..." the kid said quietly.
Angela disentangled herself from Carl's arms and he gave her an understanding look. "What's going on?"
"Uh we have a situation here we could use your help with." Arcade replied.
"I'll be right there." Angela said and she and Carl gave each other one more parting look before heading downstairs to her car.
---
"So the operation was a success?" Syndrome asked.
"We were able to download what information that G.I. Joe has on us." Trelawney replied.
"Yet you still failed to kill their biggest source of information on you." Cobra Commander snidely added, "Yet again your vaunted Praetorians couldn't dispose of one small brunette female."
"At least my organization isn't reduced to stealing toilet paper and robbing liquor stores to make ends meet." Trelawney added, "And Angela Bennett will be dealt with in time."
"How? The Pit is much more heavily guarded." Cobra Commander replied.
"A matter of leverage. Even when she regained her identity she was unable to ascertain the whereabouts of a college professor by the name of Evan Bennett." Trelawney replied.
"And this Evan Bennett being...?" Cobra Commander replied.
"Her father." Trelawney replied.
"Pfah. Let's not forget that this is the second time you've failed to kill Angela Bennett and she could be a formidable threat to your operation. The Pit's its defenses were able to repel your attack by the Heartless far better than Bandar Abbas was." Cobra Commander replied.
"Which by the way was one well executed operation." Syndrome said, "Not only did COBRA recover an important operative, but we added another ten thousand hearts to our collection from attacking Bandar Abbas."
"The Iranian and Pakistani conflict is in full swing." Cobra Commander replied, "As predicted it's creating massive instability in the region and providing more and more hearts to our cause."
In the corner of the room the CNN broadcast on the small TV played, "The death toll continues to rise into the tens of thousands as Iranian and Pakistani forces fight along the border. Neither side appears to have any clear objective. Attempts to bring Tehran and Islamabad to the negotiating table have failed and fears of possible escalations to nuclear conflict exist."
"And the Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalation was an equally brilliant scheme." Destro added.
"In other news today, Israeli forces have gone into Gaza yet again. The death toll on both sides continues to rise..." the CNN newscaster continued.
"And let us not forget that we have the issue of GC-161. Not only are the Xavier Institute forces poking around the area." General Eddington added, "But we also have Magneto's team. The operative Pyro has been spotted in the area."
"That chemical could be useful for my operations. The individual contaminated by the GC-161 spill years ago would be invaluable to our operations. Especially for genetic testing." Syndrome added.
"We'll do everything we can to try and assure that she winds up in your hands..." a blue skinned woman said as she walked into view.
"Well, Mystique it's nice of you to join us." Cobra Commander said sarcastically.
Mystique said, "Having to nurse Zartan back to health was not in the agreement I signed..."
"So sue me." Cobra Commander replied.
"Dr. Mindbender." Syndrome said to change the subject, "Any reports on that latest hybridization of Nemesis Enforcer's DNA with the Heartless?"
"So far it's only in its prototype stage. But the results are rather promising." Mindbender added.
"Good." Syndrome replied.
"But I would like some GC-161 samples. I believe it is the missing link to creating the new Nemesis Heartless." Mindbender replied.
"Consider it done." Syndrome added.
---
END.
What did Angela get asked to do by Arcade? What is this GC-161? The answers will come in the latest chapters of Secret Agent Forge...