Hello again! This is the second chapter of progress. If you are disappointed by the non appearance of any characters, well i apologize for it. This is all setting up the stage for the story ahead. Still, i f you like a different perspective on how the IS has changed the world, please be satisfied by this poor author work. If you like it, please review. It helps to support the development process.
"In summary, contrary to media reports, the White Knight IS did not singlehandedly fight off the combined force of 7 naval battle groups. Instead, conflict between the battle groups ensured that no one country would emerge the victor. As many as 50% of aircraft reported destroyed during the incident were more likely taken down by fire from other aircraft, instead of by the white knight as reported. Post-battle check of the damage showed that at least one aircraft carrier was rendered inoperable by air operations from other carriers. Indeed, one would go so far as to say that the White Knight did not play such a major role in the proceedings as touted by the world media. Yet, its effectiveness cannot be doubted. It's maneuverability cements it's position as king of mobile warfare. In the end, the White Knight incident will go down in history , if for any other reason, as probably the only incident where a single combatant had factors so heavily skewered to it's favour."
-Last paragraph of the review of the White Knight incident, submitted to Pentagon.-(Suppressed by the Infinite Stratos Operations Division)
7 years later
Brazil
Amazon forest
Traxus air-portable command post
Beside Amazon River
"Hmmm, figures. The report that says their shiny new weapon didn't play such a big role in the only big incident it starred get hidden under a mountain of red tape." Dutch scoffs as he threw the file onto the table. The man leaned back against the chair as he watched the results of the program running in the supercomputer in front of him do it's work, sighing in comfort, his appearance changing little despite the years past.
He grinned as he watched the readings in the screen. Some things never change and the progression of weaponry is one of them. Until eternity, humans will always find better ways to kill each other.
"Well, their shiny new weapon is going to be an absolute pain in the butt for us." Nora said as she entered the room. The dou were clad in jungle green fatigues, each clean and pressed. They wouldn't be for long.
The official leader of the triad sat on the table as she pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket. Unfolding the paper, she passed the paper to Dutch and lay down on the table as he read the paper.
"This is..." He started, frowning.
Nora sat up, her face grim. "Unofficial correspondence between the Brazilian government and the United States . They are asking for help for the retrieval of a nuclear device found in the Amazonian jungle. The same device, incidentally, that we confirmed about a week ago. But enough of that. Read on."
Dutch frowned further. " An IS? Don't these guys have their own?"
"They do. However, from what I can gather, the pilot is currently indisposed at the current moment. Rumors are that her daughter has been kidnapped but we got nothing confirmed. But there are certain things that are too much of a coincidence not to be possibly related to what we have going in here. The alleged kidnapping took place a month ago, close to the time theorized as the nuke arriving here. The only thing that the kidnappers have asked for is the constant communication between them and her with the threat of execution of her daughter if she does not. It's keeps her hopes up but it also keeps her off her piloting duties." Nora briefed.
"So the brazilians are asking an outsider to do the job instead. Keeps the kidnappers unaware of what's going on and brings an IS into play. Other than ripping the Alaska Treaty to shreds, what does that has to do with us?" Aden asked, his voice transmitted over the computer in front of them, along with a camera feed of a camp, shrouded by the dense thickness of the treetops.
"Depends. Do you see any trace of a hostage there?" Nora questioned.
"Same reading as the two of you got. Nothing. If there is a hostage, they are keeping her inside." Came the answer.
"Right, that depends because the government has traced the source of the calls to that camp. So they planning to send the US IS into the camp to retrieve the nuke and rescue the hostage, if she is there." She summarized. Her words made both her listeners start.
"That's death for the hostage. These guys aren't going to let an IS simply distract them away from their prize. They were willing to smuggle in the nuke for Pete sake." Dutch complained.
Nora nodded. "Right, which is why that same people who gave us this info has offered us an increased payment, on top of what they already owe for the information of the nuke, to ensure the safety of the hostage. Right now, we are awaiting a conference call from Dale before we can do anything. He will give the go ahead."
"So which group is providing the team anyway?" Aden asked.
"The usual standard big wigs. An american IS, complete with support group. Of course, it just a coincidence that this new IS is equipped with prototype Image Interface Tech, 3rd Gen. The pilot of this upgraded IS is Colonel Anderson Mel. I'm sure you don't need to jolt your memory." Prodded Nora.
"That Anderson? The same one that has the highest male attrition rate in her staff?" Dutch answered.
"Exactly. It appears her IS, Liberty, has some sort of drone control suite. I suspect she would be using the drones to find the nuke and the hostage, but I got no idea for sure."
"Not if we get to her first." Aden announced, Dutch grunting in agreement.
Nora grinned. "Exactly. Aden, you got eyes on. Whats your force estimate?"
10 kilometers away, the addressed man shifted in his hide as he scanned the camp, just a small group of 7 huts arrayed around a larger hut next to a river, through the scope of his sniper rifle. "Not much. I say a company worth of men, lots of small arms and a few RPGs here and there but nothing that would give an IS a pause. This guys really have no chance of stopping an attack."
"Which increases the chance that our hostage will be in serious danger when the attack goes down. These guys don't expect to win, but they definitely won't want any possible witnesses. All they need is to hold off the IS until they can go to ground. Literally." Nora concluded.
"You're thinking tunnels." Aden answered.
The woman nodded. "Of course. We concluded there has to be some sort of underground facility, since that camp is too small to house that many men. Tunnels is not too far fetched as well then. Not to mention a simple man sized tunnel is enough to stop an IS, unless the pilot is capable of partial deployment and even then, the size of IS weaponry makes it a hindrance in small tunnels."
"Ah, a weakness of the ultimate weapon." Dutch noted snidely. He disliked such labeling, since it implied that the weapon was invincible. To him, there was no single thing which was invincible.
"How's goes the data mining?" His counterpart questioned, her eyes scanning the different screens, each having different machines of war in in them, tanks, rifles, even different models of IS, all with numbers scrolling around.
"Lovely. Its not complete yet but I can definitely give you a educated guess that for the price of an IS, I can rustle up a equivalent counter that will handle it using a combination of air, sea and ground assets. Nothing, absolutely nothing, beats effective coordination."
Nora chuckled. "You do realize if this data gets out, it will get buried under a pile of ridicule right?"
"All we need is a battlefield test or at the very least, a simulation, to prove them wrong. Although I will still stand by the old adage, as painful as it may seem. The best thing to defeat an IS is another IS."
"So what are you working up to, seeing how your best weapon is the one you are trying to destroy?" Came the obvious question.
"A multi-layered trap. A force featuring air and ground assets, all centered around tying and wearing down the IS. Initial damage estimates show that we only need a company of men, properly equipped with anti-armor weaponry as ground assets. Small arms do help but the damage done is far too little in the same time period." Dutch proclaimed.
"Even though it's an impenetrable energy shield?" Nora questioned him.
She got a predatory smile in return. "That's the issue with an energy shield. It blocks everything but at the cost of energy. Even a small bullet will cause damage to the shield but the damage gets repaired by the core of the IS using energy. However, since IS energy is finite, it means that even small damage applied continuously will deplete the shield of the IS and invoke Absolute Defense eventually."
"So small arms can actually defeat IS, given the right situation." Nora concluded.
"Exactly. It doesn't help that IS caliber projectile weapons aren't really that big a difference from small arms caliber. Take the popular 2nd Gen French IS Raphael Revive. It's primary weapons are range from 13.9mm to 15.4mm. We got infantry weapons that are larger than that, the 20m class of anti material sniper rifles to be exact. This means that on the ground, in a straight up fight, an IS can be defeated by men. Of course, once you factors it's maneuverability and flight capability, then that defeat becomes a wet dream. The IS is simply too mobile."
"A lot of people don't like what you just said about defeat." Aden quipped.
"Well they can go suck it. An effective, well equipped and well coordinated group of soldiers will overcome anything." His counterpart finished.
The conversation would have continued if not for a musical chime by once of the computer screens. The duo in the room turned to said screen, where a window popped up, Cleo's tired face giving them a smile.
"Dale's busy handling idiot press. Somehow, they can't seem to understand that Traxus doesn't have more females in higher tier positions because there aren't enough qualified people to fill them." She explained.
Nora nodded. " Send him our regards."
"I will. Now to business. This is your objective.," Started Cleo as she brought up a picture of a girl in her early teens with short ebony hair and emerald eyes. "So Nora, what's your plan to get her out?"
The addressed brunette cleared her throat. "The operation by itself is risky. We don't know the location of the hostage nor the capabilities of the hostile faction. But I have a plan that's should be the best to help us."
"The main problem is how to ensure the hostage safety. If we do nothing, the IS attack will inevitably result in her death. If we attempt a rescue, we'll get spotted and overwhelmed by the manpower of the camp. Both bad ideas."
"Therefore, step 1 will be to infiltrate the camp. Find out what we are dealing with. Following patrol patterns observed over the last week, I've found a point where we have a guard alone, next to the river, for 5 minutes. Dutch will take out the guard and take on his uniform. Then he will continue along the patrol path until he returns back to camp."
"And then what? After all, you don't know the location of the hostage nor the inside of any of the buildings." Cleo noted.
Nora nodded weakly. "That's the problem right there. If you asked me if I would take this op now, I would veto it. But we can't, with the UN attack so imminent and a life on the line. From there on, Dutch will search for the hostage. Once he has confirmed her presence, he will secure her until the UN attack starts."
Her superior narrowed her eyes. "There is no way he will be able to hold that long. Which mean..."
"Yes, We will initiate just before the UN attack begins. Sadly or perhaps luckily, that period of time where the guard is alone is close to the given time of attack of Liberty.
Cleo sighed. "That's extremely risky. Are you sure this is the best plan?"
"...yes." Nora sighed.
"Very well. You have the go ahead. Get that girl back alive and come back, all of you." Cleo ordered.
Nora nodded. "You know we will." She finished before closing the window.
Dutch gave her a curious stare. "And what will you be doing?"
"I'll provide support with Aden. Don't worry, I'll be watching you via eyes cam." She answered as she reaching under the table and held up a contact lens with microcircuitry barely visible on it.
Dutch took the contact lens. "I guess one good thing that the IS brought is the technology leap." He admitted as he slotted the lens into his right eyes. A Heads up display appeared in his view as the advanced tech of the lens got to work.
"Blink once to confirm link. Good. Feed is fine, eye cam is a go." The operator announced.
Dutch smiled. "Well then, let's get this show on the road."
Two days later
Time to US attack 30 minutes
Smugglers camps
"This is bat shit insane." Dutch growled in the microphone hidden in his collar as he walked towards the camp, following the markers on his heads up display. He was clad in forest green fatigues, a balaclava covering his face, weapons slung around his back. The unfortunate owner of this outfit slept the peaceful rest of the dead with the fishes of the river flowing behind Dutch.
"Hmm, you weren't so negative two days ago." Nora returned as she watched him though a binoculars, safely concealed by the hide which she and Aden occupied.
"Well two days ago, you didn't tell me that you were cutting it so close. 30 minutes to find the hostage? I seen hide and seek games take longer than this." Her counterpart shot back as he checked his weapons, an AN-94 assault rifle and Makarov pistol. Both Russian made, both easily found on the back market, both untraceable. And nestled in his pocket was a very special gun, another russian made weapon, this time brought along by him. A MSP pistol, one of the rare weapons that was truly silent.
"There is no other option. This is the only point of the week where the guard reaches the river. Any other time and he would be with friends." Nora explained .
Dutch grunted in resignation. "What ever. Aden, give me places."
The blond man chuckled. "Righto. You gonna want to head to the first hut you see when you reach the camp. The out-lying one, to be more specific. I seen guys entering it and not leaving so there possibly a underground section to it. That's your best bet to enter."
The man in their sight trudged through the pathways, treading softly across the slippery ground. He met up with another group of men and merged with them, no one saying a thing, just silent nods.
"Anti-social bunch aren't they." Nora quipped in Dutch's ear. He ignored her, keeping to the same silent act as the men around him.
"Safety. They know that an IS Hyper sensor greatly enhances the pilot's senses. Any abnormal sound such as human speech is gonna get picked up by the IS. In fact, the only time I seen them talk with when they are indoors. I assume they get their briefing before they leave the huts." Aden answered her.
"Well then, at least no one will get alerted to your dumb voice." The woman remarked good-naturally to Dutch. He kept to his routine, shutting down any attempt to retort to her.
Eventually, he and the group he followed reached back to the camp. A dingy group of wooden thatched huts, in the middle of a forest clearing, each showing the damage of the forest, mossy green against the wood. Following his instructions, he departed from the group and entered the first hut he saw, not a single person making any sort of notice.
Inside, weapons of the same sort equipped by the smugglers stocked the shelves. He casually grabbed extra magazines and kept them in his pockets, carrying as much as he could. A small golf ball sized object caught his attention.
"Interesting. Mini grenades. Haven't seen this in a while." He noted as he stuffed his pocket with them as well. Once he filled his pockets with as much ammunition as possible while not being obvious, he turned his attention to the trapdoor on the floor, the drab wooden barrier brown with jungle sand.
"Well, Aden, you hit bull-eyes. We have a door." The man announced as he opened the trapdoor. A series of steps lead down to a metal door, rusted red by the wet ground, while pipes emerged from above the door, before disappearing into the soil again.
"My guess of tunnels is getting better and better. Look at that valve on that pipe. High pressure air ventilation. No simple storage bunker or barracks would need those." Nora described.
Dutch grunted in agreement. "Well then, open sesame." He muttered, reaching for the barrier. His hand wrapped around the knob and turned it, the deceptive ease of it ringing alarm bells in his head.
When he saw what was on the other side, his head was a cacophony of alarm.
"What the hell..." Nora whispered in his head, echoing the same sentiment as himself.
On the other side of the door was a clinical room of black and white, with recessed lights that shone dimly yet somehow lit up the room completely. Opposite him was a glass door, holographic symbols brightly decorating it's translucent surface.
"I thought this was a goddamn smugglers camp. Why the fuck are there state of the art tech here!" Dutch hissed as he entered the room, the disguised entrance door swinging softy to a close behind him. As he stepped in further, a foamy substance grew at his feet, cleaning away the jungle gunk in his boots.
"I don't know! All our intel says that this place is exactly that. There isn't anything that says otherwise." His support answered agitatedly. This new revelation was nothing they ever seen before. Most of the people who took the stolen nukes were arm dealers with simple buildings, always the common warehouse or camp in the middle of nowhere. Never something this elaborate.
"I don't want to hurry you guys but the UN attack is coming in 15 minutes. You need to pickup the pace." Aden warned.
"Fine fine! Dutch, primary objective is still the same. Secure the hostage. If you come across a chance to gather intel, you take it."
"Understood." Dutch answered, reverting into a professional mood. Whatever this place was, it was totally different from what they expected.
He tapped the symbols on the glass door, the silicon construct sliding apart for him noiselessly. On the other side, similarly dressed men just like him nodded at his entrance. Dutch returned the gesture, proceeding past them into a large interior, clinically white and blue. But what really caught his attention was what occupied the room. 4 different massive holographic screens, each displaying a different part of the world.
"Holy hell, this is a full on science-tech facility here. The smugglers camp is a goddamn front."Nora swore as she took in all of it, via Dutch eyes cam which he panned around.
"Yea but for what?" Dutch whispered as he headed for one of the screen. Taking a black circle from his pocket, no bigger than a coin, he pressed it against the side of the screen, walking past it casually.
"Data miner is in, beginning download."Nora informed him as he continued on deeper into the facility, moving to one of the corridors. On either side, Dutch could see large machines and beds, of the kind one would find in hospitals.
"There're medical scanning equipment. What is going in here?" He repeated.
"10 minutes to UN attack. We are out of time people." Aden warned.
"Dutch, find that hostage now. I'm recording all this so get on with it." His leader informed.
The addressed man wouldn't need to bother, because as he rounded the corner, a trio of men approached him. And in between them was a girl, her frightened hazel eyes watering as she followed them.
"That's not the hostage. What are these guys doing with them?" Nora muttered as the leader of the group pointed at Dutch.
"You, follow me. Watch the girl." The man ordered. Dutch fell in behind them, following the trio. They moved back to the central room, where the group continued on to another corridor, this time with blank walls on either side. A plain white door ended the enclosed walkway.
As the group proceeded down, a whirring overhead caught the infiltrator's attention. Above them, a tri-barreled mini-gun popped down from the ceiling, a small attached camera checking them, before returning back into it's recess.
"Sentry guns. This could be it." Nora whispered.
Dutch reached into his pocket and palmed his MSP pistol, working the lever that cocked the firing hammers of the pistol. He slid the weapon back into his pocket, unseen by the people around him.
The leader of the group palmed the white surface of the door and stood aside. One of his retinue grabbed the girl and pushed her inside, before sliding the door shut.
"Remember, if any of them give you trouble, shoot them. The third member of your group is helping out with the nuclear device so you will be managing the doors." The leader instructed, pointing at the infiltrator in their midst before palming the door again. Dutch entered into the room with the two other men, the door hissing shut behind them. Inside, the girl huddled on the floor, sobbing quietly. Opposite them was a glass window, with a door and panel beside it. At the other side of the window was another room, with 3 girls inside. Their frightened eyes, some red with tears, stared at the men on the other side. Fear dominated their faces.
It finally fell into place for him. All these secrecy and the medical scanning equipment already gave him the answer.
"Nora, this place isn't just a science tech facility." Dutch breathed. "It's a recruitment center."
"Bloody hell. Alright, priorities have changed. Secure all of them and keep them safe." Nora ordered.
"Easier said than done."
The speaker moved to the room door, where he touched the panel and manipulated the controls. The door opened, revealing a small room with another door and panel on the other side, and the other soldiers forcefully picked up the girl and pulled her in. Once the three entered, the panel winked green.
"Hmm, must be some sort of detection system set to activate only when there is three people in the room.. Probably a pressure plate." Nora commented.
Dutch worked the panel again and the trio entered the room. Once the men shoved the girl inside, they reentered the transitional room, where the man montioned for Dutch to operate the panel at the same time. They both pressed a button at the same time and the door opened.
The soldiers walked out, where they montioned for Dutch to follow them out of the room just as Nora spokd.
"Dutch, the timer for the attack is now. Secure that room and keep those hostages safe."
The man answered her by pulling out his MSP pistol and aiming at the two men opposite him. Surprise widened their eyes.
Click! Click!
The special rounds of the pistol did its work, leaving only the click of the firing hammers to announce the weapon deadly work. The two men dropped, the victim of head shots.
Dutch immediately unslung his rifle and got to work. He motioned the girls to move away from the window, where a quick reload of the MSP pistol and firing cracked the glass enough for him to break it in a shower of silicon. On the other side, the captive stared at him with a glimmer of hope.
"I'm here to keep you safe. Rescue is coming." He comforted the girls. Gingerly helping them across the shattered window, Nora's voice announced the thing he was waiting for.
"Dutch...I can see Liberty. It's right above the camp." She whispered.
"Now? They're here now?"
He answered by an explosion overhead. The walls shook from the blast but thankfully, they held true. It was followed by the chattering of assaults rifles and a louder roar, clearly audible through the walls of the room.
"Holy hell, she smashed through the roof of the hut and into the facility underneath. Dutch, she's outside your room. Be careful."
The man slung his rifle and palmed open the door. At the end of the corridor, he saw an IS, gun-metal gray with the stars and stripes flag on each armor piece of the IS. It had a pair of thruster wings attached to shoulder pods, both of which had two recesses, both unoccupied. Mounted on its arm was a large automatic cannon, the source of the roar, and what seemed to be a missile launcher.
"And before you ask, I can't open a channel to talk to her. Her line is encrypted." Nora informed him.
It was destroying the opposition. As he watched, the IS pilot fired a scything burst of automatic cannon rounds that cut down a group of soldiers firing at her, followed up by a missile that took out a man hiding behind cover.
But he too had problems, as the ceiling-mounted sentry gun popped out of its alcove at the opening of the door and was turning around. As Dutch hurriedly pulled the girls behind cover, a 1.5 meter long dart-life object flew into the corridor. The ceiling gun turned back, it's barrels whirring in preparation to attack. But the dart was faster, firing it's own weapon, a dull buzz that sent bolts of energy into the ceiling gun. The weapon sparked and died, going limp as its motors melted into the heat. The dart turned and left the corridor, the victor of the attack.
Dutch carefully walked into the corridor, as the sounds of battle, still loud, had left the room ahead. He motioned the girls to follow him, an order they gladly followed, although the battle did scare them.
As they crept out towards the open room, Dutch sneaked out, only to run right into the IS, it's guns ready to fire.
He raised his arms submissively, swallowing. His next words could kill him.
"Take it easy colonel. We are on the same side."
The IS pilot simply tilted her helmeted head. "Oh? How so?"
"I'm part of the PMC team that confirmed the nuke for you. As for my contradictory clothing, I got orders to infiltrate and secure the hostages." Dutch answered as the four girls watched fearfully.
"The intel said that there was only the possibility of one." The pilot noted.
"Still, we have to get them out all the same."
His counterpart nodded. "Very well. Do you have a safe zone?"
"My team is just outside the camp. We can reach there and secure the hostages for transportation." He returned.
"I see. Tell me, what is this place?" The colonel asked as she pointed her weapon away from him.
"Some sort of recruitment center I guess? The intel we got definitely had no mention of this place. The smugglers compound was definitely a front though. This place was built for secrecy." Dutch answered as he reached for his rifle.
"Very well. Get your hostages to safety. I will retrieve the nuclear device." His much bigger counterpart instructed before stomping off into one of the tunnels, just barely enough for her and her machine to fit in.
"Well, there's her priorities. Get the girls back up Dutch. Our new stomper managed to smash through the entrance you came through, so you got an easy path to here."
"Got it. Come on, let's go." He gently said to the girls. They travelled back up to the entrance, where a massive hole showed where the IS smashed right through the roof of the first room.
"Dutch, you're going to have to run for it. You got pretty much no one outside so now is your best bet. Waiting is only going to bring out more fighters." Nora informed him.
"Right. I know you're not going to like this but we are going to have to run for it. It's okay. All you need to do is run for the trees. When you go out, run for the trees. Don't worry I will cover you. Just keep running." He instructed to the girls reassuringly.
They watched him with frightened eyes, scared into silence by the sounds of battle outside.
"Just run. Help is waiting for you in the trees." He assured.
It was the daughter of the Brazilian IS pilot who finally accepted his words, her eyes tightening with bravery. "You promise?" She questioned.
Dutch chuckled." I'll even pinky swear if you want."
The girl nodded. Seeing their fellow hostage trusting him, the rest of the girls also followed her lead. Dutch smiled.
"Now wait here. I'll tell you when it would be safest to come out. When you do, just keep running and don't look back." He finished before walking up to the ruined entrance door and up the staircase. The hut above him was relatively intact, if one ignored the hole over head.
"I'm sure the generations of combat leaders are probably spinning in their graves at the riskiness of your plan." Aden told him.
"If this is risky then what is Nora's entire plan? They probably created a tornado by now." Dutch shot back as he peered out the door.
"Hey, it worked out didn't it?"
"Unbelievably so. But this isn't over until the fat lady sings." He whispered as he returned down the stairs.
"Ready?" He asked the group of girls, receiving slowly rose to the surface, him helping them up the stairs. At the top, they crowded around the door, Dutch unslinging his rifle. He peeked out. One man, his weapon out but aiming away from the hut.
"Go!" He ordered, crashing open the door with his body. Aiming at the man, he pulled the trigger, firing a 2-shot burst, the bullets entering his opponent's body with meaty thwacks. The soldier dropped as the girls ran past him.
"Dutch, we got them. Provide a distraction. Aden, cover them. I'm going out." Nora ordered as she emerged from the hide behind the tree line ,the camouflage falling off her back. She grabbed her weapon, a Steyr Aug submachine gun, and ran out into the field, towards the girls running towards her.
"Got it." Her subordinates returned, entering their ordered roles. Dutch sighted a fighter, his rifle raised, turning the corner and spotting the running girls. As the fighter opened his mouth, Dutch raised his rifle to fire.
Crack!
The man dropped back on the floor, a red spreading from the centre of his chest,a testament to the deadly accuracy of the sniper in the tree line.
"Got him." Aden quipped over the radio. Dutch nodded to his partner in the tree line as he spied Nora reaching the girls.
"Come on, this way." She ordered gently, directing the girls towards their hide.
"Dutch, Hostages are secure. Pull back to the hide. Aden will cover you."
"You don't have to tell me twice." He answered her as explosions blasted out from the midst of the camp, the roof of the large hut in the centre disintegrating.
"Someone needs to lay off the dakka." Aden remarked.
"She definitely putting on the pressure on them." His male partner returned, making a mad dash across the open field.
"Hostages are in the clear. Dutch, get over here. We'll hunker down until the Calvary arrives." Nora ordered.
"Already on it." Came the answer as his foot pounded the grass. He jumped over the edge of the hide and landed in it, falling back on his back in a huff.
"And 10 from the Russian judge. He was very pleased." Aden quipped as he helped him up.
"Just keep looking through your scope. How did you make this place anyway? You never told me."
His blond partner grinned, retuning back to his job. "You'll be amazed how much you can do with buttress roots."
Dutch chuckled. "Right then, we just wait for the fireworks to end."
The whoops of the helicopter blades sent gusts of wind blowing across the field as men ran across it, following orders shouted by their leaders. The cacophony of activity filled the jungle air, the natural sound of animals shut out by the unnatural sound of machines and man.
From the tree line, a group of seven emerged, all spotting some indicators of their experience.
"Well, that went quite well, don't you think?" Nora quipped as they approached the group of helicopters, the aerial machines awaiting for their living cargo. Their one time ally had disappeared once she gotten the nuclear device, leaving a destroyed camp behind. Now it was just mop up duty for the Brazilian army that arrived afterwards.
"Seeing how we all came out well, I would agree. Go on, home awaits." Dutch urged to the girls, nervously looking at the armed personnel waiting for them.
The four girls separated from them, running to the soldiers waiting for them. But one of them, the daughter of the Brazilian IS pilot turned around and gave Dutch a hug.
"Mama says that all men aren't good people but I think you guys are okay." She said before releasing him and running to the helicopters.
"Hey that, someone actually likes us." Aden proclaimed as they watched her enter the helicopter. The machine whined before it lifted off, tilting itself and whooping back home.
"Oh? So I'm a non-issue?" Nora questioned.
"Let's say...you like a sister to us so yea, you're aren't exactly counted." Dutch noted.
The woman gave him a look before leaning in and lightly pecking him in the lips.
"Do sisters do that?" She asked before walking away.
"Hey, dude, earth to dude!"
Dutch blinked as he focused on the hand waving in front of him, it's owners calling out to him.
"Sometimes, I don't know if she is actually serious." He muttered.
Aden clapped his hand on his shoulder. "You know her. She probably is, in her own weird way. You aren't the only one."
"...guess so. You don't think it's her revenge do you? For playing splinter cell?"
"Maybe. Lady still acts like a girl sometimes. But let's her have it. She missed it." The blond man said.
"I think we all did." Dutch whispered as the two men looked up. Coming over the treetops, far larger than the Brazilian army helicopters and fatter too. Settling down on the field like a massive mechanical dragon, the Mi-29 Hind assault helicopter seemed like the big brother of the other machines.
"Well come on board big brother airlines. Please fasten your seat belt and don't ever touch the windows. They bite." The pilot remarked over the radio.
"Afternoon to you too Cay. I thought big bro had mechanical problems." Aden asked as the interior troop bay of the helicopter opened up. They climbed inside the vehicle, the backdraft blowing their clothing around.
"Yea, well the systems are still kinda wonky but we got it working. Gotta to head back to home base for some fixing though. The radio for bro is out though. Clay says hi." Cay returned.
"Tell your twin brother that we say hi too." Nora added as she climbed into the troop bay. The doors of the troop bay closed as the helicopter tilted and lifted off.
She lifted a small black coin, the same object that Dutch placed in the compound earlier.
"Whatever this guys are and want, we got it here. All the intel we need. Oh and don't worry about any debriefings. I negotiated a handover of video footage of your eyes cam, so we don't have to go through all that red tape." She said.
"So we have one over them, whoever the hell this guys are." Dutch remarked as he glanced at the disk.
The sound of a screen turning on attracted their attention as a screen mounted on the wall beeped into life. Cleo's smiling face greeted them.
"A job well done. All hostages safe and sound and the nuclear device successfully retrieved. That adds to your tally of 137 nuclear devices either retrieved or located and retrieved by other sources. Once we add the earnings from this endeavor, well, the three of you are worth your weight in gold ten times over. Not including the interest you accumulated." She quipped.
"A house. A house made of square blocks of gold, with a tanzanite floor." Dutch moaned.
Cleo laughed softly. "If you want, I can get right on that. But you will only have a tenth of a house."
Her image suddenly shrunk in half as Dale's exhausted face popped on screen. "Thanks honey for taking over. I think I would have called them to assassinate the press if I talked to them."
"Na, it's pretty easy. A faulty brake is always a faulty brake." Nora quipped.
Their male superior smiled. "Indeed. Well, excellent job well done. The payments have been confirmed and the money has been transferred your account, minus the 20% transfers of your cuts to what ever you asked for. Take a long break guys, the world is much safer and you got a mission of a different type coming your way."
"Don't tell me. The IS Summit." Dutch groaned. The forenamed event was a get together of all the IS companies and certain countries, ran on the day the white knight appeared to commemorate the day the world discovered it's shiny new toys. A semi-formal event, companies took the event as a chance to try and headhunt their competitors people. Add in your standard rabble of rich people and you had the Summit.
"Well then, let the game begin." Aden grinned. The entire event was a non-stop barrage of poor hidden job offers and and pick up lines. The only reason why people went was because it was a industry rule, in line with the Alaska Treaty 'share all technology' clause.
"Why did You ever submit our names as the part of the Traxus party? We aren't even involved in Traxus IS development." Nora complained.
Dale sheepishly smiled. "Yea but Mirabel isn't exactly fine being there without someone to accompany her and the three of you have been helping out in data collation for 3rd generation research. So you do have some knowledge. Just mouth around and you'll be fine."
He was answered with a collective groan. "Don't worry guys. It will be just for one night. I'll see you on the transport back." He wished before his face blanked out and Cleo's face returned back to full screen.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of the arrangements. I'll even select the clothing for you so you'll be hassle-free." She said. "Still, we have something more private I believe."
"Indeed. The final pieces of the analyzation is complete. The results should be in the mainframe computer in the command post the company retrieved yesterday." Dutch filled in.
Their superior nodded. "It's already in my computer. My my, there's a lot of data put into this. You really outdone yourself."
Aden shrugged. "It was simply a matter of making the right tools to do the sifting."
Cleo smiled. "Still, this will be really beneficial. A helpful stepping stone."
"How long is this facade going to last? Sure your husband will find out one day that this data isn't that well suited for 3rd generation development." Nora folded her arms.
Cleo sighed. "Soon. The reveal will be soon. Remember, all this is not to create a anti-IS magic bullet, it is to put you on a more level playing field. Besides, with my husband involved in IS development, it would be a shame if his partner of the superior gender didn't have something special to call her own, hmmm? Other then that, You will be able to keep up with the IS and increase its effectiveness. Isn't that what you told me Dutch?"
"I did. But I also noted that without coordination training between us and the IS, we will pull down the IS. It's all about allowing the soldier to keep up with the IS and support it so that he or she doesn't become obsolete on the battlefield."
"Surprising, it should seem, that you have such a view when it concerns the weapon that you despise." Cleo noted.
Dutch shook his head."I do not despise the IS. Quite the opposite. It is the ultimate weapon in mobile warfare, with the capability to bypass defenses and hit nerves centers with such impunity that battles might be done so fast that wars could last days. Fly over defenses, hit headquarters, supply lines, depots. It can hit unsuspecting targets, help clear the way for the follow up attacks, cause so much havoc that an army would simply fall apart, ready to be mopped up by the other components of the military supporting the IS. What I do despise is its reputation. To use it as a one unit army would be a blatant misuse of its ability."
The woman smiled reassuringly. "I see. Don't worry, the project is in its final stages. After 7 years, the results will be revealed. It will be as of our wishes." She finished before the screen turn black.
Dutch leaned back on the chair. "What is the product of this research anyway? I know that the work we done do contribute to something but what is she actually doing anyway?"
"Shouldn't you have a good guess? After all, you overlooked the compilation of the data." Nora prodded.
Aden nodded. "Aye he did but that was all technical specs and can be used for anything. Not very helpful."
"Fine. Rumors are that Cleo has her personal research team working in something called Dust-storm. Some sort of new ammunition that is supposed to be effective on IS in particular but no one knows how. Before you ask, this came from multiple sources." Nora revealed. "But there is more. She commandeered the Nautilus Facility at Indonesia for the research team and I hacked their logistics supply for this month amd foundthe materials sent don't match ammunition production."
"So I don't actually know what the hell she is doing or what our data is used for. But she won't play with us this way. I'm sure she got something to for this." She finished.
"If you say so." Her partner answered.