Chapter 3

The night air was cool and crisp and the sky with its dark cloud cover brought images of an oil slick to mind. Except for a few random Skynet search lights and debris fires in the distance the coastline was pitch black. The thudding blades of the Blackhawk Helicopter could be heard throughout the area as it flew low and at a rapid speed along the shoreline. The aircraft itself was completely blacked out, with no exterior lighting at all. Looking out the cockpit window with her icy greenish blue eyes, peering through her helmet mounted night vision goggles; the female pilot was easily able to make out the whitecaps of the cresting waves that lay in the waters below her.

The woman's long hair was pulled back in a pony tail and then tucked inside of her helmet so that it did not fall down across her back. She wore black mid calf length boots on her feet, tight dark gray BDU cargo pants, and a snug dark green tank top which slightly exposed her midriff. Over her tank top the woman wore a form fitting faded black, long sleeve BDU jacket that she left unzipped. Her jacket sleeves covered her arms down to her wrists and she wore tight black gloves over her hands. A black nylon belt snaked through her belt loops. Attached to the belt on the right side was a thigh holster containing a Smith & Wesson M&P .45. On the left side of the woman's hips were a few pouches containing extra magazines for her sidearm.

Sitting directly across from her in the copilot's seat was a white male in his early to mid thirties. He had medium length brown hair which just barely touched the back of the collar of his faded green military style jacket and a scar under his left eye. He wore camouflage cargo pants and back combat boots. Like his female companion he carried an M&P 45 on his right hip with a few extra magazines for the handgun located on the opposite side.

"We'll be there in about twenty minutes." The female pilot remarked flatly through the two-way radio located inside of the helmets the pair was wearing. The male nodded his head in acknowledgment upon hearing the statement. As the helicopter flew onward the female pilot continued to slowly scan the coastline in front of them.

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"I told you to keep your damn soldiers off of my boat!" Commander Jesse Flores stated as she stormed through a darkened corridor almost knocking over two poorly dressed civilians that were traveling in the opposite direction. Derek Reese followed close behind her as they walked onward.

"My damn soldiers are the only thing keeping you safe right now." Derek retorted in a callused tone as Jesse turned a corner blowing past an armed guard who immediately moved to stop her. However, before the soldier could reach her, Derek motioned for him to allow her to pass.

"Nothing comes inside this camp without being inspected first." After quickly walking through another doorway into what appeared to be some sort of dilapidated storage room with crates and other various sorts of extra equipment Jesse spun around to face Derek holding her finger up in his face,

"Look!" she said angrily, "The Jimmy Carter is my ship…" continuing to stare Derek down she added,

"My ship not yours. I help you and your Faction out at my own risk and because I want to. I shouldn't have to put up with your soldier's bullshit." Derek stared Jesse down with a fury in his eyes.

"That may be your ship, but those are my weapons and ammo you are getting. Maybe you want to go somewhere else to find those." Jesse stood silently for a moment and looked at Derek with fiery anger in her eyes.

Finally, unable to control herself Jesse grabbed Derek by his jacket and pushed him back, slamming him up against the crates located behind him, pinning him against them with a loud crash. Jesse paused for a moment still looking at Derek with the same blazingly intense look in her eyes. Then she quickly pulled herself to Derek and kissed him. He stood motionless for a moment before he wrapped his arms around Jesse and answered her kiss with his own. Several seconds had gone by before the couples lips finally parted. Jesse looked at Derek and gave him a slight smirk,

"Too much?" she asked playfully. Derek grinned,

"Maybe just a little." He replied and then quickly moved his hands up the sides of her body and under her arms, pulling her to his left and spinning Jesse around and then back down on top of a crate. As he pinned her to it Jesse gasped for breath. Derek began to quickly pull off has jacket as Jesse wrapped her legs around him and yanked her shirt off over her head.

"If your husband ever catches us there is going to be another war..." Derek muttered in a somewhat hushed voice as he began to loosen the equipment belt he wore around his waist. When the Velcro was torn free the belt with Derek's sidearm fell to the ground with a thud.

"Shut up..." Jesse replied breathlessly as she pulled herself up to Derek and resumed kissing him, pulling at his snug fitting undershirt trying to remove it. Once Jesse did managed to get his shirt off, Derek ran his hands back down Jesse's stomach to her waistline and started to unbutton her pants. In response Jesse continued to kiss Derek with a growing passion. Once Derek had removed Jesse's pants he pushed her back onto the wooden crate and pressed his body up against hers. The intensity of their kisses grew for several more seconds.

"DEREK!" A voice shouted. Startled, Derek turned his head quickly away from Jesse and saw Kyle standing behind him with an extremely angry expression on his face. Slowly pulling himself off of Jesse who propped herself part of the way up, Derek partially turned to face Kyle.

"Impeccable timing bro." Derek remarked in an irritated tone. Kyle stood speechless for a brief moment surprised by Derek's response before he spoke,

"Chopper will be here in twenty minutes." Derek raised his eyebrows with an exasperated look on his face,

"And you couldn't have waited ten minutes to tell me this?" Kyle rolled his eyes in response and gave Derek an annoyed sigh.

"Let's just go meet him." Kyle remarked as he turned away from Derek and walked out of the room. Derek looked back at Jesse who was still lying nearly naked on top of the crate.

"Finish this later?" He asked with a slight smirk. Jesse smiled,

"We better..."

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A cool breeze blew across the dirt laden cliff that Kyle and Derek now stood a few yards away from. Hours until dawn, the rock shoreline remained extremely dark. Parked behind Kyle and Derek were three vehicles; two Hum-V's and an older Chevy Bronco. All the vehicles had seen better working days and their dark colored paint needed to be replaced. Nevertheless, they were all still in working order. A few soldiers armed with plasma rifles milled about the vehicles, as Kyle and Derek waited several yards out in front of them.

"You know you're going to get caught don't you?" Kyle said in a somewhat muffled voice, but still loud enough to be heard over the wind and crashing waves located below them.

"Not this again." Derek remarked gruffly. Kyle turned to glare at his brother.

"You're getting careless…I never should have caught the two of you. What if it had been someone else?" Derek chose not to respond.

"We're trying to unite the factions against Skynet and you're screwing one of the faction leader's wives." Kyle's voice grew more annoyed as he spoke.

"Noted…" Derek growled as he stared straight ahead into the dark ocean that lay before them.

"This could destroy everything…This could start another war!" Kyle's voice rose as he spoke. A few of the soldiers who were standing around the vehicles looked up, upon hearing Kyle's elevated voice.

"Keep your voice down…" Derek stated in a harsh tone.

"I don't wanna have my ass shot off because you're to busy trying to put another notch on your bed post." Derek's head quickly turned to look over at his brother.

"It's not like that." Derek snapped. Kyle continued to stare at Derek with quite a bit of anger in his eyes.

"Well…then what is it like?" He asked. Before Derek could respond his voice was cut off by the loud thudding blades of a Blackhawk Helicopter as it rose over the cliff located in front of them. As the helicopter's elevation increased Kyle and Derek shielded their faces slightly from the dirt and debris that was now being kicked up around them by the wind that the helicopter blades produced.

After hovering for a brief moment the Blackhawk rotated its fuselage around and then slowly set down on the flat ground that was located towards the edge of the cliff. The whine of the engines could be heard as they powered down and the blades began to slow. The side door to the Blackhawk sprung open and seven men who were easily recognizable as an organized Special Forces team, dressed in all black, each carrying a plasma rifle, and wearing body armor exited the helicopter rapidly formed a perimeter around the aircraft.

"He certainly knows how to make an entrance…" Kyle remarked as he stood with his hands behind his back.

"Yes…" Derek paused momentarily, "Yes, he does…" Derek responded as he watched as the commandos formed a semicircle circle around the helicopter, all keeping their rifles at the low ready.

A few seconds passed as the helicopter blades continued to slow. Finally both doors to the helicopter's cockpit opened and the pilot and copilot stepped out. Upon exiting the aircraft and as her feet hit the ground, the pilot's reddish orange hair, which was still pulled back in a ponytail, fell gracefully across her shoulder. The woman flicked her head back slightly, whipping her hair back around behind her. Moments later the copilot joined and they both walked towards Derek and Kyle.

Upon reaching them, Kyle and Derek both saluted,

"Good to see you again Colonel Bedell." Derek stated. Martin Bedell returned their salute and then responded,

"It's good to see you too, Captain Reese." Bedell and the others lowered their hands as he spoke. Martin then held out his hand to shake Derek's.

"Always good to see a friend…Especially in these times." Derek smiled and shook Bedell's hand.

"So, I understand that you have located an alleged acquaintance of mine?" Martin asked.

"Well, he says he knows you, but I have my doubts…Especially given the manner in which we found him." Derek stated.

"Yes, I heard it was quite unusual."

"Quite frankly I'm surprised you came all the way out here just to see him." Derek added.

"Given the circumstances, I felt it was appropriate." Upon hearing Bedell's response Derek raised his eyebrows with confusion. He then spoke again.

"Shall we go see him?"

"Yes lets." Bedell stated; he then turned to one of his soldiers standing next to him. "Secure the helicopter."

"Yes sir." The male responded. Several of the men quick moved over to the passenger compartment of the helicopter and began to pull out camouflaged tarps which they would use to cover and conceal the Blackhawk. As this was occurring Martin and Derek led the way towards the vehicles, leaving the female pilot and Kyle standing alone for a brief moment.

"I can't believe you fly that thing…" Kyle stated, "Everyone knows the air belongs to Skynet." The beautiful female pilot gave Kyle an arrogant smirk,

"Not while I'm in it…" she responded. The pilot walked past Kyle and followed Martin Bedell and Derek Reese to the vehicles, leaving Kyle with a slightly perplexed look on his face; a moment later he too turned and followed the group. While a few of Colonel Bedell's commandos escorted him, the remaining troopers stayed with the Blackhawk Helicopter.