The Fox and the Sloth
Chapter Three
If the world's scientist could have captured the energy from the icy stares that were being exchanged in Covington's office they would have not only been able to stop Global Warming, but most likely would have started a new Ice Age. Kim and Ron had returned to England after spending a few extra days in the U.S. They needed the extra few days to recover from their visit to Middleton. A visit to Disney World and all the other sites like Animal Kingdom and the movie lot had been the break they really needed. A trip to Washington D.C. gave them the opportunity to visit the sites there to. They spent the most time visiting Arlington, the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial. Something told them that the coming mission was going to be more than they had ever handled before. Although they didn't live in the U.S. anymore it was still the nation of their birth and they wanted to remind themselves where they came from.
But now that was all behind them and they were sitting in the two chairs that were on the other side of Covington's desk. They had just received a "talking to" from Covington. Some might call it a "talking to"; others might have called it a "dressing down", while others would not have been that kind. The language they had been the receiving end on could have curled the wallpaper off the walls if there had been wallpaper on them. To say the Covington was displeased that they had gone to Middleton would have been similar to say that "Big Ben" was a clock.
Covington was still pacing behind his desk, out of breath and out of curse word in seven different languages that he had used in the past thirty minutes. Kim and Ron sat there mute after stating exactly what Covington could do with his opinion about what they did. Needless to say that it was physically impossible and if possible there was not enough laxative in England to cure the problem. They didn't back off for one second about what they did. Covington finally flopped down in his chair and the three exchanged the icy stares that they were currently exchanging. He finally rubbed his forehead with his hand and pulled his chair back to his desk.
"Okay, that was said and done. It's in the past. You know my opinion and I know yours. We don't have to agree about it so let's get on with business."
Opening a drawer on his desk he pulled out a couple of thick files and handed them to Kim and Ron.
"Here is the overview and results of what we have been able to ascertain from the data you retrieved from your last mission. This situation is becoming a matter of international security and may require contact with my counterparts in other nations. However, I don't think that will be necessary at this point. Now I want you to study this material and be completely familiar with all of the aspects. Use the offices here and any of the reference materials that you may need. I will expect a briefing from the two of you within two days. Now get to work."
Kim and Ron stood and turned to leave his office. As they walked out of the door Covington called out to them.
"For what it's worth I would have done the same thing if I had the chance."
The light from the streetlight on the corner was the only illumination in their living room when Kim and Ron finally returned to their flat. They had spent the entire day and part of the evening going over all the information in the files that Covington had given them. It was only after Kim had fallen asleep at the keyboard of her computer and had typed fifteen pages of "n"s with her nose when her head had fallen forward onto the keyboard that they decided to call it for the evening. Ron gave Rufus a good scratching as he made his way to the kitchen.
"What'cha want to eat KP?"
Kim shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know. Nothing really big, I'm too tired to be really hungry."
Rufus gave a plaintive whimper as he looked at his favorite two humans. He had been waiting all day for a really big meal. Ron laughed as his gave his pet a pat on the head.
"Sorry little buddy but I am with KP right now. How about one of my three cheese omelets?"
Rufus nodded rapidly.
"Yummm. Cheeeessseeeee!:
Kim laughed.
"That actually sounds really good Henry. Why don't you get started and I'll finish unpacking."
Ron nodded as he opened the refrigerator and started to pull out the ingredients for their meal. Kim stepped over into the bedroom and pulled their luggage from the corner where they had left it when they returned from their trip. She opened the first case and started to sort out the dirty laundry. The darks went in one pile while the lights another. The delicates, mostly hers, went into a third pile. Doing laundry was one of the new things she had to learn over the years. When she was at home, her mom always did all of her laundry. All she had to do was to take her dirty clothes down to the laundry room and put them in the proper hampers. Her mom would do all the washing and stack the clean clothes on the counter in the laundry room. Each member of the family was responsible for picking up their clean clothes and putting them up. Now, she and Ron traded laundry duty.
As she finished unloading the first case she started on the second one. This case contained some clothes but also had most of their souvenirs in it. There were the obligatory matching Mickey Mouse ear hats, some t-shirts from the different Disney Parks and some different items from Washington D.C. The only part of Disney that they had avoided was EPCOT. The Disney Company had honored her and Ron by developing an adventure Scavenger Hunt. Since pictures of them were plastered all over certain parts of EPCOT they thought it would not have been good for some little girl to stop and point at the Kim looked a lot like Kim Possible.
She pulled out the two t-shirt they had purchased at Space Mountain. While Ron had "matured" over the years there were still some rides that caused him to scream like he always did. Space Mountain was one of those rides. He was a little wobbly kneeded after walking off of that one. He got his revenge though when he dragged her onto "It's A Small World." The slow ride and the incessant music and singing had been just revenge. A firm warning was given that if he starting singing that song again at any time during the rest of the trip that she would have to seriously hurt him. Even with her own warning she found herself humming that song every now and then. As she started to put up the t-shirt she realized that she had started humming it.
"HENRY! You SO are going to GET IT!"
Laughter could be heard from the area of the kitchen.
"Channeling a little Disney are we Karen?"
Ron looked up from his cooking to come face to face with a scowling Kim.
"Serves you right for dragging me onto the insane ride."
Kim glared back.
"That was just one time. That…that song keeps coming back like some bad dream."
Ron started to giggle but thought that it would not be in his best interest to do so. Instead, he handed Kim a plate covered in a light and fluffy omelet. She glanced down at the plate and snatched it away from him.
"You are so lucky that you are a good cook. Come on Rufus, your favorite show is coming on. Let's watch."
Rufus nodded vigorously as Kim picked up Rufus's plate and carried it into the living area. Ron smiled at the two as they made their way to a spot in front of the television.
Big Daddy Brotherson was disturbed. He had been disturbed for some time ever since his home had been invaded. His man had not been very successful at locating the owner of the face that had been responsible for causing him so much grief. But now he had to put all of that to the back of him mind. The clients that were to come to his home before those awful two invaded it were supposed to arrive soon and he had much to discuss. While he was not one to try the drastic schemes of Drakken or build the monster machines like Dementor or even have the delusions of grandeur that Fisk had he did fill a certain spot within the entire scheme. He remembered a term that was used in when he was in school. He was not a "King" but he was a "Kingmaker". He didn't enforce the schemes of his clients but he made them happen by supplying them with what they thought they needed.
He was purveyor of information, technology, and influence. If you needed to know how to build a super weapon, he would sell you the data you needed and also sell you the hardware that you needed to build it. If some bribes needed to be made he knew who and what amounts would need to be paid. He would play both sides with equal ease, it just mattered who had the most money. The gentlemen who would be visiting him tonight had a great deal of money. They didn't want to take over the world, but they would not mind shaking it up a little. The data that he had collected on Turkey had only been the first part of the job. Now he was getting ready to deliver some more information and the prospect of some hardware.
One problem he did have was with his main IT tech. He was a very competent man when properly directed and could do wonderful work. However sometimes he would get distracted by some strange data and would spend extended amounts of time trying to find out what was going on sometimes to the detriment of his normal duties.
"Ah yes. Mr. Ballard. I do believe that we have had this conversation before?"
The man nervously approached him.
"Yes sir Mr. Brotherson sir."
Brotherson held up his hand under his chin as if in thought.
"Perhaps I have not made myself clear about your duties?"
The man shook his head.
"No sir, it's just that I may…"
Brotherson interrupted him.
"Now my friend. I do not wish to speak on this matter again. I need you to be ready for this upcoming meeting and presentation. However, if you think that you cannot concentrate on your duties?"
The man shook his head.
"No sir."
Brotherson nodded.
"Then my good man. I suggest you stop your…wild goose chases and concentrate on your duties. I have other people locating those who have invaded my home."
The IT tech left the room very quickly. Brotherson turned to his man.
"I don't think we will have any more trouble with him."
Ballard returned to his work area and got back to his work preparing for the upcoming meeting. He checked his system as pulled up the work file he had hidden deep within his other files. Wishing to do something good for his employer, he had compiled a facial recognition program. In testing his new work he had pulled the picture of the girl from the home invasion. He also used the DNA from he had been able to obtain from the Laurent raid. He used some old data banks that had been shelved due to the data being old. The program got two hits. The names that came up on his screen were surprising as he knew the two people to be dead. But how could they be dead and their faces and DNA appear years after they were supposed to be dead. He glanced at the two pictures and names before he selected the data for deletion. The names "Kim Possible" and "Ron Stoppable" along with their pictures and data disappeared from the screen as he hit delete.
Upstairs, Brotherson clapped his hands as his harem girls paraded into the room.
"Yes, yes my dears. Let's get ready for our guests."
He pointed to one brunette.
"My dear, if you please would you get me one of delicious chocolate bars. I would prefer one without nougat."
Kim and Ron made their way back to their underground "lair". They had both thought it was very funny that after all the years of them breaking into the villains lairs that they now had one of their own. Rufus decided to stay back at the flat to watch "Mole rat Nation" on the Creature Channel. Kim pulled the first stack of files out of the file drawer in what had become to be known as their office. It was actually one of the extra training rooms off of the main training area and just a few doors down from Covington's own office. Ron started of the coffee maker to produce some liquid refreshment that would help them through the morning.
After a few near disasters and two fires, Covington gave them one of the Keurig coffeemakers. It was one of the only kitchen appliances the Kim was allowed to operate in the entire complex. A couple of months earlier she had attempted to bake some brownies for Covington's driver. The result was not what Kim had hoped. However, a couple of scientists on the staff took the results for the chemical and biological warfare section. They had to put the remains in a special glass container. The mixture had melted the metal pan that she was using to bake the brownies in. The entire staff had to grab gasmasks as the smoke spread throughout the facility. The stove had to be replaced as the smoke had corroded the interior of the oven. Covington figured that the simple coffee machine that made single servings of coffee was just perfect for her not to mess up.
Ron set her favorite cup of Double Black Diamond Extra Bold flavor with just a little sugar and a dose of cream. Kim picked up her cup and took a slow slurp.
"Ahhh, just right."
Ron shuddered.
"You aren't right drinking something like that."
Kim giggled as Ron set down his Hazelnut Crème on the desk.
"I like what I like now let's get into this stuff. Covington's gonna want a briefing and we have a lot to do before then."
Ron nodded.
"Thought of contacting Wade?"
Kim thought of a moment.
"Only if we need to. Let's break all this down and make a list of what we might need him to do. We'll have to run it by Covington before we ask."
Ron nodded and picked up the first file, sat down and started to read.
Big Daddy Brotherson sat back amidst the cushions where he lay as he discussed business with his new partners. They had finalized their plans and needed him to provide them with some technology as well as some weaponry. Before that he would need to provide them with some political backing in their endeavor. The leader of the group leaned forward to speak.
"Mr. Brotherson. We only need a few more things from you. As you know we wish to destabilize the government of Turkey. We plan to make this country our own. After we do that and run all the infidels out of the country we plan to build a pipeline across the country to the Black Sea. There we can supply our oil to the world without having to use our present routing."
Brotherson steepled his fingers in thought.
"Then why do you wish for me to supply the device. Is not your country working on one at this time?"
The man sneered.
"We will have our own in time; however, getting the device we seek will cause more problems than using one of our own."
Brotherson nodded.
"Will not some of your Muslim brothers die if and when the device is used?"
The man smiled.
"Of course but Allah will understand and welcome them."
Brotherson closed his eyes.
"So that is why you wish me to obtain a nuclear device, preferably of Russian make. If the device is detonated in the country the political fallout would be tremendous."
The man smiled.
"Of course, but we will only do this as a last resort. We prefer the other way."
Brotherson nodded.
"You have payment?"
The man nodded to one of his associates. The other man picked up a briefcase and handed it to Brotherson's assistant. The hulking man took the briefcase to the side and opened it. After examining the contents of the case he nodded to Brotherson. Big Daddy turned to his clients.
"The arms and lists of contacts will be delivered within the time specified at the place specified. I will attempt to obtain the device. Once I have it I will notify you about delivery."
The man nodded.
"It is well sir. Do you have access to such?"
Big Daddy nodded.
"Yes, I attempted to use this contact a few years ago. Delivery was prevented and the resulting fallout caused a great deal of grief among a great many people. It did lead to the removal of an adversary that had been a thorn in my side and that of my clients."
The man nodded.
"Ahh yes, the little red headed whelp and her joke, too bad I never had the opportunity to get my hands on her. I would have enjoyed teaching her her proper place in this world."
Brotherson nodded.
"Quite so, quite so. Our business is at an end, let us enjoy the entertainment."
Big Daddy clapped his hands and the harem girls entered the room. Music started to play as the girls started to dance. Other girls started to carry in trays of food and drink.
Kim stretched her arms after laying the stack of files she was carrying on desk in their office. Ron was just a step or two behind her and set their laptop down next to the files. They had just finished the second briefing for Covington on the mission that now encompassed their lives. As they got deeper into the fact and not so clear facts of the situation it had become clear that things were very serious. Russian intelligence had found out that someone was looking to purchase a small nuke. The money behind the request was enough for someone to take notice. There was also a lot of unrest starting in Turkey. Demonstrations against the government had grown just over the past few days. There had even been a couple of assassinations as well as some assassination attempts. It all boiled down to a lot of trouble.
Covington wanted them back in Turkey ASAP. They needed to track down some of the players that were causing so much of the trouble. Also, one of the top ministers in Turkey had been placed on a death list. One of the main objectives of their missions would be to stop any assassination attempt. Then they were to do as much damage as they could to the insurgents as possible. In Covington's own words they were to "prosecute with extreme prejudice".
Covington wanted them back in the Middle East as fast as they could get there. This time they would not be just going in as tourists. They would overfly their target and jump in. If they were caught they could expect no help. Both of them had seen a movie their parents had talked about. It was about a young man who tried to smuggle drugs out of Turkey. He was caught; the rest of the movie was about his experiences in a Turkish prison. As they would be considered worse that drug runners they could expect that their treatment would not be as nice. They both vowed not to be captured or allow the other to be captured.
Covington looked up from his desk in the bookshop. A well-dressed young lady hand entered his shop and started browsing through the shelves. After a few moments, she approached the counter with a smile.
"Good morning sir, would you happen to have a copy of Dante's Inferno? The older the better."
Covington thought for a moment before answering. The code phrase that she had just spoken was one seldom used. He had to make sure that she was real or was her request just a coincidence.
"I have a number of copies of that volume. Are you interested in a particular volume?"
The woman thought for a moment.
"I would be most interested in one of the Folio Society illustrated by Blake."
Covington nodded.
"Which folio, the 1890 or the 1880?"
The lady answered quickly.
"The 1880 volume."
Covington nodded. She was real.
"I don't think have one available at this time. However, when I locate one how do I get in touch with you."
She shrugged her shoulders.
"The normal way. But I really would like this one fast. There are a number of others interested."
Covington nodded a final time. Her messages had been delivered. The woman turned and left the store. Covington worked for a few more minutes before he closed his ledger that he had been working on and turned to his assistant.
"I have to meet a client for a few minutes. He has an interesting folio that he wishes to show me and he is bringing some friends with him. I will return as soon as possible."
The assistant's eyes wavered for a moment. The code phrase meet that Covington was leaving to meet with one of his counterparts in the intelligence community on a very important matter. The meeting would include a number of other individuals all from the intelligence community. Covington grabbed his coat and left his store. Walking a number of blocks he entered a small pub. The man behind the counter nodded to a door at the rear of the main room. The pub was a meeting place for MI6. He could meet others there in comparative security. He opened the door to the small dining room and took a seat at the single table. The waiter brought him dark ale without even asking. After a few minutes the door opened and two men entered the room.
The first man was Alton Brannigan. He was an Attaché with the American Embassy. He was also the CIA section chief for the United Kingdom. The second man was Ivan Krashtinov. He was an attaché with the Russian Embassy and like his counterparts in the room he was the KGB section chief to the United Kingdom. The two men nodded to Covington as they entered and took a seat. The waiter had their drinks in front of them before they even settled in their seats.
Covington raised his mug.
"Cheers."
The other two men picked up their mugs and clanked them against Covington's. They each took a gulp and placed their mugs back on the table. Covington sat back and stared to the two men.
"Now just what the bloody hell in going on to call a meeting like this?"
Alton played with his mug for a bit.
"You have been running a series of operations in Turkey. The last one was against a gentleman we all know. Whoever hit his place raised enough hell that he is unleashing everything he has to find out who did it. About a year ago, there was a similar disturbance at a Chateau belonging to a Mr. Laurent. Some checking has shown that there appears to be a link between the two. We have some idea of what is going on. But one thing we wonder about."
Alton pulled out a file from the briefcase he was carrying. Opening the file he took out a few photos and laying them on the table, he slid them over to Covington.
"Now Sir Basil. We have studied what has been going on and we have even had agents see an unusual couple who appear to be operating out of London. We came to a very interesting conclusion. That is you have a very special team at work. Nobody knows who they are, where they come from or anything else. They just appeared out of the blue and they have been kicking ass. What is even more interesting is that they bear a very striking resemblance to two persons that the US and Russia would be highly interested in, IF they are alive."
Covington smiled as he glanced at the photographs. Apparently some had been taken from security cameras at Laurent's estate. Others appeared to have been taken from the cameras at Brotherson's estate. Two were very prominent. They were copies of the ones from Laurent's and Brotherson's computers. Kim's face filled both pictures. He settled back into his chair and took a long sip of his ale. Placing it back on the table, he smiled.
"Let's just say, for argument sake, that I do know something about them. What then?"
Kim and Ron shuffled to the rear of the cargo plane as it flew high over Lake Van in eastern Turkey. The Turkey/Iran border was not far away. Their landing zone was on a mountainside near the village of Kocakoy. It was a remote village overlooking the Turkey Iranian border. They would land on a mountain plateau just to the east of the village. Once on the ground they would wait for their local contact to lead them to a safe place. Staying away from the locals would be the first order of business. Then they would move into town for their first of several strikes. The group had started infiltration into Turkey near the town. There were a number of weapon caches in the area and there would also be a meeting of a few top operatives; one of them being a Mr. Hacari. He was one of the masterminds behind the plan that was unfolding. Their mission this time was simple. Destroy the weapon caches and remove as many operatives as possible with Mr. Hacari and his associates being on the top of the list.
Their ears started to pop as the crew started to depressurize the cargo bay of the plane. It was a scheduled and cleared flight flying a well-known path through the area. They would have to use their glide suits and later their paraglide chutes to cover the miles from their drop point to their landing zone. Ron glanced over toward Kim. He could barely see her as she was buried in so much equipment. Some of their equipment they would jump with. That would be their personal weapons, their encrypted radios and other items they would carry on them. Kim carried a bag of explosives and Ron carried a Barrett XM500 sniper rifle. They would be able to pick up the rest of their equipment after they landed. A drone would airdrop the rest of their equipment later, after they had set up their camp and scouted the area.
Ron pressed the switch to open the door on the side of the plane. They would be jumping at about 40,000 feet at night. Even with the heavy clothing they had on they could feel the chill of the air blasting in through the door. Kim stood in the door staring straight ahead. Ron was immediately behind her with his hand on her shoulder. When the light beside the door started to blink he started to tap her on the shoulder in rhythm with the light. When the light came on for good he would hit her helmet.
Kim held onto the sides of the door. There was literally nothing in front of her, at least nothing she could see. The specs of the mission started to run through her mind. It was then that she started to feel the tapping on her shoulder. All her concentration was on his touch. The beat of his hand was steady for several seconds then she heard and felt the rap on the side of her helmet. She launched herself forward knowing that he was directly behind her.
She instinctively moved her body into its proper airfoil position to get maximum glide from her suit. Her helmet had a heads-up display that showed a basic map of the terrain under her as well as her altitude, heading, forward airspeed and distance to their drop zone. Ron's helmet held the same thing. They wore their short range encrypted radios so that they could talk through the drop. Ron's voice came over the speaker in her ear.
"You know. As many times as we have done this I will never get used to it."
Kim smiled behind her facemask. Leave it to him to be the normal him even in this sitch.
"You always complain about something. Do you hear me complaining?"
Ron started to hum "It's a Small World".
Kim growled.
"Henry!"
Kim could hear Ron giggle over her headphones.
"Just thought I'd return the favor and give you something to complain about."
Kim had to giggle herself. The one thing that made them such a good team was the natural way they kidded with each other. Almost like husband and wife. Her thoughts did a reset when that thought crossed her mind. Where did THAT come from? She quickly checked their heading and altitude while thinking through the rest of the drop forcing the surprising thought from her mind.
After a few minutes a warning tone sounded in their earphones as well as a small light in their displays. It was warning them that their paragliding chutes would be opening soon and they would glide to their landing zone. Even with the warning, the sudden jolt of the chute opening came as a surprise. As she settled down in her chute harness she guided it toward the area of their destination. When they neared the area she keyed her radio and spoke softly into her mike.
"Rocky"
She waited for a moment hoping that everything was okay and then over her headphone she heard a voice answer.
"Bullwinkle"
A light came on below. This was a coded spectrum laser that was invisible to the naked eye but visible to their headset system. All they had to do is follow the beam down. This allowed them to land in very small areas as it allowed precise landings. Within moments Kim saw the ground rushing up toward her. She released the equipment bag so that it would hang below her and hit the ground before her. Bracing, she hit the ground and rolled to her feet; slapping the quick release on her chest she released the chute. A thud to her side signaled that Ron had hit the ground. Glancing over she noticed that he was already on his feet and had released his chute. A dark figure emerged from some nearby rocks.
"Welcome to Turkey. My name is Bahadur. Let's get your chutes buried and move to your camp site."
Kim nodded and motioned to Ron that the man was their contact. Together, they gathered the chutes and buried them among some nearby rocks. Soon they were moving across the countryside and within minutes they were huddled in a cave. The caves entrance was hidden by some rocks and bushes. Bahadur had some water for them as they settled into the cave and arranged their equipment. Handing each of them a cup of water Bahadur took a seat on the dirt floor. The cave took a couple of turns after the entrance so they could use a low light. There was also a canvas covering that stopped any stray light from escaping. Their host also handed them a plate of food each.
"Like I said, welcome to Turkey. I have checked the area and it is clear."
Kim turned to Ron. He nodded before she could speak. He grabbed their main radio and headed for the exit to the cave as he muttered.
"ET phone home."
Bahadur smiled as Ron pulled the canvas to the side and slipped out.
"I like your friend."
Kim nodded.
"He may make jokes but he'll back you all the way. Now what's the sitch?"
Bahadur pulled out a map and spread it out on the ground.
Ron moved to the entrance to the cave and pulled out the radio. It was a special Wade design. It operated by satellite, used several hundred encrypted channels and changed channels in a coded pattern. In so many words it would be impossible to track. Ron turned on the unit and waited for it to find locate a carrier signal. When the screen showed it was ready to transmit Ron entered the code for the day and spoke into the mike.
"This is Sloth. The sitch is clear. Over."
He waited for a moment until a voice answered.
"Sloth this is Coyote. When do you want the package? Over."
Ron keyed the mike again.
"Echo plus five. Over."
He waited for moment when the other voice came back.
"Confirmed Sloth, next broadcast same Bat time, same Bat channel. Over."
Ron turned off the radio, packed it back up and headed back into the cave. He pulled back the canvas and walked over to where Kim and Bahadur were talking. She looked up at him with a question in her eyes. He nodded.
"Delivery on schedule."
Kim nodded and motioned to the map.
"Bahadur was telling me about the area and what we should expect. Have a seat while he finishes up."
Ron took his place beside Kim. Bahadur pointed a place on the map.
"Here is the complex of homes where the meeting will take place. That will be in three days."
Ron settled himself down beside the rock wall near the group of old non-descript buildings. He chanced a look over the top of the wall to look into the compound. There was a large truck parked at the doors of a warehouse of some type. There were two guards in front and two more at the rear. It was three in the morning and very cold. Kim was on the other side of warehouse. This would be their first hit of the mission. The warehouse held a large amount of weapons and ammunition and they would need to take it out. The problem was there was also a large barracks that held a sizeable number of troops. That could be a problem is something went wrong.
He slid his modified Kriss Super V around and made sure the suppressor was properly fitted. They would be making enough noise soon enough and there was no need in making any more before necessary. Two taps on his headset told him that Kim was in place. He waited until the guards moved to the end of their walks, then he moved around the end of the rock wall and stealthily approached.
They had chosen this time as it was the middle of the guards' time and they would be cold and bored. This was an out of the way location and the word was that the guards had grumbled about guarding something so far out of the way that no one would bother them. He reached the corner of the first building just as the two guards turned back to each other. Ron heard a growl behind him. Cursing to himself he spun and fired one quick shot. The dog didn't even whimper as it went down. Turning back to his main target he looked to see if the guards had heard the shot. Apparently they hadn't as they stopped to talk for a few seconds before they turned back walking. He waited until their backs were turned to each other and fired two quick shots. Both of them crumbled to the ground without making a noise.
He ran quickly to the front of the building and pulled the bodies into the shadows. Laying them both against the building he laid their weapons in their laps as if they had sat down and gone to sleep. Tapping his mike twice he waited for Kim's answer. Two quick taps answered telling him that the guards on the other end of the building were meeting Allah. He made his way to the door and slowly opened the personnel door. Slipping in, he quietly closed the door behind him and scanned the room.
There were stacks of crates of various sizes and types. He could tell that some were weapons and most were ammunition. A quick glance confirmed that the boxes nearest him held RPGs. This place would go up like a candle when they set it off. Another box off to the side caught his attention. First it had US markings and second it was already open. A quick check of the box told him good and bad news. First the box contained Claymore mines. That was partial bad news as they group had gotten their hands on US weapons. The really bad news was that there were a couple missing. Where they were he couldn't tell and that worried him. The good news was that there were three already rigged and ready to fire sitting inside the box. He picked them up. This might add a little insurance for later.
Kim stepped around the bodies of the two guards she had taken out. There was just a single rear door. She slowly opened it and slid into the building. As she entered she accidently kicked a bottle that someone had dropped right in the door. It clattered across the floor before she could grab it. A voice called out and she looked up. Apparently there was a worker checking on some of the boxes. They looked at each other for a split second before moving. He struggled to pull his pistol from his holster. He apparently didn't use it much because the flap was fastened down and he had trouble opening it. Kim didn't take the time to pull her Kriss into action. With a flick of her hand she drew and threw a razor sharp throwing knife. It embedded itself into his throat. Before he fell to his knees she was already upon him. He realized in the last seconds of his life that the lithe figure in front of him was a woman and that she had green eyes. Those green eyes showed no compassion as she raised a strange looking weapon and fired a bullet into his brain.
Ron heard the clatter of the bottle and went into a combat crouch. There was muted scream and thump of Kim's weapon. Another thud signaled someone was dead. Ron drew a quick breath for a second before her voice came over the headset.
"Sorry about that. Ran into a party crasher. He's down for the count. You ready?"
Ron started to move.
"Yeah, but give me a couple of extra minutes. I found something to leave behind to give the other a little surprise."
Kim thought for a moment.
"What you got Sloth?"
Ron moved toward the door.
"Just a little surprise for unwanted guests. There is a crate of Claymores up here. Gonna salt a few around just in case."
Kim thought for a moment but could not come up with a reason not to let him go ahead. If they were discovered then the Claymores would give them a little cover. If not, then later they would take out more of the terrorists. She started laying her charges around the crates, being careful to place them where they could not be seen but also set the anti-tampering devices. If someone disturbed the charges before the timer finished then the blasting caps would fire. She finished with her work and made her way toward the front of the building. Ron had returned from laying the mines and started with his part of laying his charges. She quickly joined him and took over some of the charges in his bag. Together they finished within a few minutes.
Ron checked his watch and showed the face to Kim. They were about five minutes over their time limit. They needed to vacate soon. Splitting up again Ron returned to the front and Kim went back to the rear. Opening the doors they exited the building and started back the direction that they had approached the building. They quickly cleared the area and were back among the rocks when the charges went off. They had experienced some blasts during training but nothing like this. The entire warehouse went up in one concussive boom. Even though they were some distance from the blast they still felt it. They turned to watch what would happen.
The men in the barracks spilled out of several doors and ran toward the blazing warehouse. They had not gone very far when they began to trip some of the mines Ron had left behind. A few dozen were mowed down when the mines were detonated.
Kim started to move up the mountain side amid a rock scramble. She needed to clear the ridge above her before turned cross country to rendezvous with Ron. She had not gone far over the ridge when she passed into a small open area amid the rocks. Two dark figures appeared from seemingly nowhere, weapons pointed at her. Tensing she readied an attack when she noticed that the weapons were the standard carbines of U.S. Special Forces. A very New York accent split the air.
"Now, why don't you freeze right there?"
Well, looks like things area heating up a little. This chapter is a little longer than others but I had a lot of ground to cover. I really didn't know how to end the chapter until that last line hit me. I knew I had to end it right there.
Hope that you are enjoying the story. I have not forgotten my other stories but everything just seems to be falling into place on this one. I hope you hang around for what is coming.
Thanks for reading and please leave a review if you like.
This is the Captain,
Roger and out,
Right hand salute.
Just for your info. The original story is here.
.net/s/1844198/1/The_bFox_b_and_the_bSloth_b
The collaborative effort is here:
.net/s/3606516/1/The_bFox_b_and_the_bSloth_b
Check out both stories to get the full story.