CHAPTER 5

"S-S-Nineteen I presume?!" the Chief called out, fists still clenched in anger, arms restrained and his bleeding right fist throbbing with stinging pain.

A voice that sounded and felt almost like the endless wintry winds that was no doubt still sweeping the mountain they were in emerged though the Chief strained to confirm it came from the veil.

"Jawohl. Chief of CONTROL. Eet ees an unexpected privilege to speak vith you so soon. I did not think I vould get zer chance till vee vere back at KAOS headqvarters. Vut you have proven, most resourceful."

"All that matters now, is that you won't get away with this!" The Chief declared jutting his chin out. "Your buyers will realize soon that the X-Ten and the S-R-P-Fifty are out of date! KAOS won't get paid at ALL! Your entire operation has been a waste!"

The Chief could not be certain if he heard a soft chuckle or snigger as it sounded simply like a soft exhale of air, before SS-19 spoke again.

"Your government vas right to choose you over Ancaster to be Chief of CONTROL. Vhich is vhy I am sure you know, zhat KAOS vill have ample time to make it's sale before owver buyers finds out. At vurst eef zhey do not pay, zer fuel ees still useful for KAOS. Vith proper planning, nutting ees a vaste. Meisinger! Rilski! Get to zer command centre und open the hangar doors! Schnell!"

"Jawohl!...Da sŭr!" Meisinger and Rilski chorused but before they could move, a loud click of a bolt sounded overhead and Meisinger, Rilski and Lacza whipped towards the north catwalk, aiming their submachine guns in that direction.

SS-19 was the last to turn as she knew this was inevitable. Standing at the north wall's catwalk, now overlooking the revetments, was 99 with her MP40's unfolded metal butt stock pressed to her shoulder and aimed directly at her.

"ANY of you move a step, your boss GETS it!" 99 yelled as she kept the sights on SS-19's veil. "Let the Chief go and drop all your weapons!"

SS-19's icy, soft alto voice somehow reached 99, striking her through with a chill more disturbing and malevolent than anything the mountains outside could offer.

"I think not agent Ninety-Nine! Vee have your Chief! Und even though zer doors are still closed, eef Shmart had triumphed entirely, he vould be here vy now! Owver trucks are impervious to your vepuns und zhat includes zhose handy corrosive gas eef you've managed to conceal zhem on yourselves somehow. Vether Gerd does so or I send more of my men to zer command centre, zer hangar doors vill open shortly.—"

99's gloved hands tightened on the pistol grip and magazine housing of the MP 40 as SS-19 spoke, hoping Max had succeeded and would tip the balance for them.

"—I think vee both know Ninety-Nine, zhat as long as my men are gathered around your Chief, you vill not fire. CONTROL's defeat ees sealed zhis round! Zhere ees no shame een surrender. As I promised, I vill kill you und Shmart if he still lives—qvickly."

99 took a deep breath, her hands steadying on the MP 40 as she her blue eyes first looked at the bracelet of purple beads on her left wrist, now down to only half of it's number before they locked onto the Chief's eyes just as she replied.

"Sometimes S-S-Nineteen—the best plans, don't require six hours!"

With that, SS-19's hidden eyes narrowed at where 99 was looking and her veiled face whipped back to the Chief just as the man's bloody right fist which her men had thought was just a sign of ego fuelled defiance, began to open.

"His right hand!" She yelled. "Keep it close!"

As her men whirled towards the Chief, the head of CONTROL simply opened his right hand and out of it fell the rest of the beads from 99's bracelet which he had asked for from her before they left Archer's office. The HAZMAT suited KAOS agents just gawked as the 5 or 6 pellets struck the floor and immediately exploded with soft puff and purple gas roiled forth spreading outwards and over their heads, enveloping them and swirling in a miasmic infusion with the green gas.

"Run! Get avay from eet!" SS-19 yelled.

99's MP 40 thundered to life at SS-19. The veiled woman was almost a black blur as she spun about and dived behind the forklift which Rilski had hidden behind. Sparks fountained out as bullets punctured the overhead guard of the forklift. SS-19 kept moving running and diving about the maze of forklifts as bullets ricocheted and sparked off the vehicles.

Meisinger, Rilski and Lacza ran out from the gas MP 40 and Walther MPLs blazing away. 99 ducked back down behind the catwalk's railing as bullets assailed it causing sparks to fountain off it as multiple dents formed and bullet holes raked in lines across the wall behind her.

"More GAS?! I zon't undastan!" Yuri exclaimed at the swirling purple clouds around them as he and Dospevski kept holding onto the Chief.

"Wat zat zoun?" Dospevski asked as the Chief stopped struggling and the submachine gun fire continued.

"Zumwan frying zum syrniki?" Yuri wondered looking about for the source of the sizzling noise.

Meisinger's MP40 blazed along with Laza and Rilski's Walthers but suddenly stopped all of them stopped. They lowered their weapons, eyes narrowing behind their circular eye pieces as they examined them as it did not feel like a malfunction. Meisinger yanked on the bolt and his eyes popped in shock as the bolt handle came off in his gloved hand.

"Was ist DAS?!" Meisinger exclaimed

"Hülye, CHEAP military surplus!" Lacza exclaimed as his Walther MPL's bolt handle also came way in his gloved hand. "Várjon! Mit!"

All three of them stared as they realised the broken off parts of their weapons were covered by some kind of mush and the surface of their submachine gun receivers were also melting away. All of them cursed tossing aside their submachine guns and reached for their pistols only to hear some kind of clinking. They all blinked and realized the glass eye pieces of their gas masks had fallen off, the metal seals which held them in place melted away into metallic mush.

"Was ist los?!" Meisinger exclaimed as they all put their gloves to their face pieces only to have the heavy cylinder filters of their gas masks fall away and clattered onto the floor, it's surface and connector sizzling and turning into purplish mush.

Dospevski's gas mask cylinder also fell away and he yelled out clutching at the exposed 'snout' of his gas mask releasing the Chief and Yuri did the same, reeling back as his eye pieces felt out followed by his melting cylinder.

"I zon't tink frying syrniki doing DIS!" Yuri exclaimed just before he yawned as the green haze infiltrated his mask.

The Chief watched as both the KAOS agents on either side of him collapsed to the floor. called and the third one with them, all slumped to the floor snoring. He looked ahead to see the KAOS agents SS-19 had called Meisinger and Rilski as well as the 3rd agent with them all collapsed as well, almost in unison into snoring white heaps on the green fog covered floor.

"Chief! She's trying to get to the trucks!" 99 yelled from the catwalk and she resumed firing into the forklifts.

The Chief dashed to his left to where the KAOS agent he had shot with the M1911A1 laid. He grabbed the agent's F1 submachine gun and his FN Model 1910 from his utility belt holster before dashing towards the forklifts and the W900 beyond.

SS-19 burst out from among the forklifts and dashed across the empty space towards the W900s, large now that the trucks had reversed for some distance earlier before stopping when the hangar doors came down.

99's MP 40 droned and vibrated against her shoulder as she swung the blazing barrel after SS-19 who looked like a shadowy wisp as she dashed over the open space. SS-19's legs whipped in a black blur as she kept running, beckoning at the W900s with her arm.

Mikhail and Ireson stomped the accelerators of their W900s gunning the engines and shoving the gear shifts out of reverse. The tractor units roared, surging forward to close the gap between them and the running SS-19.

Concrete exploded around SS-19's sprinting boots as 99's fire caught up and she could feel a singe of hot air across her thigh as a bullet tore her jumpsuit barely missing her skin. Keeping her eyes on the incoming W900s, she raised her suppressed Luger P08 to her side towards the north catwalk and triggered away. The jointed arm of the P08's toggle system clacked repeatedly as the suppressor absorbed the sound.

Sparks burst out from the catwalk's railing inches from 99's elbow and she was forced to duck down again and as the 9mm rounds kept hitting the railing, she kept her back bent as she ran along the cat walk, paralleling SS-19s course on the hangar floor. After running a few feet, she sprang up again, putting the MP 40's stock to her shoulder and continued firing.

SS-19 kept running as she saw out of her peripheral vision the line of bullets racing over the floor from the north wall in a new trajectory right for her. She swung her Luger to fire but the round only struck the railing right below 99's abdomen and the toggle arm locked back ejecting the last round.

The Chief came running out from among the forklifts, F1 submachine gun in his bleeding hand, FN Model 1910 in the other. He squeezed the trigger of the F1 first and another line of bullets chased after SS-19 directly behind her.

Gerd and Max struggled at the right side wall of the command centre with the KAOS agent applying more pressure to the choke hold by keeping his left hands fingers hooked into his right which was just behind Max's throat and pulling on it. Max felt the biceps and forearm muscles of Gerd's right arm squeezing into the sides of his neck in a constricting V-shape and spots began swimming around his eyes. He raised one leg and propped his foot on the console edge and kicked out pushing Gerd back further from the controls. Gerd stumbled back a few steps before stopping. Max, eyes popped wide from the lack of oxygen still managed to slam his left elbow back into Gerd's stomach. The KAOS agent only grunted without easing off but Max's left elbow surged repeatedly into his abdominals jerking Gerd each time till his hold began to slip. A 5th elbow smash into Gerd's solar plexus staggered him but with a sudden surge of strength, Gerd tightened his choke hold causing Max's eyes to pop again and his mouth to open, tongue sticking out. Using the hold, Gerd pulled on Max's head and turned, throwing Max away from him. As Max crashed down onto his stomach on the floor sending the green fog surging away from his prone form, Gerd dashed towards the console. Max, gasping for breath struggled to his feet and ran headlong after the KAOS lieutenant. But just as he grabbed hold of Gerd's shoulder, the KAOS agent's hand grabbed the T-shaped lever and slammed it all the way up.

The resonating boom of the pistons engaging drew SS-19's attention to the hangar doors even as she kept running, just managing to stay a step ahead of 99's line of bullets that raked across the ground behind her heels. She watched as the hangar doors again began ascending, it's tooth like square protrusions lining it's leading edge rising out from the indentations in the ground gain. Continuing to run, her gloved thumb mashed the magazine release on the P08 and before the falling clip struck the floor, her left gloved hand slapped in a new clip and yanked on the raised toggle joint so it snapped back into place, chambering a round before she levelled the Luger towards the north wall again, firing repeatedly.

99 again had to duck again as she felt a bullet tear her jacket sleeve over her right arm, the heat burning her skin through her t-shirt's sleeve, but it was nothing compared to the cold feeling in her gut at the rising hangar door.

The hail of bullets from the Chief's F1 submachine continued to slice over the hangar floor right up to SS-19's boot heels. The 2 W900s closed to nearly 20 feet and SS-19 still looking forward swung her right arm back and squeezed the P08 trigger repeatedly. The Chief could only hear the sound of his own submachine gun fire but he immediately saw the spots of concrete exploding next to his ankles, forcing him to cease fire and dive clear to the right just as the concrete where his feet were on a second ago erupted in small explosions.

Max's hands clamped onto Gerd's shoulders and hauled him away from the console to throw him to the floor. As Gerd shoulder rolled smoothly, Max grabbed the upward pointing T-shaped lever but in his eagerness, instead of pulling it back down he somehow yanked it sideways. The lever snapped out of it's base with a small explosion of sparks, trailing a long multi-coloured wire with it. Max stood for a moment staring at the T-shaped lever in his hand and then followed the wire at it's broken end all the way back to the spark spitting, smoking semi-circular base on the control panel. He then looked forward out the forward angled dark glass windows, all the way back down the length of the hangar at the continually rising hangar door and he thought he could feel the drumming of the giant pistons driving it under his shoes.

Grimacing, Max called on his highly trained Secret Agent's tactical analysis and strategic planning skills to state.

"I think—this might be—partially—somewhat—perhaps—a little bad for us."

Just as Gerd charged at him from the side. Max dropped the T-shaped lever leaving it to dangle from it's wire as Gerd's round kick whipped towards his midsection. 86 blocked on his forearms though the impact staggered him a few steps back and Gerd pressed the attack, the twin silver bars of his fake captain's insignias on his fake Air Force service jacket's epaulets flashing green in the haze of the command centre. Max ducked under a right and left punch combination before hooking a low left uppercut that was intercepted by Gerd's right knifehand block and he immediately switched it to a left hook that Gerd blocked as well. Max pressed on throwing a right cross that whistled over Gerd's Ivy League blond hair as the KAOS agent ducked. Max whipped his right arm back in a backhand knifehand strike to Gerd's neck as the KAOS agent straightened.

However, Gerd intercepted Max's slashing wrist on the back of his right wrist before clamping his hand on the CONTROL agent's forearm and smashed his own forearm into the back of Max's extended right elbow. Max's eyes popped in agony as a clicking crunch came from his arm but he managed to rotate his body clockwise, enabling him to bend his elbow and ease the hyperextension to deliver several lightning fast left uppercuts into Gerd's right side ribs. The KAOS agent scowled and jerked, light blue eyes flashing with rage with every strike his ribcage absorbed, his right handed grip on Max's right wrist loosening. Finally, with a 7th punch to Gerd's ribs that staggered him, Max twisted his right wrist free of Gerd's grip and in turn, grabbed the KAOS' agent's wrist and rotated it clockwise to twist the arm into a hammerlock behind Gerd's back while wrenching him around to face the window. Continuing to force Gerd's arm up behind his back towards his neck, Max grabbed his shoulder and shifted his position to run him face forward at the right side wall's control panel.

As Gerd hurtled face forward at the control panel with Max shoving at his trapped arm and shoulder, he managed to lengthen his stride as he reached it and lifted his left leg, slamming his left shoe on the console edge to stop his head from going into the controls. Max pushed upwards on Gerd's forearm wrenching his shoulder even more but Gerd ignored the pain and using his left foot on the console as leverage, twisted his body slightly to throw his left arm back over Max's left hand clamped to his shoulder, prying it loose and trapping the hand in his armpit before reaching down to grab the wrist of Max's right hand which maintained the hold on his right wrist. With Max's left hand and wrist trapped inside Gerd's armpit, the KAOS agent's left hand squeezed Max's right wrist and with a tendon clicking heave, shoved Max's right hand back down from his neck towards the base of his back.

As Max's right hand gripping Gerd's right wrist was forced downwards, neutralizing the hammer lock, 86 felt his grip and leverage on Gerd's wrist slipping while his left hand and wrist was twisted and trapped in Gerd's left armpit. Max growled in frustration as inevitably, the Gerd yanked his trapped wrist free to face his opponent. Still holding onto Max's right wrist and keeping the CONTROL agent's left arm trapped in his left armpit, Gerd drove his freed right fist in shattering upper cuts into Max's rib's three times just beneath the left armpit, followed by a right cross that exploded across Max's jaw, twisting his head to the right. Max swayed to the right, eyes rolling and Gerd released his hands to grab Max's left forearm in his left hand while pummelling Max's rib cage under his left arm from the side with his right fist. The second and third punch made Max's knees bend and Gerd keeping hold of his left arm and grabbing his left shoulder, moved in swinging up his left knee to strike 86 in the lower abdomen. Max's eyes popped and his cheeks bulged as air gushed out of his stomach and lungs as he doubled over, the lights on the console flashing up at his face. Max could not straighten if he wanted to and Gerd's right elbow drove down into his left shoulder blade causing Max's chest and chin to slam painfully down onto the console with a loud metallic bang, rows of toggle switches and buttons grinding painfully against his chest and cheek as accusing bleeps and wailing sirens emitted from the controls. Gerd straightened, leaving Max bent over and hooked a hard left into Max's lower left rib cage. Max could only jerk in pain, eyes popping, cheek and chest mashed against the stabbing dials and switches on the console.

Gerd slammed another 3 left hooks into Max's side followed by a right hammer fist down into the base of his back to the left of his spine and the CONTROL agent's mouth popped open along with his eyes as his cheek and jaw remained pressed to the console top, a long wheezing breath of air evacuated from his lungs. Gerd then jumped, left leg leading, swinging up before slicing back down for momentum and whipping up his right foot up in a jumping front kick that crashed upwards into Max's ribs, the force and impact yanking Max's upper body off the console and sending him reeling backwards diagonally towards the semi-circular console. Max's arms swung in circles, flailing about to regain his balance as agony pounded from his back, shoulders and ribs. He just barely managed to stop before Gerd charged into him again, their arms clashing in a tangle.

Mikhail stomped on the brakes and his W900 tractor unit jerked violently as the forward momentum slowed, throwing him forward against his seat belt. Ireson applied the airbrakes a second later and they both hissed and squealed to a slow halt with the red W900's front bumper coming to a stop a few feet ahead of Mikhail's vehicle.

The toggle arm joint on SS-19's P08 retracted and locked with the last round ejected and 99 sprang up again on the catwalk MP 40 thundering from her shoulder. The bullets raked a path across the hangar floor from north to south directly at the running SS-19. However, the black veiled woman leaped at the last moment, diving past the front right tire of Ireson's W-900 and the MP 40's 9mm Parabellum barrage splashed harmlessly into the armoured radiator grill of the Kenworth truck with a spray of sparks.

SS-19 shoulder rolled with the flexibility of a cat and sprang to her feet, leaping up onto the kick steps of Ireson's Kenworth W900 tractor engine, grabbing for the door handle. 99 unleashed the MP 40 ceaselessly at the 2 W900 tractor units but gasped with dismay as the only result were sprays of impact sparks off the armoured bodies and bullet proof glass.