Chuck vs The Wayward Legionnaire
Book 2: Water.
Chapter 5: Time to do some hero shit….
06th May. 2010. Castle, Burbank. 10.30pm
Bryce Larkin's frown matched Sarah Walker's as she walked out of the Communication's centre, "still no news?".
There was a negative grunt from behind him, turning his attention from the small conference table where he studied the latest intel summaries, he saw Casey was also watching the blonde agent as she took off down to the range.
That figures…. He thought. Truth was Casey was worried as well, he had laid his neck on the line for the DEA agent, for the past year she had delivered, this was uncharacteristic behaviour even for the wildcard antics she was infamous for. After a lengthy mission, friends… fellow agents liked to hear of a safe exit.
Standing up, he walked past Larkin, tapping his index finger on the sheets, "Why don't you be a good boy and keep checking for anything suspicious…" Larkin opened his mouth to respond but quickly decided the payoff wasn't worth the grief the Colonel would drop on him.
Casey walked down the corridor, already his ears rang with the sound of continuous gunfire, he counted the shots, the brief pauses for reload were negligible, she was getting faster….
He peeked around the corner, without looking, she paused. "Stop hovering Casey, there's still no news."
"I'll push a request up the line to Seagram…."
"Don't bother, I already checked..." He blinked at that, she met his eyes, "…old agency contacts." He nodded, well at their level you had a lot of ways of circumventing the regular channels.
"You're worried."
Walker frowned, it wasn't a question, first Chuck had disappeared, now perhaps her only friend, damn right she was worried. She paused to check her sights on a MP5 she had switched to.
"Maybe I should go…." Casey shook his head. "No can do, Walker, need you here. But if anything happens, I'll let you know". He headed back to Larkin.
Sarah pulled the sights to her eyeline, paused, and then squeezed off a burst, stay safe Carina, please….
…
07th May. 2010. Mediterranean Sea, near Corsica. 10.10CET.
The Legion Eurocopter hovered over the last known coordinates of the training ship, Delon was scanning the area with a pair of binoculars as were the others, it was Koh that that sighted something first. A trail of flotsam. His lips pursed. What was going on? Had there been an accident?
Trinchina was already on the radio to the Coast Guard and whatever else she could command by virtue of her agency standing.
When two jets shot by at high speed twenty minutes later, Ilsa was actually impressed, it was their own pilot who first noticed they weren't French, the two jets banked and shot back to the helicopter, hovering along side they could see they were Italian AV-8B Harrier ll's, Delon suddenly noticed a pair of Dattilo-class patrol boats also Italian heading on a course relative to their position.
He activated his cans and tapped the pilot on the back, there was a conversation between them, the two women watched with interest. Delon finally nodded and turned to them both.
"There's something going on, two cruiser ships took off out the Naples harbour last night, there's reports they may have been taken by some terrorists, they were tracked to this area…"
The three officers looked at one another, they were missing some men, there appeared to be wreckage in the area and now this, their antennas were twitching…
The pilot turned their craft around and pointed ahead, they could see another ship approach. It was a French patrol boat, one of the La Fayette class, the Surcouf, they heaved a sigh, it was helicopter capable, the pilot moved to land.
As soon as they did, they were escorted to the bridge, the Capitaine, Edouard Guillaud greeted them, a Mousse(seaman) brought them a coffee, they seated themselves.
"Well, it appears I have been ordered to assist you in any way possible Major Trinchina, with all due respect to Lt. Delon and Capitaine Koh".
She nodded, "it seems busy out here this morning".
"Yes, the Italians have asked us to assist them also in a peculiar matter, seems the employees of a firm have seized two vessels and are heading for destination unknown, the only reason that they haven't been blown out of the water is the ships are also owned by the parent company and apart from some Carabinieri that were assaulted nobody quite knows what to make of the situation."
The police officer in Koh kicked in, "mass kidnapping?".
"So far, all attempts at communication have failed, they can't reach the parent company senior management, nobody has been reported missing, if it wasn't for the lack of demands and no overt action against authority a boarding would probably have been ordered, the best option is surveillance for now."
There was a sudden burst of activity on the communications, the Capitaine was approached by the officer in charge of that area, he nodded.
"Sir, small attack craft have hit the two Italian ships, they've taken damage, and are requesting assistance!"
"Mon Dieu! See what they need, what's their position?"
"They are approximately forty miles to the East of us, Sir!" Called the radar operator.
"Lay in a course, tell them we're coming!" he nodded to the others, he stood and approached his 1st, Officer.
"There's a couple of Maritime Gendarmerie (French Coastguard) cruisers about 30 minutes away and the Courbet and the Languedoc are en route too."
Guillard nodded, the Languedoc was an Anti-Submarine Attack Destroyer, he had no idea what was going on, but the extra firepower was welcome.
He looked back at his guests, what was going on out here….?
…..
Station X.
Carina Miller was a mass of cuts and bruises, her captors had disappeared for now so she poured her efforts into escaping her bonds, she'd had some luck, the right manacle seemed a little looser, if she could just manage to get some lubrication between her wrist and the ….
The doors shot open, and two men dragged a barely conscious man between them to a position beside her, Lasky had reappeared, he stepped to a console and hit a button, a light came on above her and another set of manacles dropped adjacent to her, the two men quickly locked them about his wrists, and he was hoisted into position, he groaned as his weight settled on his wrist joints.
The men and Lasky left, the younger man groggily looked about him, stopping short as she came into view, he gave her a wide smile. It was a nice smile, she thought, mind you, he was pleasing to look at, well proportioned… she shook her head, fate of the world, Carina, fate of the world…
He'd taken a right beating though, there was a small burn mark on his neck, bruises on his face and upper chest. He groaned again and squinted at her.
"Are you an angel?"
"Huh?"
"Are you an angel, because you look like an angel" he gasped at her and then promptly passed out.
Carina Miller was very confused.
…
Earlier….
Robie sat in front of a console, his face in a zen like state, marked only by occasional long blinking stares, multiple screens flashed in front of his eyes, too fast for others to see, occasionally one stopped and closed as another opened, Sean watched him, Chen sidled up to him, "Is this connected to the …." He broke off, he had no idea what he was looking at.
Sean nodded, "He had a database of secrets stuck inside his head…" Philip's eyes widened. "…plus, that little adventure in the mountain altered it somehow."
Chen was remembering, his previous life had involved many different 'clients', criminal mostly, but there had also been corporate espionage and then there had been espionage, a few years back they had been tasked by a freelance spy agency headed up by an ex-CIA operative, something Quinn, to investigate any information concerning something called the Intersect. A spy database that could be uploaded into a human being.
He considered it an espionage urban legend, but the client had paid well, so they had found what they could and sent it on. It appeared the legend was true.
He gulped as he realised there were governments that would kill for that information and the means to duplicate the process, suddenly the plan to hide in the Legion was easier to understand. But the burden… he felt a newfound respect for his friend, his mind lingered on altered though, what did that mean?
In the corner of the room the others watched also, the two Ukrainians appeared nervous, talking quietly between themselves, Brun and Erik seemed wary but the differences between West and East Europe were stark, they were not encumbered by the induced paranoia of continuous state surveillance.
Robie finally pushed away the keyboard, standing, he stretched, Sean walked over, Erik and Chen followed, "I take it you have a plan?" Robie nodded waving the rest over, they all gathered by the console.
"It took some time, but my analysis of the systems needed to be exact, this is going to require us to break up into individual groups and tackle the ballast system in a way that won't alert them and also allow us to simultaneously disable each one, I figure we have to knock out three at a minimum, but there's five to account for…."
Brun whistled, "that's a lot of ground to cover Robie…"
"I know, but we need to make sure the platform can't get a firing solution, we also have to get off this thing…"
"Why Robie?" asked Sean, "Can't we just hole up until the cavalry arrives?"
There were murmurs of agreement from the others, Robie sat down again, his fingers flew over the keyboard, various diagrams and video filled the screen, "…see here?"
They all leaned over his shoulders for a better look, he pointed to a sonar array display, "…we're currently one thousand metres underwater, once we blow these tanks, there's no way of surfacing again, we need three to offset the firing angle but blow the other two as well and we sink like a stone…"
The whitened looks on the others faces told the story, at lower depths the hull would be comprised, they'd be crushed by the outside pressure as they fell deeper into the Mediterranean.
"…which is why we're rigging them all, but only two are our backup in case…"
"in case we need to blow them all.", finished Sean. His face hardened, dammit, he trusted Robie, but this was what they signed up for.
"Alright, looks like it's time to do some hero shit…again." There were sniggers from the men. They were under no illusion. Failure wasn't an option, failure was the end of the world, a bunch looked at a timer that was displayed on the wall, they had less than seven hours….
Robie drew their attention to the schematics he had up on several screens. He had highlighted various sections in different colours.
"What's the plan?"
Pointing, Robie explained, "I've mapped everything out. The top screen is the location of each ballast tank. Their controls, I marked in blue…. here…" Using the cursor as a pointer he showed the others. "…Maksym, you take the East section, Krzysztof… West…Brun and Erik. North section… here and myself and Sean will do the Southern and Central controls…"
Chen noticed he wasn't included, "…what about…."
"You're here, you'll watch our backs, you're the only one as good as me and I need you to work on this…"
"No way Robie! I'm not getting sidelined again!" exclaimed the indignant Taiwanese, anger evident in his voice.
"Hold on..." Sean interjected, "…he's the only other one of us with the same skillset as you Robie. What gives?"
Robie pointed to another screen, "I've managed to find their communications router, if I can do a little 'maintenance' we can bounce a signal out if they communicate with the outside world… however, I need Philip to work on this…." He rolled some sheets of paper he'd scribbled on, they were lined with code," …I was working on this with Meike and Sven, it's a variation of Alberti's Algorithm…"
"Holy shit Robie!" Chen grabbed the paperwork and started reading it.
"And what, pray tell is Alberti's whatdya call it…?" Asked a puzzled Erik.
"They're communicating with burst transmissions, anyone with the right equipment can hear them and know someone is out here…" Robie nodded, smiling as his friend worked it out. "…. they won't know what's been said though…" He looked at Robie.
"Not our problem, BUT the algorithm is about combing different wave patterns whilst recuperating them and maintaining the integrity of each individual pattern, like layering…"
"That's brilliant Robie!" said Chen, "So we can encode a message of our own without them realising it, but surely you can…"
Robie shook his head, "…I need you to finish this, it's a sort of a recognition signal, if I boost the output, hopefully one of my 'friends' will get it, decode it and alert Delon… otherwise, we're really on our own…"
"…and once we hit the surface, our pals here can come get us…", said Sean.
"Yeah, those escape pods have beacons, we'll be painting ourselves for everyone, including them…"
"Merde…" said Brun, "… we'll be sitting ducks, just like the others…"
They all remembered the fate of the survivors of the training craft, they had watched helplessly as they were gunned down.
Philip felt bad about the situation, but Robie was right, he was needed here, he was in the right place, he marvelled at the man, his plan was well thought out.
"What about him?" he indicated the guard, who had begun to regain consciousness again.
Robie walked over, with one hand he picked the man up, The others watched in shock, he carried him to a cabinet, opening the doors he placed the cowering man inside, he shut the doors.
"That won't sto…." began Brun.
There was the sound of rending metal and the men watched goggled eyed as Robie bent the metal handle, permanently locking it before tearing it off the door frame.
There was a silence as the men watched him rub his hands as if dusting them after throwing the handle in a wastepaper bin.
"Anything more you want to tell us about yourself, Robie?" muttered a shaken Erik, he doubted even he could have done that.
"Maybe another time, Erik." replied Robie, he suddenly felt self-conscious, he could sense the fear in the men. Fear of the unknown, fear of him.
Sean sensed it too, he pressed on with the plan. "Alright, he's a superhero, but how do we get to the tank controls and why separately?" The spell broke and he could see the tension ease, they focussed again.
"We're going the same way we got in; I mapped the airduct layout, that's the map in red." They looked.
"We'll need to do the controls simultaneously." Taking some comms off the wall he handed them around. "Philip can coordinate from here, but I'll need to double check with each of you just in case they made any changes to the original specs. If we do this right, then it's a timed detonation which I can trigger via a feedback loop I'll introduce once we're all set up. Ok?"
"And your friend?" asked Erik, nodding at the screen showing Carina. Robie frowned, "Sorry Erik, it's more important we accomplish the mission…" he stopped, when on earth did he start sounding like Walker or Casey.
Erik and the others looked surprised.
Sean quickly took the lead. "Lads, we'll see how it goes, Robie's right, we fuck this up, nobody goes home."
Nobody looked happy, but they knew Sean was right. They gathered around and Robie handed out the comm sets, they put on the headsets and ran a check. Sean was already prying loose the airduct covering.
They all looked at the countdown, they had less than six hours to stop the end of the world, no pressure…
They entered the ducts, Philip sealed up the opening and sat down at the console, he turned his attention to Robie's calculations, math don't fail me now, he thought. He kept a close eye on the monitors and guard movements.
Inside in the ducts the rest crawled to an intersection. "Alright, we part here, Brun and Erik here, Maksym there, and Bigos over there, we're going this way, remember, check with Chen first before exiting, ok? Bon chance."
They all grunted a reply, the sounds of scuffling could be heard after they disappeared, Sean and Robie looked at one another.
"What about after?"
"I'll figure something out, c'mon…"
"Shit…."
…
Lord Autokhthon surveyed the monitor in front of him, so far things were proceeding as planned, a minor issue with the cruise ships bearing his Chosen to the coordinates had had some difficulties, luckily, he had planned for that.
The ships held some smaller craft, he fashioned them after the FAC33 patrol boats, they were fully automated, launched from the cruise ships and now controlled by his captains over a satellite link. They had made short work of some Italian patrol boats, even downing a harrier jet with a missile strike.
He was nervous, the ships also housed specialised underwater craft for transferring his people to the city, it had already begun, the next few hours would be critical, and he still had no intel on what the authorities, the warlords … might know…
He clicked on another monitor, the spy was awake again, perhaps it was time for another chat….
…..
Maksym lowered the body of the unconscious guard to the floor and moved slowly to view the other guard, Chen's voice was in his ear, "…. stay low, he can't see you behind those crates, he's about 10 metres away… get ready…"
Maksym moved and stood behind one of the larger crates, he had grabbed a large wrench from an open toolbox and used it quite effectively on the other guard moments earlier.
Philip watched him ready himself, he saw what Maksym wanted, "…he's about your height…." On the blind, Maksym drew the heavy tool to his ear, holding it like a baseball bat.
"NOW!"
To borrow a phrase, he swung for the fences, with the impact he felt a shudder travel up his arm, there wasn't even a groan, just a crunch as he connected solidly and then a thud as the body hit the deck, he quickly grabbed the odd taser/pistol off a belt and dragged the body over beside his fallen partner, he quickly tied them up, gagging both.
Satisfied with his work, he opened his comms. "In position".
"Hold, the others are still clearing their areas…."
Indeed, they were, as Chen watched, the commando training they'd all received was put to good use, guards fell like dominos. Some would awaken, others….
They were soldiers and they were doing a soldier's work.
One by one they checked in. Finally, Robie's voice could be heard. "head to the main panel at the base of the console and remove it…" They quickly complied.
Brun grunted as he looked at the inner workings, "I hope you know what you're doing, Robie".
Robie smiled, "Oui Antoine, now see that big chip on the main board to your left…?"
"Oui, I see it…" answered Brun reaching for it. "For the love of God don't touch that…" said Robie sharply.
Brun withdrew his hand as if it had been electrocuted! There was sniggering in his ears. He fumed.
"You Bastard!"
Erik was trying his best not to laugh but his big shoulders shook. "You're a prick too…" Erik had a look of mock hurt on his face. "Don't look at me…" he countered.
"Fuck off over there and let me work, and don't blow anything up!"
"You lot will never forgive me for that little mistake…." He sniffed as he crawled off to a snort of indignation from Brun.
"…if we could get on with the job now, please." Came menacingly from the headsets. Brun rolled his eyes. "…. continue…"
The sniggering died down, "Ok, looks like everything is the same, here's what I need you to do…" For the next ten minutes, Robie's soothing voice patiently directed the men to his bidding. It was with some satisfaction that Antoine closed the panel again.
"Okay, I have just got to get to the communications server to set up Philip, rest of you head for the escape pods…"
Brun looked about, "hear that, let's go Erik…"
There was silence, he crawled around to the edge of the console, the room was empty!
"Sean, Robie! We have a problem!"
"What!?" said Sean anxiously.
"Erik's disappeared!" There was a groan from Robie, Sean pivoted to face him, already guessing the horrible truth that Robie now confirmed, "that noble Dutch twit has gone after the girl!"
"Oh bollox…!"
…
Erik Vanderlaan was a very simple guy in some ways, he saw someone in trouble, and he was bound to help, he couldn't understand Robie's reluctance at all, it was especially perplexing as he apparently knew this woman. To him it was easy, save her. Piece of cake he thought, he'd grabbed a guard's uniform after inducing a new state of consciousness to the former owner, unconsciousness…
He carefully made his way along a corridor, there was an airlock type door ahead, he studied the panel for a second, it was a simple mechanism, he grasped the handle and opened it, he steeped through and pulled it shut behind him.
"Is that you Lasky?"
His soul nearly left his body, in the semi darkness between doors he'd never noticed the other man, without looking over his shoulder, he rumbled out a terse, "Yeah…"
The other man's hand appeared, it contained one of the 'guns' there was a crackle as it discharged and he felt something hit his neck and then blinding pain as the electrical charge shot through him, nearly bending him in half and making his spine pop!
He hit the deck hard, the other man loomed over him, "The fuck you are, I'M LASKY!" There was a sound of running feet and he was suddenly plunged into a maelstrom of punches and kicks… mercifully blackness claimed him….
…..
Watching through the security monitors Philip Chen hissed in annoyance, he hit his comms, "Sean, Robie, the big dope has only gone and got himself captured!"
"Fuck!" it came in unison as the two men answered, "We can't risk helping just yet Sean", Robie looked up from the last console, "yeah, yeah, I get it, how long before we're set?"
"Chen, you get the coding done?"
"Yeah, you get that link… ok I see it, sending the code now…"
"Alright, I just have to set the last ballast control, in a couple of hours they have to get within 50m of the surface to launch the nukes, I figure they'll want to run some checks, make sure the coast is clear and deploy their communications and radar, Philip, you'll have to set the process in motion from there."
Brun joined the conversation, "What about us? What do we do?"
Sean answered, "Nothing, the less they know the better, it's hide and seek until Chen triggers the overloads, then get your asses in the pods and head to the surface, hopefully someone will hear the call."
"That's a big if Sean."
"Best we can do, besides, if some of us make it, well it's better than the alternative…"
The air was clear as his message sank home.
"Ok, Chen, keep an eye on Erik, I guess we'll have to go get him, rest of you stay put! That's an order!"
"Oui Sarge…." It was echoed by the others, they melted into the ducts.
Sean eyed Robie. "I swear I'll use his arse as a football…." Robie laughed, "I'll probably join you; I told you Miller was trouble…" he bent back inside the console again. "… here hold that light there…. "
…..
Lord Autokhthon strode along the corridor to the moon pool/ interrogation area, there was a bleep from a wall communications panel, he paused, the monitor came on, it was Lasky.
"Report" He was impatient, but he sensed there was something up, Lasky didn't disappoint.
"My Lord, we have discovered another intruder, level 3, I had Kang get his … equipment. He's on his way to join you. I'm going to check the level out and see what he might have been up to."
To say Autokhthon was stunned was an understatement. "How did he get aboard?"
Lasky shrugged, "Last outside contact was the training boat I had destroyed last night…."
"Destroyed?"
"Yes. My Lord, I mentioned it in the report from last night…." Autokhthon cursed to himself, he hadn't checked them. "… the captain of the patrol boat mentioned an issue with his craft, he thought he had snagged some debris, perhaps…."
"He stowed away… "finished Autokhthon. A sudden thought struck him, "He is alone…?"
"I had the men…soften him up…but nothing, perhaps My Lord with the assistance of Mr. Choi and his … particular skillset can be more… persuasive."
"I see your point, Mr Lasky. Very well, continue your search, start with the most vital areas and continue from there, last thing I need now is sabotage!"
Lasky nodded, "Yes My Lord, I'll keep you informed, Lasky out". The monitor went blank.
Autokhthon thought for a moment, he raised Chief Engineer Wolff, his large face filled the screen. "Yes, My Lord?"
"Ah, Mr Wolff, are we experiencing any anomalies with the launch equipment?"
Wolff looked puzzled but he turned to his own monitors and scanned the readouts, "All systems go, My Lord, everything is in the green."
"Thank you, Mr Wolff, any changes in ANY of their status, I want to know immediately, understood?" His tone left no room for debate.
Wolff nodded in compliance. "Yes, My Lord, it will be done."
Autokhthon cut the connection and resumed his journey, he was approached by a member of the medical staff. They stopped in front of him, "My Lord, I ran the standard test, his genetic compatibility is very high!"
Autokhthon thought about that, was this a final test of his God? Was this new arrival a blessing or a curse? He was going to find out. Nodding to the man he continued again.
The doors opened at his arrival, the woman spun around to watch him, the man hung in the manacles, Lasky hadn't exaggerated his condition.
There was movement behind him, he turned to see Choi readying a battery and some sponges, he smiled grimly. The Korean was nothing if not efficient. This was not going to be a pleasant experience for his 'guests'.
…..
"Holy fuck…." Chen stared at the figure of Autokhthon, he felt like pinching himself, what sort of fucked up situation was this?
"What is it?" Sean.
Chen realised he had left his comms open, "You're not going to believe this! Are you near a monitor?"
Robie answered, "yeah, why?" he reeled off the camera identifier for Robie to track on the security system. They tuned in.
"What the actual…. are you fucking with us?" demanded Sean, it was Robie that answered, "No, it's real, I… eh, already knew".
"YOU WHAT!"
He tapped his head, "It could see the filter he was using; this isn't just the end, remember, it's the dawn of a new age, he's the end result for any survivors. They're being altered to adapt to his new world. New forms…"
The other two fell silent as they remembered the broadcast earlier.
Robie bent back down to continue his work, Sean opened his comm. "Keep an eye on Erik, if things get too nasty…."
"Ok, I'll let you know."
Chen shook himself, all they needed now was a kraken to show up. He opened the audio to the moon pool area. Erik was starting to rouse….
…
His wrists hurt and he was a little disoriented, There was a bright light overhead and he dropped his head so his eyes could adjust. He tentatively tugged at the manacles, but they were properly fastened. Groggily, he turned his head, there was a circle of revolving pale blurs beside him, he shook his head again and they slowed down, eventually they coalesced into a single face, a rather beautiful face, well, at least he was in the right place. He beamed at her.
"Where am I?"
The answer from behind him, startled him.
"The first level of Hell, my friend, and we have many more to explore, but that depends on you."
He turned around and snapped back as he took in his first sight of Autokhthon in his true appearance.
"Holy Fuck! It's the creature from the Black Lagoon!"
Miller stifled a giggle, that was a pretty apt description.
It wasn't one that pleased Autokhthon though, his arms blurred, and his favourite toy lashed across Erik and Carina's exposed bodies, they yelped in unison.
"Let's try and get along…." He hissed.
"My sincerest apologies, it's just I thought I was hallucinating…", Erik replied, "first you and then I imagined getting the shit beat out of me…." He looked down at his battered body, "…. actually, that part also appears to be true…", He watched as Choi approached, "…must have been a Chinese thumping though, half an hour later and I feel like I'm about due another one…Youcch!"
Choi had backhanded him across the face. Carina looked at him like he was insane.
What passed for a smile lit Autokhthon's face, "Mr Choi, is Korean, not Chinese and a very devoted disciple of his former boss, a master of behavioural modification…. amongst other methods…", he added with a hint of menace. Erik gulped.
"… he's looking forward to sharing his knowledge with you…. my mysterious friend. That is unless you want to answer some questions…?"
It wasn't framed in a way that left much wriggle room Erik thought. He remained silent. He'd noticed the countdown clock on a monitor, they had over four hours left, too early for the undersea base to ascend, he'd have to buy time….
"What's your name and how did you board my base?"
The stingray whip's kiss stung him back into focus…
"Aaah…. Jacques…."
"Jacques, so you're French… and does Jacques have a last name?"
"Oui, Meoff…"
"Jacques Meoff…?"
"If you insist…." Autokhthon looked to see the other man smile insolently at him. A surge of anger shot through him, and it was a full minute before he stopped whipping the man, blood shot everywhere, it dripped down his body, it even partially covered Miller, who watched with incredulous eyes.
Whoever he was, he was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid, Interrogation 101; don't piss off the torturer…. She was glad of the respite though, now though, it was looking like she'd need to save them both.
Surreptitiously, she pulled on the loose manacle again, her heart skipped a beat as she felt a little extra give! She managed a sneaky look at them, she gaped as she saw some of the man's blood had landed in almost precisely the spot she needed.
He coughed and she looked over, as he slowly spun from the impacts, he gave her a sly wink, she almost smiled, the sonofabitch had noticed her escape attempt and was taking a beating for her! Despite her situation she felt a warm feeling erupt inside her. Her body reacted automatically, and her nipples hardened. He noticed. She felt her face redden and she turned away.
So did Autokhthon, he snarled, his normal reserve a thing of the past, envy coursed through him. "can you see Mr. Choi?"
"Barely, some blood is in my eyes."
"Well, let me keep you abreast of current developments, if you don't mind the pun, he's wiring a big sponge to an electrical battery. Ever had a Korean sponge bath?"
"I had a hand job in Amsterdam once, does that count?" Carina couldn't help it; a laugh escaped her lips.
This time Autokhthon backhanded him hard across the face, his talon like nails raking Erik's cheek leaving gouges, Erik's mouth went coppery with the taste of his own blood, he spat a mouthful out. "I guess it doesn't count…", he replied ruefully.
Autokhthon pulled his hair back, losing all patience and snarling, "No, it doesn't! Now what's your name!"
Realising he may have pushed things a bit too far, this early in the proceedings, Erik relented.
"Erik…" Autokhthon raised his whip, "…. Vanderlaan…" he added.
"That's better. Now we've established the who, let's get to the how…"
"Look… ", Erik began earnestly." …this is all one big mistake…my friends and I were out walking our fish and I must have taken a wrong turn… next thing you know… I'm here… just let me and the lady go and honestly, I'll forget about the whole thing… I've forgotten whole weekends back in the day…" He slipped Carina another wink as he spun again. She turned her face away as she hid a grin. She liked this…. Erik…
Autokhthon and Choi looked at one another, the man was obviously mad. Still… something echoed in Autokhthon's mind…. my friends and I…. He looked at Erik. "… friends and I… your friends… so there's more of you…"
Erik cursed inwardly, he'd been a bit too clever, and the pain had let something slip out. He remained silent again.
A thought struck Autokhthon, perhaps there was another explanation, a recent one and it would close off that avenue of unanswered questions.
"What does the name Sakis Balatos mean to you?"
"Umm, backup singer for George Michael?" Erik ventured genuinely confused.
Choi pivoted and a perfect round kick exploded in Erik's midsection, folding him. He hung limply gasping in pain.
"How about a weapons dealer that I used to employ….?"
"That was my next guess….".
Autokhthon had watched his face carefully, no … he didn't know Sakis. So, this was something else... perhaps Lasky had been right. The enemy patrol boat…?
Choi coughed beside him; he was ready. Autokhthon's eyes drifted to the countdown timer, they were so close to fulfilling his work, and he still had no idea, he needed answers, it was time for sterner measures… the last thing he needed was a retaliatory strike against New Atlantis.
"Well Erik… and Ms …Conti…I tried to help you; I really did. But I'm afraid we're going to have to go through the same questions again, only first, we're going to clear your heads with a little bit of electricity, see if we can't get those neurons firing in a more positive fashion… Mr. Choi proceed…"
Erik took a deep breath, Choi did something on the console and suddenly there was a steady stream of falling water hitting them both, Miller gasped from the coldness, despite the blood in his mouth he could taste it, salty. He steeled himself, tried to find a place deep inside himself where the pain wouldn't find him.
It did no good, the third jolt made him cry out, vaguely he heard a scream beside him, then he slipped inside himself, imagining following the cold water through the pipes, escaping outside… into the sea…
….
Philip Chen pounded the console in frustration, anger flooded his body and he felt homicidal towards the scum torturing his friend and the woman. His comms was open, he'd been keeping an eye on the search parties roaming the level they found Erik on. He'd directed the others away from harm or quietened them whenever the search parties got too close.
Out in the base, Sean and Robie frowned as they could hear him curse softly under his breath, the Intersect provided Robie with a running translation of the stream of Chinese curses and threats as they left Chen's mouth.
"What's happening Philip?" he asked quietly.
"Those fucking assholes are torturing them! That's what Robie! I hope this is worth it!"
Robie looked away, Sean asked, "Any way one of us can go and help?" Robie shook his head. "We're committed Sean… I'm not happy about this either…"
There was a muttering amongst the men, they were all angry at the news.
"Hold your positions lads or this is all for naught, that's an order!"
There was a groan from the infrastructure, "What's happening now Chen?"
"The fish man is checking something, wait…. ", a minute or two passed slowly, then Chen's voice filled their ears again, he was excited!
"…It's time, we're rising!"
"Wait until we're at the right depth, trigger the overload… oh dammit…." Robie was annoyed.
"What?"
"See this, I can't do this here, I'll have to go further to …shit!"
"I swear. If you don't give me a straight answer Robie…"
"I gotta go to where Erik is. Autokhthon has routed the main controls to that console there…"
"Ok, so we…"
"Nope, still need you here, when I do reroute the interface, you need to hit here…" Robie indicated a switch.
"Are you shitting me?" asked a stunned Sean.
"Sorry but no, see that relay? Dead as a doorknob until I do."
"Fuck! Ok, go do your thing but none of that loner crap Vanderlaan pulled, ok?"
"Trust me, I have no intention of going down with the ship!" he popped a duct cover off and crawled inside, he looked back over his shoulder, "As soon as you see that relay…."
"Yeah, yeah I got it, scram." Sean sealed the cover and crept back to his hiding spot, inside the duct, Robie evaluated the best route and started to move, it was the endgame.
…..
Back at the moon pool, Choi watched the two prisoners as they slumped in their manacles, he'd broken many before by this stage, he had pressed hard, but they had remained resolute. The only thing from their mouths were their screams.
A slow trickle of blood ran down the side of the man's face, the woman fared little better. Otherwise, they appeared unconscious.
"Mr. Kang?" Autokhthon was watching him with interest, or at least Choi hoped it was interest.
"They either have an extraordinary capacity for pain or else they really do know nothing of your plan and have not managed to communicate otherwise."
"That's your expert opinion…...?"
"Unless I take them to the brink of death…. the danger is whether they fall before breaking…"
"Do it…"
Choi nodded, he decided to get a baseline on the two before he began again. He approached Erik, he grabbed his wrist, he felt a thready pulse, faint but there.
He tutted, "Another minute my friend, death is a ladder best climbed one step at a time." Erik moaned softly in response.
He turned to Carina and repeated the process, he eyed her body, "Such a waste, a shame, you had nothing to trade for your life…." He whispered to her as he fondled a breast. "… always keep something back, Well let me check…"
As he took her wrist to check the pulse, he was shocked as she counter grabbed his own, he looked up at her face to see two blue eyes dripping with malice as they locked on his. "I'm feeling much better thank you…."
It all happened so fast, Choi drew back his other hand, it shaped itself for a lightening chop to her throat, but she dropped her weight dragging him off balance for an instant before she pushed him back. Erik also feigning, had used his height to reach the chains above the manacles and now secure, whipped out a push side kick catching Carina on her hip, propelling her towards Autokhthon and the console… where the restraint controls were…
His legs still weren't finished their work, he powered up, using the momentum to catch the smaller Korean's neck in a figure four lock, hooking his free leg over the other he applied crushing pressure to the man's throat, Choi's natural instinct kicked in and he clawed desperately to free his airway.
Miller, meanwhile, stretched out her body as she swung, pulling hard on the loosened manacle, their spilt blood gave her the necessary lubrication, it was with a cry of triumph her trapped hand shot free and like Tarzan on a vine she gained the extra few feet she needed, Autokhthon raised his arms to shield himself before realising too late he was never her intended target.
Her foot slammed down hard on the control panel and the delicate electronics immediately shattered, giving up the ghost in a hail of sparks, the effect was instantaneous, both sets of manacles opened dropping both her and Erik to the deck.
Erik had the benefit of using Kang as a cushion, he bounced before twisting his hips sharply and the cracking of vertebrae could be heard as Choi ceased struggling, abruptly.
Miller, slightly more prepared, landed…. well, she landed like a cat, hissing with rage, claws already forming as she stood and rapidly advanced on her tormentor, Autokhthon never stood a chance.
He took a furtive glance at the exit doors and that was his last mistake, she was on him before he could look back, her heel slammed into his solar plexus, and he shot back over the console landing heavily, gasping in pain.
Carina pursued. The past couple of days torment were fresh in her mind, pissed off as she was, she was clear thinking enough to feel an eagerness to share that pain with this… this …. asshole. She didn't try to maim or kill him, instead she went for the pain centres, working methodically as she vented her frustrations. Her former squad members would have approved.
Erik certainly did, pushing Choi's body to one side he stood and for a moment watched approvingly before he searched for some clothing, she was magnificent, her toned body was a marvel to watch, he felt himself admiring more than her technique as she delivered the mother of all beatdowns on the hapless Autokhthon.
He had some skill, but he was severely out of his league with Miller, an attempt at a hand kite landed on an elbow that broke fingers like stale bread sticks, a double chop to the 'gills' had him staggering back against the glass of the moon pool clutching his throat. He made the novice error of turning his back and she slammed hammer fists into kidneys over and over again until he screamed in pain and frustration and swung a lazy backhand she saw coming from a week before, she palmed that aside, capturing his hand and applying a wristlock that turned into an arm break at the elbow that brought him to his tippy toes before she kicked his left knee ACL out with a blade kick.
Autokhthon tried desperately to escape, but hell hath no fury like a Carina Miller scorned…. He clawed his way to the lip of the pool, Miller grabbing the protuberance at the base of his crown and used it as a handle as she slammed his face repeatedly into the glass, blood shot everywhere, landing in the water, in seconds a loud splashing could be head from the far side, fins broke the surface of the water…
Autokhthon was in a daze, his body was one screaming mass of pain, he could hardly think, and still the hellcat wailed on him. The edge of a blade hand smashed him in the lower spine. He couldn't believe it, defeated by agents of Harpocrates.
In desperation, with what was left of his shattered mind he prayed to his god, My Lord Poseidon, I beseech you, send me an emissary in this my hour of need, I'm too close to fail you now…
He flailed at the water in the pool, from the corner of his eyes a grey flash entered his field of vision. It sped towards him, his heart leapt as the waters parted and a form appeared.
The shark that broke the surface of the water was a well-known resident of the Mediterranean waters, a Shortfin Mako, about 13 ft of it, Autokhthon smiled, his Lord had answered, the Mako seemed to smile in return, as it eyed him, then the toothy maw shot forward with frightening speed, it engulfed his head and with a savage twist of its jaws, it tore him from Miller's grasp, sending her flying as it pulled Autokhthon into the pool where others waited…
The waters erupted in violent frenzy, Autokhthon's body disappeared in a cloud of red as shark after shark arrived.
…
Chen nearly turned cartwheels in celebration, he raised his hand for a high five before he remembered he was on his own, he watched as Erik approached Miller with a jumpsuit and cheered as she walked into the big ox's arms pulling his head down for a scorcher of a kiss, he looked away…
"Worth it…." He laughed.
He spotted something on another monitor approaching the room, "Oh fuc…."
…
Slightly frazzled, Erik stepped back, Carina moved with him, soft yet insistent lips pressed to his, vaguely he remembered he'd found a couple of diver's suits in some lockers… He broke the connection with a moan of desire and regret, there was an answering moan from the Amazon in front of him, he opened his eyes to a friendly pair of blue ones. She smiled; it was the kind of smile that sent warriors on fleets to war in days of old. Parts of him applauded.
He remembered the suit… again… averting his face he proffered it to her, "I-I had to guess… I hope it fits…" It was taken from him and then there was the pleasant sound of rubber sliding over smooth skin and then a zipper slowly closing, he peeked just in time to see a bountiful cleavage disappear from sight, he sighed.
"Well Erik…." A sultry voice turned him towards her again, "I'm Car…."
"Carina Miller, yep, I know…" Her mouth snapped shut and her eyes narrowed, she stiffened slightly, throwing his hands up in surrender, Erik quickly snapped out, "Wehaveamutual…acquaintance".
Carina's eyes relaxed again, she knew she didn't know this man, but she had been an agent for a long time, it was possible she would be known by others in her community… but this guy didn't register like an agent. Her curiosity was piqued.
"Acquaintance…?" She stepped in close again, her scent filled his nose, earthy…
"Uh yeah… apparently you're a friend of his ex…."
Carina's eyes widened and alarm bells started to sound when the doors behind them opened, and she saw Erik's facial muscles tighten as she turned to face the towering Mr. Lasky, he was not happy…
His eyes shot around the room, pausing, as he took in the body of Kang, the sound of a tail slamming against the glass pool wall drew his attention next, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why there was a blood cloud in the water.
His brow furrowed in anger.
"You killed my Lord Autokhthon…." He snarled.
"Oh shit…." Erik groaned, Carina's eyes darted around the room, nothing… dammit, remembering the boat, she didn't fancy a protracted battle with Lasky, she needn't have worried… when she looked back there was a wall of muscular flesh between her and Lasky, she blinked, she hadn't even seen the other man move!
He reached back and pushed her around the far side of a console, never taking his eyes off the advancing giant.
"Stay out of this, this is between me, and this loser and I owe him…." His firm hands gently guided her from harm's way.
Lasky barked a laugh, his eyes shone with joy.
"I'll tear your heart out boy, and eat it as I rape her before your corpse turns cold…"
"I wouldn't want to you when all that bad karma comes around again…"
Carina watched as they approached each other, Lasky was a giant, Vanderlaan wasn't small fry either, but he was giving away several inches to the taller man, small things made big differences in this game…
Lasky waved his hands, "You have no chance, use your head…"
"I think I'll use my rage instead…" Erik spun forward, his eyes showed nothing, no warning. His right leg whipped out a high roundhouse kick that whooshed in the air.
Carina nearly missed it at first, then she saw the blood running down the side of Lasky's face and realised half his ear had been torn off from the impact of the kick.
Lasky grinned, "Nice, you're more limber than you look…"
"Yoga and Pilates… "Erik replied, "… can't recommend them enough…"
As he spoke Lasky flew forward himself, he rained a blur of fists at Erik's head before moving away as a low groin kick just missed. Erik had parried a couple but one had landed squarely on his cheek bone and Carina saw the mashed area remain depressed, it was broken ….
What shocked her more though was both men were grinning as they moved apart, both assuming defensive stances, recovering their wind.
"To the death then?" Lasky asked, Miller shivered, the lustful eagerness in his tone almost sounding obscene to her ears.
"Let me check my calendar…." Erik tried a quick bayonet hand strike to the abdomen, Lasky' s forearm shot down blocking it.
"Nice one… "he said approvingly, "… reach up inside my chest cavity and then show us what my heart looks like…"
"I'd have to make do with a lung… "seethed Erik, dancing on the balls of his feet, "… you don't have a fucking heart!"
Lasky laughed again and then unleashed one of his blindingly fast sidekicks. Erik saw it coming too late, it powered through his guard and smashed against his side, finding ribs.
He cried out but as he reeled away his fist shot out, knuckles biting deep into Lasky's face.
Lasky reeled back, opening his mouth as he spat out a molar.
"Oh, I hope that wasn't crowned recently..." grinned Erik as he investigated his ribs with tender fingers, wincing.
For Carina it was a spectacle she imagined ancient Romans might have enjoyed at the Coliseum, it was absolutely ruthless, yet the agent in her was fascinated by the variety of styles employed by the two men as they set about the deadly business of trying to kill one another, Karate, Judo, military combative moves, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, even Testa, a desperate form of African martial arts employed by natives against slavers.
Every time it looked like things were getting predicable, one of them would throw in the monkey wrench of some discipline and shake things up again, she watched as Erik tried a feint followed by another flat knife hand strike, this time the other man was ready, he deftly snagged it and turned it into a wrist lock causing Erik to stubble, before he could regain his balance, a simple shot to the side of his knee and he crumbled.
Gamely, he spun before kipping up to a low roundhouse to the face that slammed him back into the deck, he lay still, his chest heaving.
"Too soon…" Lasky said aside to Miller, "I was afraid of this… not rested enough for this calibre of match…"
She watched horrified, as he extended his thumbs into claws in anticipation of gouging out Erik's eyes.
"Erik!" she screamed.
With his thumbs outstretched, Lasky had leaped in the air, intending to use his closed knees to land and further damage Vanderlaan's broken ribs before delivering the coup de grace…
Erik's eyes shot open, he rolled quickly to one side as Lasky screamed in frustration as he landed on the empty spot, Erik's hand shot out and he grabbed a plastic stool that Choi had brought, using it he powered Lasky into the metal wall of the room so hard he left a dint with his head. It hardly fazed the man; it did piss him off.
"You son of a bitch!" Lasky cried as he shook his head angrily to clear it.
Erik kept the pressure on, pining the larger man to the wall.
"You shouldn't tilt your aggression on other people, it's bad karma!" he gasped, trying to get his wind.
Lasky had enough, he counterattacked with such crisp, focussed blows that the plastic stool shattered in Erik's stunned hands. In the blink of an eye, it was reduced to kindling and fell in a heap at both their feet, Erik took three lightening blows to the chest before he blocked a fourth spinning Lasky and then used his head to pin the man to the wall again.
He reached for an intact leg in the debris and grabbing it used it like a club on Lasky's solar plexus while still pinning the man with his head.
Lasky freed a hand and managed to catch it and wrench it free from Erik, swiping out and forcing him away.
Erik staggered, Carina thought he looked like a boxer out on his feet, his eyes were half shut and swollen, blood dripped down his face from multiple cuts, he rocked unsteadily, the knockout blow was surely imminent!
Yet, just when all seemed lost, as Lasky feinted and swung a blow at Erik's head, he powered his way inside Lasky's guard and started hammering the man with short powerful head and body strikes that had Lasky reeling, he desperately tried to regain the upper hand but every time he tried to stabilize himself Erik's feet would be there, hooking his heel , pulling him off balance, whilst all the time punishing him with another strike.
Unable to deal with this tight maelstrom of violence, he did the only thing he could do, he clung on, as Carina watched she could see the toil it was taking on Erik, he was wilting, in the end it was a simple hip throw that Lasky managed that sent Erik to the deck again.
Pushing himself upright, he leaned bloodily against the wall, he smiled triumphantly …
"You lose…"
"Let the girl go…"
"Hey!" came from an outraged Carina. She shivered as Lasky stared lustfully at her.
"Sure, why not…", he shrugged.
Erik's face hardened, "You're lying…"
Lasky grinned, "What are you going to…."
Before Miller's startled eyes followed one of the most acrobatic and improbable moves, she had ever seen in a fight, using his shoulders as a base, Erik unfurled his body straight up in the air and while still crazily inverted delivered a kick that broke the other man's clavicle.
Lasky completely stunned and in pain started to drop when Erik popped up beside him, and grabbing the damaged arm, spun the man towards the moon pool as he pivoted around him dropping and slamming both feet in Lasky's stomach propelled him over the wall into the waters.
For the swimming Makos, it was like their birthday, as he broke the surface of the water, Lasky must have realised… he tried to reach the edge, but….
Two thirteen footers approaching from opposite sides hit the poor bastard like a character in a looney tunes cartoon, before Carina's shocked gaze they literally tore the man in half, bending his body in a crazy S shape before biting through.
They each carried on their way, trailing blood and viscera as they were pursued by their smaller hungry pack members.
Rounding the console she quickly ran to Erik's side, he lay motionless on the deck, only his chest heaved like a bellows, she grabbed a wet sponge off the deck that Choi had used earlier, gently she cleaned his face, wincing in sympathy as he tried to move away.
She pulled him against her, batting aside his hands she continued to clean his wounds, her heart was racing, this…this…. wonderful idiot had saved them… her… she felt a strange stirring… oh no…. she paused… was this what this felt like?
She was no damsel and she had certainly spurned all comers who had tried to pierce her defences, she destroyed the marks, ignored the good ones, tamed the supposed bad boys, mocking them as she made conquest after conquest taking who she wanted with only one notable exception…. but nobody had ever fought for her like this before… she was … she was … smitten…
The sap smiled up at her, "You, ok?" And there it was, concern for her…. She felt walls crumbling…
"Am I ok?" she laughed, "I don't look like 30 yards of crap…" she teased.
"Hey…. there's grat…. Hmmmphhh" She smothered his reply with another kiss, this time she felt something inside herself shift, a hand came up to cup her face and she did likewise.
"Ouch!"
"Ooops, sorry… let me … hmmmmm".
Lips clashed again, parting as the kiss deepened, tongues got involved. Neither of them heard the doors open or the rush of feet that abruptly stopped short. There was the sound of a bag landing on a console top.
There was a loud sigh and then a cough, a loud ahem was tried… twice….
Finally, an exasperated voice said; "For God's sake Carina, do you have to try and seduce all my friends?"
Carina froze mid kiss, her eyes widened as the hairs on the back of her neck shot up and she drew back unable to believe the evidence of her ears… no way, no freakin' way…
Erik peered around her, "Oh hi Robie, it's not what it seems… ", he paused, "… well actually this part is exactly as it seems, but I have a good reason for this." He grinned sheepishly.
Robie rolled his eyes. "We'll talk about this later, Sean is NOT happy, right…. got to save the world now…."
Carina turned slowly.
Standing at a console behind her, his arms folded, looking at her disapprovingly was one Chuck Bartowski…. Robie…? oh shit…. Robie!
…..