A Reason for Living Part 15
Treasure Hunting
The rain had stopped but a smooth cloud cover conveniently veiled the moon. The moisture-laden forest rose up like a woody canyon and the trees, their gnarly branches entwining overhead, resembled skeletal sentries.
Tires crunched on a gravel side road barely disturbing the night's stillness. Under its own momentum a Range Rover, headlights and engine switched off, rolled around the last curve and drifted to a stop. Several low pine boughs helped hide most of the vehicle; the darkness would have to conceal the rest. Since the lesser-used path was too narrow to accommodate larger trucks Heero hoped that it would remain void of traffic.
Six black-clad figures grouped together at the road's edge. The variety of weapons in the spies' extensive arsenal addressed each person's defense preferences. The standard regulation Walther and a handful of six-pointed throwing stars were Wufei's weapons of choice.
Quatre, too, favored the Walther but strapped a sheathed dirk(1) to his outer thigh as added security. Trowa checked the clip on his Colt .45 then further shored up his protection with steel bladed throwing knives.
The contents of Howard's briefcase were also put to good use. Dart pens, darts and extra ammunition clips were dispensed along with a hefty amount of C4 plastic explosives and fuses. Lastly everyone was fitted with communication headsets.
Heero shoved the oblong case in his jacket's front pocket. His Beretta already rested snuggly against his back. With a sly smile he slipped the Walther into the holster on his chest. Yes...Howard was finally getting his way.
Throughout the team's preparations Duo leaned his hip against the Rover's fender and observed the "arming to the teeth" in stunned amazement. "It's a wonder you don't rattle." he commented to no one in particular.
In answer to Duo's remark Heero decided that the braided civilian should not be left out. "I want you to have this." A silver-plated Derringer rested in his flattened palm.
Duo stared at the miniature pistol but made no attempt to take it. "Here." Heero extended his hand.
"I really don't like guns." Duo insisted.
"I'd feel better if you had it."
Duo hesitated. Heero took Duo's hand, placed the small weapon in his grasp and folded his fingers firmly around the grip. "It's simple; here's the safety. At least put it in your pocket." he urged.
Even though Duo was not completely comfortable, he finally complied with 01's wishes. "Aren't you afraid I might accidentally shoot you?" he asked in all seriousness as a slight shiver ran down his spine.
Heero didn't seem the least bit worried. "Just don't point it in my direction."
A brief conference to coordinate last minute details then two teams started through the forest. Agents 05, 04 and 03 made up the alpha team. Their assignment was to make sure the disruptor shipments didn't leave the lodge. Heero and Duo would search for a control unit and any blue prints or computer records they could find.
Just before Wufei disappeared into the forest's gloomy fringes he glanced back over his shoulder "I still think you two need a chaperon." he called softly.
"I think Quatre and Trowa need one more than we do." Heero replied in a similarly hushed tone, "I've heard Quatre can be kinky as hell."
*********
Duo kept a few steps behind Heero giving him room to maneuver along what could loosely be defined as a trail. Their rambling route was not as direct but it did bypass the grassy clearing. It wasn't that Heero wished to avoid bad memories but he reckoned that his recent activity might have cause increased observation to be put into force.
"Better to strike where the lodge's security is less vigilant." he thought as he ducked under a low-hanging branch. "Mind you head." he cautioned Duo.
Their journey ended where the tree line's shelter thinned out. From the pair's distant vantage point both the lodge's front entrance and the longer side section were perceptibly deceiving. The dim lighting combined with the absence of moonlight made a clear view difficult.
In this case, however, the diminished illumination was to 01's advantage and a distinct drawback to the lodge's employees but Heero had no delusions that the security inside was as sparse as the seemingly vacant landscape.
Hopefully in the short time span since Heero's pervious visit the previously purged guards had not been replaced but if he and Duo handled everything just right the remaining watchers could be dealt with. If not then the exact personnel count wouldn't matter anyway.
At Heero's silence hand signal he and Duo advanced quickly and settled quietly side by side behind a rocky outcrop. To their far left a jagged mountain peak erupted from the darkness. To their right the main gravel road snaked up the hill. Two cars crowded into the limited space by the lodge's front entrance.
Now Heero could see an indentation in the building's side. The recessed segment was lit by three low wattage bulbs mounted over wide double doors that were almost as tall as the wall. The extra width and height, no doubt, was needed for the trucks that Dorothy and Septum had talked about at Khushrenada Electronics.
"That must be the loading bay." Heero indicated with a nod.
He activated his headset. "05."
"Go ahead."
"Located your objective. West side, fifty feet. Beware of watchers."
"Affirmative."
Satisfied with alpha team's response 01 turned his attention to his phase of the mission. "Let's find the lab." Duo matched Heero's pace as they melted into the darkness.
*********
Three stealthy silhouettes inched through a stand of white pines until an unobstructed view was presented for their scrutiny. Indistinct noises, muffled by the lodge's thick walls, floated on the stiff breeze blowing down the hill. Vague voices also followed the chilly currents to the agents' lower location.
Five well-armed men milled about outside. The sentries' distant conversations were muffled but Wufei could understand enough to know that the words were spoken in German
It was evident by the guards' slack posture and generally easy manner that they were maintaining a poor level of vigilance. Perhaps Catalonia or Carter or whoever was running the show believed Heero's "accident" or perhaps they had unrealistic confidence in the obviously untrained squad.
But whatever the reason the IPB agents were going to take every advantage of the lax indifference. The trespassing trio skirted the tree line then crouched in the moonless shadows like tigers stalking their prey.
The Lone Dragon's ebony eyes studied the lazy watchers then refocused on Quatre. "Can you whistle?"
"Can I...what?" Quatre asked not certain that he understood the whispered question.
"Whistle."
04 cut his eyes at Trowa who merely shrugged in reply. "Yes I can. Why?" he wondered even more certain that he might not like the answer.
Kneeling together in the dimly reflected light instructions were exchanged. Quatre's lips stretched into a smile then he and Trowa noiselessly slipped away.
Wufei pulled out his pen and three yellow-tipped darts leaving two in reserve. Heero's account of the sedative's successful testing on the dog at Khushrenada Electronics left no doubt of its identical effectiveness on Homo Sapiens. Loading one dart he transferred the rest to his other hand.
Under the circumstances the darts were the only way to assure a silent strike, the only alternative to keep the spies' outnumbered and outgunned odds as even as possible.
Like a ghost the Chinese agent slipped through the underbrush without disturbing a single leaf and moved as close to the border as the natural camouflage allowed. Counting down the progressing seconds Wufei hoped that he, Trowa and Quatre were synchronized in their calculations.
Right on time a high-pitched whistle pierced the breeze. A guard standing by the double doors raised a quieting hand and aimed an inquiring ear toward the forest. The shrill call sounded again catching the other watchers' attention as well.
More curious than cautious one brown uniformed guard left the protective sanctuary of the group. Wufei kept a parallel course matching the sentry's speed and movements. The relocation gave him a plain view of the swarthy man and the high-powered assault rifle held against his chest.
05 swore under his breath knowing that the rifle's firepower could easily reach his fellow spies' position without the man coming within the dart's scope. He could only hope that inquisitiveness would overrule sensibility pressing the guard's continued encroachment into the dragon's den.
"Stay down." Wufei mentally projected the warning. He didn't dare use his communicator for fear of being overheard.
With an unexpected pause the gunman pivoted sideways. His eyes narrowed probing the border just beyond where Wufei squatted in night-shrouded obscurity. Angling the rifle away from the forest fringes the guard started off in the opposite direction from 05.
Once more Wufei sent out cerebral commands to turn the straying man around. "Come on you son of a bitch." he mumbled lowly.
A second sudden stop was not in response to Wufei's telepathic urging but to a perfectly executed wolf-whistle. The man tiled his head at an inquiring angle. A perplexed expression that poised somewhere between skepticism and bewilderment contorted his face. From a bushy thicket ten feet from Wufei's hiding spot a silky black shirt dangled seductively on the end of a slender index finger.
One had to admit it was highly unusual to see the phantom garment waving about like a flag and Wufei was certain that the guard had to be questioning the correctness of his eyesight or the soundness of his mind or any number of sensory malfunctions.
But the baffled bastard's thought process didn't matter to Wufei...all he was concerned about was that the display of discarded clothing was getting the job done in short order. Curiosity was indeed winning out. The rifle drooped in the man's hands as he moved in for a closer inspection.
An amber-tipped projectile zipped through the air with a muted whine expertly hitting its mark on the guard's neck. Without a sound the man dropped like a stone. His surprised facial aspect was still fixed in place as Wufei dragged the inanimate body into the thick shrubbery.
Unfortunately it didn't take long for the fallen sentry's comrades to notice his vanishing from sight. Two uniformed men headed downhill retracing the first man's inquisitive path. Midway the pair split up. One kept a straightway line to the forest, the other walked along the building surveying the shadowy nooks and crannies created by the irregular lighting.
As the next man yielded to the fashion temptation 05 copied his downward course. Soon the tangled undergrowth concealed another limp body. Wufei decided that two with the same trick was sufficient and that trying for a third would be tempting the fates. Besides the rest of the watchers didn't seem brave enough to venture too far from the lodge's security.
Slinking through the trees Wufei quickly joined his counterparts. Quatre hadn't had time to fully redress and his unbuttoned shirt bared his muscular chest. Wufei grinned not bothering to hide his interest. "You know," he stated in a husky tone, "you could have lured the entire squad if you had performed a striptease."
"Really?" Quatre replied. He buttoned up and tucked in the hem. "You know I usually don't make a habit of waving my clothes at strangers but the next time a similar situation arises I'll try to remember your advice."
Trowa wrapped his arm around his lover's shoulders and pulled him closer. "The only person you'll be undressing for is me." he ordered then established his authority with a passionate kiss.
Wufei rolled his eyes at the public display of affection. "You can snog after the mission." He reloaded the pen. "Let's eliminate the rest of these bastards and see to the shipment."
The lone guard, made uneasy by his comrades' mysterious disappearance, hastily rejoined the pair by the double doors. The remaining trio, consumed with many unanswered questions, engaged in an animated conversation accented with twisting heads and pointing fingers.
No doubt the debate centered on whether to stay outside where they might also fall victim to the invisible creature that had snatched their fellow squad members or to abandoned their post and seek reinforcements inside the lodge.
But whatever the worried watchers' conclusions the IPB spies had decided to waste no more time setting up another diversion. The guards were outside, alone and that was where they were going to stay. No, the straightforward method of pest removal would be employed.
Blurred outlines dashed from cover to cover. The rapid relocation brought Wufei, Trowa and Quatre within fifteen feet of the quarreling guards. Three consecutive darts laid out one man after the other. Each spy gathered up one target and made quick work of hiding him away.
*********
A single door further down the building's side offered the easiest entry. Wufei took out his throwing stars, Trowa his knives and Quatre unsheathed his dirk. Firing their pistols would be the last resort, as they had no wish to draw attention to their unlawful insertion.
Wufei stood to one side with his hand on the doorknob. Quatre and Trowa scanned in opposite directions for any patrolling personnel. The door cracked back a fraction of an inch. Everyone held their breaths in anticipation of an alarm but silence was the only reply to their intended intrusion. They waited, listened then collectively peered into the room's dimly lit interior.
Alongside an elevated platform four quarter-ton trucks lined up bumper to bumper. The lack of crates or other containers told the agents that the trucks had most likely already been loaded.
Even the agents' softest footsteps echoed eerily throughout the bay's vast, almost vacant, expanse. Chilled dampness flowed from the stone walls and overhead a current of stale air whined through a ventilation shaft. A round hole in the opposite wall housed a wobbly fan that turned in halting fits as the intermittent draft struck the rusty blades.
The fan's poor circulation failed to discharge the musty odors of moldy stone and accumulated dust causing Quatre to wrinkle his nose in disapproval. "Remind me to call housekeeping and register a complaint."
Coming around the last truck's end Wufei unlatched the rear door. "Let's see what we have."
Hinges groaned in protest then caught with a grinding screech. The shrill reverberations set Wufei's nerves on edge. He frowned at the door's uncooperativeness and cursed lowly before a harder tug accomplished his goal.
Cartons stamped with the Khushrenada Electronics logo filled the space from floor to ceiling. Balancing on the bumper 05 laid his throwing stars within easy reach. He picked out a box, tore back the sealing tape and pulled up the freed flap to reveal stacks of standard design circuit boards.
Trowa shook his head negatively. "Those are common switching plates." he stated with disappointment. The next box yielded the same contents. "We have to be on the right track," 03 declared, "there is too much evidence in our favor."
"We are right." Quatre replied to his partner's anxious statement. His inner voice was speaking clearly and his gut feelings were too strong to ignore. "Keep looking."
Removing a few front boxes Wufei discovered a row of rectangle wooden crates. Using the point of a throwing star he popped loose metal staples holding the lid. With an extremely pleased grin he reached into the shredded packing material and extracted a fully assembled disruptor with all internal wiring intact.
"That's it!" Quatre exclaimed fighting the urge to shout with excitement then shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe Carter is sending out the disruptors with a regular shipment."
"Often the most obvious way is overlooked." 05 declared from experience.
Trowa pulled out another disruptor and turned the deadly device over in his hand. "Damn this doesn't look dangerous."
"The smallest viper can deliver a lethal strike." Wufei repeated one his elder sensei's favorite lessons.
Quatre nodded in agreement. "A single grain of sand can kill if propelled with enough force."
One disruptor was slipped into Wufei's backpack. The second was returned to the carte, the lid sealed and the truck door secured to hide the thievery. "Whatever happens," Wufei announced, using his supple fingers to soften a lump of C4 plastic explosives into a pliable piece, "these trucks are not leaving tonight."
While Wufei molded a long string of C4 along the seam where the platform's wall met the floor, Trowa pressed a length of wire into the explosive line. At the end he attached an electronic firing fuse.
Quatre uncoiled the thin metal wire running from the fuse and carefully guided the almost invisible strand from the platform, under the lead truck's bumper and tied it to a conveniently placed eyebolt protruding from the opposite wall. If the trucks were moved or if someone tampered with the wire the trigger would be tripped and it would be over in a heartbeat.
"All set." Quatre stated as took Trowa's offered hand and was pulled back on the platform.
Wufei took one final moment to review his fatal handiwork. "We'd better not tempt the fates any longer."
Like wisps of smoke the spies slipped through the outer door and evaporated into the shadows. When they were again concealed in the forest's shadowy seclusion 05, 03 and 04 knelt side by side.
Wufei activated his headset. Static hissed through the opened channel. "01." He waited, the unbroken static hissed louder. "01, do you copy?"
"Dammit," 05 cursed the uncooperative equipment, "I told the techs that these things wouldn't work in this hilly terrain."
"Maybe Heero turned his unit off." Quatre offered a possibly explanation.
Wufei snorted, "The reason doesn't matter now. All we can do is wait."
In the surrounding silence that was only disturbed by the wind, Wufei, Quatre and Trowa knew that before the sunrise the mission would be over. But they also knew that Heero and Duo were still inside the ticking time bomb and that 01 and his civilian companion no longer had control over the fates or whatever destiny ruled their lives.
"Heero find what you need and get the hell out." Wufei whispered into the unforgiving darkness.
Holding Trowa's hand Quatre closed his eyes and lifted up a prayer to Allah for his comrades' safe return.
TBC...
(1) Dirk--a dagger with a medium length blade
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