@Bandit666 @Caesar73 @GreyLord @slackywacky
Pax Felix Research and Development Centre, Undisclosed location, somewhere in the Amazon Rainforest.
The dark skies above, are a portent of the gloom inside the facility. Rain lashes down against the implacable stone walls of the formerly abandoned, Casarabe settlement. Wind whips through the dense forest.
No one in the facility wears a uniform, or an insignia of rank. All the research staff wear suits and all security operatives wear jeans and t-shirts. All onsite are armed and carry a radio.
This site is fifty miles from the nearest population centre and only accessible by boat.
“What the blazing hell happened last night?” Commander Joshua barks across the control room. “Why did no one wake me?”
“We wanted to conduct a full assessment, so we could break down exactly what happened.” Security chief Grif confirms.
Joshua open hand slaps, Grif across the jaw, “You wanted to cover your ass and hide your failures.” He barks, harshly, “Now stop f*cking around. Tell me exactly what happened last night.”
“Everything was quiet until, just after three AM. One of the internal patrols didn’t report in.” Grif begins, checking his notes, “A four man team was despatched with body armour and CQB load outs. They found the patrol, unconscious and handcuffed of level four.”
Joshua seethes at the man but allows him to continue, “I initiated a full lock down. We swept and secured the facility from bottom to top and had patrol boats sweep the river. We found no trace of the intruders.”
“Intruders? How many are we talking?” Joshua asks, coldly.
“We don’t know, but from the scale of their infiltration, it is hard to reconcile their work with less than a three person team.” Grif says.
Joshua pinches the bridge his nose, as his face turns more and more red “So to confirm. Last night, this high security facility was breached, by unknown numbers of an unknown alignment And we don’t know where they came from or where they went? Is there anything we actually do know?”
“Near as we can tell, they came up from the river onto the Dock, as there are no signs of perimeter breaches and no foot prints on the bank for a mile in both directions. We can’t be sure how they accessed the building but there were signs of lock tampering in the main stair well and fourth floor, a short distance from where we found our patrol.” Grif explains, trying to keep an even tone to his voice. He thinks to himself, “You pompous prick. If we had woken you for that, you would still have been berating everyone on duty and we wouldn’t have the detail that we do know.”
Joshua opens his mouth to speak, when a junior operator, waves to draw his attention, “Sir. A boat has just arrived with a Magda Kirilenkov on board.”
“Oh, dear God no.” He says, feeling the colour drain from his cheeks.
Many covert organisations have an operative, without a job title, or formal identification, who arrives in the wake of a disaster and takes any an all actions required to right the ship. They wield unlimited power and act with impunity.
In the Pax Felix’s Earth and extra dimensional based operations, Magda Kirilenkov is that operative.
Magda is a ghost. She never carries identification, her name is her authority. On one occasion, when challenged for ID, she started a stopwatch only stopping it when her identity was verified at the eight minute mark. She then order that the guards heart was stopped for eight minutes, as payment for the time he had cost her. That guards heart never beat again.
As soon as the speedboat pulls up to the Dock, she steps off of the twin engined powerboat onto the pontoon. Sure footed, in spite of the spiked heels of her black calf length boots.
Black leather trousers hug her legs like a second skin, as she strides forth, unimpeded by the uneven ground.
Her hair, the colour of dark chocolate, bounces in gentle curls down her shoulders as in step with her stride.
The dark purple silk blouse is tight enough to tease the figure within, but loose enough to allow her free movement. Black leather gloves and a matching leather full length coat complete her look.
Whilst the overwhelmed dock hands, secure her boat, she moves like a force of nature towards the main entrance of the silo.
Joshua rushes to greet her at the entrance and is struck by her appearance, thinking, “High cheek bones, flawless skin, piercing blue eyes and soft red lips. I have always heard her described as striking, but she is beautiful.”
Magda comes to an abrupt halt, she towers over him and back hands him across the face, “Snap out of it. You are not looking at your mother.” Before the stunned man can react, she follows up, “Office. Now. You. Me. Security chief.” Her accent is quite neutral, with some inflections from East Coast America.
Twenty minutes later, Joshua feels the walls of his windowless office close in on him, as the room falls silent.
Grif sits back in his seat, having briefed, the imposing newcomer to the site. Sweat teases his brow, despite the cool of the room.
Magda sits thoughtfully, before taking a slim line, silver vape from her pocket.
Grif instinctively leans forward, “Sorry, this is a no smoking site.”
Magda takes a long slow draw on the vape and exhales cherry and dark chocolate vapour slowly, “I was under the impression that it was a high security, no f*ck ups site, as well. Shame that you weren’t as concerned about that.”
Under the weight of her icy glaze, Grif feels a tightening in his balls that has nothing to do with sexual attraction.
She turns her gaze fully to Grif and he almost flinches, feeling her look deeply into his soul, “I want you to interview all personnel on site and provide me with a breakdown of everyone’s movements, for the past forty eight hours. This deep a penetration, points to inside help. Focus on the patrol that were engaged, by the intruders initially.”
“In my judgement, it was an outside agency.” Grif says thoughtfully.
“If your judgement was required, I would not be here.” Magda says, coldly, “The intruders were able to get into the facility, undetected. They were then able to get up to level four undetected. At that point, they chose to engage a regular patrol, then leave, instead of remaining dark and getting who knows where. Why?” Magda says, before pausing thoughtfully to take a lungful of chocolate gateau scented vapour, “Find the answer to that and we will be a step closer to solving this.”
Much as Grif wants to argue the point, he nods in agreement, seeing the sense in what she says. “There is a certain merit to that point of view.”
“Do you have a list of personnel for this site?” Magda asks, coldly.
Joshua nods and brings a list of the sites residents, onto his screen turning it to her.
“It is the third today.” She says taking the mouse and scrolling down three times. She notes the name under the mouse pointer and scrolls another three times, to note another. Joshua and Grif watch confused as she notes two more names and orders, “Bring them here.”
Magda sits expressionless while they wait, she takes several drags on the vape, filling the air with the scent of cherry and dark chocolate, before she puts it away.
The four men arrive and enter the room, to stand by the door. She turns to Joshua and fixes him with her withering gaze “On your knees.”
Joshua looks alarmed, “Why?”
Magda seizes him by the throat with a gloved hand and drags him out of his seat, forcing him to his knees, then zip tying his hands roughly behind him, “All Personnel on this site, have been hand picked by you.” She points to one of the men who have just entered, then calmly says, “Take out your weapon, and press it to the back of his head.”
The guard looks shocked at the order, but reluctantly complies. Magda pats him on the shoulder, “From now until the end of Grif’s investigation you will take it in turns, in six hour shifts, keeping a gun to Joshua’s head. If Grif confirms complicity between anyone onsite and the intruders, you will put one round in his head and two in his heart. Is that clear?”
Seeing the fear and confusion on their faces, she presses the point adding a slight edge to her voice, “Is that clear?”
The men nod with a mix of reluctance and terror, as the first man pulls his weapon and presses it to Joshua’s head.
Magda sits back in her seat, her commanding presence in the room, turning it into a throne. “Grif, I want The Template and all relevant files pertaining to it. The decision has been made to move it to a more secure facility.”
Grif looks at her confused, “But this is the most secure facility that the Pax Felix operates on Earth.”
“On the morning after a major security breach, you wish to extoll the virtues of this sites security? Really?” Magda says, with a frown. He opens his mouth to object, however, she cuts him off with a warding hand, “Focus on your investigation, the security of The Template is no longer your concern.”
The finality of her tone, tells him much more than he needs to know and he nods, thinking, “If the aftermath of this goes south, they will raze this facility to the ground along with everyone in it.”
Magda takes out a tablet and taps it a few times, before saying, “Have the template and documentation loaded onto my boat, I have a pick up arranged. Upon my return, we will discuss your preliminary findings.”
“At once, Ms Kirilenkov. May I confirm a timeline for your return?” Grif asks, trying to stay calm.
Magda fixes him with her gaze, “I will be a minimum of two hours and a maximum of eight. When I leave, you will ensure, I am not followed.”
“Would you like some of my people to come with you?” Grif asks, immediately regretting it.
“No. I cannot trust anyone from this site. My people have already secured the route.” Magda says coolly, as she withdraws her vape again and takes a long slow draw on it, before exhaling a cloud of vapour.
Grif nods, contrite and activates his comms, “Hill, load the Template and all relevant files onto Ms Kirilenkov's boat. Please notify me upon completion.”
“Thank you Grif.” Magda says, calmly, “You may wish to check financial records for friends and families of the incumbents here. Also check associates for recent arrests and medical concerns that could be used as leverage.”
Grif makes a few notes and nods “Thank you. I am used to managing security, I don’t investigate all that much. If you have any other tips, I would appreciate it.
Magda shakes her head in disapproval, “That is troubling to hear.” She pauses thoughtfully and takes a pull on her vape and uses it to punctuate her words, “Look for uncharacteristic incoming and outgoing financial activity. Look at income versus outgoings, identify anyone living beyond their means. Have anyone started a new relationship in the past few weeks? Investigate the spouses.”
“What about parents in care and that kind of thing?” Grif asks, thoughtfully.
“That could be relevant. Do you have someone in mind?” Magda asks, with the subtlety of a Great White shark, circling an injured seal.
“Maybe. One of the techs with access to the camera controls, has recently put his father into a care home in the States.” Grif confirms reluctantly.
“That won’t be cheap. Check where the money is coming from. Move slow, don’t spook them.” Magda says, calmly, “We can follow up, upon my return. Given the remoteness of this location, don’t feel that the pressure to move quickly outweighs the need to move decisively. Generate lines of investigation, for me to follow upon my return.”
Grif nods, thoughtfully, “Yes Ms Kirilenkov. I will examine everyone in your absence and present a complete timeline of events and profile for all personnel.”
After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, he looks down as his phone pings, “Your boat has been loaded, with The Template and documentation.”
“Well at least your people are efficient. Let us hope that you are able to act just as effectively.” Magda says, enigmatically.
“Would you like to wait for the storm to abate? It is pretty wild out there.” Grif says, with a hint of concern.
“All the better to cover my arrival and departure. It will be much harder for anyone to chase me down on the river or track me from the air.” Magda confirms. “Speaking of that, I want to get moving before the river comes up too high.”
Magda gets up and dons her coat with a swish, “Carry on here. I want a full debrief of findings upon my return.” She fixes Grif with her gaze, “Just because, I am not here, does not mean, I am not watching.”
Magda sees the two cases on her boat, one six feet long, three feet across and three feet deep. The other the size of a large suitcase. Using cargo straps she secures them behind the seat of her powerboat.
“Do you wish to check the contents?” Grif asks, nervously.
Magda turns to his with a glacial look, “Do I have reason to?”
Grif nervously shakes his head, “Of course not. I hope you have a safe journey.”
“Thank you. I want a full debrief upon my return. We will get to the bottom of this and find those responsible.” Magda says and turns without another word, firing up the engine.
Grif watches from the dock, as she manoeuvres the boat into the centre of the river and accelerates downstream at speed.
He stands shaking and lights a cigarette, raising it to his lips with trembling hands, “God help me if I don’t find anything.”
Two hours layer, he and his team have broken down the lives off all of the non operational staff and have begun the mammoth task of sifting through the data for the security teams, when his radio crackles to life.
“Er Grif. We have a Magda Kirilenkov, here for you and Joshua.” A security op, called Nopli, advises.
“Very good, escort her up, please.” Grif says calmly.
He turns to his team, “OK people this is it, this needs to be smooth or heads will roll.”
The office becomes a model of precision and calm efficiency. Grif takes a moment to splash some water on his face and slow his breathing, “You have the answers to a lot of her questions, and have progress towards the unanswered ones. Hold it together.”
He steps back into the office and sees Nopli enter, with a stocky blonde woman behind him.
“Sir, Magda Kirilenkov to see you.” Nopli says, professionally.
Grif looks at the short stocky blonde woman and frowns, “Who the hell are you?”
Fifty miles downstream, travelling at speed.
The boat skims across the surface of the water at speed, now that the river has opened up and straightened. Overhead, the sky begins to clear with patches of blue between dark clouds.
‘Magda’ pulls out her vape and takes a deep lungful of cherry and chocolate, before pressing a button on the side of it and putting an earpiece into her right ear, “Athena to Digger over.”
“Digger to Athena, good to hear your voice, over.”
“Against all odds and in defiance of logic, I have the Template. I am en route to my layover camp.” Kate Shaw says, taking another draw.
“What did I tell you? The right leverage, at the right time, by the right person.” Carl says, relieved.
“Years of undercover work paid off and the notes you gave were spot on. What is the deal with the Pax Felix anyway?” Kate asks, gunning the engine and taking the boat towards it top speed.
“I have been following patterns and trends across the globe and at first they were a rumour. They first came onto my radar just after we came to Belize. A theft of arms shipments, here, a kidnapping there and they would vanish without trace. Joining the dots together they are well funded. They are either building an army or equipping one.” Carl explains, “All of the traffic we have intercepted says that The Template is key to their plans.”
“So what is it?” Kate asks glancing back.
“No idea. No specific mention of the Templates nature, is made in any of the comms I have intercepted. I have a few ideas, but nothing concrete.” Carl confirms.
“Well I might have something.” Kate says, throttling back on the engine as she approaches a bend in the river. “The head of security said that the facility was the most secure one they had on Earth. Got me thinking.”
“Might be worth getting Niki on the blower, to brief the Atlanteans.” Carl says, thoughtfully, before his tone sharpens, “Looks like they have rumbled you. They have a bird in the air following the river. At present speed, time to intercept twenty minutes.”
“OK. That’s a problem, I am at least a couple of hours from my camp.” Kate says, checking the glove box.
“What are your options?” Carl asks, concerned.
“Well, the river is a fast flowing and high banked body of water, with sparse canopy cover. I have some jungle kit to change into, however, the cases I have retrieved are very large, heavy and bulky.” Kate says, considering her options.
“Are you armed?” Carl asks, calmly.
“Cap gun, two extendible batons and a stiletto. Didn’t want to risk anything larger and blow my cover.” Kate says, feeling a pang of regret. “Even my go bag, has little offensive gear, just camping and survival gear and sundries.”
“Probably wise. Why do these things always have to happen in the back of beyond?” Carl says, closing his eyes. “Ah, OK. Option for you. A mile south from your location is a tributary of the river, two miles upstream is a waterfall, with a cave behind it large enough to hide the boat.”
Kate guns the engine, “I remember it from the briefing, it is a long shot but could work, short term. The trouble is if we can see it, so can they.”
“True, it also means that they might, go for it.” Carl says thoughtfully. “I have a pretty good idea of where they will drop troops.”
“Sounds like a plan. What do you have?” Kate says, keeping an eye out for the tributary.
The helicopter comes in low and fast over the water, sweeping the river and banking to follow the tributary. The Russian, Ex military Helix, is compact, powerful and fast. More importantly, it is currently carrying ten men in assault armour with combat shotguns and assault rifles.
“No one crosses the Pax.” The Commander says, “Her only chance to evade us is to take cover behind the waterfall. We take it by two’s. One team per bank, hit from both sides at once. Watch your fire. Check your targets. Do not shoot the Template.”
The chopper hovers twenty feet off of the north bank. The Commander watches the surrounding area and signals for the drop to commence.
Kate stands at the top of the waterfall looking down at the helicopter. She turns powerfully on the spot, hefting the coiled guy ropes cut from the powerboat and launching them towards the aircraft.
The ropes unravel in mid air, one hits close to the rotor hub and snags the top rotor, forcing it to slow as it coils tighter. The other snags the top rotor and lashes around the counter rotating lower rotor, stopping both blades.
The helicopter turns a sharp ninety degrees on the spot and drops like a stone, crashing down onto the edge of the north bank and pitching onto its roof in the river.
Kate steps off of the top of the waterfall, crossing her arms across her chest, before entering the water fifty feet below, like a dart.
She kicks for the surface and emerges behind the waterfall. “Move your ass, Shaw.” She chides herself, using powerful strokes to cut through the water to the rear of her boat.
With a heave, she is back on board and guns the engine. She races out of the waterfall like the Devil is chasing her. She sees the beleaguered and waterlogged soldiers, scrambling for the shore and throttles hard using the hull of the downed chopper as a ramp.
The boat sails through the air and jolts forward as soon as the props hit water. A moment later, she is a fading memory for the now stranded Pax Felix operators.
Kate pulls her leather trousers back on and removes the blouse, revealing a comfortably filled c-cup black bra, before shrugging her long coat back on.
Her loose hair whips in the wind as the boat lances down the river once more. She pulls out the vape once more, taking a deep draw, before pushing the button, “Helo down, over.”
“Welcome back. I wish that was the end of it. There has been a development, over.” Carl says, breathlessly.
“Talk to me.” Kate says, knowing Carl’s tone of voice means trouble.
“About four miles away from your camp is a domestic Patrol Boat. Indications are that they have been contacted by the Pax Felix and are supplementing their income by waiting for you.” Carl says, grimly.
“Damn. How bad is it?” Kate asks, dealing the answer.
“Ten strong crew. At least two machine guns and a surface to surface weapons system. There is a bend in the river about a mile from your camp and they are about two hundred metres beyond the bend. As soon as you are in sight, you will be a target.” Carl says, sadly, “I have no idea what to suggest.”
“And there was me thinking you have all the answers.” Kate says, thoughtfully, “I am only about ten minutes out. I think, I have a plan.”
The captain of the patrol boats watches the speed boat, languidly round the bend, carried by the current. He watches warily, looking for any signs of activity on the craft and seeing none.
“Number two, bring us alongside the craft, train all weapons on the vessel. We have been told we can sink the craft as long, as we don’t damage the cargo.” The captain says, calmly.
The forty foot patrol boat dominates the smaller ten foot power boat, as it pulls alongside. The crew see that no one is aboard and the cargo is safely secured.
The captain frowns to himself, “What is going on here?”
Kate treads water on the off side of the powerboat, out of sight of the patrol boat. When the two craft draw level, she takes a deep breath and dives down, under her boat and the patrol boat, leaving a bag secured under the Russian craft and silently emerges on the other side of the Russian vessel.
In her underwear, she silent boards the rear of the craft and sneaks behind the rear gunner, taking him in a choke hold. Unable to draw breath to scream and too tightly held by the powerful woman, he soon passes out. Kate secures him with zip ties at wrist and ankle and stalks away, seeking her next target.
A surprised deck hand steps out in front of her, only to be dropped by a solid right cross to his jaw. She moves quickly from this point.
Quickly clearing the starboard side of the boat away from her craft, taking down two more sailors hard, with strikes to their temples.
The fore gunners nest is a little more tricky with two people on post. One sailor mans the gun whilst the other acts as spotter.
With a baton in each hand she sweeps in low and fast. She strikes the back of the spotters knees, dropping him hard then cracks the back of the gunners skull before he can react. She finishes the spotter with a strike to the temple.
Before she can celebrate a staccato of gunfire rips the air from above, stitching a line of rifle fire inches from her head. She rolls back launching a baton with pinpoint accuracy, the tip of the baton striking between the sailors eyes.
She moves quickly, taking the stairs two at a time and snatching the stricken man’s weapon from the deck.
The captain, his number two and the radar operator can only cower as the door to the control deck is kicked in and automatic weapons fire, shreds to boats controls.
Kate stands in the door way, dripping with water from the river. Her wet skin glistens in the post-storm early morning light, in a similar fashion to the light gleaming off of the barrel of the Kalashnikov in her hands.
She covers the command crew with the rifle and casually tosses zip ties to the closest man ordering, “Bind the others, wrists and ankles and then secure your ankles.”
The terrified radar operator, complies without objection from his superiors and soon finds his wrists are secured behind him.
Kate empties the rest of the gun, annihilating the rest of the controls and radio, before silently leaving the control room.
With practiced elegance she dives over the side, leaving the rifle to sink to the bottom of the river, and swims for her boat, picking up her bag on the way.
The speed boat skirts the southern shore and slows gradually before stopping. She pulls the overhanging foliage and a camouflage net, around the boat to hide it, before changing into camouflage fatigues and military boots.
She kneels next to the boxes she recovered, releasing the straps for her cargo. The smaller case is heavier than it looks but easily carried to her small, sparse camp, before she returns for the other larger, heavier case.
The large bulk case, is unwieldy and heavy but manageable for the most part. However, the undergrowth gets the better of her, on the outskirts of her small camp and the case hits the ground with a thump.
The usual cacophony of sounds from this part of the rainforest fades as the six foot long case whirs, before opening with a hiss. She waves her hand to clear the mist and gasps, “What the hell?”
