Standing at the back of the Lincoln, Tamara kept her head on a swivel, anxious to ditch her cargo and head back to the apartment, which she assumed was being cleared out, the mission a success. C'mon agents, where the fuck are you motherfuckers? she whispered, knowing that the longer she was there, the more and more the chances would go up that the wrong person would come down the alleyway and then she'd have to make a few decisions she didn't really want to have to make, especially since - now that she was on the outside - her telepathic scanning powers were fully on and ready to use if need be.
Then, she caught sight of a Humvee coming down the alleyway - how it fit in these narrow confines, she had no idea of - but it did, pulling up to a stop near the Lincoln, whereupon a couple of the biggest meatheads Tamara Lyell had ever laid eyes on stepped out of the vehicle, soon joined by a rather strong-willed, buxom woman who, in her past life as a free woman, might've fallen for... “Tamara, I’m Agent Inola. I’m your team’s contingency plan if something went south with the operation. Whoever that was that was chasing you knows what to look for and that is you and that car. Let’s put her in my vehicle, tranq her, and ditch the Lincoln,” she heard the woman tell her.
"I don't think it went south offhand but...," Tamara replied, pausing as Agent Ford's voice came over the radio. "All GADEM units, be advised: outside threats neutralized. Will explain back at the safehouse. Agent Ford out." Breathing a rather big sigh of relief, Tamara flipped the safety back on and holstered her Beretta Bobcat, getting it out of view of anyone watching them. Seeing the identification around Inola's neck, Tamara listened as Agent Inola continued. “Mark...can you retrieve me my body armor and one of the tranqs from the back of my Humvee please?”
As Mark - Meathead #1 to Tamara - got her the requested items, Tamara motioned for Agent Inola and the other Meathead - Meathead #2 - to join her at the back of the Lincoln; popping open the trunk, she stepped back at Inola strapped on her body armor around her, causing Tamara for a few moments to have some very impolite thoughts about her, thoughts she not-so-quickly buried in the back of her mind. Looking down at the motionless body of Hannah Lerios, who was still bound up, Tamara leaned down and lightly tapped her head with the back of her hand, checking to see if she was coming out of whatever custom tranq she'd given her earlier. "She's still out like a light," Tamara told them, "but its' been a little while, so I'd go ahead with the tranq there," pointing to the tranq Inola was holding in her mouth.
"By the time Little Miss Blondie here wakes up, she'll be back at the safehouse, being prepped for transport to Marin Island," Tamara said to Agent Inola. Looking over at her, Tamara added, "What happens after that is not my concern but still, I wouldn't want to be her," nodding towards the target before turning her attention back to the GADEM agent as they stood there...
Walking over to the back of the car, Melissa watched as Tamara opened the trunk of the car and was looking at the objective bound and asleep. Feeling a set of eyes on her, it made her look from the target to everyone else until she stopped on the mutant who’s gaze quickly adverted away. Smirking a bit, The Female Agent took the tranq and placed the needle into the bend of Hannah’s arm. Once it was in her bloodstream, she took the tranq out and slid it into her armor’s pocket. Looking at the agents she stepped away. The agents she was with picked up the blonde and carried her into the back of the Humvee. Opening the one side door, they slid her onto the one seat and hooked her cuffed hands and feet to the floor via by welled clasps to keep a prisoner still. Sliding on a seat belt around Hannah’s waist, they then shut the door. Nodding their heads, Inola gave them a thumbs up. Slamming the trunk down, Inola reached into her pockets. Pulling out a cigarette pack and a lighter. Walking to the side of the car right to the gas tank. Opening the pack, she pulled out a single cigarette that was in there and closed the pack, but kept it in her hand. Lighting the cigarette, she took a drag from it and slowly exhaled. Her one hand raised up to head level with her index and middle finger aiming outwards moved her hand up and down towards the Humvee. The engine fired up and went into reverse. As they were driving away, Melissa stood there smoking still.
“When I was in the Forces, me and my unit were sent to Iraq. Our task was to help take out insurgents in an out the way village. Our boots hit the ground and we went through it. Taking out our targets one buy one. By the end of it *takes a drag and slowly exhales*, we had killed 25 terrorists. That night, we set up camp outside of the village. Me and my brother were celebrating his birthday. A child tat was a mutant had come up to us and gave us gifts from thanks of their village. I had noticed that this child had a pack of cigarettes in his pocket.” Melissa took another drag and it was now at the half way point with it’s cherry glowing. She breathed out it’s menthol flavor smoke as she spoke still. “I should have went with my gut feeling...because in that pack was a little baggy that had a cotton ball soaked with gasoline and tied with a long piece of hemp rope. The child put the cotton ball into the humvee’s fueltank...the one my brother was writing his girlfriend a letter in. I was out on watch when I heard the explosion....there wasn’t anything noticeable of my brother as I came running trying to get to him, to be by his side and help him...but..I was to late. That boy was gone. It had fled running on all six of it’s legs...” Melissa said as she stared at the wall in front of her. Opening the pack, she pulled out a little baggy with a cotton ball. “Come on, let’s go and take a walk Ms. Lyell.” Opening the fuel tank, she slid in the cotton ball and then lit the string. Putting the lighter away, Melissa began walking down the alley in which her Humvee went from.
Taking another drag, she kept her hand in her pocket. Smoking pouring out of her nose as her boots patted along the way of the asphalt. Her eyes observed everything in her field of view, she would ask. “So...what made you decide to hunt down your own kind Ms. Lyell? You seem like the person who wouldn’t have stopped fighting what you believe in. If it wasn’t for love, then you might have went mad for some reason. But what do I know? I’m just a grunt being paid to track and retrieve targets for GADEM.” Flicking the cigarette and when it hit the asphalt, the car behind them exploded into a fireball and flipped onto its roof.
Watching as Agent Inola injected the second tranq into Hannah's unconscious form, Tamara didn't squirm or flinch; as far as she was concerned, Hannah was headed to a place she well and truly belonged at and that thought alone eased Tamara's mind. Stepping back as Meatheads #1 and #2 carried the bound form back to the Humvee, where they secured her to the back and closed the back area shut, she kept checking out Inola, imagining her strong hands holding her, enveloping her, their bodies enjoying each other--
Stop, Tamara thought, stop it! She's a GADEM agent, you're a mutant double agent, what are you doing?!? But she couldn't deny that the thoughts were there and as they stood there, Tamara shoved them deep into her mind, hiding them away from conscious memory as Inola spoke to her... “When I was in the Forces, me and my unit were sent to Iraq. Our task was to help take out insurgents in an out the way village. Our boots hit the ground and we went through it. Taking out our targets one buy one. By the end of it *takes a drag and slowly exhales*, we had killed 25 terrorists. That night, we set up camp outside of the village. Me and my brother were celebrating his birthday. A child tat was a mutant had come up to us and gave us gifts from thanks of their village. I had noticed that this child had a pack of cigarettes in his pocket.” Melissa took another drag and it was now at the half way point with it’s cherry glowing. She breathed out it’s menthol flavor smoke as she spoke still. “I should have went with my gut feeling...because in that pack was a little baggy that had a cotton ball soaked with gasoline and tied with a long piece of hemp rope. The child put the cotton ball into the humvee’s fueltank...the one my brother was writing his girlfriend a letter in. I was out on watch when I heard the explosion....there wasn’t anything noticeable of my brother as I came running trying to get to him, to be by his side and help him...but..I was to late. That boy was gone. It had fled running on all six of it’s legs...”
"There wasn't anything you could've done, Agent Inola,' Tamara replied. "You didn't know....I mean that; you didn't know what was going to happen and you've been beating yourself up over it ever since," pausing as she struggled to find something to say. Before she could continue, Inola asked as they began walking back towards the Lincoln, which was primed for destruction, “So...what made you decide to hunt down your own kind Ms. Lyell? You seem like the person who wouldn’t have stopped fighting what you believe in. If it wasn’t for love, then you might have went mad for some reason. But what do I know? I’m just a grunt being paid to track and retrieve targets for GADEM.”
Taking a long breath, Tamara replied as they continued walking along, "Because we mutants are a clear and present danger to the survival of the human race. Mutantism is a disease that must be eradicated, one mutant at a time, in order for humanity to continue on this planet...and if that means I have to do the things I have to do - like deliver fellow mutants into your organization's hands - then I'll do it. I don't like it, I don't want to do it; the whole thought makes me want to....," turning away as she left the unspoken part of it hanging in the air, "but if its' between this and spending the rest of my days on some goddamn rock off the California coast, I'll do it and I won't hesitate to. Just like you won't hesitate to do your job to the utmost, even if it involves the occasional qualm that must be crossed and dealt with," pausing as she watched Agent Inola flick the cigarette onto the ground, the sounds of the Lincoln exploding behind them. "You wouldn't have it any other way," Tamara said as they continued along, "just like you wouldn't mind going out with me to dinner sometime while we're out here in the City of Angels.....right, Agent Inola?" looking right at her as they stood in the alleyway, smoke and fire barreling upwards from the burning Lincoln at the other way of the alley.
As they walked, Agent Inola heard what Tamara was saying to her. Nodding her head, she didn’t say anything about what she said about her not being able to know what had happened so many years before. Pulling the Glock out from the back of her pants, she tucked it in the front. Stopping for a bit, Melissa took her body armor off and then her shirt, showing off her hard body as the muscles outlines were see able. Putting on her body armor to her skin and bra, she strapped it tight. Then she slid her shirt over it to her body armor concealed from sight. Didn’t need civilians being freaked out by seeing a person wearing military grade body armor. The answer to her question had sounded almost scripted in a way. Her eyes scanned the area as they walked onto the sidewalk and began making their way towards the different safe houses. There was a reason the Agent was looking around, the feeling of eyes watching. But, thanks to her training, it had lead her to whom was looking her up and it was the very mutant who was talking and even hint at for them to go out for dinner sometime while they were still in the city before they both get shipped out for their next hunts. “I’m going to go out on a whim that you like to presume a good bit Befire using your brain scanning abilities? You’d actually be wrong on some aspects of your theories.”
Her voice was calm, cool and collected as she talked. Both of her hands were in her pockets as she thought about everything that she went through. “I do it to redeem myself in the eyes of my parents, my family and my ancestors. The day I came back on the transport with my brothers casket...I saw the husks that were my parents standing their. Eyes as empty of life then the destruction of Nagasaki when the bombs fell. I was the eldest child of the two of us. I walked down the ramp with him and my parents...they slowly came towards us...but, instead of being met with warm and welcome arms, I got spat on and was told I had disgraced my family for letting my brother die, because he wanted kids...to carry on the family name since I’m a lesbian. My dad couldn’t even look me in the eye as he watched his little boy being wheeled to the flight hanger along with the other soldiers who had lost their lives serving their country. For months, I lived alone out in the mountains of Pennsylvania drinking my life away day and night. Reliving a war that I wasn’t part of anymore. Until one day after a months and even putting a gun to my mouth, Director Chase had come out to my cabin with a group of her soldiers. All soldiers I had worked with in the military. They helped me through my darkest hours of life and gave me a purpose. I do this line of work because it’s all I know...tracking...hunting...capturing...killing...some life style I had chosen for myself. When blood is in the air, like a fox, I go on the prowl.”
Turning her head off to the side, she spat on the asphalt as she had the taste of stomach bile and blood in her mouth. In her ear, she could hear the chatter with the agents that she brought with on the transport was talking between the two meat heads and the techie back at the motel. Techie was giving them instructions of what roads to take and told them that the transport going to pick up their target was going to be at the motel the next day since both chopper and boats won’t be available until then. So that meant more babysitting was going to be their task and that he was talking to the other team’s leader as to their location and where they will be storing the target. She heard the invite for his team to bunk up with them u til Melissa chimed in. “I’ll be bunking Alone. No males are allowed into my room unless I say so and I’m not paying for more rooms that I already have purchased. So it’s on your head to do so if you do move operations over with us, Agent Ford.” Then Melissa undid her ear piece and slid it into her pocket, she didn’t want to deal with the male leader while still on the move, miles away from the safe haven.
Listening to Agent Inola talk about how far she had fallen following the death of her brother and how it had affected her caused Tamara to momentarily flinch, suddenly grieving inside for the other woman but even as much as she wanted to shut off her telepathic abilities, she couldn't. Not now. "Agent Inola, I can't pretend to know everything about your life; that's a task even a Scanner can't fulfill. I do know this: you need to let go of the grief...or its' going to eat you up inside, no matter what you do in your life or what you say or all that, its' going to eat..you...alive.
"Tell me I'm wrong, Agent Inola," Tamara said, staring the GADEM agent square in the eye as they stood on the sidewalk, the safehouse apartments Tamara was lodged in for this mission just a few blocks away. "If I'm wrong, if you think I'm crossing some boundary or something, then tell me right now and I'll stop." By now, Tamara was standing pretty much right up next to the GADEM agent, the fire in Tamara's eyes - the first time since her capture and imprisonment that she'd felt that same fire, the same fire Director Chase and her interrogators had beaten out of her all those months ago - shining as brightly as the sun from close distance. "But you know in your heart I'm right; I never knew your brother, Agent Inola, but I'm sure he was a good person, like you...what would he think of what happened afterward?" her scanning abilities tapping into Inola's mind, into the darker recesses, her powers allowing her to picture her brother as if he were standing right there with them. "I never knew him but I can see him telling you to get up, dust yourself off and get back to living your life the only way you can: full throttle, balls to the wall every moment of the day, living each second as if it is your last on this earth!"
After a few more moments, Tamara turned away, the flood of thoughts and emotions about to overrun her own mind; wiping away a momentary tear, she looked back at Inola, the fire still in her eyes. "My offer of dinner still stands, but I suspect you need more than a dinner with another beautiful woman; you need to live again, to know what its' like to love and be loved, to feel the touch," pausing as her hand lightly brushed Inola's arm, "of someone close to you...." By now, the fire was gone from Tamara's eyes, replaced by a friendlier, softer look. "Like I said, that offer of dinner's still open," Tamara said, pausing as she began to turn towards the safehouse; looking back, she added, "Come by about eight; I'll be waiting......"
Sitting at the table in one of the apartments GADEM was using as a safehouse for their California operation, Agent Ford sat and skimmed through the organization's file on the now-captured Hannah Lerios, going through it with a fine-tooth comb so that, once his agents returned with the subject, he could begin what would be a 2-3 day interrogation - an interrogation hopefully only needing conversation, not torture, to work - in which he would tear open the subject's life, history and bona fides', breaking the subject down in every possible way imaginable. It was a sometimes tedious, sometimes tiresome, sometimes cat-and-mouse like chase, but it was one the GADEM intelligence agent relished.
To Agent Ford's way of seeing, it was one thing to go out and capture and then hold mutants in their custody - any agency of the federal government could do that, he reckoned - but it was another thing to break down their secrets, their ways of life and of living, all in an effort to understand the mutant threat to America and her way of life. We're like the FBI agents tasked to do counter-intelligence work during the Cold War, he would often opine, and that doesn't just involve tracking and tailing and dealing with mutants; its' much more than that. It was much more than that: it meant getting into the minds of mutants - a sometimes distasteful task, he thought as he recollected the two weeks of conversations with Tamara Lyell following the Director's decision to make her a double agent, two weeks of conversations of what was a crash course in what made a mutant tick, what kept them going. It was straight-up intelligence work, the kind of work William Ford was made for. Granted, he knew the Operations side of GADEM would blanche at the sometimes cozy-as-hell relationship the organization's Intelligence agents had to cultivate with mutants - that reminds me, he thought, pausing his train of thought as he wrote a note to himself, I need to contact Agent Hodges back east and ask her if there's been any unusual mutant activity of late there - but as he also would often tell fellow GADEM agents, if that's the price we need to be prepared to pay in order to preserve the superiority of the human race, then so be it; it was as simple as that.
"Agent Ford?" he heard someone say; looking over, he saw one of his fellow agents, an interrogator with a knack for physicality that Ford eschewed most days, standing at the door. "Yes, what is it?" he asked, taking his reading glasses off and rubbing his eyes.
"That bounty hunter who tried to steal our target, we brought her in; do you want to talk to her?" he asked Agent Ford.
"Yes, bring Ms. Tilghman in please," Agent Ford replied, leaning back in his chair as he waited for them to go fetch the wayward bounty hunter; he had several questions for her and he wanted answers....
Post by Brooke Tilghman on Oct 22, 2018 16:03:52 GMT
Wish someone would take these damned cuffs off me! Brooke muttered as she sat in what looked like some 50's era apartment, wondering just what the hell was going on, who had taken her and her partner captive and what blind decorator had decorated the apartment. The walls looked like some decayed canary yellow, the furniture looked a generation old and the cushioned chair she was sitting in felt like it was made of pins and needles. It also didn't help that her hands were cuffed behind her back, which made it very hard to sit down. Okay, who are these fuckers? she mused. FBI, DEA, ATF....a militant branch of FEMA perhaps? quickly going through the alphabet soup of agencies that came to mind.
Suddenly, the door opened and two gentlemen dressed in dark-cut suits walked in and grabbed an arm each, roughly jerking her up onto her feet. "Hey!" Brooke shouted, trying to shake their grip loose but failing, their grip like iron. Half-dragged, half-walking, Brooke was taken down what looked like an interior hallway, pausing only long enough for open a door, enter and roughly shove her down onto a large chair with long, vertical slats; almost as soon as her rear hit the chair, her hands were uncuffed, only to have them be recuffed, only this time through the slats so that she couldn't get up from the chair. Looking around, she saw a rather well-dressed man in a trench-coat sitting across a table from her. "Who are you?" she asked.
"Who I am or who I work for isn't important," the man replied, "but if you must know, you can call me Agent Ford," getting up from the chair and coming around to the other side of the table, resting against it as he glanced down at her. "But I must tell you, Ms. Tilghman--"
"Please, call me Brooke," Brooke interrupted him, wondering what kind of play was going on here.
"Okay...Brooke," Agent Ford said, pausing as he caught something out of the air and held it up in front of her. "Recognize this?" he asked, turning it around a few times; it was one of the explosive devices that Brooke had planted at the West Coast Register earlier that day and while she didn't look it, a second's spark of fear flashed through her. "LAPD found this; it didn't go off...the others did; that was some nice work there, burning down their building and causing a panic," turning where he stood to open up a file and rifle through it. "Let's see....building destroyed, two dead, a bunch injured....like I said," he added deadpan, "nice work," setting the file back down. "Now, if I didn't have an offer for you, I'd simply bury you in state and federal charges and let the prosecutors sort out whether to give you a hemp necklace in Sacramento or Terre Haute," referring to the method of execution used by both the state of California and the United States for those convicted of capital murder, "but as it stands, I'm offering you a chance here."
"What chance?" Brooke asked, the earlier fear now evident on her face.
"A chance to work for GADEM," Agent Ford said, holding the file from earlier in his hand and using it as a pointer. "You see, Brooke, we've got you more ways from Sunday here, but my boss - Director Chase - isn't the type of person to waste potential talents on those who aren't willing to work with us so....," looking right at Brooke as he added, "what's it going to be? Years of time spent in prison just waiting for them to walk you down the dead man's corridor someday or a chance to work for us?"
For several minutes Brooke Tilghman stewed over the agent's question, trying to decide whether he was bluffing or not. "And if I don't join your organization?" she asked, hoping he was bluffing.
He wasn't. "Then I'm going to be there, Brooke, when they march you up the gallows....be there when they slip the noose around your neck, be there when they drop you through the trap door, be there" - snapping his fingers - "when you hit the end of it and your neck snaps from hitting the end of the rope....and I'll be there when your life fades away," snapping his fingers a second time. By now there was definite fear in Brooke's eyes and body and she knew he could probably sense it. "But if you decide to work for us, I can make it all go away - the charges, the threat of arrest and imprisonment, etc.,etc.,etc.,," his voice now calm but utterly foreboding in tone. "Its' all up to you...."
By now, Brooke was shaking inside; she just wanted to get the hell out of there alive and free...and she especially wanted to get the fuck away from Agent Ford, who now had the aura of evil around him, she could tell. "So its' either I work for your - what did you say your group was?"
"GADEM," Agent Ford replied.
"GADEM," Brooke said quietly. "So its' either work for GADEM or hang from a rope someday, huh?" still fearful of Agent Ford but feeling as though she were backed into a corner with no way out, no window to escape from. Letting out a long, long breath, Brooke shook her head as if trying to clear some imaginary cobwebs from her mind. "What do....," pausing to cough, "what do I have to do?" she asked.
Smiling, Agent Ford stood up and said, "Just what you and your former bounty hunter partner have been doing; keep working as a bounty hunter only you'll get your targets from us," walking back around and nodding at the wall behind Brooke. As he sat down, one of the agents who'd escorted her to the interview room stepped inside and took off the handcuffs, allowing Brooke to bring her hands around. Rubbing her wrists, she listened as Agent Ford continued on; eventually, he finished. Looking back at him, she said, "Alright, you've got my interest; where do I sign up?"
Agent Inola was quiet while walking and listening to Tamara before simply stopping in her tracks. Just steps away from Tamara who was staring her down and telling her that the grief she had tucked deep inside of herself. Tamara had such passion behind them chocolate brown Eyes and spoke in volumes. She presumed of what Mathias would have thought and say. Her eyes drifted to the side until she felt...something odd with her mind. As if some sort of wave had gone through ever nook and cranny inside of her brain. As she was about to look back at Tamara from looking at the ground, her eyes caught sight of the desert military boots. Moving up further, she painfully remembered those size medium desert fatigue pants. Melissa didn’t want to look further up, but she kept going until she was looking in the eyes of Mathias. Looking up at him slightly, she just wanted to give him a hug, but her brain knew other wise. He was buried at the family plot in Pennsylvania. There was no real way for him to be standing there with them, unless...and her gaze slowly looked at Tamara, it was her. Taking in a slow but deep intake of air into her lungs, she heard about the offer for dinner.
Which then went on to her saying that she knew what the GADEM agent actually needs, the interactions with another female. Persistent Tamara was being, even after bringing up the image of her brother. The agent fought so hard not to draw her gun and shoot the mutant in the head because of the lack of boundaries she hadn’t figured that would cause issues from her doing that. But, she kept her hands to her sides as she had a tight feeling of a pit inside of her gut. Her eyes went sliding downwards when she felt and saw the hand on her arm. The feeling of the hand was nice to feel upon her own skin. But she shook her mind a bit of the distraction since they weren’t safe just yet. They still had a bit to go before reaching their safe houses. As she was going to turn the opposite direction in which case Tamara was going to be going down, she heard about the time of when Melissa was to show up at the room. Stopping in her tracks, she turned a bit to look at Tamara. Thinking about it, she would finally say to her. “I don’t come to other Agents safe houses. But I have a feeling that things are going to be changing with your team. You’ll know where to find me.” And she started to walk down her path of her sidewalk.
Instead of hailing a taxi or calling an Uber, she needed time to clear her mind and to be able to think properly. Mixing business with pleasure was never a good policy since it meant someone could have possible leverage over one or both. With her ear piece still in her pocket, the buzzing of silence in her ear was a god send because she didn’t feel like hearing the males of both teams talking to each other and possibly even start a shouting match to see who will back down and who had the biggest dick amongst them all. Sliding her hands into her pockets, she had felt the eyes on her feeling creeping into her. The watching feeling while she walked alone, Melissa thought that it was Tamara admiring the backside of her. But won’t she be ever so wrong later on down the road. If she had her earpiece in, she would have known it as there was a group of people keeping their eyes on not Tamara, nooo, their hunting eyes were laid on Melissa as they watched her from different buildings and even had a drone up in the air. These weren’t GADEM agents, FBI, CIA, DEA or even the police or their military Counterparts. These were a group of Merc’s hired to track down Melissa. The one leading them was watching her through the drone from ten miles away inside of her makeshift hideout. Twirling her index finger through her red hair, she heard the request to engage. ”This is Snow White, don’t engage. Keep on tracking her. Need to find out where she is holding up at.”There was a range of 10-4’s. Snow White knew these guys cause they all served under her in the Army Rangers. “Oooh Melissa, how predictable you are...just like how predictable Mathias was. No one tells me no twice and lives to see another day.”
“I don’t come to other Agents safe houses. But I have a feeling that things are going to be changing with your team. You’ll know where to find me.” And she started to walk down her path of her sidewalk.
"Alright," Tamara replied, disappointed. She needed - no, wanted! - the touch of another woman next to her and it ached her to be rejected like that, but she took it in stride. She'd been lady-blocked before. Still, she added, "Agent Ford wants us back at the apartment complex in West Hollywood for debriefing; he'll especially want to talk to you, Agent Inola. I'll see you there," waiting several seconds before turning in the other direction and walking down the sidewalk, towards the apartment safehouse.
As she walked down the sidewalk, she could swear she felt someone's malevolent presence nearby; what it was, she didn't know. She knew that telepathic scanners like herself could pick up on these things; it was a sixth sense inherently native to Scanners but she'd never felt it this malevolent before. Stopping at a taco truck stand, Tamara ordered a couple of shrimp tacos on corn tortillas with lots of cilantro, sour cream and pico de gallo and stood eating both, savoring the flavor of each one as she quickly ate. "Mucho gracias, senor", she said, giving a tip to the stand owner as she turned and continued down the sidewalk. Suddenly, the malevolence hit her with the force of a 8+ Richter earthquake, stopping her dead in her tracks. She'd never felt this kind of hatred before but to her surprise, it wasn't directed right at her and that puzzled her.
Then who is...., Tamara started to think before her heart dropped; its' not me, its' Agent Inola that they're watching. Son of a bitch! Knowing that she could also be under surveillance as well, she didn't dare go towards Inola. Instead, she began walking quickly, stopping at each intersection to scan the skies above; she doubted she could pick up anything but it beat standing around and doing nothing. Keying her covert radio mic, Tamara spoke quickly. "All agents, all agents, this is Tamara broadcasting in the open. We've got a serious situation in the air up here near Los Feliz; requesting an all-assist to my location; break." Seconds later, she called out in a quiet but insistent voice, having ducked into an alleyway for a little privacy. "Agent Inola! Agent Inola! This is Tamara broadcasting in the open. Be advised; you got eyes in the sky watching you; I don't know who nor could I spot them but they're up there somewhere. Keep your eyes on a swivel and watch your ass!" Waiting a few more seconds, she added, "Agent Ford, Tamara again in the open; switching over to beacon," pausing as she switched to a quiet beeper mode; in this setting, her radio would send out a beep every three seconds, marking her exact location.
Stepping back out onto the sidewalk, she picked up her pace, hoping everyone heard her message and hoping Agent Ford would get up off his ass and get everyone out the door; something was about to go down and she didn't want to be out naked when it happened....
Last Edit: Oct 25, 2018 15:52:35 GMT by Tamara Lyell
Smiling, Agent Ford stood up and said, "Just what you and your former bounty hunter partner have been doing; keep working as a bounty hunter only you'll get your targets from us," walking back around and nodding at the wall behind Brooke. As he sat down, one of the agents who'd escorted her to the interview room stepped inside and took off the handcuffs, allowing Brooke to bring her hands around. Rubbing her wrists, she listened as Agent Ford continued on; eventually, he finished. Looking back at him, she said, "Alright, you've got my interest; where do I sign up?"
"No need to sign up," Agent Ford replied, smiling as he sat back on the edge of the desk, a wry Cheshire Cat grin across his face. "Like I said, you keep doing what you've been doing only you'll draw a government salary with all the perks and benefits that go with it. You'll be working for me most assignments; other times, you'll get your orders from GADEM headquarters in Washington--" Before he could continue, another agent rushed in, breathless. "What is it?" Agent Ford asked.
"Just got a call in from Tamara; possible threat to her and Agent Inola!" the agent cried out, playing the messages sent out by the double agent just minutes ago. Listening to the message, Agent Ford quickly came up with a plan of action. I could use Agent Hodges out here right now, he thought as he spoke. "First, watch over the safehouse complex; if someone's going for our agents, they may be trying to rescue our package. Speaking of which, make sure Hannah's secured and ready for transport to Marin Island; have the transport team take her there now. Finally, have all agents who aren't currently working rally down on the street, weapons and sensors at the ready. Now go, go!"
As the agent rushed out, Agent Ford looked over at to Brooke and said to her, "Here's a chance to prove you're as good a bounty hunter as they say you are; let's roll."
With her hands in her pockets, she kept on walking down the sidewalk not knowing what was being said or that there was a threat just yet. Melissa avoided from bumping into anyone as she felt a vibrate from her phone. Her hand pulled it out of her pocket and saw she had two messages. One from Her team’s techie saying, “Inola, target secured and why is your ear piece not in your ear?” The second one was from an unknown number that says, “Knock Knock sleeping beauty, enjoy the silence.” Seeing this confusing, her eyes looked up to her cellphones service bars. There was no service and people around her were complaining about dropped calls, dead zone or that their messages aren’t going through. This was a tactic used by military, black ops, government agents to make sure that their target/targets couldn’t call for help. This even stopped the beacon beeping signal from Tamara. All signal’s we’re now being jammed. Agent Inola slid her phone back into her pocket and began to pick up her speed of how fast she was moving. Going from walking to running was next to 0.01 seconds from the time she realized what was going on.
That message had her worried a bit since someone found her personal number and texted her that message. On her run through the city, she stumbled across a pawn shop. Turning into it, she walked inside. There was guns, tv’s games, game systems and other things you’d expect in a pawn shop. The agent went over to the counter that had the firearms. Looking over them, this guy had a good bit of firearms for sell. A round of a man came waddling up to her. “Good day miss, I see you have an eye for my fine selection of firearms.” She didn’t answer him as she looked at hunting rifles, shotguns, sub machine pistols, handguns, revolvers. “I’ll take that Roger Blackhawk, a box of the .45 rounds along with a box of 9mm. Also, that sawed off double barrel with shells.” Looking around the store, she went over to where she saw backpacks. Grabbing a water camouflage one, she carried it to the counter. The guy looked at her confused as she loaded the shotgun into the pack and even loaded two shells into it. “Umm miss, mind if I see some ID?” Melissa had picked up the Ruger and was sliding in each bullet and turning the cylinder. When he asked her for ID, she slid in the last shell and pulled out her Military ID and handed it to him. Taking out her money, she placed 2,000 dollars onto the glass counter and said to him. “Put the rest on a running tab for me. If I come in again, I’ll just point to what I want and leave.”
The man greedily took the money without question and even threw in a holster. Sliding the .45 revolver into the holster and then tucked them into the front of her pants and then slid her shirt over it to cover it. Zipping up her bag, she slid her money clip back into her back pocket and her ID back under her body armor. Swinging the back over her shoulder, she left the store and slipped on her shades. Merging with the crowd, Melissa began walking again. But something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head slightly tonthat side, she looked and saw someone was keeping step to step with her. ‘So I have a tail? But who’s tail does that belong to?’ She thought to herself while she walked. Wanting to make this fast, she stepped to the curb and waved down a taxi. Once one came to a stop, she slipped into it and gave the driver directions of where to drop her off at, which was three blocks from her hiding spot with her Team, and where target Hannah was in by now. Relaxing in the seat, it was going to take her a bit to get there. After a bit, she looked at the side mirror and noticed that there was a vehicle following the taxi. She was ready for a fire fight as she felt her adrenaline starting to kick in through her body. “You know what pal, you can drop me off here at this Hotel.” The man shrugged and pulled to the curb. Taking her money out, she handed him the amount for the fair and said to him, “Keep the change.” Then slipped out.
Walking to the front doors of the hotel, the Agent went inside and went to the front desk. “Afternoon ma’am, I’d like to rent a room for the next couple of nights.” The young lady behind the desk began to type into her computer, then was reading. “Well, looks like your in luck cause a room opened up earlier today on the 8th floor. Room 202. Would that be check or..” Melissa took out her money clip between her middle finger and index finger, tapping it on the counter. “That’s 50 dollars a night miss.” Melissa took out three hundred dollars. “That’s just in case I miss my flight and need to stay somewhere so I can get back home and visit my family back east. They didn’t know yet That I’m coming home.” The lady smiled nodding her head and handed Inola the Keycard for her room. Winking at the younger lady, she walked to the stair well and began racing up them before whoever was following her came in. Her heavy footsteps banged a bit against the steel stairs while going up floor by floor until she was on floor 8. Opening the door and stepping out, she was breathing a bit faster as she walked around the floor trying to find her room until she saw those three number’s, 202. Sliding the card into the slot, the red light on the display screen went green and she hurried inside. Shutting the door and hearing the lock engage, Melissa moved towards the small table and began to take her firearms out and set them down. Once all the guns were out, she sat down and began to reload her Glock’s clips.
Continuing to walk south, towards Hollywood Boulevard and towards Sunset Boulevard, Tamara left her radio beacon on, hoping Agent Ford and the rest of the GADEM team in the area would pick up the signal when, all of a sudden, she saw people scrambling around, looking at their smartphones and tablets. All around her, she could heard in her mind the frantic words No signal, where's the signal? What happened to my bars? over and over again like a repetitive tone, enough to - where she not on the clock - drive her insane with the constant chatter. Focus, Tamara, focus, she thought to herself, stopping herself and taking several minutes to orient herself, get her mind focused on the task at hand. There's got to a be a jammer somewhere nearby, she thought, but where could it be?
Before she could answer her own question, she heard the screeching of several cars' brakes lighting up at once; turning towards the street, she saw a couple old-school Ford Crown Victorias' - the box-type cars, not the rounded-off ones - come to a stop and Agent Ford yell out, "Get in, now!" Not waiting for any other instructions, Tamara dove into the back seat of one of the Crown Vics', almost right on top of someone she didn't know. Oh, hello! Tamara thought as she sat back up and glanced at the woman sitting opposite her in the back of Agent Ford's car, barely buckling in before they took off down Sunset, presumably towards the other GADEM team. "Someone's jamming communications, Agent Ford," Tamara said, catching her breath as Agent Ford began speaking.
"Someone is, but its' not us," Agent Ford replied. "All we know is about 10, 15 minutes ago most communications and internet signals in this part of Los Angeles went dark; no bars, no signal, no internet access....like we got dumped into a black hole," pausing as he checked his .45 M1911, making sure it was loaded and that he had several spare clips at the ready. "We think its' rogue agents but we're not sure; all I know is we're going to make pickup on the other GADEM team and get back to the safehouse."
"What about the target?" Tamara asked; with everything that was going on, she didn't want the primary objective to be lost in the confusion.
"She's being prepped for transport to Marin Island as we speak," Agent Ford, "but we're not moving her until we pick up the other team." Pausing, he pointed over at the other woman sitting next to Tamara. "Tamara, that's Brooke Tilghman, the bounty hunter who tried to steal our target."
"Nice to meet you, bitch," Tamara said deadpan, turning back towards the agent without bothering to shake Brooke's hand or acknowledge her presence. "So, we're just going to go in like gangbusters or what?"
"No, we're not. Pull over here," Agent Ford said. Once everyone was stopped, he got out and signaled everyone to suit up and rally on his vehicle; taking off his long trenchcoat, he quickly put on a Kevler vest, handing one to both Tamara and Brooke. Once everyone was rallied on him, Agent Ford spoke. "Okay, everyone, listen up. We're going to go pick up the other GADEM team and get the hell outta' here; there may be hostile opposition in the area, so keep your eyes open and weapons at the ready," pausing to wait and see if anyone had any questions. "No questions? Alright, let's move, everyone. Now, like we got a purpose...."
