Fade to Black

Three weeks later...

Fade in, terrace overlooking the blue waters of the Meditteranean.

Jess treats the team during their R&R with a stay at her "uncle's" house in Santorini. During a relaxing afternoon, two me enter through the small gate. One of them is Nightengale and the other is a rather haggard looking individual. Brian immediately picks up on the man's stance, deriving that he's either Royal Army or, at the very least, ex-military.

Nightengale seems a bit distraught about cutting into his team's leave, but gets down to business right after pleasantries are exhanged. He gestures for them to retire inside the house wherein he goes over the latest news from the homefront.

"Since the time of Catesby's apprehension the team has learned of a Splinter Cell (TM) of the Fawkes Organization based in Belfast, Ireland. It is believed that they are planning a widescale retributive strike, both in retaliation to Catesby's capture and in defiance of the standing IRA/UK cease-fire."

During the briefing, Nightengale's cohort is a bit uneasy of the environment in which he apparently was dropped. His ruddied guise is further enhanced by his profuse amount of perspiration.

Brian, who was up until that point enjoying a nice cold beer and the scenery, both aquatic and italian female in nature, looks somewhat distressed.

"Splendid. Northern Ireland. Just splendid. Did you not get the memo about the rather large footprint we tend to leave?"

Nightengale grins,

"I'm actually counting on that footprint, Agent Osprey. After the incident at Berwick, your team's Cloak and Broadsword reputation will be preceding you wherever you may be operating. In lieu of this and under my recommendation, the Agency is reassigning you to the frontline, which leads me into introducing Master Sergeant Donovan McTaggert, Royal Marines. He'll be your Agency liason in Belfast."

Jess walks onto the scene, clothed in a light summer dress and wielding a Pina Colada.

"Relax, Brian. If the boys at the PR department are bored again, who are we to deny them with some good fireworks to cover up?"

"Will somebody please requisition a support weapon this time? If there's a Day-After-Thanksgiving sale we could pick it up discounted."

Carla sets aside her Singapore Sling and stands up. Clad in two-piece and sarong, she proceeds to give the fish-out-of-water sargeant a surprisingly strong handshake.

"Glad to be working with you. I'm Carla--I do infiltration and close combat mainly."

Jess sets down her drink and walks over to Nightengale.

"Say, has the leak we encountered during the last mission been properly traced? I'm not about to fall for the same trick twice."

Artis comes out of the inside with a beer in each hand. He tosses one to Nightingale and the marine. "I'm Goose, I'm either getting us into trouble or getting us back out of it."

Sgt McTaggert perks up when Goose arrives with the alcohol. He appreciatively nods, taking a large swig then dragging the cold beer bottle across his prostrated face.

Nightengale takes a drink,

"Thank you, Agent Goose. To answer your question, the intelligence leak has been narrowed down to an disavowed MI-5 agent now working sympathetically for the Irish resistance in Belfast. His name is John Dolan. Getting to him shouldn't be a problem, he's was one of the chief British mediators in the IRA/UK cease fire...very high profile. The problem is that MI-5 nor the Ministry of Defence approves the usage of government agents in assassinations of public figures."

Nightengale puts down his beer and looks in Brian's general direction.

"That is why you, Agent Osprey, have been chosen to do it..."

Brian nods. "Seems reasonable enough. So, we shut down your man, and clean out the organization, in the process leaving our usual debris trail. Does MI-6 and SAS know we're coming? I'd hate to have either one of them get caught up when we go rampaging through Ireland."

"Fortunately, Northern Ireland falls under Five's jurisdiction, so we won't have any problems with them. SAS has been informed and will know you are coming. The delicate part of the operation is knowing who is friend or foe. There are members of Dolan's group whom the Agency and Downing Street wish to remain alive. That is the only reason why Dolan and Co. haven't had an unfortunate plane crash over the Irish Sea. Mr. Dolan also has a daughter, Emily, who currently is engaged to marry someone within close circles of the Royal Family...the Duke of Gloucester's son. Needless to say, we'd like to avoid any feather-ruffling with the Queen and Court. Sgt. McTaggert has the specifics of the operation."

The Sarge finished his beer, savoring the last cold bit of hoppy goodness. His jovial attitude quickly passes as he tell the team of their objectives.

"As much as I like the relative quietness provided by the cease-fire, it is only a matter of time before this pressure cooker of a situation to blow sky-high. This is why the Ministry of Defence has authorized this clandestine operation. It will be a pre-emptive strike on the splinter cell before they can amass their own forces. The assassination of John Dolan is only one part of the bigger objective designed to create the necessary panic before the military makes their move."

(Edited by Dieter at 3:13 pm on Jan. 13, 2004)

Ayumi speaks up from a nearby lounge chair where she's been taking this all in. Her pistols lie disassembled next to an open cleaning kit on an adjacent card table.

"I wonder, is Dolan's allegiance an open secret? I think we can make this look like a Fawkes in-house hit to further the confusion."

Sgt. McTaggert grimaces at the question.

"That where things get a bit foggy. Outside of public circles, Dolan and Catesby could be considered [i[friends of the family[/i]. Their exact ties to one another haven't ever been determined, but suffice to say given Dolan's devotion to the cause, he'd probably be the last person to cross Catesby and her now rag-tag organization. If anything, he'd want to help Catesby. It's the old the enemy of my enemy is my friend mentality. I've heard rumors that Dolan and Catesby's father had a falling out after the Falklands...both were military you know. Look, aren't you people are the intelligence gatherers? I just kill things and blow stuff up. My assignment from HQ is to deliver you to Belfast and make sure you come out with everything you came in with..."

Jess thinks aloud.

"So, do we have only Emily to protect, or is there someone else? Because if it's only her, I have the feeling that donning a few ski masks and kidnapping her would not only be the best way to get her out of the action, fast, but also to attract some of our targets."

She blinks.

"Unless you'd rather not have her know anything about the sting. That would make things a bit more difficult."

Ayumi mutters something short and impolite in Japanese, then says, "Right. We'll just very kindly inform the girl before we off her father. That'll go over like cake. No, I think we'll need to keep her in the dark.

Quote:

Quote: from Gatac on 6:54 pm on Jan. 13, 2004
Jess thinks aloud.

"So, do we have only Emily to protect, or is there someone else? Because if it's only her, I have the feeling that donning a few ski masks and kidnapping her would not only be the best way to get her out of the action, fast, but also to attract some of our targets."

She blinks.

"Unless you'd rather not have her know anything about the sting. That would make things a bit more difficult."

Nightengale interjects,

"Dolan's daughter is to be protected, that is why the Agency has authorized a shadow detail on her during the entirety of the operation. She's a fourth-year student at the University of Ulster. The matter dealing with her father should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. If Emily gets wind of the plot, she will no doubt go to her fiance and well...I think you all know the next person he will be calling. That is why your objectives, Agents Hummingbird and Ibis, are to work Ms. Dolan's shadow security detail..."

(Edited by Dieter at 9:20 am on Jan. 14, 2004)

"The remainder of your duties will be transmitted ad-hoc based on your current operating status. Sgt McTaggert and I will be heading back to London tonight, take the remainder of your leave since it will probably be a while before you see blue skies and warm sun again. I expect all of you to be in London in two days time."

"Only two more days here? I'm going swimming. Personally, I think we can start putting together threat matrices or attack plans after we leave the Mediterranean paradise. Unless you want the strategy session on the beach, which wouldn't be out of the question for me, I'll be back in a couple hours."

She picks up her towel, murmuring to Ayumi, "At least I don't have babysitting duty."

Carla sits on the beach, soaking in the bright Mediterranean sun. The sounds of waves crash on the sandy beach as she reads the latest copy of Black Belt Magazine (TM). Rifling through the latest killer technique Two vs. One...no problem, the martial artist's face is punched out by a bullet-sized hole, singing the colored paper around the opening. A half second later, two more shots pop out the other two heads on the page.

And I thought I was on vacation...

Carla takes a rapid assessment of the situation.

Ambush by unknown armed adversaries of indeterminate number. Current weapons: beach towel.

Carla rolls to the side and begins running and tumbling for cover, cursing like a sailor under her breath.

Carla uses her blanket to obscure her outline as she makes for some cover...a few fisherman bringing in the late-day catch.

I hope these guys don't mind a little attention.

Bullets kick up the white sand of the beach, following just inches behind Carla's trodden path. As she gets to the fisherman, they perk up at the visage of a half-naked Filipino gal looking desperate.

One of the fisherman looks at another, shouting something at him while coming to Carla's aid.

Gino! I detto voi ai noi che andiamo ottenere ad un buon fermo questo pomeriggio!

(Translation: Gino! I -told- you we gonna get a good catch this afternoon!)

As the swarthy, sweaty, unshaven man puts his dirty arm around her waist, Carla sees that the shooting has stopped...one last bullet hole in her towel, narrowly avoiding where her head would have been. It's almost as if the shooter was intentionally missing her.

If the fishermen had a difficult time restraining themselves before, their task isn't made easier by Jessica hurrying over to the boat. Similarly scantily clad, the one thing that doesn't quite fit is that she's got a large "beach bag" - given recent events, she's probably packing for the worst case scenario.

Seeing that Carla appears to be unharmed, she slows down, coming to a stop and panting a bit from the sprint.

"Everything alright?"

(Edited by Gatac at 8:15 am on Jan. 19, 2004)

"Well, I've been shot at, so that kinda kills the vacation vibe. It seemed more like a warning than a hit, but other than that, I don't know."

Carla makes the international hand gesture for they might be listening and proceeds to thank the fisherman in her scared lil' filipino girl routine, knowing enough spanish to make herself understood. She offers to buy them a drink in the safety of the nearest seedy dive.

Carla's upbringing pays off, managing to elude the swarthy fisherman by escaping through the ladies' room window of the seedy bar.

She catches up with the team at the villa where Jess has been filling in the rest about Carla's beach incident. The inebriated agent walks in as a response is received on Jess' sat-comm from the resident Agency profiler specializing in assassinations.

The level of sniper's accuracy and the intentional off-target shooting would indicate that the sniper's goal was personal rather than contractual. Threat assessment is regarded as "High". Limit outside activity and open places. Agent Falconet is to report back to HQ immediately for questioning.