Elena lights a cigarette and replies in heavily-accented English.

"The pleasure is all yours, I'm sure."

(looking at Brian)

"This is British cowboy you been telling me about? I pictured him...taller."

Quote:

Quote: from admiralducksauce on 3:20 pm on June 1, 2005

"Stairs, let's move guys." Artis says. He quickly checks for any grenades clipped to the corpse's armor before following his fellow agents.

Moten and Artis take the lead moving up the next flights of stairs where there are met with a hail of bullets.

Fortunately for all parties involved, the two sides seem to be clueless to eachother's presence and the initial exchange goes horribly amiss, destroying only various bits of home decor.

Brian grins. They forget to mention the women in the recruiting pamphlets...it's why they've got such problems recruiting...

"My reputation proceeds me then...and I prefer the term 'dashing hero'. Cowboy is so...colonial."

"The rest of the team is busy housecleaning the residence of the beloved Ms. Illiavic if we'd care to join them, or there's the safehouse...which, considering our little turncoat problem isn't probably the best idea. Especially what with our getawy vehicle being on the evening news."

(Edited by CrazyIvan at 11:11 am on June 2, 2005)

Quote:

Quote: from CrazyIvan on 12:09 pm on June 2, 2005
Brian grins. They forget to mention the women in the recruiting pamphlets...it's why they've got such problems recruiting...

"My reputation proceeds me then...and I prefer the term 'dashing hero'. Cowboy is so...colonial."

"The rest of the team is busy housecleaning the residence of the beloved Ms. Illiavic if we'd care to join them, or there's the safehouse...which, considering our little turncoat problem isn't probably the best idea. Especially what with our getaway vehicle being on the evening news."

Elena gives Brian a playful smirk and nod.

"I hope they are a bit more, how you say...subtle in their operation."

She sits back and looks out the window.

"You cannot imagine the amount of..."

Elena struggles to find the proper English word.

"...amount of cra-craz-crazy, yes....crazy things she made me do since I meet her."

----

Speaking of which...

Moten and Artis scramble out of the staircasing, Artis throwing over a heavy table for cover. Bullets dance off oak planking, a few managing to penetrate through weak spots of veneer and dealing negligible damage to both agents.

Jess nods.

"The domain of the Queen Bitch it is, then."

She shoots a short glance over to Elena.

"What did I tell you? I'm the subtle one. The rest of the team? They've probably torched the whole freaking building by now."

Artis pops a smoke grenade, chucking it over the table and banking the cannister off a wall. It cartwheels over a few objects before enveloping the room in thick red smoke.

Donning her X-Ray specs, Ayumi moves into the panicked fray of guards and goes to work. All that can be heard from Team A's perspective is the evisceration of body parts punctuated by random rifle bursts.

Twenty seconds into the blind ruckus, someone busts out a window, venting the smoke. It clears a few moments later, revealing the horrid stack of bodies laying at the Ayumi's feet. She's addressing a fresh GSW that caught her below the ribs. It's nothing to worry about right now, her and Artis' injuries are slowly accumulating.

(Edited by Dieter at 2:49 pm on June 2, 2005)

Brian grins at the Russian woman.

"Crazy indeed. And, like the lady said, she's the subtle one." He checks over the AK meaningfully.

"As for the things you've done while you've known Jess...you've got my thanks for keeping our girl safe. She can't hit the broadside of a barn, so I presume her continued existance is partially your doing."

"You're the mysterious russian she was travelling with? I imagined you a bit more...stout." Carla turns her eyes back to the road.

Quote:

Quote: from Threadbare on 10:02 pm on June 2, 2005
"You're the mysterious russian she was travelling with? I imagined you a bit more...stout." Carla turns her eyes back to the road.

"At least we have exceeded our mutual expectations."

Elena leans up through the buckets seats and talks to Jess.

"You will probably want to ditch this car soon. People in 100 countries know our license plate by now."

"Yeah, I'm just looking for a way to make sure it never rolls again after I get out. Well, that and another car."

Quote:

Quote: from CrazyIvan on 9:36 pm on June 2, 2005
Brian grins at the Russian woman.
"As for the things you've done while you've known Jess...you've got my thanks for keeping our girl safe. She can't hit the broadside of a barn, so I presume her continued existance is partially your doing."

"She is like 4 year old. Needs constant attention otherwise something breaks."

"You *are* aware that any and all badmouthing of your new employer comes out of your 'consulting fee', da? When I said 'protection', that specifically included patronising remarks."

"Is it still patronizing if it's the truth?"

"Well, I've racked up a two-digit bodycount between my kidnapping and now - add a dozen or so if you count me aiming the truck at the choppers a few minutes ago. That's gotta be worth something."

Kiev

The spiral staircase ends on the 19th floor, leaving the elevator as the only direct access option to the roof. The other option would be to double-back to the original stairwell used in the infiltration but that would take precious time which the Team does not have.

Unit One to Base. Choppers on final approach and the Principle is secure on the roof.

Copy that Unit One. Maintain tight cover around the Principle until safely aboard the bird.

Roger that. She's not going anywhere.

---

Somewhere outside of Omsk

Team B finds a new set of wheels after stopping at a few rest areas along the highway. Several miles down, both vehicles turn on to dirt road and pull off into a small clearing. Brian rigs the Jetta's gastank with an appropriated Spetzie grenade and dowses it with the extra fuel cannister from its trunk.

They get back inside the Lada with Brian sparking a line of gas with a pistol shot. As they pull away, the Jetta erupts into flames with Brian's grenade going off soon after, completely fragging the VW.

Watching the Jetta explode, Jess cracks a grin.

"Hope you paid up on that insurance, sweetheart."

Brian sighs softly.

"Why is it the nice cars always blow up. We had a limo earlier...now we're in this piece of work."

Jess shrugs, then shifts gears as she takes a curve.

"This is Siberia. Nice things stick out a lot."

"I fucking hate Siberia."

"It sure as hell isn't my idea of a good time, but then I imagine it's harder to covertly abduct someone to Ibiza."