"Nice .. urmmm... shots," I say, gingerly walking down the stairs to relieve both would-be assassins of their weapons, car keys, wallets, and any other identification. I'm not expecting ID, but I am hoping for car keys, and I'm hoping beyond hope that those car keys have one of those keyless entry fobs on them, because then we've got a ride and the non-dead guy is coming with us. If not, no problem. I'll just hotwire a car.
After finding no car keys on them, I'll snatch up the hold-out pistol and money and pass the MP-5 and phone to Jess. Then I'm gonna sling KO'd boy over my shoulder (he was the talkative one, right?) and look for something inconspicuous with a roomy trunk - a minivan, or an SUV, or a station wagon.
"You're not hit, are you?" I ask her. "Man, fuck it. I say let's get to el Molar on our own. You speak Spanglish, right?"
"This mission is hosed," I say through clenched teeth, putting the SUV into a parking spot, as close to the bathroom as I can. My torso feels like it's been given a once-over by a sledgehammer.
Ensuring Pedro is still KO, I continue. "Look, those assassins were waiting for us. They knew our code. Ky-er, Shrike told us to meet two contacts at Terminal 1. Our real guys, if there ever were any, are probably dead right now." I slam a fist against the wheel. "It's your call. We could maybe use Home Office to help us hook a trace into this guy's phone, then hit redial and see where that gets us." Inspiration strikes then, and I start looking through what's on the cellphone's speed dial/address book. "Or, we take this guy into the bathroom and beat the information out of him and then try the phone thing. Are we bait? I can't see why we'd be so into things that Home would try to kill us, but it sure freakin' seems like it..."
Taking a break from Artis and Jessica so Gatac can catch up to things...
Back on the highway
Gavin goes to grapple the burly passenger, but not before he pulls the trigger on his DE.
Remarkably, the lone bullet misses Gavin, only grazing his shirt. Gavin sees the opportunity he was looking for and attempts to put the man in an armlock but instead grabs the hot barrel of the Desert Eagle .
The ineptitude of both parties is only surpassed by the fact that they're having a gun fight in broad daylight on perhaps one of the busiest highways in Spain.
Jessica is still a bit at a loss for words following her cold-blooded killing of the assassin. She mutters a bit, absent-minded.
"Hm, bathroom. Extract information. Don't use the phone yet, if it's a trap, I mean, it might be tapped or something. And we should change our clothing and search the rest of our equipment."
"Hey, are you OK?" I ask Jessica. "I need you to cover me, OK? I got the key, make sure nobody pays us a visit."
I'm going to help Pedro (trying my best Weekend at Bernie's impression) into the bathroom. I'll sit him on the shitter and cuff his hands behind him, hooking him to the toilet pipes.
After he's secured, I'm going to blindfold him with his socks.
Then I screw the silencer onto my USP and splash some water on Pedro. I'll have some wet paper towels ready for a gag in case he tries to yell or scream.
"You've got a gun to your head now. Do not cry for help. Do not scream. I'm not going to torture you, and if you cooperate we won't kill you. It's just not civilized. Nod if you understand."
Artis makes sure Pedro's secure, then he starts grilling the hapless assassin.
"We'll start with the obvious: who gave you our code?"
"Uh..my boss."
"Good man. And who's your boss?"
"Mr. Gonzalez..that's all I've ever heard him be called."
"You ever meet him?"
"Um, I've heard him referred to as 'the boss'"
"How exactly did that answer my question?"
"Well, um..I guess it didn't. Look, I'm just a low-level flunky!"
"Yeah, me too. What, perchance, was your codename?"
"ahem err...I don't even have a codename..." He begins to sigh and almost break a tear.
(Basically it's the scene in True Lies where they're interrogating Bill Paxton)
"Does a superspy wet his pants?!"
"Ok, ok. Geez. Don't be such a pussy. You're lucky you're not in Russia. Tell me about your friend's cellphone."
"Oh that...he was actually my boss...I guess he didn't make it. He was talking to our superior...whom I don't know when we met you."
"Was Gonzales your partner or the guy on the other end of the phone? Or someone different?"
"Oh, my boss (that asshole) was named Miguel...his/our boss is most likely that Gonzalez guy although, I think I may be getting a promotion...should i survive this encounter.."
"OK, well you should know he said you were the boss."
"WHAT! That fucker, and I thought I was dumb."
"Yeah. So now I have to go get the senior officer and she has to hook both of you up to the machine because one of you is feeding us bullshit."
"woah woah...wait a second. All I know is that Miguel and I were supposed to kill you two because you were on the trail of something my boss...the Gonzalez guy was up to."
"We'll find out, won't we?" I suppress a smirk. "You just sit tight and she'll be right with you."
"We will?" Pedro whines. "Aw shit!"
"Oh, yes. the gag. Do you think you can be quiet or do I have to shove some more crap into your mouth?"
"I'll be quiet...I swear!"
"Good man."
I snap the key off in the lock and drive the hell away before he or the clerk catches on.
He begins pummeling the passenger with a series of punches. The first punch is deflected by the man's beefy forearm, but the second connects. A solid hit to the mid-section.
Although the passenger is slightly winded by Gavin's attack, he manages to get up on one knee and squeeze off a few shots at him. The first shot was a bit wide, leaving a big hole in the pavement. The second shot hit Gavin squarely in the chest, pushing him back a few feet from the recoil of the massive bullet hitting the lining of his suit.
Hitting Gavin with the equivalent of sledgehammer, the slug knocks the bejeezus out of him, but he's still up.
(OOC: Be glad I rolled fairly low)
Upon seeing the muzzle flash of Mr. Desert Eagle and the subsequent hit Gavin took, Harry holds his position and screams out to the passenger.
"Yo, Crack Shot! Don't fucking move!"
(OOC: While you're holding your action, unfortunately it comes last in the initiative sequence. I'll give you a +2 to hit circumstance bonus for next round since you're basically doing an aimed shot)
After an impatient ten minutes, Artis' phone rings.
"Interesting. When tracing the number it bounced three times. First to a local tower in Madrid, to a satellite uplink in Estonia...most likely Talinn, then to a remote beacon somewhere in the Basque region of Spain. Good work Agent Goose, you've now confirmed our early suspicions."
Shrike proceeds to go on a diatribe about the stolen fuel linked to terrorists organizations such as the ETA and possible money laundering/black market ties of the Russia mafia in Estonia. Also, we know for a fact that some of Garza last Agency missions were undercover infiltrations into the ETA/Mafia connection in the Basque region. Tell me, was your cover compromised at any time? Does anyone else know you have that guy's cel phone?"
"Just myself, Hummingbird, and the surviving assassin. If you want to send people, he should still be in the men's room of the Rapido-Supermercado close to the airport. Do you think Garza was turned? You did say he'd know about the mission - his assassins knew our codes at the airport but not our codenames. I can have him on the line if you want - he should be on the cellphone's redial."
"No, proceed with the mission as planned...just be aware that you've already been compromised. I'll send someone to fetch our friend in the bathroom. The thing I'm wondering about is where are the two agents who should have picked you up at the airport. I've been trying to call them for the past 30 minutes with no response. Proceed to these coordinates (on PDA) and stay there until further instructed. Shrike, out."
Dieter
