While I make for the coordinates, I try to get Jess back on the clock.

"You did what you had to do, OK? Look, it was his fault for trying to kill us. You just used your training."

Driving to the coordinates, Jess seems to be snapping back to reality. She seems with it, but that headshot was nothing for a rookie to see on her first mission.

As you follow the coordinates, it's taking you back to the main road to the airport.

(I'd assumed you would be taking the scenic route to avoid possible run-ins with the law when exiting the airport.)

You're getting into heavier highway traffic now. It's a bit unnerving since the Spanish consider anything with more that one lane a "highway". This has only two and the congestion is not pleasant.

(oooh, we're that close to finally having the whole team together! )

All of a sudden, Jessica pipes up.

"We should be more cautious from now on. We could've avoided the two if we had tried harder."

"I'm sorry, what? Our commander told us where to meet those guys, and they had the right passphrase."

Highway A-2, 8:15pm Madrid local time

As the sun begins to set on another abysmally hot Spanish summer day the conversation in the stoled SUV is only heating up.

The bickering between Artis and Jess is only interrupted by what Artis sees happening on the highway about 100 yards ahead of him. As Artis was about to infer, If you'd like to lead, go fucking right ahead!, he sees what looks like a muzzle flash on the shoulder of the road.

Doing a double-take, then looking at the LCD screen of his PDA, the two coordinates match up with said muzzle flash.

"Still, it was kinda suspicious. I just knew there was something amiss, but I wrote it off to general stress. I should've insisted on having a coffee with the guys...they probably would have blown their cover if we had spent a bit more time together."

"Shit! We'll discuss that later, get on that MP-5!" I shout as I swerve onto the meager shoulder, staying low in the driver's seat and trying to approach the possible firefight.

Jessica finally stares ahead, sees what's happening, then grabs the nearest weapon and lowers the window on her side.

*Time for some leg shots. Aim low.*

Artis slows the SUV to a crawl, approaching the firefight cautiously.

From the SUV's angle, Artis and Jessica can see 2 cars. Immediately in front of them is a dark colored Mercedes and parked in front of it, is a dark colored VW. All the action is taking place around the VW.

The SUV is now about 50 yards away from the back of the Mercedes.

Closing in on 25 yards...

The SUV is now well within earshot of the gunplay. It appears that two males are beating down on a third, who is apparently the one who is doing all the gunfire.

Two punches are layed on the third man, he looks dazed and going down...but not before you see another large muzzle flash.

Cripes that guy's got a .50 cal...no wonder we could see from so far away!

Next thing you see is the man who just pummeled the guy get thrown back about 3 feet, landing prone on his back. His chest area smoking in the red hue of the twilight sunset.

Harry notices the slide of the passenger's Desert Eagle is in the profoundly bad open position.

Next time bring more bullets, asshole

And that's when Harry promptly put two rounds into the passenger's chest. The rounds hit their target, the passenger grimacing in pain. He bends over on his knees in agony, not unconscious, but probably wishing he was.

(Edited by Dieter at 10:41 pm on May 5, 2002)

Harry kicks the empty gun out of the passenger's hand, doing the don't even think about it posture.

The next round begins with Gavin having a warm coppery taste in his mouth. Ah...the searing kiss of hot lead. Internal injuries aside, he's still alive but not doing much this round...other than bleed.

Jessica readies the MP-5, waiting for something to happen...and it does.

The passenger flicks a switchblade and drives it into Harry's leg...the blade imbedding itself into his tibia.

Remembering her training, Jess waits for a clear shot. The wincing of Harry, followed by his limping away gives her the opportunity. She lets off a burst in the direction of the passenger, the spray going wild and into the rear window of the VW.

Oops! My bad!

Seeing the ineffectiveness of Jessica's shot, Artis lets loose with a few shots of his own, tearing open a large whole where the passenger's shoulder blade used to be. Mr. Desert Eagle slumps over, this time not stopping in the kneeling position.

(Edited by Dieter at 10:59 am on May 6, 2002)

I hope I didn't shoot the wrong guy...

"Heron? Nighthawk? Identify yourself!" I pull the SUV up to the mess.

Gavin raises the hand that wasn't trying to stop him from leaking while Harry raises his and contemplates the best way about removing the 4-inch blade stuck in his leg.

"I'm Goose, that's Hummingbird. Can you make it into the truck?" I ask Harry, as I move to help Gavin up.

"Another pair of killers ? Welcome to the club, guys."

Looking at Gavin's wounds, Artis sees that he's leaking from multiple places.

Uunngh...ehhh...*cough* *cough*...this sucks.

Harry has a knife imbedded in his leg, but is otherwise mobile.

Oh god it hurts! Get it out! Get me out of here!

As the two thugs lay bleeding to death on the shoulder, Harry takes a look at his wound and the stuck pig's er... Gavin's wounds.

Looking at the knife in his leg, he sees that it's probably a good thing that it went it at the angle that it did...an inch in either direction would have severed an artery.

(OOC: You're fine, as long as you have a "professional" remove the knife. You're also at half movement until it is removed)

Gavin's wounds are a bit more extensive. Tearing his shirt open reveals a family of .50 caliber slugs in his chest cavity. Two seemed to have been all but stopped by his liner, but the other bullet shredded the armor and ended up in Gavin's gut.

Oh goody, a belly wound...at least it'lll take a while for him to die.

(OOC: In short, he's got the same wound Robert De Niro had in Ronin. Not fatal, but requires semi-immediate attention....Nice use of an action die IP. )

As Harry starts to make a call for the cavalry, Artis and Jessica make their way over to the bloody mess.

(Edited by Dieter at 9:07 am on May 7, 2002)

I help Gavin up and get everyone into the SUV. "Don't worry about getting information out of 'em, we already caught one of the ones coming after us and he didn't know much."

Harry's phone call is answered by a lone silver Audi, which pulls off the road, parking behind the SUV.

A man in a tuxedo steps out of the car, lights a cigarette and walks towards the foursome.

"Alright gentleman...and lady...tell me what we've got here before the Federales show up and start asking a bunch of hard questions."