Quote: from Threadbare on 5:36 pm on June 7, 2002
"I'm fine with that. One question, though; who was Gonzales? He was the one behind all three hit teams they sent at us, yes?
Philpott glances over to Harry
"It hasn't been confirmed by our sources, but two incidents could be considered coincidental...but not three in one day. The fact that Gonzalez knew exactly where you were and where to be leads to only one conclusion...there's a mole working on the inside. We haven't had one in the Agency in 20 years. Speaking off the record and unofficially, my team has been intercepting numerous communiques from Russia to the Basque region here in Spain. Our snoops have also traced the root of those to satellite uplinks in Latvia and Estonia. What I would like you to do, after your recovery that is...to uncover where the leaks are and eliminate them. Of course, officially you'll be receiving secondary training at our facility in St. Petersburg."
"That would be a nice turn of events. But I'm still confused as to who Gonzales is. ETA, right? And just wondering, what all does the secondary facility in St. Petersburg do?"
"It's believed that Gonzalez meerly uses the ETA as a cover and a base of operations for bigger endeavors. He keeps them in weapons and money. They, in turn, provide for him a large security blanket. The ETA have 10 times more tunnels dug into the Pyrenees than the Al- Qaeda had in Afghanistan. One of their facilities makes Tora Bora look like a foxhole. The best part is that the French and Spanish governments seem to have little care that they're breeding more danger than Iran or Iraq could ever dream up. Getting back to your other question...St.Petersburg is the Agency's "real world" immersion camp. The powers above feel that if you can survive two months in the region, you're tough enough to go anywhere. Remind me sometime to tell you about my weekend in Talinn."
"We'll talk more when you get to St.Petersburg. In the meantime, rest up and I'll see you soon."
SEGUE
Over the next few weeks everyone eventually heals up and gets back on their feet. The team vacation takes them to Sweden. The house overlooks the sea and it's a pleasant 70 degrees outside with blondes as far as the eye can see.
The Gulfstream lands in the scenic seaside city of Stockholm Sweden. Replacing the ever-present dry air of Madrid is the cool sea breezes of the Baltic Sea.
The first thing the team thinks...
Good lord...humidity!
Waiting for you at the plane hangar is large SUV. Standing in front of it is a tall, nordic-looking woman (think Rebecca Romijn) holding a PDA in her hand.
The statuesque blonde looks up from her PDA and cracks a faint smile, something to the effect of a Mona Lisa. She extends a hand out to Jessica and speaks (in perfect English)
"Welcome to Stockholm, you must be Jessica. I'm Anja, and I'll be your tour guide of sorts while you're here. I see that you're the first one of the plane, it's good to see more women in charge these days, don't you think? Jakob (pointing to a rather burly looking man in a three-piece) will take your things."
As everyone disembarks the plane, Jacob begins to unload the bags. He takes two full suitcases in each hand, making light of the team's belongings.
"I see Jakob has loaded everything up, so...shall we go to your lodgings?"
Gavin grins as Jakob takes the bags. It's not that he's especially glad that he won't have to carry his own belongings--he's not stranger to heavy mission loads--he smiles because he kept his pistol and spare magazines on his person. I think I'm catching on to this spy thing, or at least my share of it.
Widening his grin, he steps forward and offers Anja his hand. "Gavin, pleased to meet you, lass. Or should it be ma'am?"
(Edited by Infested Paladin at 7:28 pm on June 12, 2002)
(She looks at Gavin with a glaring yet consoling look)
"You must be Gavin, how's the gunshot wounds? I trust you're feeling better. And while I am flattered, Anja will suffice. Let's keep things professional. Besides, Jakob is a bit protective of my interests."
Gavin looks back at Jakob organizing the bags in the back on the SUV, noticing that Jakob is giving him an equally glaring look...minus the consoling overtones. Jakob slams the back latch shut, pushing the SUV down a good two feet and pulls out a set of keys. He grumbles something in Swedish, but everyone present gets the idea that he just said,
As they get into the car, Harry says, "Is there a parliment building here? I wouldn't mind taking a tour. Scandinavian government has always intruiged me. With what I'm used to, I can't believe that it works."
"Eh, yes...Harry, isn't it? The Riksdag Parliament Building is quite spectacular, particularly in the summertime. I have some friends who work there and could have a private tour arranged for you this weekend...when things are not quite as busy. You are a very interesting character, perhaps we should spend sometime debating our great democracies."
Jakob begrudgingly gets into the car and starts it up, then leers back at Gavin through the rearview mirror. Anja scorns him for his behavior,
"Jakob, you (Swedish expletive)! Stop being such an ass and take us and our friends to the house."
"A tour will be great. So, where's the house? Does it have an internet hookup? Nevermind, anything scheduled for tonight, or we just going to hang out?"
"Let's just hit the town. Restaurants, bars, everywhere. It'll be like that Insomniac show. Besides, it's more suspicious if a bunch of out-of-towners come here and don't act like tourists, eh?"
The Volvo speeds out of the airport heading towards the picturesque sprawl of Stockholm.
Anja laughs at Artis' comment.
"Ha...ha...I like that Dave Attell guy, I wish he'd come to Stockholm. To answer your other questions, your house is in the historic waterfront area of the city. You'll find much to do around there, especially at night. The city is very safe, so if you're carrying a weapon now, I would advise leaving it at home for the evening. I've lived in Stockholm for most of my life and I have yet to see fights go beyond broken bottles. Even then, the two fighters usually buy eachother the next round of drinks. Drinking is part of the social life for us Swedes, so if you want to blend in...I'd advise at least a three drink minimum. Need I remind you...you're on vacation. The Agency will probably check up on you from time to time and always be sure have your commlinks with you, but please try and have fun."
Anja glances over the seat towards Harry,
"I know a haberdasher that has a store near the house, we'll actually pass by there on the way. I'll show you. They have very reasonable prices."
It's about 7pm in the evening and the sun still shines brightly over the skyline.
"You may have noticed that it's still very sunny outside. We get about 19 hours of daylight this time of year. The sun should go down at about 10pm or so. I'd recommend everyone settle in, take a short nap and then Jakob and I will be around to take you out around 11pm? Is that good?"
Harry is thinking approximately the same thought as Artis. "Are you sure there aren't any bad guys in town, like a hit team with our names on their 'to do' list?"
