Group X: Sub Rosa The following is a rough idea of where this story is going. The final version may have slight differences, but the overall theme will be the same. ~~~MSR
Chapter 12
One year earlier…
French Alps
Warehouse District“Monkey 1 to Monkey 2, do you copy?” asked Quintarr as she held her ground, peeking around the corner. Another shot ricocheted an inch above her head. “Dammit! Monkey 1 to Monkey 2, do you copy?” She fired a couple of shots at the TEX agent hiding behind a bullet-riddled crate.
“Monkey 1, I copy,” Klly gasped as she tried to catch her breath from dodging bullets over the last five minutes. “Where’s our backup? We’re surrounded!”
“Monkey 2, we are the backup.” Quintarr watched as another TEX agent came into view. She fired a couple of shots, but missed as the agent dove behind a table. “Monkey! I missed again.”
“Tf, do you copy? Are you okay?” asked Recall as he fired from behind the crate.
Tf felt a bullet whiz by his right ear and he reflexively rolled to his left. “I copy. Remind me again, why are we doing this?”
“We’re the good guys and they’re the bad guys.” Several shots came from another direction, causing Recall to move to his left. “Tf, I think their reinforcements are here.”
“No shit, Sherlock.” Tf fired at the new GX agent that appeared behind Recall’s location.
“Watson, sometimes, you state the obvious.” Recall peeked around the crate and almost got his head blown off.
A smirk appeared on Tf’s face. “Because you’re an idiot at times. Cover me so I can get a lock on the party crasher.”
“Monkey 1 and Monkey 2, do you copy? We’re almost at your location. Prepare for egress now.” SE fired at Tf as he scurried behind a set of lockers.
Tf barely reached the first locker. “Recall, I said cover me. Are you deaf now?”
“Knightmare, Monkey 1 copy. Preparing now.” Quintarr fired several shots before moving toward the back door. “Monkey 2, cover me.”
Klly looked behind her and saw SE moving toward her. “Knightmare, Monkey 2 copies. Monkey 1, move on three monkeys jumping on the bed.” She fired at Recall to cover SE. “Five monkeys jumping on the bed… four…”
SE nodded a thanks to Klly as he reached the safety of a cubbyhole. “Dreamweaver, do you copy?”
“… monkeys jumping on the bed. Three monkeys jumping on the bed. Move Monkey 1!” Klly opened fire on Recall’s position as Quintarr moved across the room, in front of Tf’s position.
“Sorry Tf, I got distracted when my head almost got an extra hole. Can’t you wait?” Recall saw movement to his right as Y moved past him. He barely dove to the ground as a hail of bullets targeted him. “Two crashers!”
“Knightmare, I copy. Almost got a hat trick.” Y reached the receptionist’s desk in front of the side doors, the egress point.
SE held up three fingers and Y switched to channel 3. “Let’s get out of here.”
“I’m coming. I’ll cover you.” SE switched back to channel 1. “Monkeys, cover us.” SE watched Tf as he maneuvered behind Klly’s position. “Now!”
SE and Y rushed toward the side doors as the cousins opened fire to give them cover. Out of the corner of Quintarr’s eye she saw a red dot appear on Klly’s head. “Monkey 2 hit the ground!” Quintarr spun around and fired at Tf, but not before he fired.
Monkey 2 hit the ground, dead. Tf grimaced in pain as he dove for cover.
Recall returned fire at Quintarr. “Man down! Man down!” Recall continued to fire as he moved toward Tf.
“Klly! Bastards!” Quintarr forgot about covering SE and Y and ran toward the lying form of her cousin.
Recall saw a trail of blood from Tf’s previous location. “Tf, what’s your condition?”
SE and Y never looked back as they fled down the hallway. “Cross two off our list.”
“Already done, sur.”
“Very good. Now go!” SE covered Y as they ran for the waiting van.
“Where are the cousins?” asked Sliding_Skull as he threw open the door.
SE watched the rear. “We lost them.”
“They covered us, but we were surrounded. We barely escaped.” Y pulled SE into the van.
“Their valor won’t be forgotten,” remarked SE as the van sped off.
Tf ripped off his sleeve and wrapped his left hand. “It’s bad. I lost my thumb and two fingers.”
“We need a prisoner.” Recall watched Quintarr as she reached her cousin’s body.
“Klly noooo….” She put down her weapon and started to sob, not caring that Recall was approaching her.
“Hands in the air now!” ordered Recall, targeting the back of her head. “Tf, answer me.”
Tf held up his wrapped hand. “What’s it look like?”
“Poor little monkey. At least you didn’t suffer.” Quintarr grabbed the monkey pin off Klly’s lapel.
“Unfortunately, you won’t. I promise if you cooperate, you will be treated fairly.” Recall glanced over to Tf as he made his way toward them.
Tf glared at Quintarr. “Speak for yourself, Recall.” Tf scanned the room for any more intruders. He found no one else.
“I won’t be chained up like my monkey friends in the zoo.” Quintarr shot back, rubbing the pin.
“She’s insane. Where’s that medic?” Tf grimaced in pain once again as he spoke into the comm. “Medic, where are you? Hurry up!”
Quintarr looked up and smiled. “Hey Temporalflux, yeah you, stumpy monkey. What are you going to do now?”
Tf became livid and forgot his pain momentarily. “I promise you’re going to suffer as much as I am.”
“Quit it, Tf! Leave now. That’s an order!”
Tf rolled his eyes. “So you can have all the fun? I don’t think so.”
“Oh, so you’re the good monkey and he’s the bad monkey?”
Recall saw that Tf wasn’t going to leave any time soon. “Fine. Stay.” He turned back to Quintarr. “Will you stop it about the monkeys?”
“What’s the matter Recall? Annoyed once again that you let the biggest monkeys escape? You are as incompetent as they come. Always one step behind, monkey.” She turned to Tf. “Stumpy monkey, don’t let him talk to you like that. You know you’re more qualified to be second in command than this loser monkey.”
“How she grieves over her dead cousin? A pity too. I always heard that Klly was the prettier and smarter than you dear monkey. Too bad. I’ll never know now.” Recall feigned grief.
Tf turned the screw. “That monkey never knew what hit her because you weren’t paying attention. It’s your fault that she’s dead now.”
“Stupid monkeys! I’ll be rescued within the hour. We don’t leave our people out to dry.” She glared at Tf once again. “But then again, I’m not a stumpy monkey.”
Quintarr dropped the pin as Tf’s hands found their way around her neck. “Die! Stupid monkey! Die!”
“Get off! We need information!” Recall wrestled him away just as she was blacking out.
Recall leveled his weapon on a gasping Tf. “I order you to leave now. You’re too emotional.” Recall spoke into the comm. “Medic! Report!”
“Recall, you’re an idiot! She was never going to tell you anything!” Tf paced several feet away as Recall checked on Quintarr.
“That’s one pissed off monkey. Medic’s in the stairwell – what’s left of him.” She began to laugh and cough at the same time. “Strong stumpy monkey.”
“Okay, that’s it!” Recall pulled her up to her feet by the front of her shirt. “Tell us what are GX’s plans are and I promise you that you won’t suffer horribly when you die.”
Quintarr smiled. “You didn’t say please. I want to talk to someone else… that’s competent.” She glanced at Tf. “Recall got rid of the competent people to be second in command You’re next on his list. He was going to leave you to die. Less competition. Don’t you see, Tf? He’s the reason why TEX has lost so many agents. It’s his fa…”
One month earlier…
TEX Training Ground
7:38 PMThe deserted sports stadium provided a rigorous training ground for the operatives. Within its confines, a variety of scenarios could be played out. As the operatives gained experience in trusting their instincts, the scenario would suddenly change forcing them to think outside the set parameters. Only by adjusting one’s perception would one succeed in a mission. Here second and third chances were freely given. Outside this training center, there were no second chances.
Tf glanced around and saw that no one was around. He ducked into the designated corridor.
This better not be a trap he thought as he cautiously went down the hallway.
“Tf, we got to stop meeting like this.”
Tf reflexively turned to his left, following the voice. “Yes, we should.”
“Were you followed?” asked the figure.
“No and they don’t suspect anything yet. You?”
“Same here. Let’s get to the point, shall we?”
“Yes, please before anyone notices that I’m gone.” Tf glanced down a darkened corridor.
“The plan is in place.”
“Very good.”
“Good luck, my friend.”
“As with you.” The figure disappeared through the open doorway.
Tf made his way back to the intersection.
“Hey, Tf, did you get lost?” echoed Recall’s voice from Tf’s right.
Tf rubbed his head. “Yeah, I got lost momentarily. I need a vacation.”
“Join the club,” murmured Recall. “We all do. This is getting ridiculous.”
“Yes it is. Let’s get back. This place is giving me the creeps.”
“Tf, you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’m just tired.”
Present day…
TEX HQ
Weapons LabTf rubbed the back of his neck as he stared through the high power lens. Using microsized tools, he was almost finished with tweaking his latest gadget.
He didn’t flinch when he heard two sets of footsteps stop in front of his lab. A smile crossed his face as he put the final screw in place. “Slider_Sarah and SouthernSlider, welcome to my humble abode.”
“How’d he do that?” Sarah whispered as she scanned the crowded room. Odds and ends of barely recognizable equipment littered almost every available space in the large room.
Southern ignored her. “We’ve brought news.”
Turning around, Tf asked, “Good, I hope.”
“Tex is awake now.”
A flicker crossed Tf’s face then disappeared as quickly as it came.
“Tf, something wrong?” Sarah pulled up a chair next to his workbench. “You know we’re always here for you. Just talk to us.”
“Nothing to worry about.”
“Tf, you haven’t been the same since last year… I’m sorry to bring that up.” Southern couldn’t understand why Tf didn’t want to talk. She had tried her best to get him to open up, but he refused hers and everyone else’s help.
“Will everyone please stop feeling sorry for me! Get out! I don’t need your pity!”
Southern and Sarah hurried out of the room before items were thrown through the air.
“It’s all his fault.”
Newton Hotel Lobby
9:28 PMBuckeyeSlider, PhantomDennis and Donner gave each other the knowing glance as they pushed Tex toward the awaiting ambulance. It was the glance they had learned over the years. This time it would be BuckeyeSlider’s turn to tell the next of kin at the appropriate time.
Blinker blocked the ambulance back door. “Whoa! I’m driving!”
“And I’m riding with him!” SweetOne rubbed more blood onto her bloodstained jacket.
Donner rolled his eyes at their comments. “I’m the driver. Now be kind and move away from the door.”
BuckeyeSlider checked Tex’s pulse right below his right wrist. He could barely feel it. “Move it! We’re losing him!”
PhantomDennis nodded that confirmation. “He’s going to die because of you two.”
SweetOne scanned the area for signs of trouble, but didn’t see anything that clued her in for trouble. She smacked her lips in disgust as she saw the WSLD newsvan rocket to the front of the now crumbling building. “The predators are here already. That’s a record.”
Blinker pulled his gun on Donner. “I’m driving. You stay here. There’s no ifs, ands or buts.”
Donner gritted his teeth as he tossed Blinker the keys. “Fine.”
Blinker caught the keys and rushed to the driver’s side, tuft flying more than ever. “Get in!”
“You’re an idiot Donner,” commented PhantomDennis as he threw open the doors.
“Argue later! He’s not going to make it!” BuckeyeSlider pushed the gurney toward the door. “On three... one... two... three...”
PhantomDennis and BuckeyeSlider moved in synchrony and moved the gurney into the back of the ambulance. Donner helped SweetOne in and slammed the door shut.
“I hope he doesn’t kill you all,” muttered Donner as the ambulance took off with the lights flashing.
“Hey! I thought you were getting Tex to the hospital!” shot Recall from the doorway.
“Not today, I’m not.” Donner glanced around before rushing Recall and throwing him onto the ground.
Inside, SweetOne hung onto dear life. “Is he going to be okay?” She sat on the Tex’s left side, on the passenger side of the ambulance, watching the monitors and the EMTS move swiftly in tandem.
“Recall, get us an escort!” relayed Blinker through his mic as he heard gunfire through the comm. “Recall! Answer me!”
Blinker saw something flash to his right. “Hang on!” He abruptly turned left, ramming the left side of the ambulance into a parked car as he cut across the intersection.
Bullets ripped into the passenger side of the ambulance, skirting above Tex’s still form. SweetOne threw herself on top of Tex, trying to protect him as the PhantomDennis and BuckeyeSlider were thrown against the driver’s sidewall.
“Get down!” ordered Blinker as he accelerated, fishtailing back and forth between the traffic. “Recall! Ambush! We need escort now!”
SweetOne looked down and saw blood dripping onto Tex’s blanket. “Help me...”
BuckeyeSlider pulled her off Tex as Blinker accelerated once again. “Shit! She’s been shot!”
Chaser9 smiled as he drove off. “Mission accomplished.”
TEX Infirmary
SweetOne’s Room
7:08 AMSweetOne jolted up, frightened from the dream, but it was reality. She touched her shoulder lightly to check if it really happened. The pain told her the truth.
“It wasn’t a dream. Where am I?”
She scanned the room looking for clues. On the chalkboard, ‘Your nurse is’ with a blank space for the name.
“I’m in the infirmary. What time is it?”
She glanced at her watch and scowled. “I’m going to be late for the meeting.”
She hurried out of bed, tripping on the telephone line. “Ahhhh!”
The door burst open. “SweetOne!”
She looked up and saw Recall in the doorway, his gun drawn and scanning the room. “I’m okay. Almost killed myself with the telephone.”
“You scared me out of my sleep.”
She stared at Recall’s face. “You’ve been awake all night. How did I get here? I was in Tex’s room watching him.”
“You hit the floor figuratively after you took your medication. I brought you here under Tex’s orders. You’ve got just enough time to get ready for the meeting.”
“Can you get breakfast while I wash up? I wish I had some clean clothes, but this will have to do.”
“Coming right up. Anything else? I’m not in uniform either. I think Tex will make this an exception.”
She giggled. “True. How’s Tex this morning?”
“Already blew this coop. Doc Quinn wasn’t all too happy letting him leave, but you know how he is.”
“Yep. Stubborn just like me.” She patted her pockets. “Where are my pills? I’m going to need to take one during breakfast.”
“It’s on the table next to the phone.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll see you in a few with some delicious breakfast.”
“I’m going to hold you to your word.”
Recall nodded as he closed the door.
SweetOne stared at the bottle. “I hate it when I start sleeping… can’t concentrate, but the pain is getting worse again.”
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