RPG SYF:

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]She curled up in to a fetal position, not needing a blanket, thanks to Bradley. The Metallica soothed her, in some odd twisted way and also drowned out all unecessary chit chat and vague other music. She flicked the iPod one more time and it transfered instantly to her favorite playlist. Once it began, she closed her eyes and drifted away, aided by the warmth of Bradley and comforted by his nearness.

The music was growing faint, instead, their heartbeats were pounding in her ears, dragging away her mind. She opened her eyes and saw Jaudiar. Unbelieving, she raised one hand in greeting. Jaudiar did likewise. Then she took a step forward.

"Be careful Zharra."

"Why cousin? Did you come back to warn me about him?"

"Not him....this next mission. It's where I was killed."

"But-"

"A lie. Ananda had to lie, like they did about Liam's sister. And those files."

"Is it on them?"

"Yes.....that and more. From the begining."

"So I need to be careful."

"Extremely. And yes, use caution when you're with Bradley.......he's good, but ......like all agents..."

"Erratic. I think it's just Liam."

"So be careful, have fun, and don't lose the goddamned files."

[i]She waved at Jaudiar's rapidly dissapearing form, the music growing louder.[/i][/i][/COLOR]

[liamc2]

[size=1]

Liam opened his eyes as he felt the bus rumble to a start around him. He turned off the music and tuned in his ears as watched Matt climb aboard, saluting to the bus driver to start moving.

Matt reached over and unplugged the iPod, much to Zharra?s instant indignation. She sat up to bark a stinging insult to who she though was Liam, but Matt caught her eye and she was silent.

?Looks like we?re to have a short detour on the way to the airport. Agents Katarina and Malania have not yet arrived, all though I had been informed they had. I have received information about a prime KGB base being destroyed and two girls, one injured and one with a heavy Russian accent, have been sighted there by our informants.?

Matt plugged the iPod back in and the Toyota minibus pulled out of the alleyway and onto the main street. Liam bounced along in the back seat and turned the music back up. He snapped back to reality when the bus suddenly stopped, there was a loud thump and a stream of someone swearing loudly in Russian.

The doors hissed open and Katarina climbed aboard, glaring at the bus driver and rubbing her hip.

?Crazy focking driver, reminds me of Russia. Hit me with a focking minibus will you?? She muttered as she sat down.

Malania?s eyes sparkled with humour as she finished off the last of an ice cream cone. She caught Liam?s eye and grin, and struggled to not burst out laughing. She slumped down next to Katarina and began speaking rapidly in Russian to her.

Liam stopped the AFI song that was playing and stowed away his Discman, shifting himself until he was lying on the backseat. He dropped his camouflaged bucket hat over his face and dozed.

[center]~~~~~[/center]

The doors hissed open and each of the agents climbed out, grumbling about the uncomfortable trip. Liam jumped out onto the bitumen, stretched and slung his backpack around his shoulders.

?Get onto the plane already.? Matt barked to Liam, who was currently fishing into his pockets. ?We?ve wasted enough time.?

Liam shrugged and marched over to the Hercules. From the looks of it, there?d be some vehicles, maybe a jeep, or some motorbikes?

He got in first, and saw a whole lot of nothing. Just a couple of crates filled with ?UN-AID? emblazoned on the side. Next to them, however, was a stack of black Samsonite cases, about eighty centimetres long.

P-90?s.

Hung across the wall behind them was an array of pre-packed hiking packs, equipped with radio and otherwise. Liam eyed them with a slight hunger and watched them until they went up the spiral staircase to the second level.

Now this was a bit less Spartan.

There was a small bar-fridge in the corner, a couch, and even a line of single beds on the corner. Liam claimed the couch and dropped himself into it, directly opposite the white lightpro screen.

Matt waited until the others arrived upstairs before announcing, ?we?ve got about ten hours maybe until we?ve got to jump. In six I will be briefing you. Until then, you have free time.?

?Wonderful.? Liam said. ?All that rush for a whole lot of nothing.?
[/size]

[The Unholy Newt]

[size=1]Bradley and Zharra picked the last two beds in the line and Bradley pushed them together. He then looked around to see if anyone was making any snide remarks giving a look of belerigence that said 'First one to make a comment gets shot'.

No one did so it was all good. Bradley lay down on the bed with Zharra curled up beside him listening to her iPod.

Bradley outwardly displayed a look of cool calmness, but inside he was freaking out. Not many people knew but Bradley was absolutely piss scared of heights and the thought of jumping out of a airplane that was in perfect working order seemed inside to him.

Zharra could feel Bradley's tenseness and turned around and looked at him.

'What's the matter?'

'Nothing, I'm fine,' he responded a bit quickly.

Zharra gave him one of those looks that said 'what utter bullshit' Bradley saw it and then smiled weakly.

'I'm a little apprehensive about heights.'

'A little apprehensive,' she repeated.

'Ok ok, I'm absolutely scared shitless.'

Zharra looked sympathetically at him and then reached up and stroked his face. He smiled and kissed her.

'Don't worry, I'll be right there beside you for support.'

'Thank you, I don't know what I'd do without you.'

He kissed her again and felt a little better. She smiled her smile that was just for him, and then put her head phones back in a snuggled upto him again.

~TUN[/size]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]That was so adorable, his being terrified of heights. She wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes, listening to the rhythmic breathing of Bradley as he tried to control his fear. And his heartbeat slowly began to calm itself, although it was still a little above normal. Then again, why sleep just now? She opened her eyes once more and scanned the entire room serruptitiously.

Liam was happily listening to AFI, Rae and Bailey were in the middle of girl talk, and those two Russians were doing god knows what. She wasn't interested. She was far more enthralled with the warm teddybear she was currently snuggling up against. Matt looked over at them now and then but had no complaints. They weren't on the field, they didn't have any crushing deadlines. As long as they behaved themselves...

Zharra yawned and closed her eyes one more time, lulled by both Metallica and the dull hum of the airplane's engines.[/i][/COLOR]

[liamc2]

[size=1]

?Liam?? Rae said, poking him in the side.

He grunted and turned off the music. ?Yeah??

She glanced over at Bradley and Zharra before looking back to Liam. ?You mentioned before about us parachuting into Colombia?right??

Liam nodded. ?Just like when we did the Sahara.?

?Great. Well, I did some background checking on Bradley, he?s got vertigo. He?s got a thing about heights.?

Liam?s eyes glistened at the possibilities, but he shrugged and reached for his headphones, saying, ?what do you want me to do about it??

?You?re going to have to do a tandem jump with him. Otherwise he might leap on his own and hit the ground not too softly.?

Liam sat up. ?You,? he said, ?want me to jump with Bradley even though Zharra obviously has experience and also has the advantage of being joined at the hip with him??

?That?s the thing.? Rae said. Her hands were on her hips now. ?They just go off into a corner and don?t associate with us, it?s no good if we?re to work with them.?

Liam?s eyes drifted over to Malania and Katarina, who were speaking quite casually to each other in rapid Russian.

Rae sighed. ?I?m involving them too, I?m working on it, ok??

?You know,? Liam said, mock suspicion in his voice, ?if I knew any better, Matt would?ve put you up to this??

?Just do it already.?

?Fine, fine.?

Liam stood up and strode briskly towards Bradley and Zharra?s bed. Zharra opened her eyes and appraised him.

?We?ve got to go to the briefing already?? She yawned.

?No. It?s come to my attention that Bradley has an issue with heights. As such I feel it?s best if he jumps in tandem with me.?

The glint in Zharra?s eyes spilt danger. ?Why can?t he jump with me??

?Because you?re not heavy enough.? Liam replied flatly. ?For a tandem jump to work effectively, both participants have to be of equal weight. Now, I may not be exactly the same mass as Bradley, but I?m willing to bet I?m a whole lot closer than you are.?

Zharra went to open her mouth, but Liam cut her short. ?Unless of course you?re willing to argue otherwise,? he said with a sly grin curling around his lips.

Zharra sighed and flopped back onto the bed. ?Fine then,? she said, ?go. Leave me on my own to die of boredom??

Bradley sat up, paused, caught her chin, and gave her a kiss. ?I?ll be back shortly. Liam won?t keep me long, will he??

Liam cocked his head to the side and looked at Zharra meaningfully, ?you could always associate yourself with the others you know??

?Whatever.?

Liam grinned and pushed Bradley down the spiral staircase in front of him. When they were at the bottom Liam reached over and flicked the lights on, illuminating the hold. He left Bradley standing apprehensively at the stairs and picked up a parachute, bringing it to Bradley.

?That looks suspiciously smaller than the others?? Bradley noted.

Liam looked at, rolling it over in his hands. ?Shouldn?t think so. Mind you it?s a faster model. It allows you to drop a whole extra thousand feet or something so that you?re way closer to the ground before you start to slow.? Liam looked up at the slightly green Bradley and said brightly, ?basically it means you can go a whole lot faster without your parachute getting shot out of the sky.?

?Wonderful??

?Ok,? Liam said, ?I?ll be wearing the parachute as I?m controlling our descent and you?ll be attached to my front.?

Bradley looked alarmed. ?Where's my 'chute? I do get one, right??

?Hell no. For example, put on this parachute.? Liam grabbed one of the other team member?s ?chutes and gave it to him.

Bradley put it on quickly, looking very much like he knew what he was doing.

?So if you had to leap of the plane right now,? Liam said, ?what would you do??

?I?d leap, wait for the altimeter to indicate I was at the right height and pull the cord.? Bradley?s response was crisp and collected, he seemed proud of himself.

?Good response.? Liam said, ?but when you pulled the cord the parachute would only half open, you see here, you?ve got these two buckles crossed. That is, of course, assuming you didn?t die of oxygen deprivation on the was down.? Liam grinned. ?We?re up way too high. Trick question, sorry. Not that it matters, sporty spice, because in a few hours I?ll be jumping with you attached to my front whether you like it or not.?

Bradley was cut by the sporty spice remark. Sure, he?d played sports at school a lot, but that?s how he got his figure?

?If I?m sporty spice,? Bradley said, ?what does that make you, scary spice??

Liam?s eyes sparkled. ?No, that makes me [i]mace[/i].?
[/size]

[The Unholy Newt]

[size=1]Liam was too busy spouting off various ways you can die from doing the wrong thing while you're on a drop to notice the death stare from Bradley for that sporty spice remark. He could feel his trigger finger itching.

' . . . SPLAT!' Liam finished. 'So do you think you're fine for this jump?'

Bradley was too annoyed to be scared anymore

'Fine.'

Liam looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

'A little touchy today aren't we sporty?'

Bradley's expression darkened severely. His finger twitched slightly. Liam just laughed, and slapped Bradley on the back.

'You'll do fine.'

Liam walked off happy with himself. Rage was always a good way for someone to overcome a fear. Better he should hate someone than fall apart. Liam wanted Bradley to hate him all the way down.

Bradley stalked back over to where Zharra was sitting with an exagerratingly bored demeanor. Bradley flopped himself down on the bed beside Zharra.

'How are you.'

Bradley responded with an annoyed grunt.

'What did he do?'

'Nothing, I'm fine.'

There was that look again.

'Ok ok, he's just an asshole. I'll get over it.'

He smiled at Zharra and kissed her on the neck and she melted into him.

~TUN[/size]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]She smiled inwardly. For all his annoying and arrogant ways, Matt sure knew how to do team building exercises. She shot Rae a look that said proclaimed her favorite epithet .... "liars burn in hell."

If Rae noticed the slightly detatched look Zharra was giving her, she didn't react. She turned her attention back to Bradley and stroked his hair.[/i]

"Still afraid?"

"I'll get over it."

"...because you're thinking more about decapitating Liam than falling a few million feet from a tube with wings."

"Yeah...that's about it. It's like it's a conspiracy to get us apart."

"Well...if you think about it, it makes sense. We don't talk to them because they're uncomfortable with either us being close, or just P.D.A. in general."

[i]She smiled at him and rested her head agianst his chest, tensing then relaxing her muscles expertly.[/i]

"And that's bad for the team..."

"Matt seems to think so. I suppose we should listen to him. As much as it pains me."

[i]He looked down at her and she looked back up. From this position, she seemed terribly delicate and fragile.[/i][/COLOR]

[BabyGirl]

[color=purple]"So things have been going haywire ever since the beginning..."

[i]"Hey, Bailey, wake up."[/i]

"Liam and I have seen and done enough things to make numerous people crazy."

[i]"I've got to get you out of here, c'mon."[/i]

"He alone has been through enough that we're [i]all[/i] surprised he isn't more insane than he is."

[i]"Hold on tight, petite."[/i]

"...Not to say that he isn't a little, well, you know..."

[i]"Ah, Jon, we've been waiting..."[/i]

"...loco."

[i]"You realize that your sister here is not what I'm after. Yes, please set her out of harm's way. You're a fine brother."

"You deliberately forced her here because you knew I'd come after her, but I expected you to think like that, Xavier."

"Of couse, I'm too predictable and methodical in the way I dispose of things."

"You're sick, Xav, just let me help you." Jon took one step toward Xavier before a gunshot echoed through the room loud enough for the emaciated Bailey to flinch. When Jon turned toward her, he stumbled onto his knees with a bright patch of red blooming across his stomach.

A single tear ran down her cheek as her brother spoke to her for the last time, "Oh, Bailey, I'm so sorry." [/i]

"Hey," Rae nudged Bailey slightly with an elbow, "are you there?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry." She wanted the couch to open up and swallow her whole.

"Where did you zone out?"

Bailey stopped to consider, and the irony of the statement made her smile slightly, "Um...loco?"[/color]

[liamc2]

[size=1]

[b] Briefing: ETA Three Hours [:Hercules ahead of Schedule:] [/b]

?As you know, the purpose of this mission is to retrieve the hostage, Karen.? Matt pointed to a photograph projected through the lightpro. ?Speed is of the essence. From what we?ve seen so far, the Triad are not above using failsafe explosives, so we must assume that their Colombian contacts have the same tactics.

?The Colombian government has?graciously?informed us that parachuting through that airspace is impossible, especially with weapons. This is because the connections apparently have airspace control and regular helicopter flyovers. Apparently they tolerate archaeologists investigating ruins nearby as long as they get a cut of the profits. However, no weapon is allowed within an eighty-kilometre radius.

?Our base camp, Callum and an assortment of technicians, are already ahead of us, having been flown in by jet with all their ?archaeological? equipment. They will be set up and ready for us by the time we?ve hiked from our drop point. It will take us approximately a day to arrive at our base camp, and half a day to more to reach our target.?

Matt switched images to a satellite image of the Colombian jungle. There were three locations flagged, and a faint red circle fanning out from the centre point.

?What you see now is the area under the Colombian Triad?s control. The intense blood red at the centre is the location of our destination, a fortified base equipped mainly for drug manufacture. As this circle?s intensity fades, as does the level of control or frequency of patrols. You will note that our drop point is well away from the circle, and the base camp is only just pink.?

Matt pointed to a tiny clearing halfway between the drop point and base camp.

?This is our halfway point. According to our Intel it is clean, an abandoned Colombian Military post, from back in the day when they actually bothered to try and take down the drug lords. We can rest here for a while before moving on. I might as well tell you now, this point here is our only break. Before and after this point there will be no unnecessary conversation or otherwise. It is a scorcher of a day, predicted to be around forty to forty-five degrees Celsius; hence any unnecessary chatter will lower your hydration levels. Due to the nature of what we?re carrying, water will be in short supply.?

Liam snapped out of his comatose state there, Matt had been talking for a few hours now. ?What about our guide?? He asked. ?Eve or something wasn?t it??

Matt changed the image again, to a photo of Eve. ?She?ll be meeting us shortly after we hit the ground. She knows this area better than a lot of us, and it helps to have someone who knows the locals.?

?Once we?ve arrived at base camp, she will remain on with the team as her undercover position in Colombia will be compromised.?

?We get another rookie?? Liam exclaimed.

Matt gave him a sour look. ?Liam, we don?t need your two cents on everything.?

The lightpro switched off and Matt sat on the table beside it. ?Our bags and gear will be dropped before us. Just guide your parachutes to them and you?ll be right. Once you?re landed, cut loose your ?chutes and bury them, they?re a new type of fibre and in a couple months with contact to soil and moisture they?ll biodegrade and won?t leave a trace.

?What else is there? Ah yes. Your radio is equipped with narrowband, wide band and satellite capabilities.? Matt held up a sleek black two-in-one earpiece with retractable microphone. ?In case radio is out you have your satellite equipped mobile phones, with camera and GPS.?

This time Matt held up a mobile phone, complete with its all-weather shell and rubber skin.

?We jump in an hour.? He checked his watch again. ?Yes, an hour. I can?t believe I talked for that long. I suggest you make your way down and get suited up. For the forty minutes or so after that I suggest you re-check, and double check until we jump.?

[/size]

[Lady Asphyxia]

[size=1]Her eyes lit up as she looked through the plane's small window. She turned to Liam and Bailey, grinning. "Look how far up we are."

Bradley winced, eyes closed tightly as she went on. "I mean, think about it. As soon as we jump from there, we'll either make it safely or plummet to our deaths. We'll be freefalling, and then we'll slowly make our way down."

She sighed, eyes going dreamy.

Liam interrupted her reverie. "Our precious Rae -- if you cannot tell -- is an adrenaline junkie. One sniff of anything dangerous and she'll embrace it as quickly as she does Callum."

Rae merely glared at him, sniffed, and turned to Bailey. "You wanna come check the packs and get changed?"

Bailey nodded and they walked towards the back room. Rae stuck her hand into one of the crates and pulled out her jumpsuit, then passed Bailey's hers.

"So," Bailey said, nodding at Rae. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, really. Just wondering if you're okay. You don't seem like the type to zone out very often." Rae's eyes were serious, and, more importantly, concerned.

Bailey sighed and mentally debated as to whether or not to tell her. She obviously decided to, for she took a deep breath. "I had a run in with an old family enemy."

Rae's smile was lost. "You need help dealing with him?" She was serious, and she was deadly. Rae wasn't trained as an assassin, but she knew things about people that could do more than kill them.

Rae knew all about family problems, and family enemies. She also knew the relief she felt when she -- or Liam -- got rid of them.

Bailey shook her head, then nodded. "I'm not sure. Maybe. I'll wait until after the mission, though. We can't interrupt it."

Rae still hesitated. "We have before."

"No, it's okay."

Rae zipped up her suit and checked herself over, making sure she had her ring and her anklet. They were identification tags, just in case...well...they all knew the dangers. She just took sensible precautions.

Determined to steer the topic towards something less dire, Rae grinned impishly and asked, "So who's this guy my informants have said you were with the other night?"

"How'd you find out?" Bailey asked, frowning.

She threw her arm around Bailey's shoulders as they walked into the main area. "Darling, Aunty Raellyra makes it her business to find out."

"In other vords," Katarina mutter, "[i]Auntie[/i] Raellyra iz a buzy body."[/size]

[The Unholy Newt]

[size=1]Bradley found that he wasn't pissed off at Liam anymore.

He was just scared absolute shitless. He didn't feel sick or anything like that, he just felt a wave of sheer panic sweep over him as he was clipped to the front of Liam by Zharra, who at the same time was speaking comforting words to him. They helped but didn't make him feel much better.

Zharra finished doing the last of the clips up and Liam spoke.

'You know I could have done it myself.'

'Yes, but Bradley trusts me more than he trusts you.'

'True, but you could have been too concerned with calming him that you could have missed a vital clip.'

Bradley paled somewhat considerably at that.

'Do you mind. Both of you, you're not helping.' Bradley said his voice neutral.

Zharra looked sympathetically at him and then kissed him. Liam made one of those faces that a six year old does when he sees people kissing in a movie.

'You'll do fine don't worry.'

At that point Matt told everyone to prepare themselves, they jumped in less than a minute.

Bradley caught Zharra by the hand before she went to her position.

'Zharra if anything happens . . . I love you.'

The door opened.

'I love you too Bradley.'

She kissed him tenderly.

And then she pushed both Liam and Bradley out of the plane.

~TUN[/size]

[The Harlequin]

[font=gothic][color=indigo]Amazing. You all managed to survive my less than extended, but certainly crushing, absence. My congratulations to the lot of you.

IC: [i]Katarina glanced out the window, interrupting Malania's admittedly rambling diatrabe with a serious of exclamations, certainly none of which were coherent in any known language. Malania looked at her curiously, then out the window, assuming something interesting was happening. She was, of course, disappointed. Katarina had interjected out of pure pique. Malania sank back into her chair, offered a dagger eyed glance to her friend, and took the hint to be quiet. Thirty seconds into that and Katarina started rambling about cholera, a donkey on pseudoephedrine, a rather anonymous, vague entity entiled only "Jimmy", and crop. No further information, just crop. Apparently, to everyone else, it made sense to Malania. However, whether it was just Russian, and sounded like English due to an astonishing coincidence, or a cunning code, or Malania was merely bullshitting for all she was worth, was remarkably unclear. In fact, it was probably about as clear as the donkey...


Anyway, or vay, as Katarina would surely have put it given the slightest chance and an accent she already had, thus didn't need to be given, the general chaos inherent in her speech roused a few eyebrows, but didn't elict any kind of visible response, asiding a glare from Matt, which didn't worry Katarina in the slightest, after nearly being hit by a minibus she felt she was owed some well entitled lunacy, but Malania appeared to tire of it quickly. At least, Katarina assumed that's why she was elbowing her in the ribs. Could be a game. Katarina elbowed her back, then relapsed instantly into her chair, drawing her legs up, clasping them, and letting a brooding expression fall onto her face like the proverbial expression. Malania, long familiar with Katarina's mercurial habits, and even more unpredictable thought processes, left her alone, which was rather easy to do, considering that when Katarina felt like being alone, it didn't matter how many people were around. The ability to ignore other people so convincingly they knew you had no idea they were there was a useful one, and applied under various circumstances, had quite a lot of benefits. It was the kind of solitude were people didn't assume you were waiting for some benign well wisher to come along and trigger a vituperative concatenation of epithets, which only happened to Katarina when there were young men around, she found.

After a few minutes of that, Katarina blinked, and realised it was the first time she'd done that in a while. This rather earth shaking discovery, something she fully intended to ponder for quite a while, was abruptly interrupted by the inconsequential knowledge it was time to jump out of a plane. That being well within both Katarina and Malania's experience, getting dressed up for it wasn't an issue, though Katarina truly believed that going casual was far more polite. Katarina didn't bother waiting for a push, she somersaulted forward into a swan dive. Functionality, pragmatism, and expedience had a lot to be said for them, or very little to be said for them if they applied to themselves, which they chose not to, but there was also quite a lot to be said for ye olde élan. And Katarian intended to say it...Once she stopped thinking about blinking.[/i]

OOC: I'm off school. I make no apology for heretofore nonexistant or repressed idiosyncracies.[/font][/color]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]The three English speaking ladies, were making preperations for their own jump. Bailey looked utterly delighted, Rae was in an advanced state of ecstasy, and Zharra was grinning like a maniac. She adjusted the straps of her boots and calmly removed her earrings. Then she turned and smiled at the others.[/i]

"Shall we?"

"Age before beauty."

".....that would be....damnit, me."

"Oh what the hell, let's go!"

[i]The three stepped back, then got running starts and launched themselves from the cargo bay, all three with some form of defiant shout as they were thrown into space.[/i]

"BOO-YAH!"

"WOOHOO!!"

"ROCK ON!"

[i]Zharra went into a highly controlled dive, tucking her body into a perfect curve, enjoying every second of it...[/i][/COLOR]

[liamc2]

[size=1]

Liam was happily grinning like a lunatic behind his goggles. Thanks to his and Bradley?s combined weight, they were dropping like a stone. Soon they overtook the others, and then the luggage that had been dropped first.

Each team member?s voice echoed over the radio, ?[I] Parachute open. [/I]?

Bradley shifted slightly in the freefall, Liam could tell he was itching to say something, but his voice had been lost in the wind. After all, if people behind them had opened their parachutes?why hadn?t they?

Liam swung the altimeter around in the rushing air, the little arm was steadily moving towards the green.

Bradley shifted a whole lot more as the scenery became much clearer.

He wasn?t able to hold it in any longer, ?Holy s-

The parachutes automatically engaged, dragging the air from his lungs. All four parachutes had stopped their decent in record time, and were now gently drifting to the ground, two hundred metres below the others.

Bradley was gibbering, but slowly regaining his composure each passing metre. Liam, on the other hand with his wild windswept hair and insane grin, looked as though he?d fallen in a clothes dryer and enjoyed every minute of it.

About two metres from the ground, Liam cut Bradley loose before drifting to the side and cutting his own straps.

Bradley, overcome by vertigo and adrenaline, emptied his stomach behind a tree. Liam removed his goggles and looked around, hands impressively resting on his hips.

?Liam?? Bradley grunted while walking towards him. ?I am going?to shoot you.?

?No you?re not.? Liam said brightly.

?Why not??

?Because I have your gun.? Liam spun it happily.

Bradley drew a second pistol. ?I have another, you [I]moron.[/I]?

Liam frowned and looked up into the sky. He could make out the figures of the rest of the team happily floating to the earth, enraptured by the spectacle below. Liam also noted the gear.

?Look up.? Liam said pointedly.

?What?? Bradley said while looking up.

One of the bags that had been lazily drifting down, settled on Bradley?s head. Now that it was unsupported, the full weight exerted itself on him. Not surprisingly the unprepared Bradley tottered sideways under the weight being applied to his head. He pushed it off, and glared at Liam.

Liam blinked.

Bradley charged and tackled him around the middle, easily lifting Liam, who was surprised at his show of brashness. Bradley lifted him up and put Liam into and arm lock, and promptly began to ferociously rub his scalp with the base of his second pistol.

A pistol-whip noogie.

?Ahem.?

Bradley looked up at the cough and noticed the seventeen-year-old camouflage wearing girl with the shovel resting on her shoulder, and the very Colombian tanned skin. He also noted the SIG P226 on her hip

Bradley released Liam, who instantly rubbed his head, letting out a growl of annoyance.

?Bury your ?chutes over there.? The girl said plainly, jabbing in the direction of a hole at the base of a tree.

?How about a proper introduction first?? Liam said brightly, the pain in his scalp was starting to recede.

?Eve.? She said plainly. ?Though you would?ve known that already.?

Liam stuck his hand out and said theatrically, ?pleasure to meet you. My name is Liam, and this brute of an associate is Bradley.?

Liam couldn?t help but notice Eve?s blunt nature switch to one of badly covered panic. She didn?t take his hand. Liam retracted it, slightly wigged out.

Around him, the rest of the team landed with a dramatic thump of army boots on soil. Matt landed last and instantly took charge.

?You heard the lady. Grab your gear and bury the ?chutes. We?ve got a long haul ahead of us. I want your Kevlar helmets on and your P-90?s ready.?

?Sir.? Liam grunted, slightly cut by the way Eve instantly scampered away as though he was some contagious disease. He looked at Bradley and muttered, ?right. Well that was weird.?
[/size]

[The Unholy Newt]

[size=1][color=darkblue]Bradley grinned at Liam as they buried the parachutes, all traces of his vertigo and anger non-exsistant.

'God, I wanted to do that ever since you left me in that triad cell.'

'What? Pistol-whip nougie me?'

'Well not that exactly, but attack you in some form or another. You're lucky Eve came along or you wouldn't have a scalp left.'

Liam gently touched his head.

'Ain't that the truth.'

Bradley laughed and turned to Zharra.

'Now you missy, are in big trouble.'

Zharra feigned a look of exaggerated innocence.

'Who me?'

'Yes. Don't think I haven't forgotten you pushing me out of a plane.'

'Yes but you don't have the heart to pistol-whip nougie me.'

'Oh? Why not.'

'Because you love me too much to hurt me.'

'Well that just ruined any argument I could have come up with,' Bradley laughed.

'You're in much better spirits now.' Zharra noted.

'Why shouldn't I be? I got to exact my revenge on Liam and I just faced my fear and I feel great. Plus I'm down in a beautiful jungle with the most beautiful girl in the SYF.'

'You certainly have a way with words.'

'Damn straight.'

~TUN[/size][/color]

[Lady Asphyxia]

[size=1]Rae watched Eve with curiosity. Sure, Liam was slightly intimidating -- in that completely-harmless-but-manic-trigger-happy-teenager sort of way -- but even [i]she[/i] hadn't reacted that violently to him. And she'd had access to [i]all[i] his files, including the one where he killed a man with a kebab stick up the nostril to the brain...

She'd been so disgusted when she'd first heard that, she'd classified him as insane. But she'd never had such a fearful reaction to him. From the first she'd given him shit and he -- having rarely been in that situation -- had reacted by giving it back.

Rae studied Eve, then smiled at her and walked over to Liam. "Are you okay?"

"What?" Liam asked, seeming to be rather put off by the girl's reaction to him. Rae nodded to the girl and tilted her head. "Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

Rae smirked. He wasn't used to his reputation anymore. That had to be a step in the right direction.

Matt checked his watch, then rolled his shoulders. To Rae, she knew that meant they were ready to start. It apparently meant the same thing to the rest of them, because they all quietened down.

"Right." Matt said. "I'd like silence from now on. We don't know what's here -- this is enemy terrain, after all."[/size]

[liamc2]

[size=1]

A solemn mood descended on the group as military training took over. In turn, each member snatched up their appropriate packs and cracked open the P-90 cases. Liam knelt down and retrieved his own, secreting the various forty-round clips on his person. He put the support strap over his neck so that the gun hung like an absurdly oversized pendant on a necklace.

The rest of the team did the same, putting their bulky Kevlar helmets on. As they each slipped their fingers into the ergonomic grip, they each became anonymous and distant. Without a word, Eve led them into the jungle.

Hours passed, the team waded their way through the undergrowth in perfect silence. Thorns and branches assaulted them, catching on their fatigues and raking across their exposed arms. Liam clumsily applied a bandage to a bleeding laceration on his arm with one hand. The other was holding the P-90, finger on the trigger.

Nothing was remarkable about the scene, other than the bandage itself.

It was a complex little miracle. Years of research in an Australian hospital came up with the unique design. Normal bandages are designed to stop the blood from running away causing, over time, a scab or clot.

This bandage, however, stopped the bleeding instantly; thanks to the chemical mix in the foam lining that caused instant coagulation.

Liam didn't even begin to comprehend the science, but he appreciated the fact that he wasn't bleeding to death, as he had on the bungled Triad mission.

Matt, in the lead, raised a closed fist and they stopped. He turned to Liam and mouthed something out.

[I]'Clearing ahead. We're ten clicks away from hot area.'[/I]

Liam nodded slowly and stepped out into the clearing with him. The mud was cut up and baked hard by the irregular monsoon sun. At one side of the clearing was a dilapidated two-story fort, reminiscent of when the Colombian army actually did something about drug lords.

There was a squawk from the radio. Matt sighed in relief.

'Ok,' he said. 'We're in the clear. We can breathe easy now.' He waved to the others that were hovering in the trees like helmeted shadows. 'We have a five minute break before we move on. Re-hydrate and prepare to keep your mouth shut.'

Liam rolled his eyes. Matt had been very strict during the trip about the whole 'silence' thing. Matt had said something about that it was a waste of valuable energy and water. Liam had silently agreed, it was insanely humid, but there were some lines that didn't need to be crossed.

'I can't believe you've made as walk all this distance Matt. We could have been dropped here along with a couple silenced quad-bikes and we'd be right.'

Liam's inner rev-head salivated at the thought. The quad-bikes were one of the favoured ways of the SAS to get around, other than the cut back Land Rovers. The bikes were all-wheel drive and had a top speed of over 160kmph, and the added bonus was they were silent. Well, almost silent, as loud as a whisper to be exact.

'They leave too much of a trace that we've been this way, and you know it. There could be a helicopter fly-over scheduled today, and they could easily pick up our trail.'

'You're clutching at straws. You just don't want me to have fun, do you?'

'Just drink your water.'

Liam smiled and unscrewed the cap of his flask and wandered over to Rae and the others. Someone had just said something amusing, Liam hadn't caught it, but even Katarina was chuckling to herself. When he arrived at their position next to the waist-high remains of a concrete wall.

Liam nodded to Rae and gave a mock toast with the flask, she returned the toast and took a swig. Liam lowered his just as a gout of blood exploded from her shoulder, flicking into his face and lips.

'We're in bloody clear territory!' He bellowed as Rae crumpled onto him. 'The hell is going on?'

Rae slid down his front and hit the grounds as the others did the same, drawing their weapons. Liam remained standing and looked in the direction of the shot. Rae was between him in the fort. He raised his P-90 up to the second-story window, and his eyes widened in comprehension.

He pulled the trigger and got a burst off just as the slug hit him in the head. His neck arched back and he was out, bleeding on the grass. In the last moments before the blackness ate away he saw Rae get swallowed up by the ground behind the others while they remained glued to the fort.

[center]~~~~[/center]

Liam woke up with a grunt. He was moving, he was also lying down and could see the branches of the trees pass steadily over him. His head was throbbing; his helmet was lying on his lap, the embedded bullet winking at him in the intermittent patches of light.

'Gut, he's awake.' Katarina stated matter-of-factly when she noticed him stirring. 'Malania, we don't have to carry zis dead weight any more.'

It wasn't a serious statement, but Liam rolled off the stretcher anyway and landed on his knees. The throbbing from the bruise the bullet left on his head increased, but he stood and let his hands automatically slide into the ergonomic grip of the P-90.

'Where's Rae, Matt?' He asked.

'About two k behind us.' Matt's voice came from behind and Liam rounded on him.

'Behind us? Why isn't she here?'

'We would have lost time, it's imperative that we arrive before team two. The SAS team we have for these emergencies is now en-route. They'll arrive there in about three hours.' Matt finished and continued walking.

Liam wasn't about to have any of that, and grabbed him by the collar, pushing the P-90 underneath Matt's chin and drawing him close to his own face.

'What if she isn't there, huh? She's your sister and you took me instead of her?'

Matt shifted, but his glare was strong enough to match Liam's. 'We couldn't find her, ok?' He grunted, 'besides, you're better in a fire fight.'

Liam grunted and pushed Matt backwards. 'Don't try flattering me.' He stated coldly. 'I've known the current Rae for a lot longer than you. So I can probably understand why her own brother that's known her for what, a year, won't go after her.'

Matt was burning up now. 'I have my orders Liam!' He shouted.

The group, which had been carrying on through the jungle, stopped and became interested in the conversation.

Liam wiped the sweat from his brow and put the helmet back on. He half turned and spat, 'yeah, well I really don't.'

'Liam! I'm ordering you to continue on this mission, if you continue, I will be forced to incapacitate you...' Matt's resolve was quavered on his last few words.

Liam raised a balled fist, slightly above his shoulder, and gave Matt a one-fingered salute before vanishing into the jungle.

Matt dropped his MP-7 and in a hoarse whisper said, 'God speed, get there on time...' He grunted and regained his composure beautifully. ?All right. We will have no more delays. Base camp is only about an hour away. We will arrive and stay put, I?m not having my agents gallivanting through the jungle. I am already down two and I refuse to lose anymore.? His eyes scanned over the group as he spoke. ?I will personally shoot anyone who leaves.? His gun snicked to illustrate his point. ?Flesh wounds, but enough to sting. Are we clear??

The squad nodded slowly and pressed on through the undergrowth. It wasn?t as though anyone was going to pursue wildly after Liam, especially seeing as he was furious and more likely to shoot them than anything else?it really was a one man job.

Besides, this way they could place bets on any wounds he would receive.

Now twenty metres away and gaining, Liam lowered his P-90 and sprinted through the trees, following the trail the others had carved through them. The blood was pounding in his ears as he grunted to himself [I] 'C'mon...Adrenaline...'[/I] He ducked under a low branch and picked up the pace again. He could feel it now, seething through him like some sort of serpent.

Minutes passed and, as he felt he was about to burst, he stumbled out into the clearing, collapsing on his knees. The teen inside him begged for rest, pleading for some repose on the grass in front of him, but the rest of him raised the weapon and lifted him up brutally.

'Right.' Liam puffed, slowing his heart rate and extricating as many comforting metallic sounds he could, 'I can do this...'
[/size]

[The Unholy Newt]

[size=1][color=darkblue][i]Finally a situation where my athletic abilities could help,[/i] Bradley thought to himself, no sign of fatigue in him so far.

He briefly glanced behind him as they struggled on to look at Zharra. She gave him a small smile and he winked and turned around. He looked forward to see Matt storming onward. He laughed to himself, [i]Matt and Liam should be married the way they fight,[/i] he thought.

He wasn't worried about Liam at all. Most likely he's already found Rae and carrying her with his teeth, both hands still on his P-90. He was more worried about his group without Liam. Sure the skills of the team were good but nothing compared to the ferocity Liam has in a battle.

If he could choose anyone to fight beside him, it would be Liam. [i]Sorry Zharra,[/i] he silently apologised. [i]I love you, but I'd rather fight beside Liam.[/i] Liam was the only reason he had survived in that gun fight with the Triads back in Singapore.

He dismissed the thoughts from his mind. There was no point in brooding on it. Liam wasn't here so they had to deal with it. Besides, Liam will leave the SYF anyway so we'll have to learn to survive on our own anyway. He wasn't sure how the SYF would deal without Liam. All through his training for SYF they had been told of Liam's exploits, and now meeting him Bradley looked up at him as somewhat of an idol.

After about an hour of trudging on through thick jungle they came upon the base camp. It was more or less a mass of large green tents and electronic equipment.

They were to sort themselves into pairs for tents, each tent had two stretchers and enough space for their belongings. Bradley went up to Matt and offered to pair with him. Matt was somewhat confused.

'I thought you would be pairing with Zharra.'

'No sir, in the field we are strictly fellow agents so she can pair up with whoever she damn well feel likes. Plus I'm an intelligence officer, so you may want my help as Rae is MIA.'

'Good point. Go set up your things in our tent and then in an hour get the others together and I'll brief them in an hour. I'm going to speak with Callum and the technicians and see what's happening.'

'Yes sir.' Bradley saluted, picked up his stuff and went to his tent to set up.

~TUN[/color][/size]

[The Harlequin]

[font=gothic][color=indigo][i]Their tent set up very quickly, Malania and Katarina lounged around, conversing in Russian, for privacy's sake. No doubt at least three people here spoke it anyway, but not as fluently as natives.[/i]

Katarina: This is getting dicey.

Malania: It's certainly something of an organisation nightmare. Liam and Rae will be fine though.

Katarina: Their wellbeing is less than a concern at the moment. The concern is that this whole operation is working under a fractured command system, and is liable to explode at any moment. Do we truly have any idea what we're doing or what we're up against?

Malania: Well...I'm sure Matt would. Any maybe Liam.

Katarina: And Liam's gone, and Matt's not talking. We've all got basic details, but that's it.

[i]They were interrupted as Bradley unzipped the tent flap and stuck his head in, a cheery smile on his face. That froze pretty abruptly when he noticed twin Yarygins pointed at him. Katarina and Malania took a further second to appraise him, then simultaneously lowered the guns and swore.[/i]

Katarina: Vat?

Bradley: Uh...Matt said he's going to brief us all in an hour.

[i]He left rather hurriedly, Katarina having to redo the tent flap.[/i]

Malania: Well, there's that settled for you.

Katarina: Settled? Hardly? No doubt we'll be fed a bunch of random jargon and half truths, and then simply sent it and left to fend for ourselves.

Malania: Don't they have backup squads?

Katarina: So? You know what these Westerners are like. They're afraid of excessive death, and if two wayward Russian chicks happen to get stuck somewhere, they certainly won't expend anyone getting them out. Who'd come after us? The government? After eliminating several KGB units and disappearing completely? They don't even know who the hell we are damn it.

Malania: You're the one responsible for that.

Katarina: And given our past indiscretions, would you prefer that they knew all about us when they picked us up?

Malania: Of course not. But it doesn't help us now.

Katarina: And it doesn't help Lutveya in the slightest.

Malania: I know, I know. But do you really not trust these people?

Katarina: You should already know the answer to that question. I trust two people, period. And only one of them is present right now.

Malania: Then what do you intend to do?

Katarina: My prefered course of action would be to torture every scrap of information possible out of everybody around here, and them acquire two plane tickets to a rather esoteric location. Given that I can't do that, I guess we'll just to wait around for this "briefing".

Malania: We've got several full cases of ammo each, and I'm sure that someone in whatever packtrain they've developed has your shotguns. We'll do fine.

Katarina: That could be the biggest problem, you know.[/font][/color]

[Lady Asphyxia]

[size=1]Rae sat in an uncomfortable dirty metal chair, not that she could [i]feel[/i] it was uncomfortable. The bounty hunter with the rifle and the Irish accent had injected a fucking muscle relaxant into her. Her arms, legs and mouth were numb.

He removed her camouflaged shirt and inspected the wound on her shoulder between the base of her neck and her Singlet strap.

"Yeah, it's all right." He called to his counterpart in the other side of the fort, "I told you I was a crack shot. Nice and simple, nicked the flesh and a nerve cluster, instant knockout. She'll be fine, it'll heal over in a couple weeks."

The other bounty hunter -- they'd been very definite about not revealing their names -- poked his head around the door and looked Rae up and down.

"My, my, Jehane has grown up since we last saw her." He grinned, his tone appreciative. Rae could have happily murdered him for that look.

"What a lucky coincidence that you passed through our little domain, and that bounty of ours is still active." He stood up and stretched.

"What's his name...oh, I can't remember, anyhow, he's very interested in you. Wants you alive and everything."

"It was Blair." Rae knew exactly who Blair was. He was one of the honchos behind Pizaro, Jenna, and Nicholas -- the Baudez clan.

"What?"

"That was his name; Blair. He was the puppet master behind Pizaro Baudez."

"Ah...right. He's still knocking around at one of the old Baudez places, one where Interpol can't get to him. Probably still wants a Baudez in charge of the estate."

The other bounty hunter, with a strong Oxford English accent, winked conspiratorially. "Unless of course he wants a little action. From what I heard on the underground, Baudez had promised Jehane to him when she turned twenty."

Rae's eyes darkened; if it were possible, they were colder now.

"That's Jehane alright." The Irish one said. "I've never known anyone else to give you such a look. Kind of sets a chill down your spine doesn't it?"

They laughed -- almost nervously -- and Rae retreated into her subconscious.

[I] Who are they? Blair? What? Promised to him? I should've known Jenna would come back to bite me in the ass. And since when were bounty hunters so benevolent? Well, apart from the shooting me in the shoulder thing...and where the hell is Matt? [/I]

"That guy with the P-90 managed to get some shots off at you, though."

The Irishman whistled in appreciation. "Yeah, good thing I ducked. But he didn't duck my shot." He gave a chuckle. "I had the scope right between his eyes, underneath his helmet." He paused, thinking how he inadvertently moved the barrel slightly before the shot. "But I saw him go down, blood and everything. I tell you, Jehane needs to hire better mercenaries next time she goes off forging new territory. As soon as they saw her and that guy go down, and her 'vanish,' they shot off into the jungle."

"Yeah. Though it's pretty much a given that even I'd desert this little ice queen, no matter the cash she was paying me."

A flash of pride sent itself through her. When she was younger, she'd spent hours schooling her expression into one of disdain, and now she used the expression almost unconsciously. It was easier for her when people tried to do things -- and the 'ice queen' face made them want to.

"I'd second that."

The Englishman turned to leave. "Hey," he said, "want some noodles? I managed to get that bloody stove working."

"Sure, whatever, anything's better than the tinned crap we've got."

The Englishman laughed and added as an afterthought, "check out her ribs too, I think I might've broken one when I pulled her down into the tunnel."

"To think, no eyes noticed the tunnel. Well, there were some eyes, but they were dead ones."

"Stop being poetic and check them out. She's supposed to be delivered in mint condition, remember?"

"All right, all right." The Irishman grabbed a med-kit, looking suspiciously as though it belonged to someone else, and pulled some rolled bandages out. He looked back over his shoulder. "A twenty says she hasn't got anything on underneath the Singlet."

The call came back; "deal. My twenty says that she has got something on, but an extra five says she won't have it on much longer if she does."

The Irishman looked back into Rae's cold eyes, her previous assessment of the men's character out the window now. "Sorry love, a bet's a bet. Besides, it'll be an exciting new experience to be actually touched by a man for once." He gave a small chuckle and began rolling up the Singlet.[/size]

[liamc2]

[size=1]

The Irishman had rolled the khaki Singlet up to just under her bust line, and was inspecting her ribs.

?She?s all right.? He called out. ?Just minor bruising, nothing major, now about our bet.? He lifted up her Singlet to her neck, and looked mildly unimpressed. ?Well,? he shouted out, ?looks like I owe you a twenty.?

He turned slowly as he heart heavy, deliberate footsteps behind him. He turned, confused, seeing as his compatriot was supposed to be in the kitchen.

?Hey?? He muttered, ?I shot you.?

?Yeah, you did.? Liam replied and pulled a shot off on his left Desert Eagle.

The round clipped the man?s side and caused him to topple off his chair. One of his hands had been on Rae?s waist at the time, so she was dragged with him, landing unceremoniously on top of his stomach.

Liam walked forward, firing wildly over his shoulder at the kitchen with his P-90, the bounty hunter stayed inside and Liam dropped the gun back down to his neck. He stopped at the Irishman?s side and hefted Rae, not unkindly, and dropped her on the concrete a good three metres away.

?Close your eyes Rae,? he said coldly while drawing the other Desert Eagle, ?I don?t think you?ll want to see this.?

Rae, face resting on the concrete and her eyes uncontrollably facing Liam, blinked in confusion at the statement. Only when she saw Liam place a foot on the man?s throat, kneel, and force the barrels of the Desert Eagles down so they rested on his eye sockets, did she realise what was going to happen.

By then it was too late.

The Irish bounty hunter looked down the cold metal barrels at the two round objects that spelled his doom. He started the scream as he saw the sparks, but by then his jaw was slack and a grotesque red rose painted the concrete.

The casings landed simultaneously, pealing out their melodious tune as they rolled away.

Liam stood slowly and deliberately, like a machine. The first inch of the barrels of his Eagles dripped. He ignored it and holstered them, making his way towards Rae.

Her eyes were wide, flittering back and forth between the headless body, still twitching slightly, and to Liam who was now standing beside her. She was now seriously wondering if she had wanted to be rescued?

Liam knelt down; Rae flinched slightly, and then he pulled her Singlet down over her bra. Without a word he grabbed her bloodstained shirt and put it back onto her. He fired two rounds from his Desert Eagle at the general direction of the kitchen again, and hefted her limp body so that her arms hung around his neck.

?Let?s get you out of here,? he said and carried her back into the jungle, piggyback style.



Back inside the fort, the English bounty hunter was sweating, something he hadn?t done in a while. Ten metres away was the grotesque body of his friend of ten years, and rapidly escaping?no?not escaping?something about that boy?s actions told him that he?d be back.

?Bastard.? He grunted.

Very slowly he stood up and grabbed a hiking pack, stuffing it full of the bare essentials. Ever since he faked his own death in the British SAS to pursue a life of drama and excitement, he?d enjoyed it. But now?stark reality loomed.

He kicked aside some crates and opened a manhole, leading into the tunnels that he?d spirited Jehane into before. He jumped down and, as an afterthought, locked it behind him.

?If I can?t collect the bounty on you Jehane,? He whispered, ?I can at least find out why you?re back.?

The object in his hand lit up as he flicked it on, and the steady breathing of someone running through the jungle came through the little speakers.
[/size]

[Lady Asphyxia]

[size=1]Rae hung limply over Liam's back, feeling completely insecure -- as if she was going to fall off him any minute. She experimentally tried to open her mouth, and found that she could this time, although she couldn't really feel it opening. She just knew it was open.

"Liam," She slurred, "Put me down." Her voice was remarkably lazy, and she knew that she sounded bad.

"Um, girlie...you can't even talk properly."

"I don't care." She sounded like a pouty little child. "Let me walk."

Her arms were still numb, and she wasn't even sure she had legs, but it was possible that she had regained some muscle control.

"No." Liam hefted her higher on her back and continued running. Rae stopped speaking and thought for a while, then smiled a little bit, and let her legs swing with the momentum of Liam's gait. Liam cried out in surprise as one of her heels just [i]happened[/i] to come back hard and cork him in the thigh. He crumpled to the ground, and Rae rolled off him onto the ground.

Liam stood up a second later, then looked down at her, shaking his head.

"I'm going to walk, Liam."

"You can't. You can't even get up. You're still numb from the injection." Damn him and his sadistic sense of humour. As if her rolling around on the ground was funny, anyway.

"Yes I can....as soon as this tree allows me a handhold...ugh.." She groaned as she tried to grab the tree, but her arm didn't move. She felt like a fish, flailing about on land.

"Or as soon as your chin becomes strong enough to lift you off the ground?" His voice was dry, sarcastic.

"You know, Liam, you don't really have to come back to camp safely." Her voice didn't come out as vicious as she'd have liked -- due in part to the fact that she couldn't really pronounce the 'r' 's' or 'f' sounds yet.

"But then, my dear Jehane," he grinned, "you wouldn't be able to get back to camp."

She snarled at him, and let him pick her up -- not that she had much of a choice. "When I can move, I will slap you. I promise."

"Sure you will."

He didn't speak again, just leaving Rae to stew. They reached the camp about an hour later, judging by the way the sun moved. She'd regained most of the feeling in her legs, so she should be able to support herself. Rae grinned, then dug her teeth into the muscles in Liam's shoulder -- payback for his immense arrogance.

Liam retaliated simply -- he dropped her. And Rae found out that she still didn't have the use of her legs.[/size]

[liamc2]

[size=1]

In his little hovel, Sergent James Archington brooded, listening to the steady crackled of his bug receiver and the hypnotic beat of water dropping off the ceiling of the tunnel. Apart from the banter between Jehane and this ?Liam,? a word hadn?t been spoken between them that was of any interest. All he had learned was that Liam was loyal; enough to ignore her insults and threats.

The speaker buzzed.

[I] ?Ugh, finally.?[/I] It was Jehane?s voice, sounding a lot less slurred now. The needle must have been counteracted somehow? [I] ?Thanks for that Matt??[/I]

[I] ?No probs.?[/I] That was an unknown voice, male and deep.

[I] ?Oh, sometimes I [b]do[/b] grow tired of being the head of an evil Colombian gang?Liam, fetch me a drink.? [/I] Jehane?s voice was dry, harsh. A direct order that hinted at something nasty happening if it wasn?t carried out.

[I] ?How about no?? [/I] Liam grunted in his brash manner.
In the tunnel Arching winced, secretly willing Liam to carry out the order despite himself. He had heard the cold warning in her voice.

[I] ?Liam?? [/I] Jehane said, her voice stern.

[I] ?Fine. Whatever.? [/I]

[I] ?Much better. Now, guards, take care of him.? [/I] Her voice was dismissing, Arching could see her waving him away with her little hand.

There was the sound of a shot, loud, booming. Arching almost dropped the receiver in surprise.

Jehane?s voice came through, complaining, ?gross! That went all over me! I?m all sticky now, I hope your happy.?

Arching blinked down at the little electronic device as though it was a handful of the plague virus.

?Son of a? After all he did for her.? He flicked off the receiver and spun round, dragging a battered Samsonite case out of a hiding place. ?Blair won?t be needing any more proof of her existence after this??

He flicked open the case, revealing it to be an all-weather laptop. He then grabbed a loose fire wire cable and plugged it into a covered socket that hung from the wall. The laptop blinked, announcing the satellite was active.

Arching snatched a USB cable this time from the box and plugged it into the rear of his receiver. He pressed ?upload? on the device and it clicked as the conversation buzzed over.

There was the sound of heavy, rhythmic footsteps coming along the tunnel. Arching began sweating. This was not a situation he?d get out of. He was in a tunnel where all the bullets would ricochet off the concrete walls towards him. He stifled the panic and coolly hit the ?send? button. The file loaded, and was gone up and through the satellite.

The footsteps were closer now; he could hear them arming their weapons.

He chambered a round on his H&K MP-5 and did the same for the other. His nerves were shot, he was feeling old?He steadied him and stepped out triumphantly, holding both the MP-5?s up high.

An Australian SAS calmly placed his Sig P228 between Arching?s eyes. Arching steadily lined up his weapons.

?Drop them,? the SAS man said plainly, in the process of pulling the trigger.

Before Arching even started to prepare his trigger, the hammer had dropped in the P228.

The SAS man knelt and wiped his gun clean on Arching?s trousers. ?Grab the laptop and anything else of interest.? He ordered while holstering his pistol. ?Call the SYF and tell them that we found the other man.? His eyes noticed the receiver. ?And tell them that they?ve got a bug planted on one of their agents.?

[center]~~~~~[/center]

Liam calmly spun the Desert Eagle and holstered it, grinning. Rae glared at him while spilling water into her hands from her drink bottle. She brought her hands up to her face and wiped the sticky softdrink off.

Matt picked the punctured can up off the grass and looked at it. ?Fine, now both of you are back, I want Liam to calmly explain to me what happened, and I want you, Rae, to get checked up.?

?No, I?m fine.? She said. ?The guys that grabbed me fixed me up nicely.? She revealed the white bandages on her shoulder.

?And nothing interesting happened.? Liam stated calmly.

Matt eyed the bloodstains on Liam?s pistols. ?Oh really?? He said sarcastically.

Liam smiled and replied, ?really.?

As he spoke, Liam?s eyes drifted over to an open air tent twenty or so metres away. He couldn?t help but notice people handing money to a techie sitting at a table who was marking things down in a notebook.

?What on earth is going on there?? Liam asked, genuinely surprised.

Matt groaned, massaging the bridge of his nose. ?I?ll tell you, but you?re not going to like it. One of my desk jockeys asked which of you was more protective of the other,? he looked pointedly at Rae and Liam. ?When he said that, another was inspired to say they should collect bets on who, out of the pair of you, was more protective of the other. At the end of the year they?re going to count up how many times one of you have saved the other, physically or otherwise. Whoever has the highest score wins.?

Rae looked bewildered, and Liam looked from Matt, to the table, and back to Matt.

He burst out laughing.

Red rose in Matt?s cheeks, ?I?m serious Liam. Malania even put a flask of Vodka down on you. Then when she saw you wander out of the jungle carrying Rae just now, she put another one down.?

Liam frowned, mindful of Malania?s recent alcoholic indiscretions ?Won?t she be wanting to drink those at some point??

Rae quashed a chuckle and coughed, hitting her chest obviously with her fist, as though trying to clear her throat. Matt wasn?t impressed.

?Look. We?re having a briefing in about fifteen minutes about what?s happening tomorrow. Be there.?

?No, I want to sleep. Tell me now.?

Matt spun as though to hit Liam with a stinging rebuke, but then he took in Liam?s condition. He looked pathetic. His front had grass stains and mud spots, and there was a noticeable amount of Rae?s blood that had been flecked from when she was shot.

Liam shifted slightly, uncomfortable under the odd scrutiny.

?Fine,? Matt said. ?Just have a shower before you turn in. Basically we?re getting up early, Eve?s going to lead us through the compound to the fort. We?re going to sneak in, hitting them hard while our back-up SAS team attack from the north. They?ll distract the guards and we?ll rush in and rescue Karen before anyone is the wiser.?

?SAS team? You mean the one you sent to take care of that bounty hunter??

?Yeah. They?ll be hiking through the night.?

Liam blanched. ?Holy?but when are they going to sleep??

Matt shrugged. ?Don?t ask me. Maybe they?ll do it in shifts or something. Or they won?t, I don?t know their plans Liam. I?m just the mouthpiece.?

Rae, being bored with the conversation and feeling as though she wasn?t needed, wandered off to find Callum among the throng of people.

Liam watched her go, wondering about the security of the place. If anything, his paranoia had gone up a notch since their last ?safe? zone turned out to be a bounty hunter hideout.

He sighed and faced Matt, ?so where?s my pack and where?re these showers??

Matt jabbed a thumb over in the direction of a few long tailers that where still attached to their trucks. ?That?s the showers,? he said. He then pointed to some tents over the other side of the camp, ?and your gear?s in one of those tents.?

?Wonderful.? Liam said, fully realising how angry his knees were with him. ?I?ll be grabbing my stuff then.?

?Wait!? Matt said. ?I almost forgot. Change into your civvies as soon as possible, we?ve got some of the Colombian?s paying us a visit around dinner. We don?t want them clued in on our military actions. As far as they know, you?re just a grunt for the archaeologists, ok??

?Whatever.?
[/size]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]Matt tipped off Bailey and Zharra. The only two females that weren't involved in betting on the antics of their other two comrades. Zharra rolled her eyes at Bailey, who pursed her lips in the classic "my my" look. She smiled to herself, then unzipped her luggage and adjusted her jewlrey for the first time that day. With deft movements she slapped on her watch and undid her belt. It slid to the floor slowly and she reached for her sarong and tankini.

Bailey switched shirts and pants, folding up the rest carefully. With calm movements, the two women dressed and armed themselves once more, then stowed everything away.[/i]

"I love camping..."

"Zharra dear, what don't you love?"

"Egotistical men, empty guns, and bad wine."

[i]She grinned at Bailey, who was still reeling at her prompt and blut reply. Then she turned and adjusted her garter, slipping several pins into it.[/i][/COLOR]

[BabyGirl]

[color=purple]"Yes," Bailey decided after stuffing the remains of her fatigues in her pack, "bad wine should be a [i]guillotine[/i]-worthy offense."

Zharra pulled her sarong back down over her leg and turned to face Bailey, "Well remind me to chop the head off of the next person who serves me bad wine."

Both girls laughed and, fully changed, followed each other out of the tent.

Bailey nodded to where Rae was resting in the shade, "I'm going to see how she's doing."

"Well," Zharra adjusted an earing, "she's lucky that Liam feels the need to play hero so often." But Bailey couldn't read the emotion in her face or voice as Zharra left to go join Bradley.

She came across Liam who was making his way toward the campsite washrooms, "Hey," Bailey spotted the blood on his pants in much the same fashion as Matt had, but her brow creased with concern, "are [i]you[/i] all right?"

"I am." His grin was lopsided, and she assumed that meant he was tired, "A few other men aren't all right, but they can't exactly complain about it anymore..."

She nodded, "I get the picture."

"Right. Well I'm going to clean up and pass out."

As Liam started past her Bailey spoke again, her voice quieter, "Thanks for going after her. I would...I couldn't...I didn't know what to do. I can't leave people behind like we did..."

"Nah," Liam gave her a friendly tap on the shoulder, "you were just following orders. I think people have gotten used to me [i]not[/i] following them at times like this."

"Ok," Bailey gave him a lopsided grin in return, "well thanks again."

"Sure. You care a lot about people, don't you Bailey?"

Her grin grew wider, "I do. It comes from living on the streets, you have to look out for each other. It's a part of me now. I promise that I won't let it get in the way of our missions...but I can't gauruntee that I will follow direct orders to leave someone behind or not look for them next time."

Liam held back a grin, "Go check on Rae, I'm sure she'd like to hear that, too."[/color]