The inside of the refurbished C130 was quieter than many of the soldiers had expected.
Even though the flight would take less than two hours… as the aircraft crossed over the Gulf of Thailand, flew across the narrow southern Thai peninsula, and approached Kuala Lumpur from the Indian Ocean side…a number of the combatants knew enough to catch a little shut eye whenever possible.
Sousuke was grateful for the noise cancellation system in effect. Not because aircraft noise often inhibits mission effectiveness, often by causing flight crews and passengers to suffer degraded voice communication, impaired performance, increased fatigue, and hearing loss; but, rather because he was able to converse with Kurz and Melissa in a reasonable manner.
Since the primary noise on multi-engine turboprop aircraft, such as the C-130, originates from the engine-propeller system, the noise from one engine-propeller can be tuned to provide a canceling acoustic wave to reduce the noise generated from another engine-propeller operating on the same aircraft.
Unfortunately, no system known to mankind could cancel out Kurz Weber when he got on a roll. But, Sousuke didn’t mind that. He was ecstatic… at least as ecstatic as Sousuke Sagara could be… finding that his two comrades were still alive. His emotions jumbled, he wanted to hear what had happened to everyone he once knew, while dreading the need to talk about some of his own experiences, many of which still felt raw and painful.
“Oh yeh!” Kurz rubbed his hands together, after hearing some of his friend‘s story. “Let’s hear more about this Nami. It’s always good to have lots of choices. Angel will just have to treat you better, right?”
“She died,” Sousuke said. That had Melissa cuffing Kurz, since she had already warned him more than a dozen times not to get Sousuke upset. “She was never my girlfriend.” He went on to describe the other things that had taken place in his life, after he had left Tokyo behind.
“Well, I just hope that Kaname isn’t shacking up with that Leonard guy,” Kurz put in. “Now that would kind of make this trip a waste for you, right? Damn… will you stop doing that, Sis!” He winced. Melissa had wrapped a free webbing from an adjacent seat around Kurz’ mouth like a gag. “Who knows what could have happened? Besides, I’m still rooting for Tesss-sa.”
“Ignore the moron,” Melissa said to Sousuke. “Kaname probably wouldn’t fall for some guy with long hair.” She smirked, hearing Kurz grunt. “Even if she thought you were dead, I doubt she would be feeling to kindly towards one of the assholes who tore her life apart.”
“Yes… but…” Sousuke surprised them all by bearing his soul, describing how guilty and unworthy he felt, having neglected to run away with Kaname when he had the chance. He also brought up a more significant issue. “Tessa’s brother had also caused Kaname to fear me to some degree. If she doubted me when we were together, she could have stopped caring about me when we were apart.” There, he had said it. One of his greatest fears. How could Kaname possibly care for someone like him, if she no longer had a need to be around him? They had admitted their feelings for one another, using the word 'love' as best they understood it. But, feelings like that can change. What if Kaname's feelings had been more gratitude than anything else. No longer protected by him, what would she have to feel grateful for now? “Speaking of the Captain… you have not yet told me what happened to her, or to the other people that I knew.”
“Tessa’s still alive,” Melissa said, looking a bit troubled. “The attack really shook her up. But, with Mardukas’ help, she managed to prevent a f-cking mutiny. It didn’t help that her brother was involved in things, or that Arbalest was destroyed.”
“That’s right,” Kurz said. “It also didn’t help that Kalinin turned traitor!” The look on his face was fierce. He clenched his fists, knowing exactly what he would do if he ever had the Russian in his crosshairs.
“Goddamnit, Kurz.” Melissa gave her lanky comrade an elbow to the groin. He would have folded up like a cot, were he not secured in the webbing of the sturdy red seat he sat in. “You don’t know that for a fact. That’s the last thing that… Sousuke needs… to… hear…” Her words grew slower and quieter. She looked over at a stunned Sousuke. “I know how you felt about him, Sousuke. He disappeared. There were some questions about what he was up to just before the attack came. But, no one has any kind of proof…”
Kurz and Melissa went on to detail the fates of everyone that Sousuke knew. But, the young soldier heard every other word at best. The aspersions cast upon the man who had been a father figure to him had struck him like a steel girder right between the eyes. The man had been his enemy, and then his friend. He could not imagine him as an enemy again.
“Whoa! Now there’s the girl for you, Sousuke.” Kurz pointed over at Wraith, who had gotten out of her seat, making her way towards the galley at the front of the plane. “So lovely.. so demure… so quick to dress up as a man…” He struck a pose as best he could, secured in his seat after seeing Melissa grin.
Wraith stopped. Normally, she would have ignored an asinine comment like that. It was bad enough that she was there at all, volunteering to put herself in harm’s way after she had earlier decided that working for Mithril just wasn’t worth it anymore. But, something inside her just snapped.
“Looks like you got her attention,” Mao remarked, seeing the North Korean woman turn around and head in their direction. “Crap.”
“Be still my beating heart,” Kurz said. He tossed his hair and made it a point to look the Intel operative up and down as she walked, despite the fact that she wasn‘t particularly attractive by his standards.
“You are Weber,” Wraith said without any preamble. “Intel has a lot of information on you. Self-styled playboy, with no reason for that overconfidence. Family killed by terrorists, prompting a career in mercenary units, when modeling would have been your true forte.” That comment had a number of the male soldiers looking over at Kurz. He quickly tried to wave off that remark. “Girlfriend with a rare neurological disease, runs off with her doctor after you pay much of her extensive medical debt.” She looked over and spoke to Sousuke. “Given that he is your friend and partner, some of your deficiencies are readily explainable.”
“You nailed Weber spot on,” Melissa said. “But lay off the kid. Sousuke’s had a hard life, and has managed to turn out damn well despite that. He’s not the type to spend his life hiding behind a bunch of disguises.” If it had been an anime, bolts of electricity would have shot back and forth between the eyes of the two women.
“Do not tell me about hard lives,” Wraith said, angry that she was losing her cool. “You joined the Marines the day of your arranged marriage, in part to disturb your father as much as he perturbed you. You drink and smoke and swear heavily, making yourself less desirable for any man with marriage on his mind. But, you make up for that by sleeping with more men than Weber would want to know about. All of your bravado and heroics cannot cover up the shame of a dishonorable discharge.”
Kurz looked furious. He unbuckled his webbing and stood up, looking somewhat wild in the eyes. The cool superior look in Wraith’s eyes had him teetering on the edge of rage. Melissa looked ready to spur him on, not calm him down.
“Aren’t we on the same team?” Sousuke spoke very directly, looking over at the North Korean. “Are you acting in a professional manner, or personal?” He paused, letting that sink in. “These two are not perfect. Neither am I. But I trust them, because they have proven themselves worthy of trust. If what I was told today is correct, you betrayed your homeland, even if it was for a humanitarian reasons. Your skill at disguise is useful, but it will never make you a different person.”
Wraith opened her mouth to retort, but stopped. She looked around the cargo hold area, filled with seats, soldiers, and supplies. Everyone was quiet, eyes on her. She turned back to stare at Sousuke for a moment, realizing that the boy didn’t have the slightest bit of rancor in his eyes. “It may be possible for us to rescue Kaname Chidori. Is it possible for you to be someone she truly needs in her life?”
“I do not know,” Sousuke said, honestly. “It may be better that she decides that, rather than you or me.” He thought back to certain events in Tokyo, when the woman had made choices that might have been at odds with her assignment. “In any case, you helped save Miss Tokiwa’s life when she was severely injured by shrapnel. I would thank you now, as I was in no state to do it then.”
Wraith scrutinized Sousuke some more, and then nodded her head. “You’ve changed some…” With that, she headed up front for a cup of coffee.
“I think she likes you,” Kurz said in a sing song voice, his own anger forgotten. “She may just put a bullet in Kaname so she can have you for herself. If she’s r-e-a-l-l-y good at disguises, maybe she can make herself look like Kaname when you two get it on. Or Tessa. Or Lt. Babe!” He grimaced as Melissa took hold of his ear and twisted it sharply.
“Is he on our side?” Captain Gordon asked sarcastically, nodding to Sousuke.
“Maybe he’s just a decoy,” Lance Corporal Calvert said, trying to hide a grin.
“There is a proverb in my country,“ Sgt. Petelicki of the GROM said. “It says ‘Love enters a man through his eyes, a woman through her ears‘. It would be to Sgt. Weber's benefit to stay silent.”
“Ungelegen,” Master Sergeant Heinrich of the KSK said. Aber ergötzlich. Sehr.”
“Embarrassing?” Kurz puffed himself up. “Amusing?”
“It seems he knows you,” Sousuke remarked, causing Melissa to smile more for the fact that he was joking, than for the fact that it was at Kurz’ expense.
“Huh… what…” Kurz put his hands on his hips. “You too, Sousuke old chum?”
“You have not gone into details regarding the battles that you faced,” Sousuke said, changing the subject, wanting to hear more about the things that he had missed.
“Well, we certainly could have used Arbalest,” Kurz put in, glad to have a chance to polish up his tarnished pride. “But, we did better than anyone had a right to expect.” Kurz’ voice was still full of life, but his face went somewhat stiff and serious.
“That’s true,” Melissa put in. “I find myself in a really bad place. I have to compliment Kurz. He came close to living up to his inflated opinion of himself.” She thought back to the fighting. It truly was remarkable that they had survived. It was amazing that the TDD-1 had managed to escape.
“That’s right! Kurz Weber, man among men.” Kurz struck a pose, almost falling over when the aircraft banked. “You only had to face one Behemoth, Sousuke old chum. And, you had the ARX-7. I think that Sis needed to change her panties after she saw three of those damn things begin their attack on Merida Island.”
“Three…” Sousuke thought back to the incident with A21, and his battle with Takuma. That had been a very near thing. The damage to Tokyo caused by his fight against Verial was minor. He didn’t want to think what an unopposed Behemoth could have done. “How…”
Kurz proceeded to tell his take on things, occasionally interrupted by a Melissa. Sousuke was flabbergasted, realizing just how wide reaching the assault by Amalgam was. He had known they were a serious threat; but, he had no idea just how far Mithril had been outclassed. That wasn’t an entirely fair assessment, he knew, given the difference in their goals and methods.
One question kept surfacing, no matter how hard he pushed it back down under his thoughts. How had they been able to strike so decisively? Were there traitors involved again, like with Gauron’s takeover of Da Danaan? And, if there were, was Andrei Sergeivich Kalinin one of them? No. Melissa was correct. He did not need to think about things like that! If there was anything he should think about, it was Kaname. Her, and the question of what Amalgam might be able to do in the future, without a strong Mithril standing in their way.
“Hey, it was a really close thing,” Kurz said. “Lt. Babe here almost didn’t make it.” His eyes lit up. “I found her unconscious in the wreckage of her M9. She needed mouth to mouth. Though, to do it right, I had to take her shirt off. I missed her mouth a couple of times if you know… Owwww…” He grabbed his knee, after Melissa unbuckled her harness and swung her weapons bag with every bit of strength she had.
The various soldiers all smiled, laughed, or shook their heads. The group of combatants from Mithril were certainly entertaining, if nothing else. But, there was a definite look of respect on most of their faces. None of them would have liked being on Merida Island when those metal monsters threatened to make life a living hell.
“You’re going to be singing soprano yet, Weber.” Melissa leaned over to talk to Sousuke. “I was down, but not out. The same could be said for most of those who survived. If Tessa hadn’t made a stand, Da Danaan would be on sale on E-Bay… the crew would have scattered to who knows where… and more good men and women would have died than already had.”
“And Mithril?” Sousuke’s eyes were intense. For the past few months, he almost found himself apathetic, unconcerned about the organization. After all of the things that had happened to him, he almost wished that he never joined up. But, sitting here with his former teammates, he found himself feeling differently, at least on a superficial level.
Did he want to resume his career in Mithril, assuming they organization could rise from the ashes like a phoenix? Truth be told, he still harbored some hard feelings about the way that he had been used as a guinea pig by Tessa and that woman from MIT, even though he understood the need for the actions that they and Lt. Clouzot had undertaken, and would have done the same thing himself. Now that Arbalest was gone, he no longer had to deal with any feelings of guilt he might have if he simply threw his bag over his shoulder and walked off into the sunset.
It didn’t make any sense, thinking too far ahead. For him, so much depended on Kaname. If she wanted to be with him, he might not be able to provide sufficient protection for her on his own. It might be better if he was part of Mithril in that case. Maybe even Kaname should think about joining herself, though he doubted she ever would. But, if she didn’t want anything to do with him if he was still a mercenary, then Mithril would have to soldier on without him.
“No doubt you heard about the Sydney base,” Melissa said, interrupting Sousuke‘s introspection intentionally. She had recognized the look in his eyes. “Merida Island was messed up too, as Kurz told you. Word has it that assassins were sent out, chasing down the council members who were not killed outright in the attacks.” She grabbed the webbing in her fist, wanting to curse the situation they all found themselves in. “Throw in the loss of Arbalest, and we’re pretty badly f-cked.”
“It doesn’t help that those bastards have the technology they do,” Kurz said, walking with an even more pronounced limp. “We would have been destroyed before, when Tessa was kidnapped during that Pacific Christmas mission, if it hadn’t been for Mardukas. And, they must have some pretty deep pockets, if they could build three of those Behemoths. But, what scares me the most is what I heard about you and Arbalest.”
“Yes,” Sousuke said, closing his eyes. He could recall in far too much detail, his thoughts and feelings from the worst day of his life. “I was outclassed. In every way. He toyed with me.”
“Shit!” Melissa kicked at her bag. “That’s just f-cking great.” She patted at her pocket, swearing more when she realized that there was no smoking onboard. “Even if the things that Tessa got rolling work out, we’re screwed if we can’t get the Lambda Driver technology again. Even the damn Venom A.S.es have that.”
“It’s not just Mithril or and myself who were outclassed,” Sousuke said. “Unless some of the larger nations have access to Lambda Driver technology through their own efforts…” Sousuke left that thought hanging. Well-functioning Lambda Driver devices could indeed make nuclear weapons obsolete. Amalgam probably didn’t need to rule the world. That would be more trouble than it’s worth. They would soon be able to influence things behind the scenes in almost any manner they wished. If the United States and other countries thought they had faced a nightmare from Islamic fundamentalists, they were about to get a cold splash of reality.
“Well, that’s why Tessa has… mrphl grblll mrphbrll…” Kurz was tempted to bite Melissa’s hand when she put it firmly over his mouth. But, he knew all too well what that would bring him.
“Shut up, asshole.” Melissa’s eyes narrowed dangerously. She lowered her voice considerably, looking over at Sousuke. “The other guys may well be our allies today… and most of them are freelancers and mercs…but, some are still members of official forces.” She looked over to see if any of the other soldiers were looking over. They weren’t; but, they wouldn’t have to. Some might be paying very close attention. “As far as the news agencies are concerned, the existence of Mithril came as a shock. They barely knew there was a Mithril before they started saying it was gone at the hands of a terrorist organization of unknown scope. That was more than f-cking enough to stir things up and get people really worried.”
“Yeh… but…” Kurz rubbed at his lips. He checked to see if he had any lose teeth. “Anyway… Tessa pretty much screwed up her own career, doing what she did. That’s why she deserves some tender loving care in her life.” He smiled at Sousuke, rubbing his hands together when he saw his friend look annoyed. Then, he raised one eyebrow and sighed. “I still can’t believe you threw away all of our chances to peek at the sweet little Captain… Kaname… and the other girls at the hot springs. It never hurts to be a conscientious shopper…”
“Funny that you should mention ‘hurting’, Kurz.” Melissa cracked her knuckles and licked her lips. “He's probably right, though. Tessa may have made a lot of political enemies by doing what she did, whether or not it was the right f-cking thing..” She ran a hand through her hair, looking somewhat weary for a moment. “I suppose we could have sailed the world like a goddamn pirate ship, keeping one step ahead of the bastards who still want our ass gone. I don’t know about you, but I don’t usually carry around enough cash to help buy ammunitions and supplies.”
“The Captain put the TDD-1 under the aegis of one of the large nations, secretly or not?” He saw the answer in Melissa’s eyes. “The United States?” He blinked rapidly when she nodded. “I see. They will want whatever technology they can get their hands on, so not to risk it all in one basket again. No doubt they and their allies will also want a greater say in what the submarine is used for. But, they still will not have enough information to duplicate Arbalest. Much of the knowledge needed for that had been kept in Bunny Morauta’s head, and nowhere else.”
“Tessa received assurances that a rebuilt Mitril would have autonomy again. But, there had to be concessions of various sorts. Nothing comes for free,” Melissa said. “As it was, we had to hand over an M9, and our latest ECS shit.”
“Our clever little Captain has given us a number of objectives,” Kurz said. “We’re not just here to rescue Angel, after all.” He paused a moment, wondering if anyone would have bugged the passenger area, or whether sensitive microphones might allow the pilots and flight crew to hear what was said. “I’m afraid you won’t like some of them.” He pursed his lips, uncomfortable with one task in particular.
“You will be looking to find salvageable information on the Lamba Driver,” Sousuke surmised correctly. “And, you will wish to keep that for Mithril, without anyone else realizing what you have done.” Sousuke nodded. He wondered just how many men on that plane had hidden agendas. “You will be looking to assassinate any high ranking Amalgam officials you can identify.” He had not problem with that. Especially after all that Amalgam had done. War was war, no matter what you called it. Following that train of thought even further, he shook. His eyes went wide. “Kaname…”
“Right,” Melissa said. She reached over and squeezed Sousuke’s hand. “We have some tough choices. If it looks like Kaname is willingly working for the enemy…”
“Then, I have to put a bullet between her pretty brown eyes,” Kurz finished, his voice flat. “Unless we can get her away from them.” He looked very stern. There was no sign of hesitation at all in his posture. “Amalgam has way too much access to Black Technology as it is.” That truth promised doom for any Whispered that they came across, who might be in cahoots with the terrorist group. It was ironic, given how much of an effort that Mithril had made to safeguard the Whispered who hadn’t fallen under the sway of the enemy.
“That…” Sousuke felt himself go completely numb. He almost couldn’t fathom what he was hearing, even though it made perfect sense to him. A number of years ago, he wouldn’t have thought twice about the necessity of such an order. “But… I…” The startling revelations opened up a whole new can of worms. Could he do the deed, if the task fell to him? If Kaname Chidori was a pawn of Amalgam, could he be the one to snuff her out? Would he try to stop Kurz or Melissa, if they were about to do so themselves?
“Do you still consider yourself part of Mithril, Sousuke?” Melissa asked the question that needed to be asked. Kurz nodded, having had the same thought.
“I…” Sousuke swallowed hard. It was a difficult question. “Ever since I was on my own, I thought…” He hadn’t even considered the need for such a question, before. If there was no Mithril, he was no member. And if there was, he would still need to re-evaluate his relationship with the organization. “I… I really don’t know…”
He began questioning everything about his life. Specifically, he held his breath when he looked at Kurz and Melissa. What if he didn’t remain with Mithril, but found himself at odds with their orders. What would they do? What should he do?
“Didn’t think that far ahead, huh old friend?” Kurz nodded, a rare show of sympathy on his face. “Either that, or you’ve only been thinking with your d-… ouch!” He glowered at Melissa, who had just stomped hard on his foot. “You saw the pictures!” He had not managed to return the photo album to Sousuke.
“I will do what is right,” Sousuke said, wondering if his heart and mind could work together. “I have seen what happens when one lets emotions get in the way.” He was not referring to the riot act that Wraith had read him before. No, his experience went further back than that. He had seen what happened in Afghanistan, when men became monsters by doing the wrong thing, and where men had caused their own deaths and the deaths of others by offering kindness and consideration to an enemy that had no use for such things. “I will not let my mistakes ruin any more lives…” The words sounded convincing. Nevertheless, Sousuke wasn’t entirely sure if he could believe them.
“I wonder just what she is up to…” Melissa looked over at Wraith, a look of suspicion on her face. “If what I heard is true, she actually worked the Intelligence angle that dug up the information we needed.”
“I can’t help but wonder if that was just a little too convenient,” Kurz added. “If she was better looking, I’d be sure she was a double agent.”
When Sousuke opened his mouth to say something, the overhead speaker came to life. It was Major Choocaht Na Ayudhya, member of the Royal Thai Army and leader of this arm of the mission. “Ngiia huu, gentlemen.” The sound of the major’s voice ended all conversations. A number of the soldiers checked their watches, getting an idea of how much time they had before landing. “We will be landing in about thirty minutes. I would like to go over the assignments again, giving you all an update with up to the minute intelligence data.” The lights in the hold went off, and images were projected on a large tarp hooked to hang from the ceiling near the galley. The sixty Thai and international soldiers all focused their attention on the impromptu movie screen.
“Got any popcorn, Babe?” Kurz asked Melissa, putting his hands behind his head as if he was sitting in a cinema somewhere. She ignored him.
“This is a map of the Selangor Science Park-1, a science-based park for entrepreneurs. It was built to world class standard, to nurture and establish Malaysian R&D, and to commercialize their products. Supported by superb highway network, it is fourty minutes drive from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where we will be getting into trucks. The park contains a high technology center, warehouse complex, and other groups of buildings that have been assigned various likelihood of being significant. Those of you sent to that area will infiltrate the target buildings and gather whatever information you can. If you determine them to be significant sites of enemy activity, the other groups will strike on your recommendation, after they have finished their primary missions.”
Sousuke kept silent. He wondered how many if any one of the primary missions had a chance for success. It might be wishful thinking, hoping that something as large as the SSP-1 area could be hit after Amalgam had word of attack. Then again, Major Ayudhya might know more than he was telling. There was no reason that the science park couldn’t be struck by cruise missiles from Da Danaan or the United States Navy. Of course, the Malaysian government and military probably weren’t told that.
“Thanks to the tireless work of one amongst you…” The Major continued, not mentioning Wraith by name or sex. “…We know that our primary target of interest in regards to technology development is not in that park, but rather in a series of secret laboratories supposedly nestled inside the Batu Caves. That famous site is situated thirteen kilometers north of Kuala Lumpur, and consists of three main caves and a number of smaller ones. The caves are made of limestone and have ceilings up to one hundred meters high. You will have to climb two hundred and seventy two steps, before reaching the main entrance. Temple Cave… also known as Cathedral Cave… is the best known and biggest of the caves. The huge chamber used to be lighted by daylight from several holes in the ceiling. We do not know if it is possible to gain entry at those sites.”
“How about some Gummi Bears?” Kurz asked Melissa sotto voce. He was caught off guard when a number of soldiers threw sticks of gum and a chocolate bar at him.
The Thai soldier went on to describe the order of battle, placing a high importance on the capture of technologists, and the collection of data. If strong resistance was met, the idea would be to use explosives to seal off the main cave entrances, preventing escape at all costs.
“Alright. Next. We know that high level members of Amalgam stay at a pair of mansions that once were a point of interest for foreign kings, queens, and heads of state. Located directly in Kuala Lumpur, Carcosa and Seri Negara are located on adjacent hillsides. Both are situated in their own sixteen hectare garden… that would be close to forty acres…” Major Ayudhya showed a series of diagrams of the grounds and the main buildings. “I’m afraid you won’t have time to enjoy the Swimming pool, Fitness center Sauna, Tennis Courts, or Whirlpool. Nor will you be able to make use of the Bar, Butlers, or Room service. Maybe next time.”
Sousuke looked at his watch. He tried to think where Kaname might be at the hour the attacks were scheduled for. There was no way to know if she was held captive in one locale or another, as she had not shown up in any of the spy photos provided for each squad’s perusal. Would she be held somewhere for experimentation? Might she be forced to accompany Leonard for dinner? His mind lapsed into more sordid thoughts, causing him to grit his teeth and tense his muscles.
A photograph of the Petronas Twin Towers was projected. “Many of you may have seen pictures of these buildings before. For fans of action and adventure movies, they have been used as a setting in a number of films.” He did not mention any movies by name. After describing a brief history of the buildings, he focused on important details. “Tower One holds the offices of the Petronas Company, Malaysia’s petrochemical conglomerate. For years, Tower Two was only half full, due in part to the awkward arrangement of some of the office spaces. But, over a short span of months, the remaining suites all sold out. Write down the names of the following companies. They are all thought to be affiliated with Amalgam, or to be cover names for various groups working for the organization.” He highlighted those office spaces that held the most interest.”
Sousuke narrowed his eyes. One client name stood out. Silver Industries. That arrogant bastard! That might very well be Leonard Testarossa’s suite. In Amalgam circles, he was known as Mr. Silver. Sousuke took note of the floor number. He had joined the squad striking at the Carcosa and Seri Negara, as that was his best guess where someone like Leonard would keep a prisoner he wanted to win over. But, the Towers were not far from the mansions. He would search there, should he fail to find Kaname at the former hotels. As far as he was concerned, the mission parameters were suggestions, not guidelines.
“Sgt. Sagara, your reputation for damage and destruction is legendary in some circles,” the Thai major quipped. The joke was true in part. “I would hope that you will refrain from bringing down structures of such high notoriety, should you find yourself anywhere in their vicinity.”
“Hey, you’re famous Sousuke!” Kurz clapped. Melissa looked over at Sousuke and gave him a warm smile. Sousuke didn’t find things to be amusing in the least.
“Keep one thing in mind, gentleman. We will have the support of the indigenous armed forces. However, we will be the tail wagging the dog. They have been instructed to stay out of our way.” Major Ayudhya shut off the projection system. “There’s a saying in Thailand. ‘At high tide fish eat ants; at low tide ants eat fish’. Whether we are fish or ants, let us hope that the tide is in our favor.”
Sousuke closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. He was close now. He was certain of it. He would find Kaname somewhere in Malaysia.
What happened after that was anyone’s guess
Gone But Not Forgotten (chapter 5) [FIC]
Moderators: KiLlEr, HELLFIRE, Taurec
Gone But Not Forgotten (chapter 5) [FIC]
Last edited by dd on Thu Oct 20, 2005 7:37 pm, edited 2 times in total.
