NationStates Jolt Archive

The soft crackling noise of a burning fire matched the images sitting on DeMontham’s desk. The pictures were fresh from a data burst sent to the INSA decrypting center, sent by a KMAV image processing satellite. Pictures of a burning house, little wreckage from an helicopter, and the FLIR and thermal had picked up on still warm dead bodies. He shook his head, sighing outwardly. It was getting to the point where he was just going to fly into Montgard and kill Ryan and Darren himself. With the house still burning, it would be long before he even knew Darren had indeed been killed by the US strike team.

However, he had more pressing issues to attend to, which included falsifying some information on a Naval Officer. All in a days work. Following that, he would need another meeting with the First Speaker, having just returned from the conference. He was starting to worry about Cerna, having doubts that the INSA director would be able to keep his mouth shut. Of course, with the idea that Ryan may be coming back to Imitora to cause problems, life could become interesting.

---

Ryan had a pen and paper out, scribbling down notes in a furious style. A shopping list, of sorts, that he would hand off to Sinjin upon arrival. It wasn’t exactly a difficult list, but Ryan had exacting specifications, and he expected each item to meet his concept of quality control. Then there was the issue of getting back in to Imitora, but that was part of his plan’s second step, and one he doubted would be well received.

But then again, he was the one who had the training, who knew what the ICIA looked for, and how to get around it. As long as none of the Tanaarans tried to modify his plan, make it too complicated, add special issues, or otherwise mess with his set up, it would work. In theory. Of course, he still had to wonder if sneaking in through the front door would be the best idea. The best laid plans, after all.

Charli had been quiet for most of the flight, and Ryan had spent little time trying to start conversation. In actuality, he had spent no time trying to start a conversation, and instead focused on the paper in front of him. The list itself was short, but very particular. The sad fact was, once they got back to Imitora, most of the equipment would simply be ditched in favor of the arms supplied by close friends. Ryan had names in his phone that made the boys down in Murfreesboro look normal. And that took some skill. That gave him pause, and he quickly jotted down another note.

The flight passed by with little event, as expected, and Ryan hardly noticed the landing at all. Good pilots. Stepping off the plane into the cool night air, Ryan quickly took count of the guards, picked up Sinjin and his secretary, and a few others. He began walking towards the Tanaaran when another stepped into his path, weapon ready, demanding identification. Ryan moved around the guard, ignoring his calls for information and identification.

The guard put his hand on Ryan’s shoulder, the strong firm sort of grip that said stop there and tell me what I want to know or else. Ryan choose or else. He was fast, his hand coming up and under the guard’s. He gripped the guard’s fingers tightly, and twisted up and back, away from his shoulder. A hard forward jerk brought the guard forward, off balance, and splaying out on the ground.

“How’s that for ID?” Ryan shrugged, walking back towards Sinjin. His hand went into his pocket, and he pulled out the list. He handed it to Sinjin.

“Need it ASAP. That, and a place to finish up the whole sleeping thing. Kinda tired.” He voice betrayed no emotion or hint of things to come, but Sinjin should have been able to figure it out from the list.

1911 frame + Ammo + holster
Passports, id, residency info. Forged.
Forty thousand in Imitoran Credits, small bills
Clothes
Nokia E90
Ammo
Good folder knife.
Ride
Internet connection

Most of it was self explanatory, but Ryan could see a state similar to confusion, but not quite, with the last bit of the list. “Gonna need a flight in. Any of the major airports will do, but I’d prefer something more towards the south east, so I think the best bet would be going into Altec somewhere, then I can get us a car into Freesburg. I need to email some people I know, let them know what’s up.”

Ryan looked back at Charli. “Ya need anything?”

Charli just shook her head in answer to Ryan' question. Every thing she needed was in the duffle that had been waiting for her on the plane. Which had shimmered into invisibility and with but a whoosh of displaced air was gone, before the palace's very discrete shields could be reraised. Once they were however the predawn sky took on a faint shimmery quality. The Tanaarans didn't advertise certain capabilities and technologies given them by the Empire.

Sinjin looked at the two of them and frowned slightly. His gaze shifted to the downed soldier, hen he just shook his head. "I think I should thank you for not killing that idiot." He took the list from Ryan and gave it a look over. He knew from the brief contact he'd had from Charli after they'd gone airborne that Darren hadn't survived. He was keeping his own tight rein on a savage temper.

"How long do you want to sleep? And would you prefer a teleport into Imitora rather than a flight. Quicker and doesn't leave tracks" Sinjin finished his quick perusal of the list and handed it to his secretary who turned and headed of to compile it.

Ryan's list would be filled to exacting specificatons, with multiple choices of each request so that he could have his own choice.And the internet connection, courtesy of Myriad, would trace back to a small time art importer in Hackensac New Jersey...and give the Tanaarans one more way into Imitoran cyber systems.

How long do you want to sleep? And would you prefer a teleport into Imitora rather than a flight. Quicker and doesn't leave tracks.

Ryan shook his head. "Nope, a nice Airbus or Boeing will do just fine." He didn't trust anything he couldn't physically hold on to, and that included modes of transportation.

"Sleep shouldn't be long, just a few hours. Though I wont want to fly out till night, maybe sundown. Based on flight time, if the flight takes off around seven thirty, and is on time all the way, then we would be landing at nine to nine fifteen. Changing time for most shifts. And they wont be expecting us to fly in on a public flight."

Ryan stretched out, and noticed the harsh, shooting pain in his shoulder. He stiffled the grimace, shaking out the pain. He looked over to finally take in account the dried blood around his shirt collar. "Uh," he huffed. "Might need to get that handled before we leave, too."

Ryan looked back at Charli, still quiet. He wondered if for only the briefest of moments if he should drag her along with him. He'd ask later, but once in Imitora, there wasn't a pause option. She wouldn't be able to just hop on a puddle pisser and turn around.

"Gun and knife don't matter none. As long as its good metal, and a halfway decent plinker. I'd prefer Emerson with the knife, but I'll take just about anything, really. More of a tool than anything. Passports, make em something fun. I dunno, I can speak the language so Swiss or something like that."

Ryan looked back at the guard on the ground for a last moment. "He'll be fine, I only broke two of his fingers."

Charli noticed Ryan's wince and responed to his comment "There's no Might about it Ryan. I can do a good job of cut and paste, but I want that professionally checked out and properly bandaged." There was a quiet firmness in her voice that brooked no contradiction.

"Ryan should we go in together or seperately? You know Imitora. The first time I went in Hoot was President and had some sort of special wavier for me, and when I brought Rob's body back.." She kinda shrugged, too tired, and sad to spare his feelings by not mentioning his despised father. "No one asked to see anything resembling papers, which was good as I didn't have any. And you aren't thinking of leaving me behind are you?" Again there was that quiet firmness.

It was an adamance that was a reminder that while she might not be a military sort of warrior, she was still a warrior. And once again she had failed. Charli had told Darren that she would protect him. Those that had sent the killers that had taken Darren's life would pay. Her anger was cold and clear. One mountain at a time, and even mountains can fall. Ryan didn't really understand the extent of her powers, very few did. But if necessary Imitora would learn.

Sinjin nodded at Ryan's refusal of a teleport, Imitorans were noticibly skittish about psionic powers. "We don't fly Airbuss, their fly by wire is too iffy" He smirked, he had never been fond of the European consortiums planes and felt vindicated by their recent troubles.

"We may have to put you on board a homeymoon flight, if you want to do a nine pm arrival. I'll have what going out checked, and spots held for you." He told them as the Rolls Royce that has been idling pulled up and they were quickly ensconsed in the plush rear seats.

The northern most point of the island of Imitora was some five thousand miles south of Montgard. Though Tanaara TransAire flew BoeingAerospace's 939's - a supersonic, nearly sub orbital transport made just for Tanaara, and could make the flight in three hours. There were very few commercial planes that could match it.

The trip to the palace was short, less than five minutes and Sinjin had called ahead. The Queens own physician was waiting for them.

There is no might about it. I'm pretty good with cut and paste, but I want that professionally checked out and properly bandaged.

Ryan just nodded. He knew it needed to be done, and even though he could shoot a long gun ambidexterously, it would help to use his normal shoulder. Pistols didn't matter, but a rifle, well it would help.

Ryan should we go in together or seperately? You know Imitora. The first time I went in Hoot was President and had some sort of special wavier for me, and when I brought Rob's body back, no one asked to see anything resembling papers, which was good as I didn't have any. And you aren't thinking of leaving me behind are you?

"If ya wanna go, you gotta come in with me. And you got lucky. They are gonna want papers. Passports at a minimum, possibly more. And ya might need to mess with your hair, maybe some make up and such. If you really are an Eye Tee, they'll have you pegged with up'd security considering I'm missing."

They would probably have them pegged together, but that wouldn't be difficult to undercut. At the time of landing, they should be on the last legs of a shift change, the easiest time to get in. At least that was what he had been trained, and on his final exercise, it was easier for him to sneak in. Of course, he was trying harder then, because his instructors hadn't told the IBP that it was an exercise. The Shooters had to train as if it were the real deal, and the IBP didn't screw around with such...

We don't fly Airbuss, their fly by wire is too iffy. We may have to put you on board a homeymoon flight, if you want to do a nine pm arrival. I'll have what going out checked, and spots held for you

Ryan shrugged, following Sinjin out to the Rolls. "Whatever gets the job done."

Ryan looked down at the car. "Ya sure you want me to get in? Wouldn't want to get blood over the seats."

"Ryan, get into the damned car, It's had more blood than your's spilt in it." Sinjin rolled his eyes, and Charli gave him a gentle shove to get him moving.

"The Roman Catholic Church considers me one, and since Imitora used the Church's Iconoclast's to kill Rob and try 'n kill me, I guess that makes me one as far as Imitora is concerned. Don't worry about what I'll look like, I won't look much like this in about five hours. And passports to match." Charli replied softly as she piled into the Rolls after him.

"You get doctored up and I should have that begun by the time you get back to what ever suite they are putting us up in." She gave Sinjin a faint nod, and the older man's face went carefully blank, but there was not so well hidden dismay in his eyes.

The doctor was waiting when they arrived, and Charli let herself be led away by one on Sinjins aides. She didn't let him carry the duffle.

You get doctored up and I should have that begun by the time you get back to what ever suite they are putting us up in.

Ryan just nodded as he followed off the doctor. He had a serious issue with going out under the knife, and was hoping it would just be as simple as slapping some Neosporin or such on the wound, some water to wash away the dried blood, and a quick bandage. However, knowing his luck, he would probably need surgery, new tissue, implants, some blood, and a lolipop. Such was life.

His main concern at the moment was getting out an email. It was just one, a quick one that would tell some people to expect him, and be ready. And that he would be comming with the hope his perfered customer rating was still in effect. Even good friends needed cash to cover the spread.

Ryan had noticed a slight change in Charli, in her demeanor, but as far as he was concerned, that was a good thing. He needed her to be different from herself, if only for long enough to get past the customs official for ICE and IBP. Once inside, she could go back to her normal self, because at that point, it wouldn't be federal agents looking for them.

It would be the military and ICIA.

Ryan's luck was as usual, he did need surgery, but they never had to 'put him under'. The knife was a medical laser that he never knew was cutting on him after they applied a nerve block. It had been a through and through, but still required more than neosporin and a bandaid. A small, very highly acomplished team worked on him for two hours while having him be distracted by the lastest gun magazines from around the world. They only would let him turn the pages with his other hand though.

When they were through, the wound was sealed on both sides with nanofiber pseudo flesh that melded into the skin around the wound seamlessly. It would be absorbed as the wound healed. Once Ryan had showered - finding that his arm and shoulder worked fine if slightly stiff for the moment- and dressed in clothes left for him, the doctor handed him a small, blue patch. "When you get ready, put this on the back of you hand. You'll sleep for four solid hours and wake with no after effects. Now, from the fast regrowth drug, the enhanced blood and muscle regneration your body is doing will up your appetite. Please eat heartily, lean protiens especially."

The same aide that had taken Charli ahead to their suite was waiting for Ryan and led him through the palace. Charli was not in the main part of the suite but Ryan could hear her moving about the smaller of the two bedrooms.

When he came in she stepped into the sitting room that seperated the two bedrooms. She looked nothing like she had just over two hours earlier. Her skin was dark, and looked naturally so - not the light tan she had had before, but a rich, nearly mahogony hue, that gave her the look of a Polyhnesian genotype -courtesy of the nanites that had gone into the pignemt cells of her skin's dermal layer. Her hair was darker too, instead of warm light auburn and deep waves, she was now a dark brunette, her hair falling straight down her back, and several inches longer than it had been. Her eyes also were a different hue, instead of green they were now a light amber that fit with her new skin and hair color. Again this was courtesy of nanites, not colored contacts.

Her face was different as well and she seemed to be slightly in pain. More nanites had altered the structure of her face to a degree. Her cheeks were wider, her nose slightly broader than it had been and her lips fuller, almost pouty looking. The changes would fade in a few days, and the pain in a few hours but right then she was in more discomfort than Ryan was. She started towards him, but stopped, and gave him an uncertain look.

Charli had on a pair of white jeans that scarely covered her hips and fit like a second skin. The body hugging, sleevless, bright pink tee she wore was adorned with rhinestones that spelled out 'Hello Kitty Bitch Princess' and didn't reach her navel. The spike heeld sandals were the same pink as the tee. She didn't like the look, but knew that she wouldn't stand out clothes-wise from most in any airport. And she'd never believe that her body might. Ryan hadn't had enough time to convince her of that yet.

Her voice was altered too, lower, almost husky. "Well? I've got other outfits as well if you think this isn't right" Her tone matched the uncertainty on her newly different face.

Ryan accepted the patch graciously, but as soon as he was out of the OR, he pocketed it with little intent to use. However, it could come in usefull later. He would get to sleep fine on his own tonight. What was left of it, at least.

Entering the room, he took in an eye full of the new Charli. "Wow," was all he commented, almost breathlessly. He could tell it wasn't just makeup, a few lairs of this or that to change her skin tone, but a serrious work. The physical changes he could leave away, and he liked her normal tone. Of course, he prefered her old look, but this was nice in its own way, with its own exotic flair. But it did have one issue.

"The clothes gotta change," he said, with no intent to insult. "Way to wild, even for Imitora. Once we get out of the airport, yeah, it might work, but in the airport, especially where we are going, its gonna get to much attention. Even if they don't recognize you, we will still have some issues."

He really didn't have anything to offer advice wise on what to wear, but he still tried.

"If we were flying into Northampton, or hell, maybe even Altec, then that could fly. Hell, you'd stand out in the clubs or at the races for being a year behind the trends. But if we can get a flight into Lansing, which is the closest we can get to Freesburg, ya gotta go a bit more, I dunno, conservative."

He wanted her in her old body, but with these clothes. It would have been perfect. However, perfect for him and his appetites and perfect for slipping in unnoticed were oft two different things. In this case, they were worlds apart.

"I would stick with a tastefull skirt and shirt combo. Might wanna stay away from pant suits, they don't exactly approve of them down there. And we want to draw as little attention to ourselves as possible."

"And no offense, but you looked alot better before the change."

He made his way over to the supplied computer, and quickly set to work. The email was from one of his side accounts that he used to sign up for internet forums and spam filtering. The message itself was giberish to anyone who didn't understand the shorthand, which would include the ICIA.

Gonna be home. Chill like ush? Need some slips, usual stuff. Longone. See what ya can do. Should be with a friend. Might need her toy to. Bring the dogs and the ricky tic. Call when I get back. Winslow Arizona.

Ryan was about to close out after checking his bank accounts to make sure none of them had been frozen. They hadn't. However, before he could turn off the connection, the computer beeped a message recieved notice, and Ryan chuckled.

"Damn old coot. Never sleeps."

No prb. Bring PCA, for cover. Trbs? No worries, not veiwd. If bigin, nilex rep. If ain't, whiskey tango foxtrot?!?! Crypts grand. Winslow Arizona.

Ryan nodded, he stood, shucking off the shirt, and moving towards the bed. "We're good to go," he said, offering a smile that was a mix of relief, sly conviction, and mischeif.

Ryan's comments on what to wear had Charli visibly sighing in relief. "All I ever got to really see of Imitora was the races and clubs. I don't wear many skirts though, but if you say their conservative, I can." She crinkled her nose at him, then winced a little at the pain that flashed through her face. His comment about likeing her old look better had her glowing.

While he dealt with the computer Charli slipped back into the other bedroom and chose a different style of clothes and accessories from the selection that had been laid out by the palace staff., quickly packing them in the waiting suitcase and over-nighter. Once they'd gotten some sleep, Ryan would find a wide variety of styles laid out for him to choose from for his wardrobe.

She quickly changed into a shimmering ruby hued satin night shirt that clung to her body like a second skin and barely fell to the tops of her thighs.

"Hopefully this isn't too racy" Charli teased as she slid into the bed and looked up at Ryan with her own expression of wicked comehither.

Ryan slipped up next to Charli, his arms wrapping around her. But it just wasn't the same. Even though he could feel her, feel the distinct curves of her body, it just wasn't her. Even though she felt the same, she just wasn't the same. He kissed her, softly, but stopped at that, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. He fell into sleep easily.

When he woke, he slid out of bed, carful not to wake Charli, and moved towards the wardrobe selection. His selections would match hers. Generally conservative, button down working shirts in different plaid patterns, a few snug and loose fitting tee shirts, a couple pairs of heavy jeans. He could pick up at hat and sunglasses when he got to Imitora, he wouldn't want to go around in the special issue Oakleys. He selected his footware equally carfeully, going with a pair of hiking boots, and another pair of cowboy boots. He didn't pay much attention to the make or style, he would handle a second selection when he got back home.

He was tempted to check his email again, but he stayed away. He knew that the old man was more than capable of covering his tracks. Hell, some of the best ICIA counter intell equipment was available OTS from IMI. Ryan had to stiffle a chuckle at that, knowing that some old bastard in Freesburg was sending the ICIA on a wild goose chase across the world. The varible frequence ISP address would confuse even some of the most powerful computers in the world, sending a different set of numbers up everytime. One minute, they were in Miami. The next, somewhere in Tarlachia. Another bump would put them in Roania, and then another in mainland Europe.

Ryan would need some of those toys. Of course, his order alert left for the destination would have plenty of toys with it.

Charli didn't fall asleep easily, his restrained kiss had blared out his change in attitude. She had feared such a change and yet when it came she found it unexpected. She had burried the fear deep, hiding from it, but it had been there none the less. Her hopes and dreams that she had never allowed herself to have before the last few days, those she began to carefully fold up and tuck away - she'd keep them and the incredible memories of the last few days as something to hold tightly to in the lonely days ahead.

She lay on her side, looking at Ryan's slumbering form with apprehension and sadness. I should have known better. Her shoulders slumped as she watched him, carefully memorizing every line of him. Charli had hadn't expected to be a fling, though she knew she should have. No one would want to be in a real relationship with her, she shouldn't even had thought of it, it was too dangerous. Those had been the Shop's operatives after her- Sinjin had been able to confirm that for her -and Darren had died because of her. She had been stupid to fall in love, stupid to believe that the feeling had been returned. Ryan never said word one and now some part of her was glad that she hadn't made a fool of herself by speaking of how she felt. They'd get done what was needed in Imitora, and go their seperate ways, so that he could have a safer life than any around her. She wouldn't hang around, make a nuisance or embarrasement of herself.

Charli had been glad when Khadri had come to keep her company while she'd made the initial injections of the nanites that Light had sent from Robber's Roost. The injections had hurt unbelieveably, and the talk she and her friend had had, at first she had thought just a distraction -she realised now that it had been meant as a warning. Khadri had talked about how Rob Fortier had years ago, when Mercy asked him to marry her, had refused, saying simply that "I like our relationship the way it is now." Charli, who had always known that Robert Fortier was more than a bit of an arrogant asshole, had just shaken her heead ruefully. She sighed deeply, no Ryan was not his father, but he was Imitoran and those she'd met and seen at the races and clubs while she was in Imitora seemed to have a different woman on their arm's every night. That was the way it was generally in the racing world, a world that even now, was well over ninety percent male. They liked their trophies beautiful. And I certainly don't fit that Charli thought as she felt the exhaustion of the last few hours creep over her.

Ryan was mostly packed when she woke, and she gave him a quick, guilty look for sleeping past when he woke up. "My stuff is all but completely packed. It will just take a minute more." She hurried into the smaller bedroom to change and do a little last minute repacking. The three provacative night gowns Khadri had brought as a gift, she exchanged for more practical night wear. Charli threw on the slouch boots, mid calf skirt and turtle neck that she had laid out earlier. She didn't much care that the colors were wrong for her current skin hue, making it look muddy and uncared for. It matched the depression she was trying very hard to hide.

As Charli finished dressing there came a knock on the bedroom door that opened into the hall and Khadri stuck her head in "Hey Charli I've got some magazines you ought to carry as part of your cover, something your 'other you' would be looking at...."Her voice faded and she gave Charli a look as she closed the door behind her. She sighed softly and moved to stand before Charli. "I'm an Empath you know. Mot much of one, not even really trainable, but I got enough of a reading...and I thought you'd gotten hit hard. And it's not returned is it? I tired to warn you, they turn them into functional sociopaths, unable to feel any emotions." Khadri said softly as she gave Charli a hug.

Charli returned the hug, but didn't meet her friends eyes. Keeping her voice low she shrugged. "Yeah, I was stupid. I poured my heart out to him, told him just about every secret I have...and those that I didn't spill was just because I didn't have time to. It was wonderful...." She swallowed heavily looking at the mostly closed door that led to the suite's living room. "and now I understand better some of the things you said. How Mercy held every man she met up against her image of Rob. I have the feeling I'm going to hold every one up against the dreams I built around Ryan.." She squared her shoulders and fought a wry smile into place. "I never expected to have any dreams any way, so it's no big loss, is it?"

Khadri just frowned at Charli's attempt a humor. Her empathy was just enough to allow her to feel the vast pain that Charli would bury deep and never show. "He's just an Imitoran, he's not worth one hundreth of you. Look there are plenty of men in Tanaara that would fall all over themselves for just the smallest amount of interest from you. Men that Do Not care that you have special abilities, they won't in any way see it as making you lesser, or cursed. I'll introduce you to guys who will love you for who you are, not what you look like, or can or can't do, or hold your past against you. Men that will value you for you!" Khadri shook CHarli lightly, wanting to get through to her friend, though she knew that she hadn't been able to in the past. "He's not worth it Charli, and yeah you hurt now...oh damn it Charli I wish I could fix it. I wish I had some way of making him love you the way I feel you loving him, but I don't. I didn't for Mercy when Rob shattered her heart, and I don't now when his bedamned son has done it to you." Khadri said miserably.

It was Charli's turn to start the hug. "It's okay big sis. I love him, and it would be wonderful if he loved me back, but it's okay. My love for him isn't dependant on his loving me. It hurts but I still love him. Now, look don't you do anything to upset him, or spill the beans. He'll never know, I don't want him to. I have some pride after all. I'm not going to be one of those pathetic women tugging at a man's sleeves, whining that he needs to love me. We're going to be going our seperate ways soon anyway. Now it's getting time to go.And thanks for the magazines." Charli smiled at her firend and pickef them up from where Khadri had tossed them on the bed. She stuffed them in the top of the over nighter and once it was slung over her shoulder hefted the suitcase she'd filled earlier.

Khadri moved to open the door to the living room the rest of the way and Charli smiled her thanks as she went through it and into the living room to see what travel plans had been made.

If Ryan had heard the conversation, he would have addressed it as soon as he had. His de facto act would have been to interupt, explain, and see where that got him. But unfortunately, as did many dramas, it played out as an error of bad timing. He had left Charli to finish her packing, making his way downstairs instead to speak with the staff on hand about th travel plans.

The passports were damned near perfect, having he and Charli listed as Swiss citizens. His only hope was that any international data base the Franco Germanic group had set up on citizens had been updated with their information. It would truely be a disaster if the passport check didn't match. ICE and the IBP were notorious for handling failed passport checks with tazers, nightsticks, and a nine millimeter round to the back of the head once out of the reach of prying, public eyes.

The flight info put them in at landing between nine fifteen and nine thirty, hopefully closer to the former of the two. His only hope was that the tail winds weren't with them, and that the pilots weren't that good. If the odds fell in their favor, as they most likely wouldn't, landing would go smooth, twenty minutes through the customs rutine, and then on the road. If they had gotten a flight into Lansing, it would be no more than four hours. If not, then most likely a day's trip. There weren't many airports around Freesburg, and for good reason.

Ryan looked over the passports one last time, and satisfied, pocketed his, and left Charli's out for her. Next, he checked the Nokia, entered a few numbers for the speed dial, and slipped it into the jeans he had selected for the flight. He looked up at one of the staff, and chuckled.

"Ya know, if Nokia's advertising group weren't so busy blowing goats out in Mongolia, no one would even care about the iPhone."

He pocketed most of the cash in little areas, a few of the hundred bills in one boot, a thousand or so spread out over himself in pockets, and a number of folded ones, tens, twenties, fifties, and a single hundred in his money clip. Another twenty thousand was deposited into the duffle he would be checking with the rest of the clothes, and the rest was again left for Charli. If she needed to get the hell out of where ever they were and fast, he wasn't going to leave her high and dry.

The knife was perfect, one of Emerson's best, the Super Karambit. The wickedly sharp, and equally wickedly frightening, hook bladed weapon slipped into his pocket easily. Short of stabbing, the weapon could slice, dice, hack, cut, knick, slash, and otherwise make a whole bloody mess of anyone on the buisness end. And the ability to spin it and adjust the hold mid way through made it even meaner. Coupled with the CQC training Ryan had recieved and consistenly qualified with, it was just as deadly as any long range weapon, and quieter to boot.

Finally came the handgun. The selections offered were all tough, but he settled on a Wilson Comabat Classic. The light wieght aluminum frame was just as strong as the stainless steel, and the stainless lower frame and black Armor Tuff slide offered a modern, yet still classy and classic, look to the weapon. The cocbolo wood grips were stippled well, and felt secure in Ryan's grip. And Ryan, while prefering some of the IMI customs, had gone with Wilson before. He trusted the brand, and the weapon was comfortable on his hip. A good piece of leather designed for IWB carry was supplied as well, and he left his polo untucked, covering the holster. On the opposite hip, a set of high rising magazine holsters held two extra magazines of forty five aye cee pee CorBon PowerBall ammunition. It was enough to make some good sized holes in the bad guys.

Satisfied, he chatted with one of the staff till Charli came down, and he offered her a smile. "I left out twenty for ya," he said, nodding towards the cash. "Compared to what we are going up against, it ain't a ton, but it can get you out of a bad situation real fast. Plenty for pay offs and such."

He could tell there was something off, but he pushed it away. Most likely her new look, he still hadn't gotten used to it, but hopefully it would wear away soon. He knew it was her, could tell it was her under all the changes, but he just felt off about it. It just didn't feel right to him to have her look different like this. It wasn't the woman he had fallen for, even though the true woman was beyond the outer layer. Beauty was more than skin deep, and Ryan knew it well, but even the slightest change made her not the Charli from that night, the one that started it all.

He handed her the passport as well. "Hope ya don't mind being Swiss, but they'd be the easiest to get in. Something about always being nuetral. And if that doesn't work for ya, I can also speak Sweede. But I'm not driving a Volvo."

Charli refused the cash Ryan offered. "I've go my own thanks." She patted the small duffle she had been carrying since she got off the plane. She flipped through the well, but not overly used, passport that was hers and nodded in satisfaction. Though inwardly she sighed at the use of her 'legal' name. She hated being called Charlene. It was a dowdy name.

"Swiss is fine by me. My Italian sounds enough like the border region to cover." She shrugged as she tucked it into the over nighter that was also acting as her purse. Most well travelled women made use of one in that manner. She looked at Ryan, and her tone was still very detactched. "What flight are we going in on?"

"It's good you chose the Swiss" Sinjin smiled as he came in. "We have a mixed lot of Tarlachian and European tourists going on to Imitora on Sprint Birds, and room to slot the two of you in. They're actually taking three of the SST's down there, more than the ad hoc group needs, but some travel agent made a bundle off of taking advantage of a blown charter. The groups buying tickets are all in lots of four to eight so most won't know each other. We have an hour to get you to International and through customs, so lets hustle."

Quickly aides carried everything that was needed out to the car, save for the small duffle that Charli refused to surrender. Sinjin rode in front with the driver. The car was a luxurious but unremarkable BMW 760li and in no way marked as to seem anything other than one of thousands registed in Tanaara.

Ryan nodded, and stuffed the remaining cash into his duffle. "Works good for me then."

He followed the rest out to the car, and deposited his own bag into the back of the trunk. He shifted his weight around a bit, moving the knife in the pocket. He had done plenty of training with the Karambit, but never carried, and it was something he'd need to get used to. He thanked the staff that helped with the bags, and gave Sinjin a hard look.

"You'll be getting something from me in the mail here shortly. If I don't make it out of this alive, like you see me shot on national TV, open it up and follow the instructions to the letter. If I don't go down, don't open it. I don't care if they send me away for life, if I make it out of this situation alive, that envalope better not get opened."

Sinjin nodded, and Ryan did in return.

The envalope that Ryan would eventually send was a security measure. A common counter intell practice they had been taught. It wasn't quite blackmail, but then again, Ryan was sure that they would appriciate a full disclosure list of all ICIA operatives involved in deep cover operations in the region, as well as a full listing of the INSA evesdropping programs. It would also have funeral instructions and the like, but mostly the former would be the important part.

Charli had already made it into the car when Sinjin asked the obvious follow up. "What if Charli gets hurt?"

Ryan paused for a moment. "Then you don't need to worry about me comming out alive. I'll storm that damned ICIA operations head center myself with every gun I can get my hands on and have a bullet for everyone inside. Even myself if it comes to it."

Ryan's tone held no break that would make someone think otherwise. It was a damned harsh Fortier, and to a lesser extent Imitoran, trait. When they said they were gonna do something, they did it. There was someone floating around Iansisle sans testicles because of it. As the Larkinians often fondly said, never bet against an Imitoran, especially a Fortier, with a gun.

Ryan gave a simple, firm handshake to Sinjin, and slid into the car next to Charli.

The driver pushed the big BMW to the limits weaving in and out of traffic with the assured expertise of some one who'd driven a particular vehicle for some time, and knew every bit of it's, and his, abilities.

Charli didn't say much, just spent the trip looking out the window. She hadn't heard what Sinjin had asked, or Ryan's reply, not beyond tone. She didn't think it was her place to pry. Charli didn't realise that her right hnad Had slid over to Ryan's left and was holding it gently, their fingers intertwined.

They took the private entrance into the aerospace port and headed into an underground tunnel. As it pulled up to an attended drop off point Sinjin tuned and looked back at the pair, explaining as the Beemer slowed to a stop.

"We're going to let you off here, at the beanstalk shuttle pavillion. The man waiting for you is one of mine, he'll get you situated. You can look like you just came down from a trip up. There are some of the brochures in the back there. The shuttle will take you directly to the Sprint Bird terminal, less than five minutes travel time," Sinjin checked his chronograph "and should be here in about three minutes."

Charli looked down and realised their hands were entertwined. With a blush and a low voiced apology she extricated her hand from Ryans.

Ryan too hardly noticed Charli's hand on his. It felt natural, and when things felt natural, there was hardly a need to respond.

The drive was nice enough, and the well designed set up of the BMW kept even the most on edge driving well managable and comfy for the passengers. Ryan spent most of the ride in thought as well, but not the type thinking about life. His thought process was far more uniform and set. Get to Freesburg, get the guns, get to Northampton, kill some people, get back to life as normal. It was a simple enough check list.

Ryan took notice as Charli pulled her hand away, and he quickly changed that situation. As soon as his own bag was out of the massive trunk, he took her hand back in his.

We're going to let you off here, at the beanstalk shuttle pavillion. The man waiting for you is one of mine, he'll get you situated. You can look like you just came down from a trip up. There are some of the brochures in the back there. The shuttle will take you directly to the Sprint Bird terminal, less than five minutes travel time, and should be here in about three minutes.

Ryan nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me. The tough part is gonna be getting into Imitora. Its all about timing now."

Charli gave Ryan a puzzeled look as he took her hand back into his as they waited in the plush lounge for the shuttle to arrive. It didn't match with what had happened earlier, and she found herself confused and on edge until she realized that since their passport had them as a married couple Ryan must have been holding her hand as cover.

She relaxed after realizing that and gave Ryan a tenative smile. It felt good to have her hand in his, but she knew she didn't dare let herself start dreaming again. Having dfreams just led to disappointment. Realistic expectations were better. They'd go into Imitora, find the people that they needed to confront, get them to admit thier guilt, kill them if necessary, and go their seperate way back to their lives. That was a depressing thought.

Charli looked around as the shuttle arrived and took a deep breath. "Here we go Ryan" She said softly as Sinjin's agent ushered them onto the luxurious shuttle. Going up the beanstak was expensive, only the well connected or very wealthy did, and the shuttle van and the attentive assisstants attested to that fact.

"Sir, Ma'am, we'll have you at the Tanaaran Transair Premier Lounge in just four minutes. And here are your boarding passes and customs forms. They've been precleared." The agent handed them each their packets. "Boarding is in about ten minutes, don't worry about your luggage, according to the latest update some of the ticket holders are just going though custome, so you all will not be the last aboard, and landing time is set for roughly 9:17 pm."

Once at the terminal they were whisked inside to the Permier Lounge with no hold ups. The lounge was elegantly appointed an only about half full with well dressed, obviously experienced travellers.

The wait in the lounge went by quickly, Ryan spent the time nursing a Bloody Mary. He had never really understood the preflight ritual, but they had gone light on the vodka, as per his request, and kept the mix from going watery. He was just finishing up the piece of celery when the boarding call was made.

Sir, Ma'am, we'll have you at the Tanaaran Transair Premier Lounge in just four minutes. And here are your boarding passes and customs forms. They've been precleared. Boarding is in about ten minutes, don't worry about your luggage, according to the latest update some of the ticket holders are just going though custome, so you all will not be the last aboard, and landing time is set for roughly 9:17 pm.

Ryan had thanked the assistant, but politely refused to let his own bag go. He made sure Charli kept hers on her as well. Anyone who had flown into Imitora out of coutry knew full well that you didn't check your lugage if you needed to get to it before clearing customs. And many a bag had gone missing, and not by accident. If there was anything in a bag that someone wanted, well, chances were they would get it.

Ryan stood at the entry way to the boarding gate, their ride not to far beyond. He paused for just a moment, before reaching out and taking Charli's hand again.

"You ready?"

Charli couldn't help it, her smile was heart achingly sad as she reached out and took the hand Ryan offered her. And the words she spoke were true "Always and forever with you" and when she said them she could have slapped her self. They had just tumbled out of her lips without any forthought. She bit the inside of her lip until it bled and her eyes fell away from his . She didn't look back up at him as they walked down the boarding tunnel to the waiting SOSST ( suborbital supersonic transport ) that crouched like some giant prehistoric avian on the tarmac.

The narrow bodied design had only a total of six lounges across each row. And those lounges were the height of luxury. The couples lounges had been designed for just that, couples, and like the singles could be separated from the rest of the cabin with colonial-style sliding doors. Each couples lounge had a 36 inch flat pannel wide screen LCD with over two hundred of the latest movie titles availableand an Xbox 360 dual console with a hundred of the most popular games, a library pocket stocked with best sellers, it's on mini fridge, and the loveseat could be folded - fully flat- into a all but queen size bed, or only half could be laid out. It came complete with a Givenchy designed duvet, silk sheets and oversize pillows as well as pajamas, silk lounging robes and more. The couples lounge, with Bose's newest Wave sound system was over fifty five square feet and had fresh flowers in crystal vases with matching crystal drink ware from Mikaasa. Each lounge has his and her personal hanging wardrobes as well as office facilities for working.
The take off was a professional as such an exclusive plane would naturally demand. Flawless and unnoticible by an awestruck Charli. "Ryan, this is .. she looked at him, lost for words. This sure isn't my mother's Maule" She mentioned the rugged, hard working bush plane that was practically ubiquitious to Alaska. Sturdy and relaible they were but not in anyway luxurious.

The three hour flight was filled mostly with the elegant dinner the attentive flight attendants offered them, cooked on board from the fresh produce, Kobe beef, and Maine Lobster by the experienced chefs. Meals were served on hand-painted Bernardaud porcelain dinnerware with Dom Perignon and Krug among the champagnes on offer.

However Charli found herself gazing out the window most of the time, entranced by seeing the curve of the earth as they reached the high point of the flight. She didn't hide her awe at the sight, and it hellped her keep her eyes off of Ryan. Once he fell asleep though she transfered her gaze to him. And had to fight back tears as well as the nearly overwhelming desire to stroke his hair. Her body ached too, but that she could ignore.

Then they were descending, and touching down as smoothly as they had taken off. The flight attendants had their declaration forms all ready for them, as well as complimentary gifts.

Ryan took in much of the awe upon entering the plane, but quickly brushed it aside. His cover was for a wealthy Swiss national, who was carrying over forty thousand Imitoran credit bills on his person, and was used to only the best and nothing less. He wasn't going to look suprised for a few more luxuries, especially when much similar could be found in the first class cabin of some of Imitora's airlines, and most national airlines.

However, he would enjoy none of them. After nursing a second bloody mary on take off, he reclined his seat fully, and allowed himself to drift off to sleep. It was an easy sleep, with no dreams or nightmares, no disturbances, but just sleep. He finally awoke with the landing notice from the flight attendant, sat his seat back up fully, and shook what little sleep was left out of his eyes.

"Good flight?" he asked Charli, watching out the window as the passenger jet slid down towards the runway. After landing, he accepted the decleration form politely, but as soon as the attendant had moved on, he pushed it into the trash. Charli had already started hers, so he waited till she took pause for a moment, and slipped it away and into the trash as well.

"No point. Mostly for outsiders who need the customs form to feel like this is normal."

As the other passengers scribbled away at decleration forms and filled out what they did and didn't have, Ryan, Charli, and a few savvy Imitoran nationals just stood up and walked off the plane. The terminal had that all too familiar air port smell, a mix of rubber, Jet A, and cleansing fluid that many found oddly comforting. Ryan led Charli off the gate way walk, and right out into the path of a long strip of several inch think bullet proof glass sitting a mere inch above decorative hardwood counters. On the front of each counter was simple, black, block lettering. IICE. Imitoran Imigration and Customs Enforcement. Behind each counter was a uniformed agent, all of which looked less than amused. Any trouble starters would be quickly put off by either the IMI contract made Sig Sauer P229s chambered in .357SIG, or the IMI CS660 pump action twelve gauge not but an arms length behind them. The patroll guards, most with the IMI contract made MP5/10Is were no less off puting.

Ryan stepped up to one, said not a word, but tugged out his passport and slipped it under the glass. Charli did the same, and for a few tense moments, much longer both in feeling and actuallity than the usual ten to fifteen seconds, the agent compared the passports. Each agent had been specifically told by their superior that information had come in from top sources in the ICIA that a small terrorist contigent would be trying to make its way into Imitora, and they would be taking no risks.

Ryan hid his train of thought. He had been picked. However, before he could think of a follow up action, the guard scanned the passports through a scanner, and a barcode was applied to the first open page. A quick click of a laser scanner, and they were registered.

"Business or pleasure?" he asked, not looking up from his computer as he entered the appropriate information.

"Bit o' both," Ryan replied, not adding any accent. He ignored any look from Charli, continuing on with his plan.

"How long?"

"Week, maybe week and a half."

"Any thing consumable?"

Ryan shook his head, but Charli offered her bag.

"Put it in the bin, ma'am." As he spoke, a small door opened up at their feet. The bag came into the booth, and the agent began to dig through it with little pause. The standars, medication, clothes, books, the usual. He placed it in the bin, and it returned to Charli.

"Weapons?"

Without pause, Ryan drew the 1911 and placed it on the counter, and pushed it forward. The knife came next. Charli placed her own pocket knife on the counter, and the agent began another process. He recorded down all the serial numbers on the Wilson, and checked to make sure it was well enough put together to not kill its operator should he need to use it.

He looked up at Ryan. "No Sig? I thought you Swiss loved them?"

His voice was not freindly, but accusing.

"Uh,yeah. Just felt like taking one of these instead. Heard you had some pretty stout people 'round here. Might need something more than a nine."

The agent nodded, only partialy convinced. He placed the barrel against an odd looking device, and after a breif flash, slid it under the glass, along with the knives.

"One last thing." A flip of a hidden switch, and a door in the oak table top that neither Ryan nor Charli would have noticed opened, and in front of them was the standard electronic device that most would find frightening. For Ryan, it was business as usual, and he silently thanked the ICIA for their extensive counter intell training. A finger print scanner and optical reader.

Ryan had his hands in his pockets when the machine popped out of the table. Quickly, a small amount of greese he had kept in each pocket was smeered across his hands, and he placed them down on the reader first. It would cause a slight offreading of the prints, registering them as something different than what they normally were. The greese would work for Charli as well.

The eye read was something different though. It was hard to throw off a laser into the eye to scan you optically. Ryan forced himself to off center, his opwn muscles pushing his eye slightly out of line. It was painfull, but it too rendered a reading that would mark as off from his own proper scan.

Satisfied, the agent motioned to Charli to repeat the actions. She did, and the computer registered a pass. Finally satisfied, the agent looked Ryan in the eye. Without pausing, Ryan reached into the bag, and pulled out a stack of credit bills, about five thousand worth. He slipped it under the glass, and the agent offered a smile.

A door next to him clicked open, allowing Ryan and Charli to step through. As soon as they did, he turned, and smiled. "Welcome to Imitora. Enjoy your stay."

Ryan smiled back. "We will, thanks."

Other passengers were just starting to exit the plane, and Ryan offered himself an internal victory cheer. The affair had taken just south of fourty five minutes, and the pay off would keep their check in private for at least a few days. He stiffled a laugh as a number of passengers behind him began an ordeal that, with the decleration sheets filled out, would take longer than an hour. He took Charli's hand, squeezed it gently, and lead her through the throng of people, a masive crowd of weekend vacationers comming back in from two day excursions, and business men flying in and out of the slightly smaller airport to start their own process.

Charli had said as few words as could possibly be gotten away with during the course of clearing customs. Her figner prints weren't registered anywhere. And though she had not thought that they would retina scan, hers could be changed later. She had been told of the process by Sian, but had not time for it before. However I need to make time for it now She reminded herself.

She let Ryan take the lead, and spent much of the time trying to look as harmless as possible, as touristy as possible in a well travelled way. She found that amuseing, and her lips curled in a gentle mona lisa smile. She enjoyed the sensation of holding hands with Ryan as they maneuvered their way through the throng.

"What are you going to rent? I guess something luxuriously sporty is out of the question?" She asked with a soft laugh, trying to recapture some of the easy camaraderie that had grown between them before last night.

Ryan shook his head. "I wish, but no luck." He walked past the usual rental agencies that provided the four banger Neons and Pontiacs, slipped past some of the more sporty agencies, and walked right by the luxury houses. Instead, he stopped in front of an agency that advertised a more practical solution. You rent what you need.

Ryan filled out a quick form, and handed it over. A few moments later, the agent grabbed a key, and handed it over, along with the offer for insurance and the like. Ryan accepted it, all of it. Even offering a small smirk when he said they may need catasrophic failure insurance. It was meant to cover throwing a rod or otherwise blowing up the motor. He wondered if it would apply to the entire vehicle.

He looked at the key, and pocketed the agreement.

"You and your lady friend have a lovely time," the agent offered, and then moved on to the next customer.

"Oh, we will," Ryan replied.

He looked out the window towards the rows upon rows of available cars. "Hope you don't mind trucks," Ryan said, leading her out to their rental.

Charli had taken the time it took to go through the rental set up to head to the ladies room, then stopped at a kiosk and bought some bottled water. She had been so busy watching Ryan sleep that she had neglected to drink enough and now was parched. The nanites too needed to be 'fed' and she took a moment to take a vitamin. She retured to the rental agency's counter just as the customer care representative was wishing Ryan and she a good time. She gave the agent a small smile before answering Ryan's question.

"Not my favorite vehicle, but not on my blacklist either." Charli repleied as the pair headed out towards the rows of rental vehicles. Those in this lot were pick up trucks, SUV's of various makes and quality, even some of the smaller cargo vans and box trucks. She wondered if Ryan were heading towards the row of tricked out Hummers, but she didn't think he'd have rented one of them. It wasn't his style.

Ryan just strolled past the row of gang banger wanna be Hummers. He had never liked the H2s, just hoped up Suburbans with an ugly body kit. Instead, he stopped in front of a dark black pick up, a GMC Sierra. The slightly nicer version of the Silverado was more than just a regular Sierra, it was a Sierra Denali. And it was even more than that.

It was the Denali Imitora Edition. The special edition pick up did away with the Sierra Denali's sport suspension, and replaced it with GMs capable Z71 off road suspension package. Custom wheels and tires, designed to handle both on and off road driving, had been installed. The motor was the same 6.3L V8, but modified at the factory with a dual exhaust, debaffled intake, and an ECU programing designed to give the truck even more oomph down low, plenty to keep it moving through thick dirt and mud. A full locking differential was also mounted, as well as a frame built two hitch out back, and winch up front. Black chrome accents lined the body of the truck, but a solid, matte black grill guard was mounted up front.

The inside was nice. Not luxurious, but nice, with saddle tone leather seats and a lighter beige upholstry. The only piece of the truck that made one think of speed over off road ability was the carbon fiber dash trim. Their was no facny sound system, no twenty speaker, thirty amp uber wattage thumping set up. Imitorans felt trucks were for hauling important things, not massive stereo systems. Navigation and the like had been skipped on this model, and Ryan was appriciative of that.

He tossed his duffle into the back seat of the full four door cab, the short bed was exposed, and even with a bed liner, it was dirty. Not fake dirt, but real mud and dust from being used, unlike the majority of pick ups on the roads now a days. Ryan stepped up into the slightly lifted cab, and reached over, unlocking the door for Charli. "Aint bad if you ask me."

Charli smiled as she looked the Denali over, and it was a wistful smile. "Yeah it will do, for the name if nothing else. That's the only mountain worth looking at. One mountain at a time" She said under her breath as she opened the door. Charli put her bags in the back seat along side his, save for the small duffle which she set on the front passenger side floor board, then climbed in after it.

"This is so familiar, you can't get along with anything but off road capable out in the bush. Most of Alaska's roads arn't much more than four wheeler tracks, the extreme weather ruins anything else other than main highways too quickly. And those are a constant battle to upkeep"

She patted the dash board, her voice going soft with reminensence. "My mom and I used to watch Denali glow in the susnset when ever possible. We'd sit on the porch and just talk about the days happenings. The mountain is pretty much branded on my heart. And there's only one other mountain in the world that has it's sillouette."

She looked at Ryan, her face closing back up, her voice hardening into the noncommital tone it had been in all day once more "So how long a drive is it? I can spell you behind the wheel if need be. I learned to drive on something very much similar, if no where near as nice... or clean."

Ryan nodded at Charli's comments. He had only gone into the mountains three times, and all for training. Rarely did the counter terror guys go into the long mountian hunts, that was usually left for the regular units of the RIA's Special Forces. Of course, he had spent more than enough time in the area they were heading to, and it had often been said to be a perfect mimc of the Windriver Range of the Rockies in Wyoming. And much like that area, it was quiet, secluded. A nice place to hide for a few days while he prepared.

So how long a drive is it? I can spell you behind the wheel if need be. I learned to drive on something very much similar, if no where near as nice or clean.

Ryan shook his head. "Nah, only about three hours by highway. Little bit of gravel road time, but not much beyond that. Shouldn't take to long."

The distance wasn't too bad, and Ryan would be able to hold around ninety or so in the truck. That, topped with the fact it was night, and therefore there would be less chance of running into cops, would make the drive much more pleasent than if they had landed earlier. In these parts, street and highway racing wasn't like that up in the northern part of the country, and the roads would be mostly quiet.

"Shouldn't be too much of a drive. If we get there round 'leven, might be able to catch Walter in his office. If we can get him in his office, we should be able to get some free beds and food, and get an early start tommorow."

Charli nodded, content to let Ryan drive, it was something of a novelty for her, usually she was the one driving. That and the internal aches she had ignored and supressed for days had returned, leaving her feeling oddly heated and discomforted.

She managed to find a comfortable postion and looked at Ryan. "And what are we going to do tomorrow? You really haven't said much about what you are planning."

She ticked off on her fingers "Those were Shop hitters, not Imitoran, and while I believe, as apparently you do as well, they were tipped off as to where we were by some one in Imitora, who are we going after here, exactly?"

Her look was fierce "I failed Darren, and while those I killed in Tanaara are just the beginnings of the honor guard he's owed, I want the dead deserving of being dead."

Ryan replied wiht a half nod, half shrug. "Well, first were gonna hit up some buds for a place to chill for a bit while I get my equipment. Then we gotta get some intell. Thats always the best part. After that, well, we can address that situation when we get there."

Ryan's planning, like most dynamic planning, was based on results of a previous scenario. He wouldn't get locked into one idea, have a previous plan fail, and then be out on the plan. In his own mind, that was teh ebst way to work, as plans never worked out the first time through anyways. And besides, nothing sounded more official when flying by the seat of your pants than going to "plan B".

"Really don't know who to kill yet, but we can figure that out soon enough."

He left the Darren comment alone. Darren was dead, and there was nothing to be done about it. That, and he felt little failure on his own part to keep Darren alive. It had been, to him, a raid that went fairly well. Three shooters had held off a decently sized invasionary force with little in the way of support, and two came out alive. It had been a win in his book.

As they continued to drive, the normal "neon city" world that was Imitora faded away to temperate forest and rocky hills that would eventually make way to mountains. And soon, they would notice, traffic went from little, to sparse, to non existant. After a suprisingly quick two hours, they passed a road sign, and Ryan smiled. "Awesome. Were almost there."

Charli could in many ways agree with Ryan. One did not fight wild fires with static plans, as mother nature and fire were anything but static. However she also beleived in planning for as many contiengencies as possible. Information was a manadatory requirement of any planning. But there wsa a vast difference in flying by the set of one s pants and having dynamic plans.

She shrugged her vague worries off, but she did begiun to wonder if Khadri's comment about what the Imitoran government did to it's 'operators' was true. Did Ryan have much, if any in the way of emotions, save for what he felt for his mother? Such a lack would explain what had been confuseing her. She was just useful to him in protecting his mother. Charli felt tears prickle behind closed eyelids. It was impossible to fight the growing collection of evidence. I wanted Ryan to be the One, like my father was the One for Mom, but he's not I guess. Sex and love are two different things, gotta be smart, gotta remember that...or maybe it's just a myth that relationships are meant to last. Khadri, Sinjin, Robyn and Kazum have a long term relationships and they are so happy, as are Jonni and David, but they're the exception rather than the norm it seems. Loving some one for a life time is the abberation. And besides who'd want to marry a freak like me, who could love me? Khadri was just trying to make me feel better with her talk back at the palace.She thought unhappily, as she drifted off to sleep, lulled by the soothing engine sounds and to escape the pain - both emotional and physical.

"Awesome. Were almost there."

His comment jolted Charli awake and she rubbed bleary eyes as she looked out into the midnight sky. The star field was spectacular, so far from any light pollution, but her smile was faint as a flash of homesickness washed through her. Stubbornly she pushed it aside, they had business to take care of, then maybe she could spend some time in Alaska.

"Who are we heading to meet? What's out here in these quiet lands? Charli asked curiously. Ryan had not been very forth coming about where they were going.

"Freesburg. Makes the guys out in Mufreesboro look like normal human beings," Ryan chuckled. "Its complicated to explain, but basically, when going through your IMSPECWAR training, you have to do a two month internship, if you will, based on your specialty. My specialty was Weapons Sergeant, so I got to go out here. Spent most of the time just hiking and working on guns."

Ryan moved the big truck with ease down the highway. "Bunch of characters out here. Interesting types. But then again, the population of the city without counting the SWP-IMI is only a hundred or so, and with them, its about three. But thats why they like it up here. No prying eyes to tell others the real cool guns we put out."

"After we're outa here, will be heading back up north, through Barclay up to Northampton. I'll be able to get the info we need there, and based on that, we figure the rest of the game out."

Charli smiled at Ryan's use of the term city for a group of a hundred. 'Thats what I grew up used to. I don't know if deep down inside I could ever consider a megacity as home, even Montgard, as spead out as it is, is almost nerve wracking at times for me." However she turned the talk away from anything that might be considered personal. It was easier on her heart that way. Though she did make one comment.

"I wish I could get a chance to talk with Hoot. He's good people, one of the best men I've ever known." She desperately wanted to talk to him. Charli had always felt comfortable around him and his kindness when she had brought Robter's body home had endeared the older man to her.

"I dunno myself. It was nice out here when I was here, but no where I'd want to live. To far from Northampton, and untill you get up to Kisaki, the racing sucks. Good driving roads, but driving by yourself gets old after a while."

Ryan turned off on to a dirt road, and hit the extra fog lights mounted. The lack of light poles turned the night even darker, and the truck bounced over the gravel path and a suprising rate of speed. Ryan had done plenty of combat driver training, and had found that it was supprisingly easy to control vehicles like this off road. More so at speed. However, he kept it reasonable, as storms not to long back had most likely knocked down more than the fair share of trees and washed out the road in certain areas. And the inhabitants of the compound hardly left the grounds.

I wish I could get a chance to talk with Hoot. He's good people, one of the best men I've ever known.

"Well, he might be up around here somewhere, but I'm not sure. He lives up this way now, but he's been doing a ton of traveling lately. Trying to meet with my dad's, I mean, meet with Robert's old contacts in the auto industry. He wants to get something started for himself, and keeps asking me to join in. I've seen the plans, just not my style. All custom one ofs. I'm more of a work with whats already out there, and make the best even better."

The truck bumped along the road, and Ryan goosed the heavy disel, going suddenly quiet after his last statement. He just hoped things went to plan up here, and would smooth what ever was going on over. That, and that hope that soon the nanites on Charli would fade, and bring out the pretty fire jumper that he loved. He knew it was her under the new looks, but she was just to different, her face wasn't the same. It wouldn't feel the same to touch her or kiss her with the new facial features, and he wanted the old ones back.

"And just a heads up, some of the guys and gals up here, are, well, interesting. Not backwoods or anything, just characters. They spend their lives, or the majority of them, up here in the low lying mountains shooting and making the guns they shoot better. So if they seem, well, off or a little old to you, just kinda brush it off."

Charli's shoulders sagged a little, finding Ryan's comments about Hoot being unavailable hitting her unexpectedly hard. She felt so tired even after her nap. Hoot probably wouldn't even remember meshe thought then determinedly set the sadness aside. She would be damned before she let Ryan know how she felt. "Hmmm, last time I saw him he lived near Northampton, in Temple, if I remember correctly."

She quirked a grin at this comment about those they were going to meet being characters. "Ryan" Charli managed a chuckle "It's a requirement for living in the bush wehre I grew up. Being a 'character' is the norm not the exception. And old? Old is how you think, not a 'how many years' thing."

Her voice went a little sad though as memories intruded "I spent more time with mom and the tribal elders. I didn't fit in with the kids my age."

She spotted some deer, the moon breaking free of some high clouds and highlighting a doe and her fawn in the cleaing they were currently crossing through, and she gladly took the distraction. "Look Ryan" She said softly, though she was unsure though if he would bother to look or was too busy consentrating on the driving.

"Yeah, Hoot was up in Temple same time I was. He wouldn't race though, it was kinda shitty. Had some big as five something V8 in a street built '69SS, and would never run it. Don't blame him though. Those Northampton boys would roll down on some weekends, and shit. You thought your eleven second on street tires was fast, these guys would have rides that would blow a purpose built outa the water."

Ryan smiled as he thought back to his long time hobby of street racing. It had been too long, getting is car or bike out. He still drove and rode fast, but never in contest. He just didn't have the time.

"Anyways, not to long back, he moved out here. Got tired of always being the First Speaker next door, and ya don't really need to worry about that out here. But thats a different story he'd have to tell."

Ryan eased off the gas and soft onto the brakes as the lights hit the deer. There was something oddly peaceful about watching the deer cross across the dirt path, stopping and looking at the truck. "Gotta watch out. If there are two, then there is a good chance that we have even more out here."

"I don't much care for bullies that will roll in on a small group just to make themselves feel big." Charli said firmly as she watched the deer cross the track, and disappear into the dense, silent woods.

"I always liked deer and elk far better than moose. They are just mean tempered unpredictable beggars that have no sense of boundries." Charlie found herself half laughing again "But bears of any sort are even worsenearly toppling over on him scared him so much that he bolted. Right into the garage. Then he tore his way out the back wall bawling like a lost cub. He wrecked the clothes wringer and the snowmobile without even trying. Pepper half draged me across the yard trying to get to the bear, but I wouldn't let go of his collar."

Gods, why can't I keep from telling him more stuff about me. He doesn't care, my past doesn't matter or interest any one but me, and I have my memories, no sense in talking about them. Charli scolded herself.

"What do you want to do with your life when this is all over?" She found herself asking him, much to her well hidden dismay.

What do you want to do with your life when this is all over?

"Well, the original life plan was to eventually make Master Chief, then hang out there for a few terms, then take my leave of the military business. Maybe go into private advising or such for one of the big firms, and spend the rest of my time in Psychosis."

He glanced over to see the look Charli gave him. Psychosis, as a psychological term, wasn't anything anyone wanted to spend time with. But for Ryan, it would be the culmination of years of imersing himself in Imitora's most favorite cultural oddity. Many nations saw cars as nothing more than a means to get from point a to point b, and saw Imitora as almost an anachronsim in the modern world. While the tree huggers were all out proclaiming the problems of global warming, Imitorans still considered thirty miles per gallon an amazing number, and rarely filled their cars with 100+octane pump, C16 race gas, and the occasional tank of Turbo Blue, one of the few leaded fuels still produced. When other nation's praised the Prius, Imitorans still wondered how one couldn't just love the simplicity of the Small Block Chevy.

"Psychosis Motorsports. Gonna be my brain child. Have a nice shop, a few experts so we can work on all different sorts of cars, and just go fast. and win some money, on the side, too.

"Sounds nice, going fast in fine cars.." Charli let herself lean back, a sosft smile on her face, her eyes closed. "But why that name - all the 'crazzzy' cars you will be putting out?"

She'd once had a dream of going into business, being a Red Adair of the wildfire fighting world. Other than the small corporations who provided the aerial water tankers- fixed wing and rotary, no one had thought to make wild fire fighting into a business, or organized the ground pounders. They just worked the fire season and starved the rest of the year, waiting for the governments to call them up. Something more structured was needed and she could see it. The governments wouldn't do it though. And she had no traiing in setting such a thing up and didn't know if she wanted to be trapped in some sort of office. She'd never mentioned it to any one, afradi they'd just laugh.

But intermittent as it was there was work every year someplace in the world, and she could always bounce clubs and teach driving courses to make ends meet. The last year in Tanaara had been the most settled she'd been since her mother died.

Sounds nice, going fast in fine cars. But why that name? All the craxy cars you will be putting out?

Ryan chuckled, taking a turn that dropped the truck on a paved road. They were getting closer, and lights could be seen not to far ahead.

"Ya know what Tolkein said about the Nazgul? He said it wasn't their physical prowress that made them strong. Sure, they were bad asses in their own right, but that wasn't the key. It was their ability to cause fear in their oponents, to make thier oponents doubt themselves."

Ryan had never been a fan of fantasy literature, but The Detachment had studied some of the more fatastical "bad asses" in adopting their own tactics. And using terror against terrorists was one of the most effective methods of combat.

"Think about it. You get some blacked out bad ass 'Maro or Bee Emm or Porsche or whatever. It just looks mean. And the sound, it sounds like its going to end the world the second in launches. When it takes off, it tears up the concrette, and bam, rips up some two hundred thousand plus super car. Then you hear it was tuned by some place called Psychosis. The entire package, just gives you goose bumps."

They pulled into a parking lot, empty save for an old model Monte Carlo on what looked like NASCAR race slicks, an older Hummer, and of course, the Bowler Wildcat. An ubiqutous off road vehicle beloved by Imitorans.

"Besides, I'll leave all the crazy cars to Bat Shit Crazy back up in Northampton."

'Mmmm, yeah I can see something like that rolling in outta the fog, all black, no badging, with oh say... UV underglows. The small ones, really recessed so that just the hint of the purple flares out from underneath." Charli grinned at the mental image, her eyes still closed, just relaxed, but she sat up as they pulled into the parking lot, looking around a little apprehensivly.

"Rob, are you sure it's safe for them to have us here?" Charli asked as she stretched to ease the slight stiffness that had built up over the drive.

Rob, are you sure it's safe for them to have us here?

Ryan found and open spot, which wasn't a difficult task, and stepped out of the truck, grabbing his bag as he jumped down to the gravel lot. A soft crunch of pebbles giving way was the only sound in the cool night air. The scent of moister wafting off grass permeating, filling every inhalation. There was the distinct, yet almost non existent, scent of cordite somewhere, and the over all feeling that the entire area was perfectly secure.

"Nothing short of a full scale invasion could take down this place. The compound covers more than a square mile, and thats just the official areas. In reality, it spreads out over much further, with living quarters and the like. This would probably be the safest place for anyone to chill for a bit."

He looked along the lot of cars, a few more outlined shadows off in the distance said that there were more vehicles than the ones they could see. He noticed the Bowler, and chuckled. "Good, Walter is still here. I wonder if any of the other guys stayed around," he mused to out loud.

"I spent two months here, but it would have been nice to be a bit more. Got alot of good memories."

Charli let herself out of the truck, pulling out her bags and standing still letting the feel of the place sink in and fill her. There might be rain before morning, or maybe a heavy fog with lots of dew. The place felt comfortable and Ryans easy reassurance had her relaxing a bit.

"And let me guess, they're night owls like the rest of you Imitoran's, so we won't be waking them up even though it's one aye'em or so" Charli stretched again, glad of the wrm clothes she wore, though this was merely cool by where she had grown up.

Ryan half nodded. "Sorta. Things are a bit slower up here, so while they might be awake, they probably aren't doing anything. Well, Louis might, but Louis is an interesting kinda guy."

Ryan led Charli towards the door, the gravel crunching softly as they walked forward. "Ya know," Ryan joked, "we probably have about seven or eight long guns on us right now."

He laughed, an odd thing to do if is statement were true. Out here, he wouldn't be surprised. As long as they kept calm and didn't try anything stupid, it wouldn't matter that much.

"Anyways, they are probably getting to bed early anyways. Tommorow is the monthly night shoot. 'Least it should be."

Ryan pulled open the single, plane looking door that didn't give away anything. The hallway was almost sterile, an unfeeling coldness. "Don't worry, the rest of the place is pretty homey. Just the entrance is kinda, well, antisocial."

He looked around for a minute, and picked a direction. "Reception area should be this way."

His last comment had Charli raising her eyebrows and giving him a dubious look "Should be that way? What? Do they randomly move the walls around?" She had a chuckle in her voice. She hadn't mentioned that she'd 'raised' her shield the minutes she'd cleared the truck. And she'd also figured they'd been on someone's 'radar' since they'd gone off road, if not before. She would have been keeping an eye on vehicles that just happened to 'stray' if she'd been tasked with security. But she figured she was rather an amature to those here.

"Antisocial? Ryan, antisocial is openly armed and unpleasant people at customs, this just looks like it's the back corridors at a manufacturing plant of some sort." Charli quirked a grin as she followed him as he headed off in the direction he thought Reception lay.

Ryan laughed. "Well, after my week long inaguration trial, I came in the back way. But thats not exactly safe with out an ID pass, or badge, or an updated manifest. They tend to go with the usual overkill around here. Who needs an armed gaurd with a pump action when you have remote activated claymores?"

Ryan moved down one corridor after another, following the path he thought would take him to the reception area. The walls were lined with pictures of numerous rifles, hand guns, machine guns, and other weapons put out by IMI. There were also pictures of famous Imitorans, at least publicly famous, holding said weapons.

After what seemd longer than it was, Ryan and Charli walked in to a decent sized reception area. There were a few couches, a couple of chairs, and different firearm culture magazines. And the back of the room, splitting two seperate doors, was the standard style reception desk, with a younger looking blonde sitting behind it. Headphones plugged in, she was reading something, and didn't notice Ryan or Charli walk in.

Ryan walked forward towards the desk, and knocked on it twice. The girl looked up, paused, and then jumped out of the chair, embracing Ryan. Her hear phones came out, and she laughed lightly. "Well bless me, Ryan Foriter its been far to long!"

The blonde (http://www.aolcdn.com/ch_kids/jessica-simpson-bed-300-400-101206.jpg) Allisa Brown, finally released Ryan, walking around the desk to get a better look at him. "Well, I'll be damned," she said, in a soft, Southern accent, "we haven't seen you round these parts for about a year now. What have you been up to?"

"Oh," Ryan laughed, "the usual. Kicking down doors, jumping out of planes, shooting bad guys, you know."

Allisa laughed, and Ryan turned to Charli. "Charli, this is a good friend of mine, Allisa Brown. We went to high school together, and she had just started here when I was comming in for my Certification Internship."

"One of the best shooters we've had round these parts, too," Allisa added, not hiding the bragging tone in her voice. The SWP-IMI was rather proud of the few weapons sargeants it put out, and made sure everyone knew it.

"Allisa, this is Charli Firewalker. She saved my ass not to much more than a day ago, and we have some business to take care of around here."

"Well," Allisa added, "any friend of Ryan's is fine by me. How long ya'll think your gonna be staying?"

"Not to long, just need to meet with Walter. Shouldn't need to camp up for more than a few days."

Allisa nodded. "I'll page him for ya, he should still be up."

Charli had ben quiet as she followed Ryan though the various corridors, taking in the pitures that covered the walls - but more importantly memorizing the turns taken. The noted that the spacious reception room had no windows, they had gone deeper into the building, just as her sense of direction had told her.

She stepped back as the blonde jumped from her chair and flung herself over Ryan. She didn't want to intrude on their reunion.

Once Ryan had made the introductions and Alissa had remarked on Ryan's prowess as a shooter Charli nodded politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you Alissa. Though it was Ryan helping me out, not the other way round."

"That would make sense. Ryan never really likes to admit when he does right by someone," Allisa chuckled.

She reached back over the desk, and flipped a switch. "Walter should be up in a moment. So how are you doing?"

"Well, been better, been worse. The usual. What are you still doing here?"

"I decided to stay, work my way up the ladder, and get in the company before Gryphon takes over. They are starting to buy up chunks and more of all the big local corps. Even trying to get some international holdings. Making tons of cash, too. I've heard they have some openings in their security area, you might want get involved."

Ryan chuckled. "Well, I may just get to looking at that sooner or later. Most likely later. Louis still here?"

The question was answered by a deeper, booming voice from the back of the room. "If you mean phsyically, yeah. Mentally, that boy is about as far gone as a rocket!"

Ryan turned around, his grin even bigger. "Walter! Bout time you walked your fat ass out here!"

The large man laughed a full laugh. "Don't forgot the rules kid. Don't make fun of the man who fixes your guns!"

Ryan laughed, his hand extended. Walter gripped Ryan's around the forearm, and Ryan did the same, and they came together in an embrace like handshake.

Ryan turned to Charli. "Charli, this is Walter Sobchack, the best pistolsmith in the world, same for rifles, and the only person I'll ever allow to touch any of mine."

"Oh, he flaters me to much," Walter jumped in. "I'm simply blessed with the ability to work with weapons, and in the servie of humanity, I spread my gifts. And I'm far from the best."

Ryan shook his head. "You've never made a weapon to fail me, so as far as I'm concerned, your the best."

Walter just shrugged it off. "So Charli is it? Well, if Ryan brought you here, you must be good stuff. Allisa, I hope you don't mind but I'm going to steal away our guests here, and bring them back to my office. Call me if you need anything."

Walter turned to lead Ryan and Charli out to a back lot, and Ryan picked up his bag. Ryan was obviously at ease here, his relaxed stance and walk showed it. "I'll talk to ya later 'Lis, and if Louis shows up, tell him I'm here."

Allisa nodded. "Ya'll have fun now!"

Ryan allowed Charli to go first. "Don't worry 'bout anything here, we'll be just fine."

Charli had listened interestedly to the talk between Allisa and Ryan. Turning as a strong voice announced the arrival of another of Ryan's old friends,she'd started to respond to the big man introduction, but the interaction between him and Ryan had her wanting just to fade into the background.

Noding a good bye to Allisa and picking up her own bags back up she let Ryan fall in tail end as he obviously wanted to. His stance and walk may have been relaxed, but her's weren't. All her old shynesses had come back, hitting her full force. Feeling out of place and off balance, she'd never been good at meeting new people. She said little as they followed Walter, but again she memorized the twist and turns.

Ryan fell in behind Charli, taking a slow walk. He wasn't watching, looking, or trying to find a way out. He knew full well that the SWP-IMI was far more dangerous than any intelligence agency's shooters or hitters, and anyone trying to sneak in would have been pegged long earlier. In fact, the SWP-IMI was one of the very few places Ryan actually felt at home and relaxed.

As they followed Walter out to the back lot, he noticed Charli had been quieter than usual. He could tell by her walk she was uncomfortable, and not just because it was a new place for her.

He sped his pace up, and slipped behind her as they followed Walter back out from the main building of the center. The cool night air was different from the processed Air Conditioning in the building, and the soft chirp of crickets broke the slience. Off in the distance, the clear sound of a box four motor could be heard.

"Damnit, Louis. Gonna get that car stuck and I'm gonna have to go fix it," Walter mumbled. "Boy should follow the rules."

However, Ryan was less concerned about this as of yet unseen Louis, and more so with Charli.

"Hey," he said, softly. "You ok?"

It never entered Charli's mind to lie but she wasn't about to let Ryan know that he'd broken her heart. There were other equally valid reasons, and other things she didn't want to mention. Like the achey exhaustion that the nap in the truch had done nothing to dispell.

"I didn't eat on the plane so I'm a little on the low side. The warning label said that the nanites would be hard on the system."

She didn't meet his eyes as she sighed "And you're more used to this stuff than I am. If this were a forest fire I'd be right at home, knowing what to do and how to do it. Here I'm a little lost. Not that I have any intention of backing out." She hastened to reassure him.

Ryan knew she wasn't being fully open, but he could leave that for later. "Alright, just tell me if you need anything."

Sitting in front of them was another Bowler Wildcat, but a bit different than the jet black one out front. It was patterned with a Irish style pattern cammoflauge. Mounted on the roof was a belt fed IMI designed machine gun.

"Its my personal vehicle," Walter beemed. While rough and tumble exterior design kept the Wildcat alive in areas where even Hummers feared to tread, the interior had been done up in a way that was, while not luxurious, at least accomodating. "Did all the work myself."

He pulled open the door for Charli, and pushed the seat forward so she could access the back. "Right on in pretty little lady," he smiled.

After helping her in, he watched Ryan walk around the front to the other side. He stopped the younger Imitoran, and pulled him close. "No shit, how much trouble are you in."

"Too much to explain right now. Lets get back to your office and we'll talk about it there."

Walter just nodded, and moved back to the side, climbing into the driver's seat. He looked back at Charli as Ryan climbed in to the front passanger's seat, picking up a heavily modified and cut down twelve gauge, lying it accross his lap.

"So, Charli, tell me. When you aren't saving this here asshole from doing something stupid, what do you do for fun?" He lifted the clutch, and they set off down something that may have been, at one point or another, considered at least a footpath.

"I will Ryan" She reassured him quietly.

Charli's eye brows had gone up at the sight of the belt fed machine gun, but she hadn't hung back when he'd opened the door for her."I could have used something like that out in the bush. It would put paid to charging Kodiaks." She commented, and thanked him as she climbed in nimbly enough, even with her bags. Charli'd gotten rather used to such courtesies once again back in Tanaara. They'd not really died out in the Alaskan bush and she had been a little astonished to realise that she had missed them.

Her face eased a little at his question and she grinned faintly. "Hotshot crew, a smoke jumper, but when I'm not racing a firestorm I'm racing cars." She paused for a moment considering then added

"Ryan is pretty good at taking care of himself, he doen't really need me."

"He's good at convincing people that," Walter joked. "Always had the guys around here thinking he knew what he was doing. Most of the time he survived on dumb luck. We had a bear incursion not to long ago."

"Please, Walter, not this story."

"Hush kid. So anyways, we have a bear pushing in on the cottages where the interns and such stay. Ryan here has a great idea. Instead of just luring the bear away or trying to scare it off, he comes up with this genius idea to catch the bear. The old school way, mind you, with a net. Him and his buddy Louis, who is physically still with us, go out and make a net out of some left over linking from one of our beltfeds. In retrospect, it was pretty good quick thinking. However, they forgot that those links tend to like to break for a reason."

Ryan just shook his head. "I was twenty three at the time, we had far too much to drink that night, and it seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Boy, don't forget the rules. Anyways, we have that crazy sumbitch Louis standing out there, shirt less, covered in deer blood and mashed up berries, holding a salmon in each hand, dancing around like an idiot. The bear comes after him, and Ryan, being the smart one that he is, doesn't have the net rigged up to drop. No, he just tosses it at the bear. Well, a big old grizzly doesn't like that. It ended up chasing these two bastards half way around the entirety of the campus for a good ten minutes. We still have it on the CCTV files, good watching when you need a laugh."

"The moral of the story," Ryan cut it, "is that Walter here took one of his big guns, a fifty rifle, and put the bear down before it turned me and Louis into homo sapiens shis-ka-bob. Point being, that I'm far from perfectly capable of handling myself. I could use all the help I could get. The best part about the entire situation is that Louis was still covered in deer blood, mashed up berries, and holding a salmon in each hand as we ran. I was considering pushing him down to save my own ass."

Walter laughed as the car made its way over the "path" towards his own personal cottage and work shop. The ride was over almost as soon as it started, only about five minutes. The cottage itself was a log style cabin, and by no means luxurious or large. Inside, it was three rooms: a kitchen/dining area, a bed room/bathroom, and a work shop. They entered through the work shop. The cottage had that rustic feel to it, the old mountain man essence. It smelled like cedar, thanks to a few air fresheners and cedar chips strategically placed, and it also kept humidity low. There was no hum of an AC unit, Walter didn't use one. Electricity was used to power lights, his bench tools, and a few refrigerators.

There were a few things of notice in the shop itself. Beyond the normal pistol and rifle smith tools scattered about, there was a few number of mounts on the walls, mostly deer and wild cats, but a few elk and moose. "Took that one out with a flashlight and a revolver," Walter mused, pointing to the moose head.

But more impressive, at least to Ryan and Walter, was the wall. The wall was a full sized mount for what looked to be over a hundred heavily customized pistols, and a few submachine guns and small rifles. "There all his," Ryan commented, looking at the wall. "And they all shoot amazingly. It’s why I only trust Walter to handle my firearms."

"Speaking of which, I got a few gifts for ya before you go. But more importantly, we need to figure that out." He opened a refrigerator under a desk, and pulled out three dark bottles of a home brewed beer. He offered them around, Ryan accepting one, and offering one to Charli.

"I'm cooking up some snacks right now, mostly just my usual late night munchies for work. Charli, can I get you anything?"

Charli howled with laughter - or tried to, but it hurt so much that her laughter subsided quickly.

"I did most of my growing up in Alaska, in the bush, were oftern times the bear population is bigger than the human one and getting ticked over a bear doing what bears do is pretty useless. Remember that yearling silver tip I told you about Ryan?" Charli quickly filled Walter on the antics of the half grown but already kicked out of the den grizzly cub that had destroyed first the homestead's cache and then the back wall of the garage. "He never came back to the house but I had to put his mother down later that summer. She killed three kids who'd gone out hunting down the last of the season's salmon berries. She weighted in at foutreen hundred and forty nine pounds, 'n stood just shy of eight foot when they meassured her. I still have the claws packed away." There was no boast in Charli's voice, just a recounting of a fairly common occurance in the life she'd lived.

It was obvious that Charli found the cabin completely acceptable and of a style she was used to. Her mothers cabin was very similar, roughtly thirty by thirty but had had the sleeping areas as a loft that covered half lower level and left half with a ceiling that soared nearly twenty five feet upwards.

At Walter's comment about the moose Charli chuckled again " Annoyed it with the revolver and scared it to death with the flashlight I bet. They are stubborn beasties with no sense of humor."

The wall of masterworks caught and held her attention, and she went close to look at and admire them all. "Oh you have a marvelous collection." She said softly. Charli took the homebrew Walter offered, and sipped about half, but set it aside to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"You wouldn't happen to have some asprin would you?" Those in her bag wasn't safe for her to take. "And if I can borow your couch for a bit. I skept inthe truck but it wasn't that comfortble after the flight."

Walter nodded, and tugged open a drawer. He began stacking different bottles of pills along the counter top, naming them as he went along.

"Asprin, Advil, Tylonol, Morphine, Codine, Hydrocodine, Vicatin, Valume..."

After lining up a few more bottles, and saw Ryan looking at him. They gave eash other a deep look, and Walter nodded, pushing all of the bottles back into the drawer, save the asprin.

"We can get rid of that later," he said, tossing the bottle to Charli.

He led her out into the main living room, and knocked down the couch/futon into its open position. "Shes no bed, but I've crashed out here many a time when I couldn't make it to my room."

He pulled a blanket and some pillows out of a side closet, and Ryan helped Charli set it up.

Soon, Ryan and Walter returned to the work shop, where they sat to catching up. After what seemed like a good hour, Walter gave Ryan a hard look.

"So whats the story."

Over the remaining time of the night, Ryan laid out the entire scenario, from begining to end.

After a tense, silent moment, Walter looked back at Ryan. "Well, they broke the rules. They need to pay for breaking the rules. What can I do ya for?"

Ryan paused. He knew he could trust Walter, and that Walter would help him out.

"I'm gonna need a rig or two. A place to go for some information, and maybe a car." He paused for another silent second. "And guns. Lot's of em. And if you can, make one up for her, too."

Walter nodded, and quietly walked out of the room. "I'll have a full set up ready for tommorow evening. You get yourself some sleep."

Ryan nodded, and stood, walking towards the main living room.

"And one more thing. If I see you go for that cabinet, I'll blow your hand off myself."

Ryan moved out into the room, and slid down onto the futon next to Charli.

Charli had almost reached for the morphine when Walter had hauled it out along with an astonishingly wide array of other 'perscription level' pain managers. She'd gritted her teeth however. She didn't need to be foggy headed, but she knew the asprin wouldn't touch the pain, not really.

"Thank you Walter" She said greatfully as he laid out the futon. With Ryan's help she began making it up. In minutes the men had left and she quickly changed into one of the modest night gowns she had replaced the others with. Charli looked at the soft flannel and just half shrugged "Dowdy" was her only comment she climbed into the bed and tried to sleep.

She didn'r really sleep but driffed in and out of wakefullness, with much restless tossing and turnings. When Ryan came to bed she didn't say anthing, just schooched over so that he had as much sleeping space as she could give him, and so that he didn't have to touch her.

Ryan slipped up closer to Charli as she scooted over. The futon was plenty big, but he wasn't looking for space. Sensing she was still asleep, he wrapped one free arm over her, nustling up next to her. Glancing over at the clock, he took a quick look to confirm the time on his watch. It was just a hair past one am, and for the first time in a long while, Ryan manage to get to sleep long before the usual three.
__

Ryan woke first, stood, and stretched out. The clock read six ten. Five hours of sleep felt good. Too good. Ryan made a mental note to just not get used to it.

He quickly changed into a pair of fatigue pants and Oakly assault boots that Walter had set out for him durring the night. The door to the shop was closed, so he knew Walter was at work. It amazed him that someone getting up there as Walter was could handle the same ruitine every day, sleep at two, up at six, and off to work. He sighed, shucked off the tee shirt he had slept in, and made his way outside.

There was a hazy fog settling over the ground, usual in these parts. The sky was grey, with hints of blue as the sun hadn't fully risen yet, but was getting there. A light cloud cover hinted at later rain. And to top it off, that all to familiar sound of a Subaru box four hustling about in the forest somewhere. Smiling at knowing Louis was still Louis. He stretched one more time, then took off in a quick jog. If his memory was still spot on, and he could still run like he did when he pulled off the internship here ten years back, it would take him about an hour to cover the full seven and a half miles of the transport trail.
___

Walter watched out the small window as Ryan took off running, and quickly set back to work. He already had a bag full of boom gear, and was putting the finishing touches on another 1911. He had already picked a gun out for Charli. It was an amazing piece, and he had gone to great lengths, including paying off four former British SAS operators to help him out. In the end, the weapon was perfect, and being one of only seven made it even more important.

Walter had examined Charli's hands the night previous, and he knew it would fit her well, better than any of the bigger pieces he usually carried or made for the Imitoran Special Ops boys. Seeing Ryan run off as he did, he decided that it wouldn't be unlike that boy to go off without food.

He strapped on a shoulder rig, slipping in a rather heavy duty looking long slide 1911 with an extended magzine into the holster, and made his way out into the living room/kitchen. Charli was still asleep, so he figured it prudent to make everyone something to eat. He himself hadn't had a chance to get any food, so it would work out for everyone. Quickly, he set to work with a full dozen eggs, sausage, and coffee.

Charli was in drifting phase when Ryan snuggled up to her and cuddled her against him - she had not really woken but once he had fallen asleep she woke and couldn't bring herself to move. Being like this, curled in his arms was just too right, completely comfortable, and she found herself sliding into healing sleep. She never stired when Ryan slipped away she was under so deep, but the lack of his presence and the smell of food brought her awake. She sat up and stretched like a large cat but stopped with wide eyes as she saw her hands, swollen to nearly double and red with allergic reaction.
She cusssed under her breath. "Damn it she warned me!" Managing to drag her duffle over to her she gritted her teeth agains the pain as she dug around for the air-injector gun.

"Walter, would you help me? I'm having an allergic reaction and I can't give myself the injection, my hands are too swollen."

Walter nodded, and casually move over to the couch. She didn't look like she was to much in pain, and if she had been he would have moved faster. He was surprisingly quick on his feet for his bulk, and had been known to really move when the situation called for it.

He followed her instructions, taking the hypodermic needle gun, and placed it against her neck as instructed. A quick tug, and the injection was done. "Better?" he asked, moving back to the kitchen.

"Ryan should be back in twenty or thirty minutes, he left for a run not to long ago. Wish I had it as easy to stay in shape as that boy. He can run forever, and then go to the range and outshoot a rested shooter. Figures. Damn near makes war fighting an art form."

He paused for a moment, reflecting back to his old days in the IMC, and chuckled. "So, how do you like your eggs?"

"Ryan is special" Charli nodded as she stood up not stiffling a sigh of relief. "Ahhhh! Thank you Walter. I'm feeling better already. The nanites were generic, not tailored for me and I was warned there might be a reaction."

"Oh over easy, or scrambled, what ever is easiest on you I'm not picky when it comes to eggs. Or most foods really. My mother woudda paddled my rear if I didn't eat what was set in front of me. But she was a great cook. I'm 'okay' at best, though my bread was declared as 'showing promise' by the elders"

She pulled out clean clothes and asked if she could grab a quick shower. At Walter's nod she dissappeared for less than ten minutes and returned, already looking much different. Her hair especizlly as she brushed it out of the tight pony tail she had drawn it into.

http://www.atddm.com/charlie1a.jpg

Walter quickly set to work on going over easy for most of the eggs, and poaching a few for himself. He had hardly taken notice of Charli's change, and probably wouldn't. He was, as usual, more focused on his work.

By the time Charli returned, he had already set out a plate for her, with four eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast. Two large bottles of orange juice were on the table, as well as one for milk, and a pot of coffee. Walter didn't sit, instead he ate at the counter.

"Yeah, special describes him pretty good. That, or generally way beyond gone. More human than human and all that stuff."

He ate hungrilly, watching out the window. "And here comes our golden boy now."

Ryan slid into the main room of the cabin, covered in a fine sheen of sweat, his hair and slightly more than five o' clock shadow matted down to his face. His breathing was heavy, but not ragged, and he stood for a moment, stretching out and popping everything from the neck down.

Walter simply put a plate up on the counter, and Ryan eyed it with appriciation. He walked by Charli, bending down to kiss her on the cheek, then made his way onto the food. "Ya look good," he said, and then made his way to the plate.

Charli too had dug into the food set before her with a hearty appetite. She was half way through when Ryan came in and she stopped eating to watch him stretch. She didn't realize how much love showed in her face and eyes, and would have been horrified to have been told that she was 'head over heels'. Because she was, absolutely and without a doubt, in love with a man who was going to walk away as soon as the mission was over. She'd pay the pain of that price when it came. For now the feel of his lips against her cheek and his few words made her world and made her glow.

"So do you" She said softly in return, taking a moment longer to watch him start digging into his meal before returning to hers. Once she was done she poured herself a mug of coffee and sipped it as she sat back with a sigh.

"Now what?"

Ryan half shrugged. "Well, that depends. Walter here is gonna give us the hook up. After that, well, we need to figure out exactly what is going on."

Walter nodded. "I'm still working on some things, but it shouldn't be to much longer. I'm hoping to have all the collection done by this afternoon. But you two can stay here as long as you need."

Rayn nodded, taking a pull of the juice Walter had put out. "We're gonna need to make our way back to Northampton, talk to some people up there. Have to figure out what our options are first."

Walter nodded. "Charli, can you do me a favor and hold up your shooting hand?"

As she did, Walter took a good look, and nodded. "Perfect. Well, I gotta get back to work. See you two kids later." He slipped back towards the work room, and closed the door.

Ryan, still eating, looked up and out the window. "We're gonna need a new car, and maybe some new digs." He turned back looking at Charli, smiling. "You wanna go in to town later? Get some lunch, do some shopping?"

Charli looked at Ryan and laughed. "Ryan, if the local metropolis is under three hundred I'm not sure if they have much in the way of what most women consider shopping. But seeing how I'm not most women, I'd love too. Or we just go hiking in the back country."

She followed his glance out the window. "This is lovely country." then she looked back at him, her expression now very serious

"Ryan, what we're doing is something completely outside my experience. How did they find us in the first place? If this were a Clancey novel I'd say they intercepted the call you made to your mom...but how did they trace us so fast and it was the Shop wasn't it? And if it was, why didn't they protect against my abilities. They know what I can do. And I know they have measures that can stop me in my tracks- at leaset temporarily. This just feels like..." Charli's voice trailed off and she gestured helplessly with her hands.

She looked at him half lost, but with trust shining in her eyes. Letting him know that she knew he'd know what to do.

Ryan nodded.

"Well, its not exactly Downtown Northampton, or Temple, or hell, even Wainright. But ya it has that whole little rustic charm thing going on." He took another bite of his breakfast. "I can get us a new car that won't set off any alarms once we get outa here. Something that would blend in a bit better."

He would also need access to a good phone, he needed to make a call or two to pull in some favors. Or if not favors, then earn some usable personal equity.
___

Christin Chaffin leaned forward in the chair she had been provided, looking at her interogator.

"So, at what point to I actually get charged with something?"

"Miss Chaffin, I've told you before. You will be held until we feel you are not a flight risk regarding the previous actions that you have been under suspicion."

"In English, please."

"Once we have reason to let you go, we will."

Christin sighed, taking a large pull from the glass of water she had been suplied. Shaking her head, she looked back at the man across the table. "So, basically, I haven't been convicted, their is no evidence I did anything, and your gonna keep me here."

The man nodded.

"Well, that makes plenty of sense. What about a lawyer?"

The man just smirked.

Ryan's tone of voice when he mentioned the "rustic charm" had her giggling and shaking her head. "I promise not to by any thing kisch."

She finished eating and fixed herself a cup of coffee, heavy on the cream and sugar. The warmth seeping through the mug and into her hands that were slowly reducing in size had her almost moaning as the last of the pain faded "I don't know if you noticed but I had a bad reaction to the nanos. My hands were ballons earlier."

"Yeah," Ryan replied. "Looks like the swelling is down now, though. Thats good. Its why I've always shied away from stuff like that, though maybe thats just the survivalist in me comming out. I've never really beena big fan of injecting stuff in my body that changes anything on the outside."

He paused, finishing his eggs, and glancing out the window. "Then again, I've never really been a fan of having anything injected into me. I guess its because I never needed it. Never had chicken pox as a kid, never had the flu either. Just one of those things, ya know?"

He shrugged, and dropped the plate into the sink. "You already look all cleaned up, so I'll just grab a shower, shouldn't be too long."

"I never had the flu or got sick either. If I hadn't asked for the nanos in such a rush, Sian could have grown some tailored for me, and this wouldn't have happened. I've used those before with no ill effects." Charli explained.

She frowned at Ryan when he didn't completely clean up after himself, and despite her desire to go watch him shower, she cleaned up Walter's kitchen, and made sure it was spotless. Then she unmade the futon and folded the sheets and blanket up neatly, placing them at the endf of the couch.

Since Ryan was out of the shower- she could hear that the water was not longer running- she stepped outside and strolled around the cottage grounds enjoying the morning air and stretching her muscles out. Finding a large pine she settled against it, letting her eyes slide closed and slipping into meditation, expanding her other senses outward, becoming aware of every rustle and surruss of wind through the trees and across the grasses, bird song and animal trace noise, the scent of pine and forest. It was a taking stock of the land about her, learning it as best she could.

Charli had known every nuance of her Alaskan homestead, as a fearless child she'd learned to read the weather and mood of the land with ease. She was far more a daughter of the wild places than a native to canyons of concrete and steel.

Ryan made his shower quick, and changed into a pair of jeans and the usual teeshirt. He snatched the keys to the truck off a table, and grabbed his wallet. Going through the duffle, he took out a good amount of cash, more than he would have considered, but he was needing to buy a car, and some names. The easiest way to do it was with cash, unless the more illicit of the illicit in Imitora had started offering lines of credit.

Ryan quickly jotted down a note for Walter, and left the number of the Nokia he had been carrying. That was another thing he would need to get rid of. He quickly took a survey of the room, found one of Walter's toys laying out, and took charge of it. The pistol had been, at one point, your standard CZ75. However, a set of custom grips, a dual tone job of matte black frame and polished silver slide, night sites, and an integrated rail had all been worked into place by the pistol smith, and done well. Ryan checked the magazine, topped off with 9mm +P+ rounds. He smiled, tucked it into a mosad holster, and slipped it onto his belt at the small of his back.

He stepped out of the house, seeing Charli leaning up against a pine, and started to walk over. He could tell she liked it out here, and he did as well. Not somewhere he'd want to live, but enough to visit every now and then. He smiled as he neared, holding his hand out to help her up. "Ready to go?"

Charli barely opened her eys but took his hand and used it just as a balance point - no weight on him, a point of pride- rather than pulling herself up or letting him lift her up. But she let herself lean forwards as she rose and laid a soft kiss upon his cheek, drinking in the clean masculine scent of him. Her eyelashed danced in feather light sweeps across his cheek for a second after the kiss and her whisper was soft in his ears. "Yes"

She didn't release his hand as she scooped up her purse and slung it over one shoulder. "Walter won't mind us taking his cart, or are we hoofing it back to the truck?" Charli didn't mind either option, the Sketcher's in a caramel hued suede she wore were comfortable. That they were nice looking was not quite an after thought for her.

"We can take Walter's rig, he won't mind. He's gonna keep himself couped up in there all day, anyways. He's got that whole work ethic thing going on. Likes to set his mind on something and stick with it for a few hours."

He had fought much temptation when Charli had risen up to him. Goosebumps shot down his arms and a tingle raced down his spine. The kind that made him want to forget the plans for the day, and just take Charli back to bed. However, Ryan was sure there would be plenty of time for that later on. First, they needed to get some errands done.

Ryan led Charli to the Wildcat, the keys still sitting in the ignition. A quick start up, and they were off to the main gate. Ryan and Charli made light talk, Ryan telling stories about living out here for a summer or so, and the difference between here and Temple, and the occasional visit to Northampton. Charli, meanwhile, compared the area to her old home in Alaska, and the occasional time spent out in her cabin in Tanaara.

The transfer over to the truck was simple enough, and the ride into "town", if it could even be called that, was uneventful. Ryan, however, still threw in the occasional sweep or back track to keep his path unpredictable. He wasn't about to be lulled into a false sense of security just to get blown up randomly. He had even checked under the truck, though he knew damned well that a prowling Louis, wherever he was, as well as the true night owls at the center, would have picked out someone messing with it long before, and handled the situation.

The truck eased into a parking space out along the "main drag", if it could even be called that, of the small town, the gravel road crunching underneath the big GMC. The truck wound down, and Ryan jumped out, Charli exiting on her side.

"I have to get us a new ride, and set up some meetings. You just want to look around for a bit, meet me back here in an hour?"

"In an hour" She nodded at him, then watched him walk off, admiring his ass as he went.

She had spent part of the ride inwardly amazed at how Ryan had reacted to her kiss, for she had seen the goosebumps run down his arms. And she had smiled inside, smugly female, that she had been able to cause such a reaction. And wanting nothing more than to get to a place where she could do it again. She knew that it would have to wait though.

Once Ryan was out out of sight she grinned to herself and turned to wander down the main street, stopping to look at the window displays. The town, though it really was no more than a village, had a quaint shop or two, but it was the sole ladies apparel shop that caught her eye.

The owner was in the window putting the finishing touches on a manquin. Charli looked the outfit over carefully and knew she would look good in it, even if it was more than likely last season's look. Slipping inside she and the shop owner confered and just before the hour was up Charli was in the outfit (http://www.atddm.com/charlia2.jpg), and very happy with her purchase.

She had also spent time listening to the woman's accent and word patterns - though Imitora had a wide variety of accents, it never hurt to heed how the locals spoke. Familiar cadencing would ,to a degree, disarm some one suspicious. She could easily be a native who had spent yeawrs away, if she put what she had paid close attention to to good use in the future.

Ryan made his way off in the opposite direction towards a store that promised, yet often failed to deliver, on the best BBQ in Imitora, and other basic groceries. It was quiet, secluded, and off to the side, even for this small town. Inside, it was equally quiet as it was out, and two older men spoke with a younger one, showing off fresh ink on his arm, and chatting up what he had just gone through.

Ryan recognized the ink, he had the same on his arm. Imitoran males often wore their life stories on their bodies, having symbols, words, images, and other significant events tattooed in tripple ink. The images were usually well taken care of, and even an old man had at least one tattoo that looked just as fresh as the day he got it.

The inked image was the insignia of the 105th SAAR, The Hell Jumpers, a unit that most on the Army side of IMSOCOM and IMSPECWAR got started in. An ultra elite light infantry unit, they were the pioneers of most of Imitora'a air assault techniques. And they were far more than just an Airborne Unit. Ryan had been serving with them in Aubania when they had made clear why they held such a deadly reputation with bladed weapons.

However, Ryan had resisted, quite easily, the urge to chat. He wasn't here to talk up a new friend who happened to serve in the same unit he once had. He made his way up to the counter, ignored the "Who The Hell Are You" stare from the younger of the group, and just asked a simple question.

"Where can I find Blake May?"

The three looked at him with a bit of distrust, but one of the men behind the counter held a thumb out. Ryan thanked him, and began to walk away.

"Ya know," the younger one started, "you shouldn't just interupt a conversation like that."

Ryan looked up, and slowly lifted his right sleave, showing the crossed "knives" (more like short swords) over a shield emblazoned with an open parachute. "Feet first into hell," he nodded, and walked off towards the back. The other three men were silent.

Making his way around the back, Ryan kept a steady hand on the CZ. It had been a while since he had met with Blake, and he wouldn't be surprised if the former Air Force special ops instructor had taken a distrustfull taste towards the Shooter. Entering a back room, he found himself prooven wrong.

"Ryan fuckin' Fortier, what the hell are you doing here," the gangly DS said, standing from behind a desk. It was almost odd, seeing someone who looked more at home at the basketball court, but knowing he was damned well effective at breaking, and rebuilding, some of the most dedicated men in Imitora.

"Blake, been to long," Ryan responded. Ryan took an offered seat and a cold Corona, and the two chated small talk. After a short while, Ryan made his way to business.

"Listen, I hate to come to ya for favors, but I got a few. I'm gonna need a new set of wheels, and I need ya to set up a few meetings. Important ones."

Blake nodded. "Anything and anyone?"

"Something fancy but not a Euro. Gotta be quick and needs to tango. Meeting wise, just two. Kozuaki, definately. If you could, and I know your pulling here, but maybe Scimitar?"

"Scimitar. Fuck, you really are in a world of shit."

Ryan looked on, confused.

"They are keeping it out of the news, circulating it down on our level. Your wanted man. No one really buys it, but its out there."

They chatted a bit longer, and eventually, Ryan and Blake said their good byes, Ryan heading back towards the truck. Blake had phone calls to make.

Ryan arrived back at the truck shortly after Charli, looking a bit lighter in the way of worry. "Sorry I'm late, had to clarify some issues. Everything is five by five, though."

From behind the Oakley's, he took in a good eye full of Charli. Even in her more conservative dress, she was still nothing but beautiful. Ryan wasn't exactly short on expierience when it came to the more tender gender, but Charli had, many a time, thrown him for a loop. "It'll be a while before Walter will have our stuff ready, and I was thinking. We can either run by the better of the two grocery stores around here, and have a picnic, or skip food and get out to the hot springs just down the way."

Charli hadn't been waiting long, and it was a beautiful day, so waiting had been no problem. And the fact that he said things had gone well made her welcoming smile go even wider.

It'll be a while before Walter will have our stuff ready, and I was thinking. We can either run by the better of the two grocery stores around here, and have a picnic, or skip food and get out to the hot springs just down the way."

Charli's heart skipped a beat. Food was the last thing on her mind, and the thought of hot springs had her agreeing eagerly to the second.

"I'm not hungry, and I'll bet that new set of wheel won't materialize in an instant either. A soak in a hot springs sounds like just the thing." She twirled about letting him get a gtood look at her new outfit

"It's not too scandalous, or out of fashion is it?" She had been concerned with the bit of bare midriff that it might be too much, given the what Ryan had said about wardrobe back in Tanaara.

"Nah," Ryan offered up. "Maybe the midrift, and the whole pant suit thing they don't take to. But I doubt anyone will say anything. Most likely just get an off putting look."

He hopped into the truck, dropped it into reverse, and rolled back away. "Anyways, we wont be here much longer. Heading out tommorow, everything should be ready by then."

The truck rolled into drive, and off it went with little in the way of fanfare. In fact, it was smaller than a majority of the trucks on the street, and quieter as well. Of course, it was hardly of matter to Ryan. He wasn't much of a truck guy, and prefered cars, but around here, four wheel drive was needed.

The ride was shorter than the jump down from the compound to the town, but it ended in an unassuming parking lot. "Its a touch of a hike from here, but not to far. Can ya handle it in that?"

Charli grinned at Ryan's question, and in a second her new heels were off and her Sketchers were back on. "Fastest shoe change in the world" She hopped out of her side of the truck and took a deep breath. Hot springs had a faint but disctinctive aroma to them, due to the high mineral content of the water. Also there was often a hint of 'brimstone' in the air, sulfer that is.

"I can stand a few cold looks, and frowning over pants on a woman is so out dated it's laughable. And if my belly button bothers them then they ought never go near the beach!" She was enjoying herself too much to care what other's thought.

She and Ryan made good time to the pools and minutes later were sliding gingerly into - well he was being careful of the hot water, Charli had waded in with gusto, not phased by the heat in any way. "Oh come on it's not that hot" She teased him. "I can make even hotter" Her look was far too saucy for it to be a threat to heat the water. Him maybe...

Ryan chuckled, shucking off his shirt and jeans, staying in his boxers.

"Its always been hot enough for me in here, bit hotter than your standard hot tub."

He walked in deeper dropping in down to his waiste first, then mid chest, then soon he was shoulder deep. Lifting his legs, he gave a few hard kicks and found a rock bench, warn smooth by the flowing water. Steam slowly floated off from the pool surface, and it took not but a few seconds for Ryan to get used to the scent of the naturally hot mingling with the smells of the forest.

"Used to come out here all the time with the other interns, just take time off, relax. I'd actually drill and train harder here than I would on base, in order to stay in shape in my free time. When I was here, we had another guy who was a DS for the 105th, he moved on right before I passed the testing for the 105th, and he'd just run the piss outa me, and push me to lift all the time. Hell, at one point, he rented a private plane so I could practice my free fall, and we'd use the company chopper to do fast rope drills. I went into Detachment selection better off than half the damned selection crew."

Ryan leaned back in the water, pushing his shoulders down to let the tension slide out of his muscles. "Used to just come out here with a coupla cases of cheap beer, and chill out for a few hours."

She hadn't bothered to leave anything on., her's was all folded neatly atop a sturdy bush. Inwardly dismayed at his non reaction to her tease, she wished she had left her underwear on as well. She could have always put on the old outfit. But it wasw too late for that.

"Used to just come out here with a coupla cases of cheap beer, and chill out for a few hours."

Charli floated over and sat on the natural bench, but not too close to him - fortunately it was big enought to seat four or so comfortably - letting heat heat seep into her and through her. "I'm not a big beer drinker but yeah, I could see just soaking here for hours. Mom always said I must have been Japanese in a past life, I love hot water so much. Maybe too much" She said with a wry smile, eyes closed. "I seem to get myself in to the not so good sorts far more often than most."

"I haven't had a good free fall in months, or done any climbing worth talking about. You all have some nice mountains here, not as extreme as the Losse but decent. Maybe once this is all cleared up I can do a little climbing."

Ryan scooted over to Charli, putting his arm around her shoulders, still laying back in the tub.

He enjoyed being next to her, feeling her body pressed up against his. It was more relaxing then it had been in the old days, but then agian, their idea of relaxing was getting pissed and horsing around in water that was too hot to horse around in. The streams were too cold durring the times that they were off on break, so the springs were the only place to do it.

"If you want, once we get it all settled, I can show you were the good climbing is. Around here its pretty good, but in Southern Imitora, they have some fun mountains. And if you wanna free fall, hell, I can make some phone calls right now."

"If you want, once we get it all settled, I can show you were the good climbing is. Around here its pretty good, but in Southern Imitora, they have some fun mountains. And if you wanna free fall, hell, I can make some phone calls right now."

His arm about her felt wonderful, but now she was more confused than ever. She didn't understand the mixed signals she kept getting from him, but obviously she was a complete failure at the flirting game.

"If we get this all straightened out right, they'll fix it so you can go back to your unit and such, right? I don't think you'll have time to bother with me then."

Charli opened her eyes and looked at him, speaking seriously to reassure him she wouldn't be some sort of clinging vine "Honestly, don't worry about me, I'm able to take care of myself. We get this fixed and you go back to your old life"

Ryan shook his head.

"Doubt it. They tend not to look to favorably on those of us that go rouge, so to speak."

He sunk in deep to his neck, letting the water push down on his shoulders. The heat pulled the ache out of his muscles, and loosened the tension around his neck.

"Ya know, you keep talking about me leaving when we are done. I wasn't exactly planning on just tossing you to the wolves once we get this all cleared up. I was kinda hoping you'd be sticking around for a bit."

"Ya know, you keep talking about me leaving when we are done. I wasn't exactly planning on just tossing you to the wolves once we get this all cleared up. I was kinda hoping you'd be sticking around for a bit."

"I figured I was just extra fire power to you. I know that good sex is fun and I also know it doesn't mean there's any sort of relationship. I am a big girl, capable of taking care of myself." Charli turned to look him square in the eye, though she didn't want to. She wanted to run, not have it all out here and now, end here and now. "I'm not very expereinced, and such, but I can handle a fling"

She broke eye contact, to her shame she was feeling tears prickle in the corners of her eyes. She stood up, determined to go get dressed, or find some excuse to not let him see her face as she bit her lower lip hard.

Ryan snatched out quickly, but gently grabed her wrist. He didn't apply pressure, didn't squeeze, but held firm, not letting her go.

His voice was soft, but frim, yet not scolding. It was clear, concise, and direct. He was almost treating Charli if she were a recently rescued hostage. He wasn't trying to control her, but he could tell just from her face, from her words, that she was upset, emotional, and he needed to address that with what he had to say. He had to keep his voice clear, and make it clear that he meant exactly what he said, every word of it.

"Charli," he said, looking her right in her eyes, not wavering, "I was never treating this as a fling. It never was meant to be that. I want you to stay. I want to stay with you. I love you Charli Firewalker. I'm here to stay, and I'm not going to leave you when this is done."

She tugged gehntly at his hold on her, but he wasn't about to let go that she could tell, and her head drooped.Sher had made a muck of it all, hadn't she...

Her eyes flashed to his as he began to speak, fearful at first

"I was never treating this as a fling. It never was meant to be that. I want you to stay..."

I want to stay silently she echoed his words, her lips barely moving

"...I want to stay with you...."

"I want to spend my life time loving you"

"...I love you Charli Firewalker...."

"I Love you Ryan Chaffin Fortier"

"...I'm here to stay,..."

"And I with you"

"...and I'm not going to leave you when this is done."

"And if ever I should leave you, no, you'd have to make me go"

Her eyes never leaving his she walked the two steps back to him and settled down into his lap. Sighing softly, a small joyous sound she nestled up to him, her lips light as a dream against his neck "Je'te Adore"

Ryan and Charli enjoyed the silence in serene comfort for more than a few hours. However, Ryan managed a glance at his watch, and snapped to.

"We gotta get going" he said, helping her off his lap and standing in the water. Drying quickly in the air on the walk back, he finally slipped his shirt back on as they reached the truck. "Walter should have the gear ready by now, and the car will be ready tommorow morning. Should be at least."

Ryan and Charli made small talk as they made their way back to the compound. Walter had taken the Wildcat back to his own lodge, and Ryan sighed. "Not really in the mood hike back."

He reached down, flipped a switch on the dash, and pushed the truck off to the side path. "Just kick it into four wheel drive, and we're set." He pushed the truck now, bringing up the speed over the dirt road and letting the suspension settle everything out. Tires dug deep into the path, pushing the truck over the dirt road and into the small cottage area.

Walking into Walter's own small cabbin, the smell of something that was once breathing but is now being grilled over whelmed them, and sitting out in front of them on the table was a cornocopia of fire power.

"Bout time ya'll got back," Walter said, not turning around.

Ryan focused on the table. "I'll be damned. Its Christmas."

Charli didn't want to leave the hot springs but knew they couldn't hide there for ever and followed Ryan out of the water. Her old tee shirt made a barely adequate towel and she finger combed her hair out as they drove back to the compound.

The off road bumps and dips didn't bother her one bit. ROads in the Alaskan bush were far more the exception than the norm. She knwe how to ride the truck and not get thrown around.

"Mmmm that smells wonderful." Chrli looked over at the table and grinned at Ryan's reaction "Everything we need to assault a small third world nation and win"

In the rest of the evening, Walter topped off two taco basket style salads, and set to work letting Ryan and Charli see what they had at their disposals. By the end of the evening, Ryan now had in his position something on the small side of an arsenal, including an FN FiveseveN, a Colt Python detective model loaded with Glaser Safety slugs in the .357 arena, a slightly customized Mac 10, and Walter's own personal choice, a Remington 870. However, it wasn't a normal 870, no. It had been cut down, on both ends, with a pistol grip sans stock and shorter barrel, ghost ring sights, DurraCoated, and a side saddle holding extra rounds. Ammo for all weapons had been plentiful.

Then came the two "Christmas gifts", as Walter had called them. Both in the form of a simple workout style duffle bag, the first had been stocked up with four American made LAW anti tank weapons, more than a dozen mixed grenades in frag flash and phosphorous, a one pound block of plastique, and plenty of fuses, timers, detonators, and accelerants.

The second bag was black, and not much lighter than the first. Walter had explained that it was the ninja gear. The black suit set up, DragonSkin plate in a proper assault vest, respirator, drop down holster, a few more flashbangs, and the like. The entire kit set up had been lovingly dubbed by the Detachment shooters the Ninja Kit. Also in the bag was the Imitoran made MP5/10I in ten millimeter, with solid stock, the Navy trigger group and birdcage flash hider, and an integrated Surefire flashlight in the foregrip. Also was a prototype QD silence for the sub gun.

Next came Charli's present. Walter had taken a good watching of her at one time, how she moved and carried himself, and delved deep into his personal connection for her weapon: A Heckler and Koch P7M7. It was only one of seven in the world, though H&K would have you believe there had only been six. The day someone made it past the ex GSG9 guards, into the Grey Room, and out of the nation with the ultra limited edition firearm was one not to proud for the German firm. It had been modified with a custom Crimson Trace style grip, and slightly lighter trigger pull.

Then came the final piece. Opening up an ornate wood box, Walter revealed for Ryan a heavily customized 1911 frame pistol.

“I call it the Nazgul,” he said, referring to one of Ryan’s many call signs. It had a matte black frame, with a gun metal slide, trigger, and skeleton hammer. The grip was based off of the Pachmyer American Classic, but modified to hold not a Pachmyer center logo jewel, but the IMSPECWAR logo jewel piece. A forward rail mount was machined into the frame directly. The slide, of course, had “Sobcheck 1911 Nazgul” engraved on one side, and on the other “IMSPECWAR Custom”. Full internal work had been done.

“It’s a nail driver. Dead accurate inch groups out to fifty yards”

Ryan thanked him for the pistol, and holstered it.

The next few days Ryan spent solely at the range. He easily went through well over ten thousand rounds in just a few days, practicing with each weapon, figuring out where he would mount it, what ammo he would use, and shooting from off positions. Shooting single shot, burst, and full auto from the sub guns was also done, and much of it done whilst wearing the Ninja kit.

It was three days later when Walter came into the room. Ryan was wrapping the grip of the MP5/10I with skate tape, and cleaning the FN.

“Just got a call from town. The car is ready.”

Ryan nodded, and reassembled the FN, placing it in the holster he had chosen for it, and tossing it the bag that held the kit. Then went the sub gun. “Ready to go see our new ride?” Ryan asked, holding his hand out to Charli.

Charli took the H&K gently in her hands, checking the safety properly and then inspecting it minutely."This is beautiful" she whispered, then wrapped Walter in a hug. "Thank you" She said as she kissed him on the cheek.

She frowned at the Nazgul though, a shiver racing down her spine "Just remember what happened to the head Nazgul. He got done in by a woman when he thought no one could touch him" Charli said darkly. She didn't like the gun from the moment she'd watched Walter open the ornate case and display it for Ryan.

Charli didn't spend as much time at the range as Ryan did, she only had one gun to become accustomed to, and she did very thoroughly. The Heckler and Koch P7M7 handled well and she'd felt comfortable shooting it from the first time firing it. She'd never be the level of shooter that Ryan was but then again she had no interest in being that skilled with a gun.

“Ready to go see our new ride?”

"More than" Charli took his hand.

They had spent many hours much as they had before the attack. Cuddled about one another talking quietly about pasts, present and hoped for futures. She wanted this over and done with so that future could begin, clean and fresh.

The big Chevy crunched its way to a stop over the gravel parking lot, idling low but with a deep tone that commanded attention. Ryan hopped out and left it running, they wanted the trade off to be quick. Ryan and Charli had thanked Walter and the others at the center, taken in one last meal, and packed up the bags. Light had been the word of the day, and between the two of them they only had three bags: one of clothes and two of guns. Ryan only hoped it wouldn't be to cramped in the new car.

The only person waiting in the lot was leaning against a post, and he began walking towards the truck as it rolled up. He took one good long look at the Sierra, and then shrugged. "Guess it'll work."

His accent was distinctly Asian, but there was none of the stereotypical "Engrish" to it.

"Its around back," he said, and then made his way over to the truck, jumping in, and leaving the lot. Charli had begun to move around back, but Ryan held her off for a minute.

"Wait till he gets out of here."

As soon as the lot was empty again, Ryan led Charli around to the back of what looked to be nothing more than an old farm house.

The liquid black Honda (http://www.turbochargedpower.com/Cathy%20NSX%20LF.jpg) sat low over the ground, and Ryan could only chuckle.

"Ass hole," he said, jokingly and to himself, and walked over to the Honda Super Car, opening the driver's door. He unlatched the hood, and tossed the bag of clothes in.

"The rest has to stay in the car with us," Ryan sighed, "behind the back seat. At least it'll get us where we are going for now."

The rest has to stay in the car with us," Ryan sighed, "behind the back seat. At least it'll get us where we are going for now."

Charli had loaded her jacket pockets and her purse with most of the stuff from her small sport duffle and the rest had gone in with what few clothes she had packed. She knew they'd buy more as they needed them, but she'd made arrangements for Walter to hold on to the rest and eventually send what she had to leave behind to a drop address.

She looked at the Honda and shook her head in mock sorrow "Yeah It's a shame you got given such a hunk of junk."

She settled in the passenger side. "But I get to drive it a bit. You've been doing all the driving so far and I'm sure I'm getting rusty" She teased but meant it. Her purse with the H&K in it sat on the floorboard near her feet, and she slid her shades badk down her nose. "Ready when ever you are darling"