Caught in the Crosshairs (closed)

[zydrate]

Nicole changed from Lydia's clothing choice to Nicole's choice of form fitting black cargo pants and a grey t-shirt. She wiped off all the make-up she had to wear as Lydia before grabbing her go back and meeting Trevor in the hall. He had changed from his suit and into something similar to what she was wearing. Too bad... he looked really good in a suit... not that he didn't look good in what he was wearing now but...damn....

***
She hated Switzerland. But of course, she said nothing about it. She had gotten a little sleep on the flight there and only dreamt of Switzerland she jerked away when the over head call said they would be landing soon.

Composing herself, she looked at Trevor, "A condo here? Tell me you have some sort of maid or housekeeper because I can't cook."

A driver took them straight to the condo, which was not too far from the small private airport. Smart on his part, of course, she expected nothing less from him. Nicole was still quiet... she was always quiet but if she had something to say, she would say it... of course, they didn't want to say too much in front of the driver.

***
The condo... it was beautiful.

Nicole appreciated the beauty of it and it was set in a perfect spot also. She barely heard Trevor say there were 5 bedroom and she could choose which one she wanted.

Not usually picky, as she could sleep comfortably on the floor no matter where she was. But this time, she decided to be picky. Why not? Like Trevor (she was sure) she had a lot of money stored away and never really touched it as she felt she was always working. Perhaps this could count as a vacation? Why not?

What working vacation included torturing someone for information?

 

[BeachBum25]

It had been quite a while since Trevor had been to the condo in Switzerland. In fact, it was only the third time he had ever been to it. There was a woman who would come weekly to check it out and to clean. She would call him to let him know things were okay. Trevor had called the woman from the plane to tell her that he would be using the condo, so, there was no reason for her to stop by. He told her that he would let her know when he left.

He laughed at Skylark when she asked him about having a maid or housekeeper. "Well, I have someone who looks after the place when I am not here. She does not, however, come here while I am here. So, she may cook, but she doesn't cook here. You mean to tell me that, despite working on your own, you do not cook. It was one of the first things I learned to do. I don't want to be eating out all the time... could put me in a bad position."

After telling Nicole she could have her choice of the 5 bedrooms, Trevor went into the kitchen and grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the refrigerator. Drinks were the only thing in there; left over from the last time he was here. He handed a bottle to Nicole. "Make a list of what you would like to eat, I will have the groceries delivered and I will be your personal chef while we are here. It will be another new experience for me. I was your bodyguard now I will be your chef." He smiled at her.

Things were moving quickly, but they had to be careful about moving quickly. Yes, they had both slept on the plane coming over, but it was sleep.. not necessarily rest. Fatigue can lead to mistakes and mistakes could lead to their death. They needed to keep going, but they needed to be well prepared.

Gaugon's condo was very close to Trevor's. Taking Gaugon out would be very easy. The challenge would be getting to him to get the information they wanted before taking him out. His condo was in a section that was much more congested. Getting in unnoticed would be a challenge. They needed to take some time to observe Gaugon and check for ways to access his condo. It would be a challenge, but he was certain they were up to it.

 

[zydrate]

Skylark didn't want to go into why she didn't cook for herself. She was a busy woman and sometimes, yes, she had to eat out but mostly, she knew people... not just the upper crust but mainly those considered blue collar workers. She knew the maids and butlers... the people who ran the local pub or meat market and they welcomed AND treated her like a long lost daughter or sister. They would cook for her and she kept in close contact with them. The best places to get help at times were from those who did the behind the scenes work.

Unlike Lonewolf, Nicole didn't own any properties for herself. She didn't want to stay in one place too long or have a place where she could found...

Doing her best not to make a face at Trevor, Nicole took the notepad from him and started to put down her likes... hamburgers, ham sandwiches (her favorite), and chicken. High protein meals was what she, and she was sure also Trevor, would be most comfortable with. She wasn't picky. They couldn't be picky, not in this line of work.

She had wanted to go out an recon, see what was going on... it was the height of the summer tourism season so there would be plenty going on but... that also meant plenty of people out where a person could get in trouble. She and Trevor would have to plan things out carefully.. find out what Phillipe had going on as far as deals or socializing. If he were a smart man, he would stay hidden but that would be hard for him... from the little Nicole had studied on him so far, Mr. Gaugon like parties and being out--trying to be as common as those he made his money off of. But then again, he would be heavily protected...

"Personal chef?" Nicole smiled, "I can handle that... can you?" She said, teasingly as she stood up and headed up the small set of stairs, "I'm going to take a shower."

 

[BeachBum25]

He smiled at Nicole when she asked him about being able to handle the role of personal chef. "Looking at what you have added to the grocery list, preparing meals for you should not be that difficult. We are not talking about fine cuisine." Trevor chuckled. "Of course, it appears that our taste in food in very similar. Everything is simple and easy and doesn't take much time to prepare or to consume."

Trevor gave Nicole a little wave as she went up the stairs saying she was going to shower. It would give him some time to collect his thoughts and to figure out who, if anyone, he could rely on to provide some information on Gaugon. However, his thoughts didn't turn to the mission. His mind wandered up the stairs and into the shower where Nicole would soon be stepping. He thought about the sight of her naked with water cascading down over her body. Yes, those thoughts were much nicer than thinking about Gaugon.

A knock on the door snapped Trevor out of his thoughts. Taking one oh his handguns with him, he moved to the door. Obviously, someone had seen them enter. Looking through the peephole, Trevor saw Mrs. Zimmerman, who watched over his place while he was not there, which was most of the time. Trevor thought it was odd that Mrs. Zimmerman would stop by so soon after their arrival. The previous times he had used the condo, she had waited until he reached out to her. Needless to say, Trevor was cautious. "One second Mrs. Zimmerman. I will be right with you."

Heading up the stairs to the second level, Trevor went into the bedroom that overlooked the front door. He could hear the shower running in the bathroom. It seemed that was the bedroom Nicole had chosen... good choice, it had an amazing view of the lake. Trevor carefully looked out the window and saw that Mrs. Zimmerman was alone. Then he looked in all directions to make sure that nobody was lying in wait. Everything looked fine. It wasn't like he thought Mrs. Zimmerman would do something nefarious, but you never know... she may have been forced to do something.

Convinced everything was okay, Trevor headed back downstairs without bothering Nicole... although, his mind did wander to the shower again for a moment. He answered the door and invited Mrs. Zimmerman in. She said she didn't have time, she was on the way to the store, and since she had seen Trevor and his lady friend arrive at the condo, she thought she would check to see if they needed anything.

Handing Mrs. Zimmerman the list that Nicole had made, Trevor asked Mrs. Zimmerman to wait one second and he would get her money for the items. She told him not to worry, he could pay her when she returned. Trevor thanked her and watched carefully as she walked away; checking to see if anyone approached her. Seeing nobody, Trevor went back inside and locked the door.

Moving back into the kitchen, Trevor took a seat at the island and sipped his bottle of water. He doodled on a piece of paper as he thought about Gaugon. When he looked down at the paper, he realized that he had doodled a map of the area, which contained the location of Gaugon's condo. Trevor filled in some of the details on the map. He made a mental note of some areas he wanted to check out, and he also wanted to find out which clubs and restaurants Gaugon preferred to visit.

 

[zydrate]

Nicole took her time in the shower. It felt good. She usually wasn't able to take her time but now, she had time to enjoy it. As she cleaned up, she thought about all that happened so far. But the one thing that out weighed was that she and Trevor had a price on their head. And that was what kept her going. This 'mission' had to be successful because it if wasn't, then it meant she and/or Trevor will be killed...

After finishing up, Nicole dressed in t-shirt and black leggings she had in her to-go bag. She wound her hair into a pile on top of her head. As she finished up, she looked at her weapons she had packed... 3 of the guns were loaded and ready with extra ammo on the side pocket. One was, of course, holstered. She had 2 of her favorite blades with her also. Those would remained sheathed for the time being.

She put her bag away and headed downstairs and back to the kitchen where she saw Trevor sitting.. it look like he was writing something down...? Nicole went to the frig and grabbed a bottle of water and sat across from him, "What are you doing?" she asked as she opened the bottle of water and took a long sip.

 

[BeachBum25]

Trevor looked up from his doodling. He paused for a moment as he noticed her sitting across from him in a t-shirt that certainly accentuated her wonderful form. "Well, I was just sitting here thinking about our current mission and I just started doodling on this piece of paper. When I looked down at what I put on paper,, it turned out to be a map... specifically, a map of this area, and it included the location of Gaugon's condo and other landmarks in the area. Then I just wrote down a few things that I want to find out... like his favorite night club and his favorite restaurant, so that we can get a routine on him.

He turned the map around so Skylark could look at it. He said nothing as she looked at it. Nicole was quiet for quite a while as she looked at what he had doodled. Then she asked him a few questions about the area, and Trevor responded to her questions. After he was certain that Skylark had digested the map, Trevor looked at her. "It will take a little time to get his routine. I am not sure how long he is going to be here, so, I don't want recon to take too long. We need to figure out his routine and find the best place to grab him. I think it would be perfect to be able to get him in his condo, but we might not be able to.

Just then, the doorbell rang. He looked at his watch as he grabbed his weapon and headed towards the door. "Could Mrs. Zimmerman be back already," he thought. He looked through the peephole and saw that it was Mrs. Zimmerman and she was carrying a couple bags. Trevor turned to Nicole and whispered, "Go up into your room and look at the windows. It is the woman who takes care for the place when I am gone, which is most of the time. She offered to go to the store earlier. Check to see if anyone looks out of place up and down the street, too."

 

[zydrate]

Nicole nodded at the plan he had so far. Yes, they had to know what his moments were but they also had to hurry as they didn't have much time. But yet, they had to be careful but had to hurry... both could be very tricky.

Studying the drawing, Nicole pointed a few places she had already known since this wasn't her first time here. She had a pretty good idea of what direction was where and what place was where. She said them out loud, almost as in getting confirmation from Trevor to make sure she was right.

How were they going to play this? A little more research on Philipe... he was French, a language both Nicole and Trevor knew and could speak fluently. All agents knew many languages so Nicole knew Trevor was no exception, she was sure.

Before Nicole could ask another question, there was a knock on the front door and she and Trevor were on alert. He had told her who it was and told her to check to make sure the lady was alone.

Nicole didn't question it as she headed back upstairs to her room and grabbed her guns from the bedside. Carefully, she looked out the windows and surveyed the street below. There wasn't anything unusual as she looked for a minute more. Nothing seemed out of place.

From the top of the stairs, she called out, but not too loud, "Clear." Her weapons still in hand as she decided to stay upstairs as Trevor dealt with the lady. She kept her guns at the ready...just in case...

 

[BeachBum25]

Trevor opened the door for Mrs. Zimmerman once he received the "clear" from Skylark. He took the bags from her and thanked her for picking up the items that he asked for. He carried the bags to the kitchen and sat them on the counter. Then, he handed Mrs. Zimmerman money for the items. She told him that he gave her way too much. "It is okay Mrs. Zimmerman. Consider the extra to be a thank you for being so thoughtful and asking if you could pick the items up."

She continued to object, but Trevor would not take the money back. Mrs. Zimmerman finally relented, and Trevor escorted her to the door. "Oh, Mrs. Zimmerman, do me a favor. Don't tell anyone I am here. I would like to have some privacy while here and would prefer that nobody is aware that I am visiting. She smiled at him and said she would be happy to make sure that he and his lady friend had privacy while they were here.

Thanking Mrs. Zimmerman for everything, Trevor closed and locked the door behind her. He knew that Skylark would watch her as she left to see if anyone approached.

While he waited for Skylark to come back downstairs, he started to put the groceries away. Once everything was put away, he made a ham sandwich for Skylark and took out another bottle of water for himself. It seemed like Nicole was taking a long time upstairs, so, he walked up and went into the bedroom that overlooked the front door. "Is everything okay?"

 

[zydrate]

Nicole heard Trevor coming up as she was busy putting her weapons away. Although she was more comfortable with a blade, she handled guns extremely well when the time called for it. Just as she was putting her bag away, she heard Trevor behind her, "It's fine, just waiting for the old lady to leave is all... and I was thinking, perhaps we should go into town later, when the night crowd comes out... we'll be able to be more discreet as the crowd will be in a party-set mind... if not, I can go by myself."

It was all recon and it would be needed. And besides, she was right, they would be less conspicious at night, rather than the day. She moved around him and walked into the hall and then downstairs. When she entered the kitchen, she saw the sandwich, "Just one? Aren't you hungry?"

She took a seat at the kitchen island as she grabbed the sandwich before taking a bite of it. She was hungry but it was more out of need rather than want... if that made sense.

"Like I said, I can go by myself if you want."

 

[BeachBum25]

"I think I can trust Mrs. Zimmerman, but you never know. I have only actually seen her three times now. She takes care of the place when I am not here. She comes and checks on it a couple of times a month, and for that I deposit money into her bank account. Of course, she doesn't know that I have cameras in every room and they record 24/7, so, I can check on what she does when she comes in." He saw Skylark look at him. "Don't worry, I am not a perv. I turned off the camera in the room you are staying in before you went up for your shower."

He listened to Nicole talk about doing recon and going into town. "I think that is a good idea. There is no reason to wait around. We might as well start right away, and it will be much better if it is dark and there are a lot of people."

Walking over to the kitchen island, Trevor laughed when Nicole commented on only one ham sandwich. "I will have to talk to Mrs. Zimmerman about that. However, with over Euro 200 worth of food, I am sure that you will be able to find something to fill you up. I am going to cook some chicken. It appears she got plenty of that. I am not sure it will be done before you are finished with your sandwich, but I will try my best."

Trevor went to work seasoning the chicken breasts that Mrs. Zimmerman had purchased for them. He put several in the oven to bake, and a couple more were cooked on the stove top grill. "I am going to cook all of the chicken now so that if you get hungry all you will have to do is heat it in the microwave."

Thinking about the recon mission for that night while he washed his hands after handling the chicken, Trevor thought that it would be best if they did it together, but he wanted to see what Nicole was thinking. He didn't want to share what he was thinking, yet. He wanted to see what Nicole was thinking, and he didn't want to interfere with her thought process. This was challenging to Trevor. He was not accustomed to having to plan with someone else. Planning was always his strength and it was what made him so go. Now, having to plan with, and possible defer to someone else was hard to do. However, he had to admit he was getting better at it as he worked with Skylark. They were starting to work a little better as a team.

"So, how do you think we should handle tonight? Should we split up or should we stay together to gather the information we need?"

 

[zydrate]

"Split up." Nicole said simply. It made sense. Even though she didn't like being here or rather, she didn't like the place (the city, not Trevor's place), she knew she'd have to make-do with the situation at hand. She had been thinking about how to do this since they had both boarded the plane back in Vegas.

As much as she was being comfortable in public, she didn't do it often, just so she couldn't be placed in any one area on the globe. She relied on disguises and right now, she didn't have any. It would be too obvious if she were found to be gathering some so she pushed that thought out of the way.

"Look, we both have our ways and people we trust. That trust might be hindered if we show up with some else in tow, so, you do your thing and I'll do mine... of course the object is don't get caught. After that, we come back here and regroup... after that, we should have more information to formulate a better plan, how's that sound?"

 

[BeachBum25]

Trevor had a feeling that Skylark was going to choose to split up. They were both used to working alone, but she seemed much less flexible than he was. Not that he had a problem with it. He had no problem working by himself.

"The only person I know here is the woman who bought and delivered the groceries. She saw us come in together, so, she made an assumption about a relationship. She knows you are here, but, in the past she has kept my presence to herself. I am assuming that she will do the same now, but I am not positive. I am alive today because I have never trusted anyone."

He thought about the logistics for the night. "I will move around in the area of the condo where Gaugon is staying. It is a busy area with a lot of people moving around. I will watch to see where he goes for dinner. At the end of the night, we can come back here, and we will compare what we have seen and heard. I have no idea how long he is going to stay here, so we need to gather as much information as possible as quickly as possible."

After putting the groceries away, Trevor went up to his room and took a shower. He got dressed for the evening, and went back downstairs. "I'll meet you right back here at the end of the night. We will sit down and come up with a plan, and figure out how we can get this taken care of as soon as possible."

Heading out the door, Trevor went toward the condo where Gaugon was staying. He was familiar with the area, and was surprised that Gaugon was staying in a location that was so busy. That would make it easier for Skylark and he to gather information and ultimately to accomplish their task.

Once in the area, Trevor moved around. He could see the condo from multiple angles and realized that there were no guards on the exterior. That didn't mean there wasn't anyone inside keeping an eye on the exterior. Trevor walked into different shops. He made idle talk with different people, and after an hour there was no movement from Gaugon's condo.

If Trevor was anything, it was patient. He could do this for hours. He could do it for days... whatever it took. Then, he saw movement at the door. Several people came out; followed by Gaugon. Nobody was behind him. Trevor made note of that. It could be useful.

As the group got to the street, Gaugon moved into the center of 4 men. Trevor took note of this also. He saw weaknesses that could be exploited. Trevor followed them at a distance. The bodyguards attentions were totally focused to the front... something else to be considered during their planning. The entourage went into a small cafe, which had obviously been closed off to everyone else.

They were in the cafe for two hours. While they were inside, Trevor checked out the perimeter of the cafe; looking for rear and side access points. None of the bodyguards had remained outside, which made it easy for Trevor to move around the outside. Even so, he was careful not to get too close to the building, because he had no idea who might be watching from the inside.

When Gaugon and his men exited the cafe, they used the same method.. all 4 bodyguards first followed by Gaugon and the Gaugon moved into the center. The group walked along the street and eventually made their way to the nightclub. As Trevor walked along the opposite side of the street, he saw Nicole near the entrance of the nightclub.

Once Gaugon was in the nightclub Trevor turned everything over to Nicole without Nicole even knowing he was doing it. Trevor moved through the streets to find congested areas and quiet areas. He made a mental map of the entire area, and eventually went back to the condo to await Nicole's return.

 

[zydrate]

After Trevor left the condo, Nicole was still behind as she got dressed in a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and baggy sweater. Just what she had in her to-go bag. If she had more time to recon, she would have included a quick shopping trip in order to blend in but she figured, this would have to do for now.

When she ventured out, she found a small market where she blended in perfectly. Her accent was on spot after giving a listen for less than 5 minutes, she spoke like a native. She was ever vigilant about her surroundings, making sure she wasn't being followed. She hadn't recognized anyone as she perused over some homemade jewelry.

Putting on a front for her personality, she was bubbly and friendly. She talked with those sellers about their pieces and learned a lot without alerting the person she was talking to that she was actually interrogating them.

New information came to light as she got that there were some new faces that seemed to have arrived in the past few days... mysterious men in groups. Nothing to really be concerned about but as she learned, they definitely weren't from around here.

Interesting.

She was out for a few more hours as the small town square came alive with tourists ready to party the night away. It was time to get back to the condo and see what Trevor found out. They would need to plan in order to see what would happen next and when...

As carefully made her way back to his place, making sure to double back a few times in order to make sure no one was following her... something behind her snapped.

No, not a snap. The cocking of a weapon...

Before she had time to react, there were 4 men on her, one clamping a hand over mouth and others grabbing her arms to prevent her from defending herself. Big mistake. Nicole didn't fight back and sort of laxed as she was pushed against a wall. Some orders were grunted to some of the others and they acknowledged the orders and headed off in the direction she was heading... shit, they were heading toward Lonewolf's condo.

Goddamnit.

Their grip wasn't as tight and that was when Nicole was able to break free with one hand but was quickly subdued with a punch to the gut and someone grabbing her by the back of her head and slamming it against a wall.

With all this going on, Nicole didn't scream. She didn't panic. That wasn't her way. Instead, she pretended to be knocked out... but that was fruitless when she felt the stab of a needle stick her in the neck.

That's when everything really went dark.

 

[BeachBum25]

After returning to the condo, Trevor grabbed a bottle of water and a couple of stalks of celery. Sitting at the counter in the kitchen, he drank the water and snacked on the celery as he ran through everything he had observed while doing his reconnaissance.

Thinking about his recon work, Trevor wondered how things were going for Nicole. He stood up and went up to the bedroom that Nicole had chosen. It gave a perfect view of anyone approaching the condo. Trevor had been very careful about making sure he wasn't followed on his way back. He was certain that Nicole would do the same. However, he wanted to watch her approach and make sure.

Positioning himself in such a way that he could not be seen by someone approaching, Trevor awaited Skylark's return. He was anxious to get on with their plans. Gaugon was only one of those remaining that they had to find, torture and kill.

As he waited for Nicole's return, Trevor saw some movement in the shadows. Teo men, dressed all in black were moving in the direction of the condo. This was not good. Checking his weapons to make sure that the silencers were attached, Trevor kept them readily available. He continued to watch as they approached.

The two men stopped across the alley from his condo entrance. One of them pointed at the door. The other nodded and took something out of a bag. Trevor moved back downstairs and took up a position facing the door. he did not get too close. He wasn't sure if they were going to try to blow the door, but he had cover against anyone entering the door.

Not knowing what to expect, but anticipating the door blowing open, Trevor was surprised when the door opened and slowly the men clad all in black entered; one at a time. The first one took a bullet to the head and dropped a mere two steps inside the condo. Trevor saw the second one begin to look around in a panicked mode. Trevor's second shot went into the man's upper right arm causing him to drop his weapon. Trevor's next shot went through the man's upper left arm; causing the backpack to fall at his feet.

Just for the fun of it, Trevor fired a third shot; this one into the man's right knee. Slowly, Trevor approached the two men. The second had fallen next to his dead partner. Trevor was cautious. He wasn't sure if there was anyone else following them.

Closing the door as he picked up the weapons the two men had dropped, and then kicking the backpack away from the wounded man, Trevor looked at the blood on the floor of his condo. "Your boss is going to pay dearly for this."

The wounded man gave a little laugh. "Oh, you find me funny do you? Well, let me tell you, you are not going to think the next several minutes are funny." Trevor placed his foot on the man's knee that the bullet had exploded into. It was his turn to laugh.

"Now, here is what is going to happen. I am going to ask questions and you are going to give me answers. If I do not believe any answer you give, i will pick a new location to insert another bullet into your body. In the beginning, none of them will be deadly, however, the longer I have to keep asking questions, the higher the probability will become that the shot will be fatal."

Looking down at the man, Trevor reached down and ripped off the ski mask he was wearing. "Do I need to repeat what I just said in another language.... French perhaps. "Maintenant, voici ce qui va se passer. Je vais poser des questions et vous allez me donner des réponses. Si je ne crois aucune de vos réponses, je choisirai un nouvel emplacement pour insérer une autre balle dans votre corps. Au début, aucun d'entre eux ne sera mortel, cependant, plus je dois continuer à poser des questions, plus la probabilité que le tir soit mortel sera élevée."

The man was obviously surprised that Trevor's instructions were delivered in French. "Now, you and I both know that wasn't necessary, but I just wanted to make sure there were no misunderstandings."

Switching which foot he had on the man's knee, Trevor asked, "Where is the woman?" When the man responded, "what woman?" Trevor fired a shot into the man's left knee. "Now, that obviously wasn't the right answer. So, should we try it again?" The man just stared at Trevor. It was obvious that the men here had no idea who they had been sent to deal with. They had no idea that the two people they were dealing with were deadly weapons.

"Where is the woman?" This brought a response that others had captured her on the street. "See what happens when you cooperate.... my gun doesn't go off. So, where is she now? Where were they taking her?" The man shrugged his shoulders which resulted in him having a bullet blow through his thigh. "The next one will go through your other thigh and will pierce your femoral artery, which, I am pretty sure you know will mean you will bleed to death. So, do you want to try again?"

The response came that she was being taken to where Gaugon was staying. "Much better. Now, I have one last question for you. How did you know where I was? Just remember where the next bullet goes if I don't believe you." The man responded that the old lady gave them information. Trevor only knew one lady, and that was Mrs. Zimmerman. "She gave you the information?" The man's response was that she had given it up right before Gaugon killed her..

Trevor didn't hesitate. He fired into the man's thigh; hitting the femoral artery. The look on the man's face was priceless. "That was for Mrs. Zimmerman. You boss is going to wish I let him die as quickly as you will"

He walked over to the backpack the man had been carrying. Inside Trevor found several weapons and a long needle. "So, they were going to try to capture me, drug me and take me to Gaugon. I should have asked him what their plans were for Nicole before killing him. I have always been better at the killing part than interrogation, which is why I don't get close to my targets."

Trevor gathered several more clips of ammo for his guns and looked at the mess in his condo entryway. "I will have to deal with that later." Making his way out of the condo, Trevor headed toward the condo where Gaugon was staying. He had to do something he was not accustomed to doing. He had to get his partner back.

 

[zydrate]

Her hands were handcuffed behind her back. She had realized that as soon as she had woken up. Of course, Nicole didn't let on she was awake, instead she continued to lay on the table... a pool table of all things, as she continued to pretend to be out cold. She wasn't sure how long she had been out but it was long enough to not know exactly where she was--at least at first.

As she lay there, she heard two men talking, speaking French, which she quickly deciphered. They were talking about how easy it was to grab her and bring her to their boss.

Shit. She was at Gaugon's place.

Despite figuring this out, Nicole kept her head. She kept her breathing steady and went through what had happened. She had been making her way back from the market and then she was ambushed in dimly lit walkway. She had kept her surroundings in check the whole time but these guys, they didn't care and just attacked. Silently, she cursed at herself for not being ready or not being able to fight back... those cowards drugged her instead.

Remembering that there were at least 8, she had seen 2 leave the group and walk away toward Lonewolf... well, she was sure they were now dead. She also figured that Lonewolf would take that as a hint and leave. In fact, that's probably what she would have done. This was why they didn't work in pairs. It could get messy. Right now, she hoped Lonewolf was on his way out of the country.

A thought did briefly cross her mind that maybe this was Lonewolf's doing?

No. He wouldn't rely on others to do what he could have easily done in the first place.

With a mental sigh, Nicole went back to planning. She had been awake for the past 10-12ish minutes but never indicated to anyone else she was listening in on what was being said. She had heard two men speaking, talking about what Gaugon might do to her when he was finished with her. Oh, if they only knew Gaugon wouldn't make it till morning, just like the rest of them.

Well, she was in for a long night because, she knew she was going to get out of this on her own. She had no choice. Trevor wasn't here and it wasn't in his 'assignment' to rescue her if something were to happen...

Nicole's head was pounding... probably from both when they were slamming her head against the stone wall as well as whatever it was they drugged her with.

One of the goons spoke up and the other said something while she heard one of them move toward her, they were laughing at something the had said under his breath. She felt a hand on hers, holding her down as they unlocked the cuffs. She still played like she was out...

She heard them say something about how Gaugon was going to take care of her... Nicole groaned as they lifted her by the arms and slung them over their shoulders and dragged her to another room. Yeah, she would let this play out...for now.

After that? She wasn't exactly sure but she knew they would all be dead by sunrise.

 

[BeachBum25]

He was in unfamiliar territory. Trevor never had to worry about anyone else before. There was a reason he went by Lonewolf. Never before had he worked with someone else. There was the devil sitting on his shoulder telling him to just go... get out of town... regroup and figure out what he needed to do next. For a reason that even Trevor did not know, he ignored that voice.

Rushing in was not a good idea. He had to take his time. He had to figure out what he was truly up against. Trevor was starting to believe that the four men that he saw escorting Gaugon to dinner were just a small part of his protection detail. The one thing he did know for sure was that Gaugon was down two men.

Once he was in the vicinity of Gaugon's place, Trevor was still unsure how he was going to get to Skylark. He had no idea what he would encounter inside. He would not have the luxury of picking off the guards one at a time, because that would just alert them to his presence and put Nicole at further risk. He never went into a mission with out any intel before. Now, he was going into a mission and someone else's life depended on him.

There was nobody on the exterior of the building as Trevor moved around and did some recon. He had to be more careful since there were very few people on the streets at this time of night. He remembered from his earlier surveillance that there was only one way in and out of the condo..... well, only one that was visible from the street. Would Gaugon, knowing that it was just a matter of time that they came for him, risk staying in a place that had only one entry/ exit point? If he did, he was pretty fucking stupid.

Moving around the exterior, Trevor looked for the hidden entrance. There had to be one. Then he saw it. There was a small alley, hidden from view on the street. Carefully, he approached it and once he was at the entrance to the alley his suspicions were confirmed. Trevor saw two men sitting by a door. Looking at the location, Trevor figured that there must be a long passageway leading from the condo to the alley.

While he was watching, he caught a break. Speaking in French, one of the men said he needed to take a leak. The break came when Trevor saw the man reach for the door and pull it open. It wasn't locked. Perfect.

Trevor was patient. He waited for the man to return and get comfortable in his chair. Then, taking a deep breath, he placed a bullet in the middle of one man's forehead. The silencer afforded Trevor the opportunity to focus on the second man and deliver another shot to the forehead.

Looking around, Lonewolf made his way to the door. He moved both bodies to a position where they could not be seen by a stray person walking past the alley entrance. He checked their pockets, and took a set of keys from each of them. Opening the door, Trevor made his way inside. He was in a long, dimly-lit corridor. Taking his time, he moved down the corridor to another door. He was certain this was the entry to the condo. He tried the door handle..... locked.

Quietly, he tried a key from one of the sets he had taken from the exterior guards. It didn't work. Two more tries, and still nothing. Finally, the fourth try unlocked the door. He slowly moved inside. He was in what appeared to be a basement. It was dimly-lit just like the corridor.

Pausing, Trevor tried to compose himself and slow himself down. Things had been going too easily so far. When things go right there is a tendency to keep pushing forward. That could lead to mistakes. He couldn't afford any... Nicole's life and his life depended on him not making mistakes. Now that he was inside, he had to find Nicole and that would not be easy.

 

[zydrate]

Another kick the stomach prevented Nicole from getting up after Gaugon had asked her a question. Of course, Nicole refused to answer anything he had asked her. Why? He seemed to know why she was there but she had a feeling didn't know exactly who she was... yet.

She kept her head down, her hair falling around her face as she held her stomach and 'cried'.

The room she had been brought to was more than likely the main room. 8 panels of glass provided a wondeful view of the mountains but surely, one could see out but more than likely, couldn't see in from down below. It was spacious and Nicole counted 2 exits. 5 of Gaugon's men were with him so with Gaugon included, that made it 6...

"Encore une fois, comment t'appelles-tu?"

He asked for her name again. This wasn't going to get anywhere soon. The longer Nicole held out, the more she was going to be punished.

OK, there were a total of six men....she could do it... "Arrêtez avec les jeux, vous savez qui je suis." Nicole said after a minute of silence. Raising her head, she looked at Gaugon, sitting there smugly.

There were no tears in Nicole's eyes. She was hardly injured. She saw the signal for another kick at her. Nicole stopped it. Forcing the man's leg back, she jumped up and while still holding his foot, she twisted his leg until his ankle cracked and he screamed. That's when 3 of the men charged at Nicole. She easily took out one more with an elbow to his jaw before she was rushed by the other two men and tackled to the floor.

They dragge her back up and that's when she realized there was a gun pointed at her face.

"Who else was at that condo with you?" Gaugon insisted.

Nicole just looked at him, staring him down, she refused to answer this idiot.

 

[BeachBum25]

Moving slowly, Trevor listened for any sounds that would give him some indication of where Nicole was being held. As he moved up the stairs to the main floor of the condo, Trevor took his time... making sure not to make a sound and hoping to hear something that would help him determine his next move.

As he reached the door at the top of the stairs, Trevor heard a scream. It did not sound like a female that screamed. He did not know Skylark for that long, but there was no situation that Trevor could ever see Nicole screaming in; she would never give her enemy the satisfaction. That meant that Nicole was still alive and she was fighting back.

Then there was some banging, and Trevor knew that this was a perfect opportunity for him to move. Everyone would be focused on Nicole, which would give him the opportunity to move in the direction of the commotion without anyone even noticing.

He moved into the main part of the condo and made his way toward a large room with floor to ceiling glass walls. Trevor saw Nicole with a gun to her face. Gaugon had it pointed at her while two men held her. Suddenly, two men looked up and saw Trevor. Before they could say anything, they had bullet holes in their heads.

Trevor's next shot was to Gaugon's left shoulder. He had been holding the gun in his left hand pointing it at Nicole. The shot to his shoulder caused the gun to fall to the floor in front of Nicole. Trevor purposely shot him in the shoulder. Gaugon had some suffering to do.

Taking out the first two men and then Gaugon gave the two holding Nicole a chance to react. Several shots were fired in his direction, but he was able to take cover. He saw one of the men on the floor grabbing his ankle, and the other one starting to sit up holding his jaw. Determining that the guy holding his jaw was a threat, Trevor eliminated him as he moved to a more favorable position.

Keeping the attention of everyone on him would give Nicole a chance to move. He watched her pick up the gun that Gaugon had dropped and point it at him. Trevor took the opportunity to address the two men who were still a threat. "Gentlemen, either drop your weapons or the pretty lady is going to shoot your boss, and then each of us will shoot one of you. So, if you want to live, you will put your weapons on the floor."

They complied. Trevor moved slowly across the large room making sure there was nobody unaccounted for. When he got to the two men, he picked up their weapons before moving to the one holding his ankle. As he reached down to take that guy's weapon out of his holster, Trevor smiled at him. "You let a woman do this to you. You sure suck at your job." The man responded, "va te faire foutre." Trevor just nodded, and then put his foot on the man's injured ankle and stood on it for a moment. "Sorry, you aren't my type."

Then, turning his attention back to the two biggest threats, Trevor found a pair of handcuffs on one of them and made them sit at the large table. He handcuffed them together; each with an arm under the table.

Finally, he was able to turn his attention to Nicole. "You don't look the worse for wear. Are you okay?" He knew the answer to his question. No matter what had happened to her, she was going to say she was fine.

"Well Skylark, I think it is time to get on with the questioning." When Trevor said the name Skylark, Gaugon's eyes got big. "Oh, I am sorry. You two were never formally introduced?"

 

[zydrate]

Nicole was doing something she never really liked... enjoying torturing her target.

Not one to like what she did to the point of enjoyment, but even she had to admit she was good at it. That's why, after half an hour of the French man begging for her to stop... even after he told her pertinent information, she kept going. With each cut or insertion of her dagger (which was hidden in her ankle holster where the goons failed to look...even if they bothered to pat her down) she followed it with a question and not liking the answer, she cauterized the wound with a hot poker from the fire place.

Right now, the little French man looked more like a voodoo doll rather than the dignified art lover that he was.

Continuing to speak in French, since that's all he would speak and she wanted to make sure he understood, Nicole looked around the room and noticed the artwork, "You have quite a collection here." She said, not acknowledging Trevor... she was totally in her zone. "How much would you say all this is worth?"

Gaugon squeaked out a number between tearful sobs. Nicole nodded as she kept looking. It was then she raised the gun she had kept from him and fired one shot at a painting labeled, 'Edouard Vuillard'.

"You're insured?"

He said yes.

"Well, hopefully your beneficiary is your wife because you're going to die tonight." It wasn't just a random statement. It was a fact. She hoped he knew that.

Grabbing the hot poker, Nicole then grabbed a bottle of expensive liquor from a table, threw it at the curtain and then held the red hot poker to it... causing it to catch on fire.

She watched it burn for a minute more, only to make sure it was being fed properly...first with the furniture and then the carpet... well, you get the idea. Turning to Trevor, looking at him for the first time since he had handcuffed Graugon to a chair, she threw the poker down, "Let's go."

 

[BeachBum25]

Trevor was amazed at how Nicole went into a zone when she began questioning/ torturing Gaugon. She went into her own world and everything outside of that world ceased to exist; including him. While she worked Gaugon over and extracted information from him. Trevor moved throughout the condo, looking to see if there was anything of value. He also called the pilot of the private jet and told him to have the jet his crew ready to go in 30 minutes.... destination? well, that would be revealed once Trevor and Nicole got to the airport.

Before he saw the fire, he felt the heat. That was a clear indication that it was time to go. It also gave Trevor an idea of how to get rid of some of the evidence that were the bodies laying just inside the door of his condo.... a condo he would never visit again.

While Nicole, packed up her things, Trevor took out the bottles of liquor that were in the kitchen cabinet. He poured the alcohol over the bodies of the two men near the front door. Nicole still hadn't said anything to him but "Let's go" when she was finished with Gaugon. Trevor didn't mind. She would share the information on her time... once she came out of the zone she was in.

After pouring the remaining liquor over the furniture in the living room and the beds, Trevor checked on Nicole. She was ready, or so it seemed. She was standing near the front door staring at him... impatiently. Trevor lit the furniture on fire and followed it up by dropping a match on the two bodies as they left.

Once they were at the airport, they found the private jet, they climbed on board. Nicole went right to a seat. Trevor stowed hi go-bag and the bag carrying his sniper rifle. Then, he went and spoke with the pilot. "Just get us airborne for right now. I will get you a destination once we are out of here. The pilot explained that they needed to file a flight plan. Trevor thought for a second. "Okay, Dublin, Ireland. However, that is going to change." The pilot nodded his head and consulted with his First Officer as they developed a flight plan.

Trevor was getting anxious as they sat on the tarmac. "Let's go guys. I... we are in a hurry. We have important business to attend to." The crew finished what they needed to do, filed their plan and began to taxi out for departure. Trevor settled in next to Nicole and looked over at her. "Once you are ready, I need to know where we are going to next. The pilots are willing to work with us and deviate from where they filed our destination."

 

[zydrate]

Nicole didn't say a thing to Trevor when he sat back down. She was upset at him. And it wasn't very often she got upset. But, she kept quiet as she mulled over how to proceed.

He had asked her where they were going and instead of answering, she got up and walked to the back of the plane to use the facilities. She locked the door behind her and leaned against the door while taking a deep breath...letting the happenings of the night catch up with her. Closing her eyes, she gave herself 2 minutes before proceeding to the mirror and giving her face a look over. Her reflection showed her head had a slight cut from being smashed against the wall when she was attacked... damnit.

On top of all that, her stomach hurt and she looked down and pulled up her shirt, seeing the bruises starting to form. Oh well, she had had worst, that was for sure. It was part of the price of getting close to the target.

Quickly, she washed her face and cleaned up the cut on the side of her forehead, grimacing as the sting from the soap and water reminded her that at least she was alive from her ordeal. She took her hair out of its ponytail and let if fall freely around her face and down her back. Going over what she was able to extract from the French collector, she knew she'd have to tell Trevor as they were still doing this together. Like Trevor, Nicole wasn't used to working with anyone. They were taught to work alone and not rely on any and Nicole knew she already owed Trevor her life for coming to help her out of her predicament.

Once she had gathered herself, she went back out and sat back down next to Trevor, "Dublin is good for now. I know someone we can stay with...although the accommodations might be less than luxurious, it's a place to lay low for a day or so."

That was all she had said for a few minutes before speaking up again, "You could've just left me... but you didn't. Why?"

Listening to his answer, Nicole didn't say anything as Trevor spoke. She just nodded when he finished and gave him a small smile, "Thank you."

Of course, she didn't have to say that. It was enough that he came back to get her.

Another few minutes of silence before she spoke up again, letting him know exactly what Gaugon had told her during their...talk. Apparently, Gaugon had heard about what happened to the two previous 'targets' so he was on high alert. As were the rest of the Horsemen. That would make hers and Trevor's job a little more harder. Apparently, a few more mercenaries had joined in on the hunt so the word was out for them.

Perfect.

But in the meantime, they needed rest, that much Nicole knew. They hadn't had the pleasure to do so in Switzerland but now, they needed to regroup for a day or so. She wasn't lying when she said she knew some people they could stay with but at least she knew they'd be safe.

"Perhaps we should split up?" Of course, she knew that wasn't the best of ideas but again... if they did split up, then it make it difficult for them to get caught. "One of us could go after the hunters and the other could go after the main kills?"

 

[BeachBum25]

He nodded to Nicole when she said that Dublin would be okay. Dublin was not Trevor's favorite place in Ireland. If they were going to be there for a while, he might just to find his way to the west of Ireland.

"Nicole, all of the training I have had and everything I have done in working for the agency has been all about taking care of myself. I have never had to work with anyone before. I didn't plan on working with anyone now. However, once you and I started working together, I considered you my partner. Yes, it is weird because I have never had one before, but, that is the way I felt. So, feeling that way, I couldn't just leave you. I know that goes against everything I have been trained to do, and everything i have ever done, and I am sure it runs counter to what you would have done, but I felt the need to do it."

Trevor sat quietly for a while He was thinking about what had happened. He was wondering if Nicole would have done the same for him. Somehow, he doubted it. The crazy thing about it is that Trevor didn't think she would have been wrong if she didn't.

Listening to her talk of splitting up, Trevor believed that Nicole felt that he was getting in her way. Maybe they were getting in each other's way. Perhaps they should just go their separate ways.

"You might be right Skylark. You are better with the interrogations than I am. My strength is taking targets out from a distance. I don't need to get up close and personal to do what I do. That is what you do. I can take out any target and they will never know what hit them, but that doesn't help get all of the Horsemen."

The plane started its descent into Dublin Airport. Once they landed, Trevor said to her, "Listen Skylark, I am going outside of Dublin for a little while. You know how to get a hold of me. Let me know when you have had enough rest and want to meet to develop our plan for going our separate ways. Until then, be safe."

 

[zydrate]

Nicole had time to think about what Trevor had said about him considering her his partner. She could have acted better, she figured... since she was the one that invited him to help with all this. Perhaps it was from the time they got to his place in Switzerland that she finally realized this was going to take longer than she anticipated. Besides, she wasn't working alone anymore...

It was hard to break from what they were trained to do on their own. Even after it was engrained into you time after time.

Would she have done the same for him? She hadn't thought about that... but yes, she would have. The only reason she didn't think about it was because she was still beating herself up mentally for getting caught in the first place. Why hadn't she been more aware? Why didn't she hear them sneaking up on her?

Yes, she knew how to get a hold of him, she gave him a nod as she went on her way. It was well after midnight when they had landed so as she reached her destination, the early dawn was beginning to peak over the horizon.
***********************************

She had spent nearly 15 hours sleeping. Resting. Real rest. Not just the short naps or quick 10 minutes of sleep she had to run on. She probably would've kept sleeping had there not have been a sudden banging on the door to her small room. Jumping out of bed at the sound, with her weapon in her hand at the ready, it took no more than 5 seconds to collect herself as she sat back down on the bed and put her weapon back under her pillow.

Nicole had rented a room at a small inn just outside of Naas. One thing they were taught was to not frequent a place twice in between assignments. But did Nicole listen? Of course not. She had been here before a couple of years back. It was a stereotypical inn with owners as old (if not older) than the place itself.

She would rest here for another day or so before contacting Lonewolf again. They needed to get on track with one another. No more trying to show up the other (when she was the only feeling like she was doing that... she had time to think about how much Trevor had accommodated her). This wouldn't get done unless they worked together.

 

[BeachBum25]

Trevor made his way to the west of Ireland. He found himself in a little B&B that overlooked the harbor in Dingle. Being the offseason, Trevor was able to get such a wonderful accommodation with no real problem. The proprietors were happy to have another guest, especially one that was paying them in cash.

After getting some sleep, Trevor was greeted by the owners with a hearty full Irish Breakfast. It was more food than Trevor ate in some weeks when he was on a mission, but he was happy to replenish his body, and at the same time, not insult his hosts.

After breakfast, he walked around Dingle town. He walked into some shops, and even stopped in a couple of pubs for a pint. He was careful not to drink too much. Despite believing that he was safe, he never allowed himself to be complacent.

While he walked around town and visited the stores and pubs, his mind was on what Skylark had said about spitting up. He wasn't too keen on that when she first proposed it, but the more he thought about it, the more he thought that she was right. Working together really put them in more danger than they needed to be. Working together meant that they had to look out for one another instead of just looking out for themselves. Working together put them close together, which made them easier to target.

He decided that, when Skylark reached out to him, he would tell her that he agreed with her that they should split up. Trevor was certain that Skylark would not change her mind, and that made his decision that much easier. He wouldn't even try to change her mind.

It was strange to him how he was once again thinking of her in terms of her handle... Skylark and not in terms of her real name. He was taking her from being someone that he knew personally and moving her back to someone that was just business. There was a part of him that was sad about that, because he was really starting to get used to her company, but going their own ways was the right thing to do.

He did not stay in Dingle long. Lonewolf did not grow roots. He moved frequently and trusted nobody... well, he had trusted Skylark. He moved to Killarney. It was a small town, but it was bigger than Dingle and had more people for him to mix in with as he moved around the town. He enjoyed the people of western Ireland. When they met you and talked with you for a little while, it was like you were family. He felt comfortable and relaxed and he could sense that he was getting reenergized for the next stage of his (their) mission. He was enjoying his time there so much that he even forgot about hearing from Skylark.

 

[zydrate]

Unlike Trevor, Nicole stuck to the small towns. Only because she was used to it. It made for a much more effective way to watch people more intimately. Once she felt rested, it was time to go. She had a destination in mind but first, she sent the message to Trevor, letting him know she would meet him in 2 days in Westport at a small lodge called Sandhill Haven. It was a small B&B just outside of Westport. It was nearly secluded and exclusive.

Nicole came to the conclusion that she had to let Trevor in on all she knew… not because she finally trusted him, she did trust him the moment he came to get her. She trusted him. It was odd to think that. They both had been conditioned to work alone but all that needed to change. She knew why they were trained like that. It was for times like this. If an agent needed to be eliminated, then it was easier to get rid of one person than it was to get rid of multiple. Especially if both knew something they shouldn’t.

It would be strange to the owners of the B&B to notice that Nicole didn’t leave her room, so she made an effort to be seen going out and in that, it did allow her time to get some more stuff for her to-go bag.

She was only able to secure a one-bedroom room, as the other bedroom was reserved for another group. She had told them the story that her husband would be joining her in a couple of days and that she was going to be exploring on her own for the time being. The owners seemed content for that and rather concerned that a single woman would be going around by herself…. If they only knew.