Caught in the Crosshairs (closed)

[BeachBum25]

The man had no idea what he got himself into. Being a smartass was not going to work out well for him. When Trevor hit him in the gut, it was just to get his attention. Nicole would take care of the rest.

When Trevor realized that the guy was German, it almost made him laugh. Blair was using foreigners in the agency, probably to make up for deficiencies in training that were being encountered. Nicole and Trevor were fluent in multiple languages. That was necessary in order to be able to carryout missions in multiple countries around the world. Training, obviously, wasn't going so well these days under Blair, so, he had to have agents from different countries in order to be able to communicate.

It was almost too easy for Nicole. At first Hugo remained silent, but that didn't last for more than a few seconds. The moment he fell pain, he gave up all of the information that he had. Of course, Nicole walking him through the stages of dying from a stab wound probably helped a little.

Trevor watched the fear in the man's eyes grow as Nicole sat him down against the wall. She tried to convince him that he would not die if he sat there quietly. Trevor knew that the man was not going to survive. Nobody would find him until it was too late.

Heading out of the alley, Trevor followed Nicole. Now they knew where Blair had set up his base. He wouldn't be there now. They were going to have to stakeout the location and wait for him to return. When they neared the location, there were several suits standing around; none of them seemed too alert as to what was going on around them. "It is time to put an end to this."

Trevor led Nicole around to the rear alley behind the location. There was nobody there. "This is too easy. It has to be a trap. Nobody leaves the rear unprotected like this. He must be trying to draw us into a trap." Slowly, they moved forward; weapons at the ready. The rear entrance was locked, but Trevor was able to pick the deadbolt and the lock on the handle.

Moving inside, they continued slowly and quietly. Both of them paused to put sound suppressers on their weapons. A room at a time, they cleared the house. They did not come upon anyone until they moved into the main room just inside the front door. There were 4 men sitting at a table. The first one to see them took a bullet in the skull from Nicole. The other three started to reach for weapons when they realized it was useless as Trevor pressed the barrel of his weapon to the one man's head.

One by one the men were disarmed and moved into a back room. Trevor cut up sheets that were on a bed and the three were hog tied and left on the floor where pieces of the sheets were stuffed in their mouths. Trevor then went to the rear entrance and placed things in front of the door to prevent anyone from sneaking in that way. They might be able to open the door, but when they did, there would be a loud noise.

Not worrying about cleaning up the mess from the one who was killed, Trevor sat down at the table facing the front door. "Now we wait."

 

[zydrate]

Nicole never thought of herself as a good shot... she worked better up close and personal than with having to shoot anyone. But again, it was in her training to be good with a gun also. She also noticed she and Trevor were working extremely well together--a lot more smoothly and their motions fluid with one another.

As they took out the men at Blair's 'hideout', Blair was relying on people that had little to no experience in the sort of dealings that he was involved in... or maybe he was saving his best for last? Either way, Trevor was right, this was too easy...

"Something's not right..." Nicole said as she walked around, inspecting the room. It was very high end... luxurious in a way... the look of priceless art adorned the walls as well as delicate sculptures and vases decorated the front room. Because it was nearing the late afternoon and the hint of a storm moving in made the place darker than usual... "There!" Nicole said, pointing to a hidden camera next to a sculpture on the bookshelf. Before either could react, the sound of many vehicles could be heard as they screeched up to the house. With one shot, Nicole destroyed the camera but she wasn't stupid, there had to be more.

"Asshole was watching us an--" just then, a round was released on the entry way and Nicole and Trevor took cover.. unfortunately that made them split up between sides. More sounds were heard coming from the back and the trap Trevor set up could be heard being knocked over, followed by footsteps.

Holding her own weapon up and the other she took from one of the men they had ambushed earlier, she pressed herself against the wall as the shooting continued. Even though they were outnumbered, Nicole wasn't about to give up and she knew Trevor felt the same. She called out, "Lonewolf, rendezvous at point 2-4-7-7," she called out to remind him that if they did get split up again, they had put in place to meet up as a last resort... shit was about to get real...

 

[BeachBum25]

They both knew it was too easy. When they were separated, Trevor thought about how to get back to Nicole, but it was too risky. Knowing that they would come in the back entrance also, Trevor went to the back room and untied one of the men's legs that they had left there. Standing the man up, Trevor led him toward the back door; using the man as a shield.

Grabbing the man's collar, Trevor walked him in front to put him out front of any threat that came through the rear door. As the back door was breached by Blair's men, Trevor rested his right hand on the human shield's shoulder and fired at the first man through the door. He obviously wasn't expecting any resistance so soon upon entering the location. He wasn't ready to engage, and was dead before he even realized there was a threat.

It was obvious that Blair had only allocated a few men to the rear, which was a giant mistake.... one of many that Blair made. Trevor heard Nicole call out about the rendezvous point. He wanted her to know that escaping through the rear would be considerably easier than trying to survive the frontal assault that they were encountering. "Roger that Skylark. Back out and keep it all in front of you."

The next man that came through the back door, came in hot... firing randomly as he entered. Trevor's human shield took several rounds, but was still standing... must be wearing body armor. Trevor eliminated the second guy and pushed his shield forward; although, it was difficult to get him to move, because despite the body armor, the impact of the bullets was having an effect, plus he took one to the leg. The third man went down before he got to the doorway, and the fourth started backing away before being eliminated.

Trevor sat his shield down. "Thanks, sport. I appreciate your help. Unfortunately for you, I think that bullet nicked your femoral artery. You aren't going to make it." Trevor slowly exited into the back alley. He looked around and saw no other bogies. He waited for a minute to see if Nicole would exit, but decided that standing in the alley too long was much too dangerous.

Making his way toward the rendezvous point, Trevor's mind was on Nicole. Did she make it out? Was she alive? Did they capture her? Trevor was pretty sure that there were only three real options.... either she was able to escape, she was dead, or she was badly wounded and taken prisoner. Being taken prisoner was the least likely of the scenarios, because Nicole would not allow it to happen. She would go down kicking and shooting and screaming. In order for her to be captured, her wounds would have to have incapacitated her to the point that she was near death.

Nearing the location they were going to meet up, Trevor remained out of sight. All he could do now was wait and hope.

 

[zydrate]

So, Blair's men thought it was best to keep shooting at anything and everything. Doing that caused mayhem on both ends. It made Nicole have to backtrack and go further into the house. She had lost sight of Trevor as she took cover and tried her best to remain out of sight. She had her two guns with her, 4 clips, and 5 blades on her person.

They pushed her back and she had no choice but to go up the stairs, firing behind her and almost getting caught as someone popped out from the top of the stairs... she charged at him and he didn't seem to expect as she took him down easily, landing on top of him and shooting him in the neck before getting off of him as someone else fired again, missing her. Was she being attacked by Stormtroopers?

Ducking into a nearby room, she quickly shut the door and locked it, knowing that it wouldn't stop them... she quickly reloaded her weapons and placed the other gun (the one she had gotten from the guy she tackled on top of the stairs) into the waistband of her pants. Placing her back against the wall, she readied her weapon once more...

There were two shots as someone shot out the doorknob, rendering the lock useless. The door was suddenly kicked in and Nicole managed to take out the first two men as if she were doing target practice. A gun came blindly around from outside the door and fired, missing her by inches. She shot at the hand, not missing and hearing someone yell in pain. Nicole knew she was in the worst situation by having to come upstairs, knowing it was their way of trying to subdue her...

With no time to think or wait as they were probably figuring out a way to come in through the door without her shooting them, Nicole sat at a nearby window and rushed for it, heading through it shoulder and back first and rolling out onto a small balcony. It was at least a 10 feet fall should she decide to jump from the balcony to the ground... no, she wasn't scared but she knew if she did, she could break a leg or arm or both and she couldn't afford that as it surely would mean being captured. The next house, a single level was about a good 7 to 8 feet away... but it was better than jumping to the ground...

More shots rang out toward her and there was no time to think it over. She moved against the wall and took 2 steps forward and used that momentum to push off the edge of the balcony.

She landed hard but ended up rolling and moved quickly to start running. The shots never let up. Apparently they weren't expecting her do that...

***
45 minutes later, Nicole felt that she had lost them. She blended in with the crowd as the races were over and people were rushing around, filling the streets of Monaco. It was both a good cover and also meant she had to stay vigilant of everyone. She did a couple of weaving through streets, staying low and always moving before heading toward the rendezvous point. Hopefully Trevor made it out also...

 

[BeachBum25]

The end of the race was both a gift and a curse. It provided more people in the streets which made it easier for Trevor to keep himself hidden from Blair's men, but it also made it more difficult to see any threats coming with so many people out and about. The big advantage was that all of Blair's men were dressed in dark suits.

Keeping his back to the wall of a small shop, Trevor was vigilant in his looking for Nicole. His eyes moved throughout the crowd making sure that he was aware of any threats while also on the lookout for his partner. This was so new to him... partner. He wasn't sure that he liked it, because it added another level to completing his mission.

When he saw a group of men in dark suits moving down the street, Trevor crouched down a little to remain concealed from them while still being able to watch them. They did not seem to be concerned with looking for him or for Nicole. Then, Trevor understood why.... Blair. This was his security detail and he was walking in the center of them as they moved through the crowd.

He started to follow them, then stopped. No, he was working with a partner now, and he had to wait and see if Nicole showed up at the rendezvous point. Trevor was conflicted, but he remained loyal to Nicole. He would wait to see if she showed up

Several minutes later, he thought he saw Nicole. He definitely saw two men in suits walking behind her. Trevor moved away from the wall, and fell in behind the two suits. With the suppresser attached to his weapon, he moved closer to them. They were oblivious to his presence; focused totally on Nicole. The crowd of people created a dilemma. Taking out the first guy would not be a problem. The issue would be that when the first guy went down, it would bring the focus of a lot of people in that direction; making it difficult to take out number 2 without being seen.

Making a quick decision, Trevor held the weapon close to his body and fired multiple shots into the back of each man in rapid succession. Each man took at least one bullet through the heart. Trevor was able to swiftly put the gun back into his waistband and out of sight while dropping back away from the men. As they fell, the focus of the crowd was on the men sprawled on the ground, and Trevor was able to quietly move away.

All of the commotion allowed Trevor to move toward the rendezvous point; hopefully to meet up with Nicole and continue the hunt for Blair. He was close, and Trevor was anxious to see it end.

 

[zydrate]

She needed to wait for Trevor... she was close to Blair but needed to wait for her partner. As much as she calculated in her head about taking out Blair, she knew she couldn't do it herself. He was surrounded by minions and that one lucky shot from one of those idiots could kill her or Trevor instantly... all on sheer luck.

Noting the direction Blair was headed in, Nicole back tracked so she could see if Trevor was still at their rendezvous point. Even in the crowd, she moved carefully, keeping her head low and moving with purpose. To her relief, she saw him... he waited for her. That was flattering.. was that the right word? She was glad he was there. As she approached him, she gave him a once over, just to make sure he wasn't injured. As for herself, Nicole wasn't injured. She had cleaned up as best she could while trailing Blair.

They were close, she could sense it. They had to get Blair tonight. This wasn't a sustainable life to be on the run. Especially from someone they could both easily take out.

"Are you OK?" she asked quiet, hugging him as if they were two friends meeting up. He nodded and asked the same about her, "Yeah, just peachy... I'm tired of this ass. If I can take a wild guess, I'm thinking he's heading to the Casino de Monte-Carlo. I don't think he would be a man to live below his means even if it meant a survival of the fittest. Besides, the casino is the only place close by that you can land a helicopter. What do you think?"

 

[BeachBum25]

Police and military personnel were rushing toward the location where the two men lie dead in the street. The throng of people made it difficult for the authorities to get to the location, which was perfect, because more resources would have to be expended to secure the location and keep onlookers back.

When he saw Nicole approaching, he immediately checked her six to make sure there was nobody following her. He had to admit, he was a little surprised by the hug that she gave him, but he did not mind it at all, and even reciprocated; placing his arm around her waist and his hand on the small of her back. He did not mention the two men he had eliminated who had been following her, because he did not want her to think he was criticizing her. He wanted everything focused forward. Blair was the only thing that was going to be on their minds.

"You look good considering what we just went through Nicole. I was worried that you would not be able to get out, however, I should never have doubted for a second you would survive that ambush."

He was fed up with being on the run. He wanted peace and quiet and he wanted it soon... real soon. Also, the longer he had to deal with Blair's nonsense, the more he wanted Blair to suffer. He would insist that Nicole make him suffer more than anyone she had ever tortured.

"I think you are right. He was heading in that direction. His security detail is weak. They were only focusing on a direct threat and not looking to see where a threat could possibly come from. I think we get him there. I think we get him in his suite there... I know he wouldn't settle for anything less than a suite. I think we leave him there for housekeeping to find him and any of his men that we encounter there, but we time it right. They find them after we are out of here and on our way to whatever the future holds for each of us."

Trevor could feel the anticipation of getting Blair getting him more excited. It was the first time in his career that he was excited about completing a mission. All of the others had just been a job. THIS was personal.

"He is going to lay low for a little bit, because he has to figure out what to do next. His big plan backfired and he didn't get us, and there is no way that he had a backup plan. I know Blair, and he never had a contingency. He is too cocky. He believes that his Plan A is all he will ever need. Well, now he needs one and he doesn't have one, and he doesn't have the ability to surprise us. However, we are going to pay him a surprise visit."

 

[zydrate]

So, another game of waiting. That was fine for Nicole. She could wait. And she knew that Trevor could wait also. Although the casino was crowded, they were still able to find a place at a bar that was near the elevator entrance in order to keep an eye out for Blair or one of his cronies.

The bartender asked if the wanted a drink, both declined and got water instead. They sat at the corner of the bar where Nicole could keep an eye on Trevor's back and he on hers. They didn't even have to plan and were already working well in a team fashion set up. Both didn't say anything to each other and just kept a watch out. Probably in a different time, she would have taken the time to flirt with Trevor...

But this wasn't the time, their lives were on the line. And far as Nicole was concerned, she didn't want to be taken out by someone like Blair. In all honesty, this was all pretty easy because she and Trevor were the hunters and had been successful so far. She started to believe that Blair wasn't as smart as he thought he was. So yes, in essence, Trevor was right. He did know him best after all.

Behind her, Nicole could hear a man talking about her to his friend. They were making a bet that he could get Nicole away from her 'date' and she knew Trevor could hear it too. Nicole rolled her eyes as she took a sip of her water. She knew the men didn't know she knew what they were talking about... as they had said she was probably just another 'dumb American' here to score.

The one who had thought he was smooth, moved himself between Nicole and Trevor, his back to Trevor as he looked Nicole up and down, nodding at her, "You American?"

With a sigh, Nicole just looked at him, "And if I am?" she said, her sights set out for any of Blair's men or even Blair himself.

The man tried more to sweet talk to Nicole but she wasn't having it. She nodded to Trevor that they should leave and just as she stood up, the man grabbed her arm to stop her... big mistake...

 

[BeachBum25]

Trevor heard the two men talking but he did not take his focus away from the task at hand. He was hoping that neither of the two men would do anything stupid that would require Nicole or him to take any action.

Well, what he hoped for didn't happen. When the man stepped between Nicole and him, Trevor didn't react. He knew that Nicole could take care of herself. He did, however, divert his attention momentarily to the guy's friend who was sitting there smirking as he thought his friend was "stealing" Nicole from him. When the man grabbed Nicole's arm, Trevor didn't react. He knew that Nicole would take care of herself. Trevor focused on his friend.

When the other man stood up, Trevor stepped around his friend and Nicole and moved toward him. "Your friend is about to find himself in a very bad position. Unless you want to join him there, I would recommend that you pay your tab and leave the bar quickly. Also, if I were you, I would get ready to help your friend up off the floor, because that is where he is about to end up."

The man laughed at Trevor. "You Americans are all alike. You think you are so tough." Just then there was a thud as smooth guy landed face first on the floor and ended up with Nicole's foot on the back of his neck. Trevor just smiled. "Unless you want me to bring her over here to do the same to you, I would suggest you take my previous advice, pay for your drinks, leave the bartender a really big tip, scoop Mr. Smooth up off the floor and find another place to play your silly games."

The man hesitated, but only for a second. He paid the check and moved to help his buddy off the floor. Nicole finally moved her foot off his neck and let smooth guy up. Trevor watched as they both left with their tails between their legs.

"We are going to have to change our surveillance location. Those two assholes messed this one up. I think we should take our waters to the lobby. I saw two seats at a small table there. It will allow us to cover each other and see anyone approaching from all angles."

As they started to leave the bar, Trevor looked toward the resort entrance and noticed two men in suits opening the door. He took Nicole by the elbow and led her back toward the bank of elevators. "Don't look, but Blair is coming in the front."

Trevor moved toward an alcove near the elevators and they waited. Blair moved to the elevator as his security detail trailed him making sure nobody approached him from behind. This was perfect. Once the elevator doors opened, Trevor and Nicole moved toward Blair. As Nicole pushed Blair onto the elevator, Trevor pointed his gun at the security detail. "Make a move and Blair will die right in front of your faces."

Stepping onto the elevator, Trevor looked at Blair. "Put your key in for the penthouse, so we can go have a little chat."

 

[zydrate]

In the elevator, Nicole had her weapon pressed into Blair's back where a shot would surely kill him should he try anything stupid. But she had a feeling he wasn't as stupid as he appeared. She also knew they didn't have a lot of time as his security had been alerted and they would probably do what they could to get their boss out.

As the car was getting to the top floors, Nicole nudged Blair with her gun to make him aware she still had control. From her peripheral vision, she saw Trevor turn toward the doors, his weapon raised and Nicole wrapped her arm around the man's neck and pressed her own weapon to his head, ready to use him as a shield should they need to. Hopefully his cronies would know better than to shoot as they would be taking out their boss.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Sure enough, there were 4 men waiting with their own weapons drawn. Before they could even fire one shot, Trevor was able to take out 3 and Nicole took out the other one. Blair tried to take that opportunity to grab at Nicole's weapon but she quickly grabbed him by his balding head and slam it against the entry way as they walked further in the penthouse.

As Trevor did a sweep of the place, Nicole pushed Blair down on a very nice chair, her weapon never leaving his head.

Once the all clear was given, Nicole stepped back, as she knew Trevor would have a few words for Blair... she would be responsible for getting any information he would probably conveniently forget..

 

[BeachBum25]

The final room that Trevor cleared was the bedroom that Blair was using. He stopped and grabbed a few of the silk ties that Blair had with his suits. Then, he returned to the living room of the site where Nicole had her gun pressed to Blair's head as he sat in a chair.

Trevor said nothing as he moved toward Nicole and Blair. As calm as he had remained throughout the series of missions to get to this point, Trevor was now feeling his anger bubble to the top. Betrayal was one of the worst sins you could commit in his mind, and Blair had committed it at the highest level when he had betrayed Trevor.

Moving behind the chair, but saying nothing, Trevor wrapped one of the ties around Blair's neck and pulled it tight. Trevor remained quiet as Blair brought his hand to his throat to try to loosen the tie.. to no avail. Trevor tried to remain calm and objective; remembering what the goal of this part of their mission was... find out who was responsible for all of this.

Taking a deep breath to relax, Trevor loosened the tie around Blair's neck. He whispered to Blair, "and you thought that my training was lacking." Then, he tightened the tie around Blair's neck and used it to stand him up out of the chair. Using the tie as a kind of leash, he led Blair to one of the arm chairs that was around the small dining table. Once Blair was seated in the chair, Trevor used ties to secure each of his wrists to the arms of the chair and each of his ankles to the legs of the chairs. The lest tie was wrapped around Blair's neck and then tied to the back of the chair; making it impossible for him to move without choking himself.

He moved around in front of Blair and looked down into his eyes. "Maybe my training was lacking, but the time I have spent with Skylark has refined my abilities to carry out a mission. You see, you forced us together, and, despite the fact that it took us quite a while to trust each other, we have become an incredible team. I have learned a lot from Skylark just from being around her, and I hope, for your sake, that you answer every question honestly and completely... not leaving out even the smallest of details."

Cupping Blair's chin, Trevor shook his head. "Just think, on quite a few missions my life was in your hands, and now you are responsible for trying to eliminate me.. and Skylark. You betrayed me, and that I can never... ever.... forgive." Trevor punched Blair in his left eye and it immediately began to swell.

"Question number one...... whose idea was all of this?" Blair didn't answer. Trevor looked at Nicole. "I think maybe I damaged his hearing when I hit him. Maybe I should try to fix that." Without warning, Trevor punched Blair in the right eye. "So, just to be clear, question one was who is behind all of this?" At that point Blair took the responsibility.

Trevor went through a series of questions with Blair. Blair went with a story that said that he believed that the way that missions were conducted was no longer effective. To prove that, he ordered the Crazy Horse to show that the operatives couldn't survive. He needed to show his superiors that the old way didn't work and they needed to evolve into something new.... something that he would put in place.

"So, you killed almost all of the operatives that our country was using in order to put your own system in place. Your system of using a bunch of poorly trained guys in dark suits marching around following your orders. You used a Crazy Horse to get everyone together and then it was like shooting fish in a barrel. How does that show anything?"

Blair didn't respond. "So, all you did was tell your superiors that the operatives were eliminated. You didn't share with them the way that you did it. That is pretty shitty Blair."

Trevor continued to ask questions of Blair, but Blair insisted that the buck stopped with him. Despite being hit multiple times in the face, chest and stomach, Blair took all of the responsibility for everything and insisted that none of the higher ups were involved in anything that had happened.

Looking over at Nicole, Trevor just shook his head. Then he looked to Blair, whose eyes were almost swollen completely shut by now. "Well, I don't believe that you are behind all of this and that you came up with it without anyone above you having input. Since you insist on sticking to that story, I think I am going to have to turn the questioning over to Skylark. She is much better at getting to the truth than I am. She likes to work in close quarters and she does it so well."

 

[zydrate]

Nicole watched everything Trevor did while she kept her weapon trained on Blair. In her head, she was mentally going over what needed to be done. She did her best to gauge Blair and his responses to what Trevor was asking and of course, recognizing how he was answering and the measure of his voice. He seemed to strain when telling the truth and even though his eyes were nearly swollen shut, he would avert his eyes when lying.

Typical.

Lowering her gun slowly, Nicole handed it to Trevor, grip first. She wasn't stupid enough to leave it on the table for Blair to get to should he get loose. Yes, there was always that chance. Not that he would have the time as he would be dead before thinking of reaching for anything.

Nicole then looked around the room and saw the beams in the ceiling. She didn't say anything to Trevor as she disappeared in the bedroom and stripped the bed of its sheets. She then tore them in 3 thick strips... doing all this in Blair's view.

After grabbing a chair and breaking it on the edge of a table, she grabbed a leg and walked to Blair... she gently moved Trevor back a few steps as she undid the tie from Blair's neck and tied it to the chair leg. Nicole then looked at Trevor, "Take those 2 sheet strips and drape over the beams," she told him quietly as she unsheathed her best blade, an M48 OTF blade, something she used for special occasions. She deployed the blade in Blair's line of sight and then moved the blade slowly to cut off one tie from his left arm while holding it and then, as she tried to move his newly freed arm, he resisted as she just looked at him, "Trust me, it'll go a lot faster if you cooperate."

He still didn't relax and Nicole just sighed as she was still holding his wrist and in one swipe, her blade found it's way across the back of his hand, cutting all 4 flexor tendons, causing Blair to cry out in pain... but also made him relax his arm so that Nicole could also bind it behind under the leg of the chair.

"I swear, that's all I know!" Blair said between waves of pain. Nicole nodded as she reached for his other arm and moved it, this time Blair didn't fight it, "Sometimes, the mind knows more than the mouth." Nicole told him as she dragged him to stand up and push him toward the strips of fabric hanging over the beam.

"There are somethings taught to me during my time as an agent but also, it pushed my eagerness to learn even more about ways to extract information from a subject and trust me, not all rely on pain and suffering. Yes, a lot is talk but--" she tied one strip to the leg and his wrist so it was truly secured as well as it pulled his head back so he could see everything. She did the same to the other hand, "a lot is just listening..." she moved back and tied the 2 other loose ends together and then pulled with a hard yank, causing Blair to grunt in pain... he was going his best to try to hold it in.

The weight of Blair's body and the way he was tied up and hung would cause his shoulders to slowly and painfully dislocate... she gave Trevor the ends and had him hold it so Nicole could continue her talk with Blair.

 

[BeachBum25]

"It would have been so much easier on you if you had just told me everything. I could have saved you so much pain. Now, no matter what you say, Skylark is going to continue what she does best until I am convinced you have told us everything. You see, I have been looking forward to this for quite a while. We have had to endure a lot to get here. Never before have I taken any mission personal, however, this one is Blair...... this one is very , very personal."

Watching Nicole go to work, Trevor once again realized he was glad he was on her side. He had no idea what would make her come up with the contraption she was going to torture Blair with, but Trevor was pretty sure that Blair was not going to like it.

When Blair screamed, "I swear, that's all I know!" Trevor looked at him and shook his head. "There is no way that you did all of this without anyone above you knowing what was going on. NO FUCKING WAY. The government doesn't work like that. You answer... answered... to somebody. Who was it?"

Nicole went to work on Blair before he could provide an answer... not that he was going to provide an answer. Trevor knew that he would, though. It was just a matter of time. Blair might put up a good front, but there was no way that he would remain silent through the pain. He wasn't the kind of person that would be willing to take the information to the grave with him.

Trevor watched as Nicole started to move Blair into position. He took the ends of the strips of sheet from Nicole and backed out of the way a little, which put more stress on Blair's shoulders. He looked at the blood dripping from Blair's hand, and he knew that was the least of Blair's worries. There would be more blood, and there would be a lot more pain.

Feeling the urge to inflict a little pain on Blair himself, Trevor jerked on the ends of the sheets, which led to Blair letting out an incredible shriek. "I recommend that you answer the lady's questions. If you don't or if either of us think you are lying even a little bit, the pain you experience is going to be like nothing you could ever imagine."

 

[zydrate]

It only took 10 minutes to get the first answer out of Blair. The question being how many others were working for him. Now, the trick was to keep him talking.

Earlier, Nicole had opened her special kit she kept in her to-go bag. On the outside, it looked like a pencil case but when she unzipped it, it revealed 14 metal pokers with sharp tips... like a broken off tip of an ice pick... in quick fashion, Nicole had placed 5 needles in 5 locations on Blair's body, 4 of those were in major arteries.

She held up the lighter she had used earlier to heat up the tip of the needle and kept it in Blair's line of sight, so he could see the tip getting red. She rarely used a lighter but his skin was a bit tough.

"Next question. Who do you work for?"

The man hanging in front of her was losing more and more of his fight, his breathing labored as he started to shake his head but then stopped when he noticed the poker coming closer to his face and held it there for a moment before moving it his swollen right eye. The question wasn't asked again as Nicole used her free hand to pry Blair's eye open and they had made eye contact for a brief moment before she brought the smoldering tip closer and closer an---

"Maxwell Kramer." Blair shouted and then whimpered, trying to pull his head away. Nicole cast a quick glance at Trevor, their eyes locking for a moment before Nicole but the poker down and backed away from Blair. She was processing what he said and also everything that had happened so far.

Maxwell Kramer was Nicole's handler. But he was dead. She had seen his place destroyed. She had seen his body... his rotting body.

As if reading her mind, Blair tried to laugh but only choked and coughed. It took a few more moments for him to speak, his voice gravelly, "His twin brother Lawrence.. that's who you saw dead in Max's home. Yes.. he had his own brother killed.

Normally Nicole wasn't one to be shocked but right now, she was. Hell, she was in pure disbelief. Max had trained her from day one. Took her in... taught her everything. He was her connection to the real world and now, to find out he orchestrated this. It made sense now. It made sense that the reason she and Trevor were still alive. Their handlers knew about them and knew they would work together when the odds were stacked against them...

She didn't hear the first shot as it rang out, piercing Blair in the side of his head, entering his temple but never exiting. It was almost as if his head exploded yet, Nicole didn't notice.

More shots rang out...

 

[BeachBum25]

Trevor heard movement behind him, right before he heard the shot. He didn't see Blair's head explode; he was busy tackling Nicole and covering her as bullets whizzed all around them. This was a situation they did not want to be in. They were on the top floor... the worst possible place, and they had not taken the time to do any recon about exit strategies. They had been so focused on Blair; believing he was the end game... or at least close to it. They never had a clue about the additional level of bullshit they were going to have to push through.

"Move to the right and stay low. We have to stay together if we are going to get out of here. We are up too high to hope for two separate exits. We are going to have to work together." As Nicole started to move, Trevor fired several shots in the direction of the hostile fire to give her some cover. Once she had moved, he followed her as they took cover in one of the suite's bedrooms.

"Okay, I got lazy coming in here and didn't check out any alternate escape routes. Being up this high is going to be a challenge. I think we can do it, but it is going to be difficult. I think we need to draw them in here first. We can't just sit here and try to wait them out, because they will probably have more men coming."

Trevor turned and fired several shots through the large windows that looked out over the city. He was trying to give the impression that they were trying to make their escape by going out the window. It worked. Several men came rushing through the door, and were quickly cut down. Nicole and Trevor were able to get control of several AR-15s from those who were taken out.

"Now, we are going to have to try to make our way past whatever is left out there. I didn't get a good look at how many. Here is what we can do. I will toss a flash-bang into the room and then spray the room with gunfire. You make your way toward the door at whatever pace you think is appropriate, and then I will follow you."

 

[zydrate]

It had been a long while since Nicole held and AR15 but she quickly took control of the weapon and pressed herself against the wall as she listened to Trevor. In the chaos, she saw him toss the flash bang and she turned away and could feel the thud of the explosion through the wall she was pushed up against. It was now or never.

She had gone first, not bothering to look back as she knew Trevor would be making his way out just as she would. Firing a few blind shots to her left, she heard men yelling and one had screamed as she had hit one.

Just as she got the exit, she felt someone grab her and yank her back by her hair but was quickly free as he had let go, figuring that Trevor took care of the guy with a shot, she wasn't sure. They made it to the main area of the penthouse and Nicole lead them, taking out shooters one by one.

Once inside the elevator and pushing for the 2nd floor, Nicole slung the gun over her shoulder and looked at Trevor, "Are you hit?"

He had asked her the same thing and she shook her head, "I don't think so." She didn't feel like she was. This was no time to check as the 2nd floor was just something that popped into her head as it would be stupid to go directly to the ground floor where more men as well as hotel security and Monaco authorities could be waiting.

Once the elevator stopped, she and Trevor brought their weapons up, ready for anything beyond the door...

There was nothing. It was quiet... there was nothing or no one which was a good thing but still, they had to tread carefully...

 

[BeachBum25]

Trevor saw someone grab Nicole by the hair and yank her back. The man obviously did not see Trevor trailing Nicole. He also did not see the bullet that Trevor fired at him that entered the left side of his skull. They kept moving without saying anything; making their way to the elevator.

Simultaneously, they asked each other if they were hit. Trevor reached to the right side of his head where he felt some burning. "I think I was grazed, but nothing serious. I'll be fine." They prepared for the opening of the elevator doors. When the doors opened, and the coast was clear, they exited the elevator. As they got off, Trevor pushed the button for the ground floor; hoping it would distract anybody who might be looking for them in the lobby.

Pointing to the exit sign at the far end of the hall, Trevor told Nicole they should move in that direction. He let Nicole take the lead and he walked backward; watching their six. He had no idea how many were after them and he didn't know where they were hiding. He was taking no chances.

When they reached the end of the hallway, there was a large window that looked out over the side parking lot. Trevor looked out the window for any danger while Nicole checked the stairwell. Seeing no threats in the parking lot, Trevor looked to Nicole. As she came back out of the stairwell, she told Trevor she heard voices down below and she could hear people coming down from above.

Trevor kicked in the door of the closest room; scaring the hell out of the young couple that was laying in the bed. "Sorry, but I need your sheet." Trevor took the sheet from the king bed and moved back out of the room; closing the door behind him. Tying one end around his waist, Trevor then fired two short bursts through the window.

"This won't reach all the way to the ground, but it will get you down to the top of the first floor where you can jump to the ground. After you are down, I will follow." Nicole started to say something, but Trevor cut her off. "Go NOW while we have time." Nicole climbed into the window and then worked her way down the sheet. When she neared the end, she jumped to the ground. Trevor looked out to make sure she landed safely. "Take cover. I will be right down."

As Trevor pulled the sheet back up, he heard a door open behind him. He turned quickly, pointing his weapon at the door. There stood a young woman in a robe, who froze immediately upon seeing Trevor pointing a gun at her. Then, Trevor heard the elevator ding as it arrived back on the second floor. Moving to the room where the woman had opened the door, Trevor backed her into the room and pulled the sheet in behind him; closing the door before he was spotted.

"I am not going to hurt you as long as you do as I say. Sit on the bed and don't make a sound. There are some very bad people looking for me, and if they find me, they will kill both of us. So just sit there and try to relax." Trevor moved back to the door and listened as several men were talking. They were speaking French, which was one of quite a few languages Trevor was fluent in. They were saying that Skylark and Lone Wolf got out through the window and they started yelling to others to check the surrounding area.

One of the men asked the others if they should check the rooms to see if the broken window was just a diversion. "Let's wait to see what MK wants to do."

 

[zydrate]

Nicole had to admit she and Trevor moved like a well oiled machine. It was nearly obvious, to the trained eye, that they had the same training and knew how to take care of themselves. It wasn't gloating, just good teamwork.

When he told her that she needed to exit out the window, Nicole had a right to protest, right? Well, she would have some words for him later... maybe even a punch or two...

She was safely on the ground and looked up momentarily only to see Trevor and the sheet disappear... goddmanit...

There was no time to think about it, she did as he said, she took cover. Even in the parking lot, there was still a lot movement and she didn't have time to guess who was just a civilian and who was after her and Trevor. She hid between two cars and knelt there as she caught her bearings. She had tossed her weapon under a car only because she out of ammo and also, it would look weird if anyone saw her and she was holding a weapon.

Where was Trevor?

Yelling in the distance and then distinct voices yelling in German. Perfect.

OK, so there were French and German mercenaries after them. It didn't matter the nationality of those after them, they were the bad guys who chose to work for Kramer.

Goddamn Kramer.

How could she have missed this? Why didn't she check the body when she discovered it? Was Kramer trying to prove himself to someone? Or was he really just doing this for fun? Perhaps the head of the Nine Horsemen? This was all happening to prove a point... that point being that the government project was over with. Instead of doing the hunting, she and Trevor were now the hunted.

At least Trevor and Nicole were good at it. The government relied on them working alone and getting the job down. Now, with the hired help after them, it obviously took an entire squad to come after the two of them. There should be a little pride felt there... right?

No time for that. Nicole took a breath and peeked up over the hood the small car she was hiding between. There was still yelling but in the far distance, there were sirens...great, the local P.D. had been alerted.

Taking a chance, Nicole moved to the end of the cars and with a quick move, she ran between the next 2 parked cars.

A sound close by... what was that?

Before she could react, Nicole felt someone huge jump onto her and tackle her to the ground... fuck! They must have gotten on top of the cars in order to get her.

The wind was knocked from her lungs but she quickly gained her sense as instinct took over and she pushed the person off of her before jumping up and facing her opponent. Just in time too as she had time to duck his punch and she used that momentum from his move and was able to push him down, causing him to fall hard.

He got up slowly and just as he was about to yell something, she gave him a roundhouse kick to his jaw, shutting him and knocking him to the ground.

Hurrying over to him, not to see if he was alright, but to get any weapons he happened to have... it was her luckily day as she grabbed the Glock secured to his waist--why didn't he just use that?

Oh, probably because the call was to take them alive...or maybe he was just stupid. The man on the ground started to get up to which Nicole gave him a good kick to the side of his head, causing him to fall back down. She left him as the sound of shouting came closer.. Nicole ran like hell back through the parking lot to find a small hiding spot in an archway which was hidden by some tall bushes...

Where the hell was Trevor?

 

[BeachBum25]

Trevor listened through the door. His best guestimate was that there were three of them outside the room. He thought for a moment. Walking over to the woman. "Here is what I need you to do. Go to the door and open it a little. Ask them if they could please keep the noise down. I will be right behind you to protect you. If they try to come into the room let them. If they tell you to shut up or anything like that, just close the door and let me know how many you see."

The woman seemed afraid, but it appeared that she trusted Trevor and she went to the door and did as he asked. The response of the men outside was to call her names and tell her to go back into her room and shut the fuck up. The woman did as Trevor had instructed her. She closed the door and moved back to ward the bed; holding up 3 fingers.

Walking over to the woman, Trevor told her to go into the bathroom and close and lock the door. "Do not come out until you hear perfect silence for at least five minutes. "You will be fine. I promise."

Moving back to the door, Trevor waited until the woman was in the bathroom. He opened the door slowly and stuck the barrel of the ArmaLite through the crack and opened fire. Three short bursts was all it took to eliminate the three Frenchmen. He exited the room and closed the door behind him. After taking the weapons from the three men, he lifted them up and tossed their bodies out the window into the car park; knowing it would create at least a momentary distraction.

Sprinting to the other end of the hall, Trevor went into the stairwell. Hearing nothing, he slowly made his way down the steps and exited into the lobby. Moving carefully, he saw no threats and he made his way to the main entrance; knowing that most of the enemy would be on the second floor or in the car park.

His next mission was to find Nicole. He concealed his weapons the best he could, however the AR-15 was difficult to hide. Staying close to the building, he moved slowly; checking for his partner. Yes, in his mind they were partners. How long they remained that wasn't certain, but he was sure they would stay that way until they got out of this mess.

As he moved between the building and some tall bushes, Trevor came to an archway. "Skylark," he whispered. When she turned to him, he motioned for her to join him. Once she was at his side, he pointed to a local police car that was sitting near the front with nobody in it. "They left it running. We can get there and get out of here quickly. It will also give us some information based on what is shared over the radio. At least, until they realize the vehicle is missing and start looking for it.... and us."

Once in the police vehicle, they pulled away from the hotel without making a scene. Once out onto the main road, Trevor looked to Nicole. "Are you okay?"

 

[zydrate]

Was she OK?

Was she?

Nicole shook her head, "I'm fine... a little beat up." She had a asphalt burn on her left cheek from when she was tackled, as well as a scraped knee and torn pants. Yeah, she was just peachy. It could have been worse. "I'll live."

She looked over at him, "What about you? Aside from the bullet graze?" She looked him over and saw he wasn't injured, at least as far as she could see in the dimly lit car.

They drove for a bit as Nicole figured out the computer to navigate where they were exactly. "Let's head to Menton and from there, we can get another car or maybe hide for a bit. I need to think." It was true, she needed to get her bearings.

Nicole then fiddled with the police radio and they both listened to the few random calls before a call for a lookout for 2 killers. And they gave the description of male and female couple in their late 40s... With that Nicole glanced at Trevor as their descriptions given was wrong. It had to be information given by someone like Kramer...just so he and his worker bees could get to them first... Local authorities were never meant to be involved.

The only thing given correctly was that they had stolen a police car.

They need to ditch this car soon. Being close to the ocean had its advantages as Nicole spoke up, "Next bunch of trees, let's hope the car and find someplace to hold out?"

 

[BeachBum25]

Trevor looked at Nicole and chuckled. No the whole situation was not funny, but.... "Oh, so we are a couple now, huh? and we are old, too. Well, this mission certainly has aged me"

All along they had been focused on Blair. After all, that was the information that they had. Never did they think that Nicole's handler was involved. Trevor was wondering how Kramer was able to hide his involvement. How did he let Blair, who had moved to a high position in the organization, get out in front and Kramer was able to hide his role in all of it?

Knowing that they had to abandon the police vehicle, Trevor did as Nicole said and pulled the car into a bunch of trees. He pulled off the road far enough that the it would not be seen easily, which would give them some time to find a place to hide out and get their bearings.

After wiping the car down to eliminate fingerprints, yes, Kramer knew who they were but the police did not and they didn't want any more people tracking them, Nicole and Trevor looked for a place to hide. Walking up to a small hotel, Trevor told Nicole to wait out behind the hotel. Going inside, Trevor was glad to find that they had a room available and it was on the second floor. It would be perfect. After using the credit card from one of his many aliases, most of which the organization had no knowledge of, Trevor paid for the room for three nights. He doubted they would be there three nights, but... just in case.

Once he was finished at the front desk, Trevor looked around the small lobby, noticed where everything was and then moved toward the elevator. After getting to the second floor on the elevator, Trevor found the stairway at the back of the building. Moving down the stairs, he opened the door to the outside and let Nicole in.

After getting to the room, Trevor went into the bathroom and looked at the graze wound on his head. It was nothing to worry about. He used a washcloth to clean it and went back in to Nicole.

"Why don't you get a shower and relax. I am going to go find us some food so that we can take a breath and figure out what we are doing next." He moved toward the door and turned back and looked at Nicole again.. chuckling. "Nah, you don't look anywhere near your 40s, but I think we would make a good looking couple." He smiled at her and left the room in search of food.

 

[zydrate]

Despite the situation, Nicole laughed with Trevor about their description. She should have been insulted that someone thought them to be in their 40s.

They didn't have to walk too far as they approached the small inn. Nicole had a small headache as she waited outside for Trevor to get them a room. She would have been OK to sleep outside but was thankful that they did find someplace to stay and collect their thoughts.

"...but I think we would make a good looking couple..."

She threw a pillow at the door as he left, trying to give him a mean glare as he left.

There was only one bed again... a mistake on both their parts as they were used to solidarity. That's what made them good at their job. Brushing off that they only one bed, Nicole went to the bathroom and washed her face, letting out a few choice words when she had to wipe the scrape on her cheek. She tied her hair back just to get it out of her face for now. She had wanted to shower but would do that later. Right now, she just wanted to think.

Putting her gun on the small bedside table, she went to her go-to bag and got out a small med kit along with 2 generic pain pills and some bacitracin. She swallowed the pills before apply a small amount of the ointment to her face. She hoped she ran into that guy once more so she could teach him a lesson.

Taking off her jacket, she tossed it on the chair by the door and sat on the edge of the bed, turning on the TV. She wanted to make sure she and Trevor weren't caught or mentioned in any news reels.

But Nicole didn't pay too much attention as she sat there and thought about what had happened and who was involved. It explained so much as to why her and Trevor's moves were so heavily covered. They knew. Blair knew. Kramer knew.

What she figured they didn't know was that she and Trevor worked together so well. Which was why they had gotten this far. If she knew Kramer, he would go into hiding in order to regroup. Things should be quiet for a bit... for how long? She wasn't sure but he didn't have the lead of Blair anymore so he would have to rely on someone else to help him because there was no way he could do all this by himself.

 

[BeachBum25]

There wasn't much in the way of food choices as Trevor walked out of the little hotel. He looked around, but did not want to stray far in his search. Turning around, he went back into the hotel to the little coffee shop they had and bought several bottles of water and some pastries that they had.

Returning to the room, he sat the pastries and water on the table. "It isn't much, but there was nothing else close by, so, I settled for what they had in the coffee shop. I didn't get coffee, because I don't think either of us need caffein right now, because it would hinder our sleep. We both need to get some sleep; even if it is only a couple of hours.

They each ate a little before taking shifts sleeping. During his shift keeping watch, Trevor made sure to hydrate. Being on the run the way they have been meant that too often they were neglecting their own needs. While they had some time, they needed to try to help their bodies catch up. Of course, the pastries were not exactly the kind of nourishment they needed, but, they would have to do for now.

Once they had both napped, they sat down to figure out what was next for them. They had thought that eliminating Blair would set them free, however, Kramer being involved added another layer. Trevor knew nothing about Kramer, so, he was going to rely on Nicole for information on him and how she believed they should go about eliminating him.

Sitting across the table from Nicole, Trevor looked at her and shook his head. "I thought this shit was going to die with Blair. Now we have one more. You know Kramer. Was he just along for the ride, or do you think he had a hand in planning all of this? I am going to follow your lead on how we should go about getting rid of him."

 

[zydrate]

Nicole had no choice but to eat the 'food' Trevor was able to find... Afterward, she insisted that Trevor take the first shift of sleeping and getting rest. As he slept, Nicole thought about what had all that transpired up to this point. She was focused on the TV, which was on with no sound as she remembered the last time she had seen Kramer.

He had delivered her latest assignment in person, which wasn't unusual but it also wasn't common. He asked her back to the States and met her in NY at a Chinese food restaurant near Smithtown Bay. She didn't question her orders. She hardly ever did. Who was she to do such a thing? As Kramer reminded her many times, she was no one and would follow orders like a good soldier. So she did as she was told. She met him and was given an in-person debrief about her next mission.

And then he did something that he had never done before. He told her something personal about why he wanted to meet in NYC, it was because he was there to visit with his son, Jacob, who was currently going to college at Columbia University.

Nicole had looked at her orders when Kramer left her at the restaurant. It wasn't some big conspiracy, just another someone on the list that the government wanted information out of before she was to eliminate them.

That all took place 5 days before Crazy Horse was called. She had taken care of the target and was about to report back when she had gotten the text. And like she, and other agents had been trained to do, she went into hiding and never contacted Kramer. But, seeing as how there was no real reason she could figure as to why the call had been issued, she went to see Kramer because she didn't like not knowing anything. She had seen his body. Or what she thought was his body. Why the hell didn't she confirm it was him?!

Just as she was about to give it more thought, her watch alarm sounded as did Trevor's and they had switched positions to where Trevor would now be the one awake and she would get some sleep...

****
Waking with a start when she felt Trevor shake her awake, Nicole sat up in bed and slowed her breathing. She didn't dream, but she was able to sleep. With everything that was going on, her body was starting to feel the strain as she grimaced from the soreness of yesterday's events.

With her and Trevor now both awake, Nicole sat across from him at the little table in their room as she took her hair down from it's ponytail and rubbed a hand over her face. She wasn't tired, she was just flustered. How was she going to answer this without sound stupid. She didn't know much about Kramer also. Yes, he was her handler but that was it. It never occurred to her to dig into his past or present because he provided her with orders to which she followed.

Damn... was she that gullible for just carrying out orders and not questioning them?

Trevor asked how they were going to get rid of Kramer... Nicole shook her head, "I don't know much about him." She said and let the silence hang in the air for a few more seconds before continuing, "But you're not coming along Lonewolf." She looked up at Trevor, "This is where we part ways. I will deal with Kramer."

Was he going to fight it? They were partners after all...

 

[BeachBum25]

"NO."

Trevor looked into Nicole's eyes with a determined gaze. There was no way he was going to be okay with what she wanted.

"We are not parting ways. We had a deal with how we would take care of Blair. We will make a deal on how we take care of Kramer.... together. We are partners in this. Kramer is as much responsible for what we have had to put up with as anyone. You are not going to do this on your own."

He walked over and grabbed one of the pastries and took a bite out of it. "Yum... breakfast of champions." He laughed a little as he tried to take the edge off of the situation. There was no way he was stepping out now. He would fight her tooth and nail over that.

"Together we will figure out how to get Kramer. Together we will kill Kramer. Once we are finished with that, if you want to go your separate way... fine, but not until then."

He sat down in a chair and waited for the volley to come back in his direction. Even if she agreed with him and was willing to stay together as a team, he had learned enough about Nicole to know she would put up a fight just so she could say that it wasn't her idea.