Marked for Failure (closed)

[zydrate]

The things she had lost... all because of her 'job'. The assignment she should have never accepted. It had taken 2 years of her life away...

But it had to be done. Once she was in, there was no going back.

How naive was she for agreeing to this? No, she wasn't naive, she was determined to bring Anthony Ricci and his gang down. It was a near black cover situation... oh, who was she kidding, it was a deep black cover situation.

And what did it get her? After her testimony, it got her shot at because the stupid FBI didn't do their job right when the shootout occurred. It was a complete shit-show, that was for sure. The lead FBI agent in charge of her protection was instantly killed and it had been her job to make sure she was safe before she was dragged into a waiting government issued SUV with other agents.

They had promised to protect her. How the hell was that even possible when they couldn't even protect herself and she had to do their job for them.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

She should have been on her honeymoon with her new husband but even that was something she could never get back again. Hell, she had practically left him at the alter... OK, so it was a day or so before they were to get married. She was sure he was pissed at her. Even she were to tell him what she was going to do, he would do what he could to make sure she was protected. But she never let him in on it... just left him

Maybe he heard rumors of what she was going to do? Maybe not...?

Now Rory McDaniels sit in some safehouse so many states away. She had been whisked away...again, to a new safehouse because they kept finding them. They said they would protect her.

It was a tense situation because everyone was on high alert. No one was talking. Hell, she didn't know these agents... go figure.

All they could do was wait... Ricci would send more people out for her. She had gotten close to him, becoming his confidant... someone he was starting to trust. Even with him behind bars, he had contacts all over.

With a sigh, Rory leaned back against the bed. She had been sitting on the floor only because this place had too many windows for her liking. She stayed out of sight. All she had to do was get through the night with the agents and things would be ok... right?

 

[BeachBum25]

She just stopped communicating with him. One morning, he woke up, texted Rory to say good morning like he did every morning, and nothing. Yet, it wasn't just any day. It was two days before their wedding. It was supposed to be the ultimate celebration.

Not only were they getting married, he, James Kelly, was leaving his military service after a distinguished career. He had served in the Army. He finished his career with several years as a sniper in the Rangers. Some of his missions were places he was not supposed to be. After leaving the military, he was joining a local Sheriff's Department. They were going to settle down, have a family. Well, that was the plan anyway.

After multiple unanswered texts throughout the day to Rory, he had called the local PD. They said there was nothing they could do. She was an adult and was probably just away somewhere, because she was having second thoughts. Really, Rory having second thoughts about their marriage. It was something that never entered his mind. As the day went on, James started to wonder if that was the case.. was Rory having second thoughts.

Now, weeks later, the wedding was called off; the reception turned into just a party for the people who had been invited. Of course, James didn't attend. They should have been on their honeymoon. Instead James was just a week away from joining a Sheriff's Department Academy class that he wasn't sure he wanted to do. He had started off just sitting around the house in the dark.

Then, he took his mind off things by doing PT. When in doubt, do what you are familiar with. Physical Training was what he had been accustomed to in the Army, so, he jumped into that with both feet. He actually wondered if there was a way he could re-enlist in the Army and go back to the Rangers.

In addition to keeping his body in perfect physical condition, he joined a local gun range and would go and shoot several times a week. No, he wasn't able to do the kind of shooting that he had perfected while in the military, but it kept his mind off Rory. He didn't want to think about her anymore. She had walked away. Dumped him. Cut off all contact with him.

James received calls from guys he had been in the military with. They were checking on him; making sure he was okay. He put up a good front. He told them he was still going to start the academy for the Sheriff's Department despite the fact he wasn't sure. He was contemplating moving away. Too many memories here. Then a call came from another guy who had left the Army about a year before. He had heard about what happened and wanted to know if James would meet him for a drink, because he had something he wanted to talk to James about.

 

[zydrate]

They were out there. Rory knew it. This was a game to them now. A couple of shots had been fired sporadically when ever someone tried to move and now they were in the dark as the sun had long ago since set.

She told the other agents to not turn on the lights. As night progressed, she would assess their situation since none of the other agent could do it... at least that's what she thought to herself. Maybe their were capable or maybe not.

They had a few more hours to wait. Backup was coming. That was the last communication that had come in. It was going to take some time to round up some people as there were few that could be trusted.

What a shit show.

She was safer on her own, that much she knew. She should have stuck to her original plan and not rely on the FBI. The regrets could weigh her down so she chose not to get think about it. The ifs and whys were there and they weren't doing her any good.

Hearing an agent half crouch, half walk to her position, he nudged her with the but of his rifle, "Hey... how are you holding up?"

She chuckled under her breath, "Oh, peachy... what's wrong?"

"There's movement coming from the North.. at least from what we could tell. They're getting closer and I--"

He didn't have time to finish as a crash was heard in the next room and an explosion sounded, lighting up the place for a fraction of a second. The bang sounded and the agent threw himself on top of Rory. She was taken back and quickly covered her ears as another crash was heard... little too close to her and she knew what was happening... before she could finish her thought, another loud bang as well a flash filled the room.

Her ears were ringing despite covering them and her head throbbed. She tried hard to get her bearings but it was too late. A pair of hands grabbed her from behind and pushed her to her knees before a bag was placed over her head and several gun shots sounded. Her hands were cuffed behind her back.

She knew the other agents were dead. Those were shots going off were for. She was positive.

Well... she was dead. She knew it. She knew the risks... the risks were high which is why she was told to cut off all contact with those she loved because they could end up hurt because of her job. It had hurt to leave James without telling him. How she wanted to tell him. Yeah, he would have done his best to talk her out of it... at least she thought so.

Thrown into a fireman's carry, she was hefted over a shoulder and then tossed into a truck... or car... a vehicle that was for sure.

This was it. At least she had done her part to get another bad guy off the street...

 

[BeachBum25]

Reluctantly, James met his former Army buddy for a drink. They met in a little dive bar, which was quite alright with James. Not too many people, and the people that were there stayed to themselves; minding their own business. James arrived early. He always did. He always wanted to get the lay of the land when he was entering an unfamiliar place. James walked in and took a seat at the far end of the bar and ordered 2 beers. The bartender looked at him funny. "My buddy will be here shortly."

Sure enough, Paul Lafferty walked in less than 60 seconds later. He moved down and took the seat next to James. After shaking hands and extending pleasantries, they clinked glasses without saying anything and each took a long drink.

After he sat his beer down, James looked at Lafferty. "This was your idea, so, what is on your mind." Lafferty shook his head. "You certainly haven't changed; direct and to the point. I always liked that about you.. you never try to bullshit, you just get right to it."

"So, now you are bullshitting and trying to soften me up for something. Why don't you tell me what it is that I am here for." Paul started off by telling James he was sorry to hear about what happened with his wedding. James shrugged his shoulders. "That is buried in my past now. I am moving forward."

Lafferty started talking about this corporate security company that he worked for and how they needed good men with James' kind of experience. "I am starting with the Sheriff's Department, but thanks for the offer, if that is what you are here for."

Paul wasn't about to give up so easily. He talked about the money that he had already made working for them. "James, I have already made over $200K and it is all off the books... no taxes."

"Listen buddy, it isn't all about money. If you are making that much money, and by the way you are a tax evader, but if you are making that much money then the job has a lot of risks. Yes, I know being in law enforcement has risks, but I am sure the risks you are taking are extremely high."

Lafferty told him that most of the contracts for the security company were for the government, which was why the money was tax free, and most of the jobs were really simple. Usually just securing dignitaries and even American government officials. "Hell, last week we spent a week covering the President because he doesn't trust the Secret Service."

James just looked at Lafferty but said nothing. "Just one last thing and I am done, we have a job for the government to try to find an asset that they have lost. The FBI fucked it up. Now they need us. We need a sharpshooter. It is one of the weaknesses of our team. I told them about you. based on my word, the job is yours if you want it. Not just this assignment, but full time."

They had a couple more beers in silence. Lafferty stood up. "Let me know, but I need to know by the morning. We are going hunting tomorrow."

James went home and looked around. He had nothing here. Everything that he had walked out on him without saying a word. There was no reason to stay. He opened up his laptop, sent an email to the Sheriff's Department that he was not going to be joining the class. Then he called Lafferty. "What time do we leave tomorrow."

 

[zydrate]

No one said a word. Even Rory. She knew what was happening.

She had failed.

They caught her.

With a hard sigh, she shook the hood off her head.. idiots didn't even tie it. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the brightness before she was able to focus on the man in the front passenger seat. Danny. One of Ricc's many goons just wanting to climb the 'ladder' however he had to.

They made brief eye contact before she kicked the back of his seat hard. "You!! You *kick* can't *kick* do *kick* shit *kick* right!!" *kick*

One of the men on the side of her tried to get a hold of her but she elbowed him in the nose, hearing a crack and a yell of pain. Without thought, she headbutted the other guy as he tried to control her. She silently thanked James for teaching her that. Idiots even handcuffed

Unfortunately, that was her last thought when she felt a sudden burning against her neck and she instantly knew what it was... a stun gun.

Rory wasn't able to say a thing as pain coursed throughout her body. The hood was replaced and in addition to the stun, one of the assholes punched her and almost instantly, she was out cold...

***

It was cold... and dark. Rory knew where she was... one of Ricci's many farm properties he liked to keep around the state. She wasn't sure which one exactly as he had to have at least 4 of them and they were never used when she was working for him. He had a different 'division' that got rid of problems like her.

The dirt floor was cold and wet. Her hands were still cuffed behind her back and they had removed the hood. She couldn't help but think again about how stupid they were for using that. The dramatics...

She lifted her head to look around, figuring it wasn't worth trying to sit up just yet.. her head was killing her. Taking a few moments to herself, she took a few deep breaths to calm down and assess her situation. She was sure they hadn't patted her down thorough, except for maybe her gun, she had one thing on her and if she could reach it... with another hard breath, Rory shook a wrist to shake her bracelet away from one of the cuffs. She closed her eyes as she felt the clasp on it and pushed at the side. There was a small, low sounding beep as she activated a tracker the FBI had given her... just case.

Not that she expected those idiots to help but at least they would be able to find her body... Feeling a bit better, despite her situation, she stayed where she was as she let the pain take over and she fell back asleep as exhaustion set in.

 

[BeachBum25]

He did not sleep that night. James packed a duffle bag with a few changes of clothes. Then, he went to his gun safe and took out the AXSR, several clips and several boxes of ammo. He also took out his Glock 19, placed it in a holster and sat it with his duffel bag. He laid down in bed and just stared at the ceiling.

James wondered what had happened. He thought his life path was set. He thought he would work as a Sheriff's Deputy and Rory and he would have a family together, eventually. Yes, he knew that she was tied to her work, but over time, that would change.

Then she disappeared. He started going down the path of "what did I do to make her leave?" He had been down that path several times after Rory left him at the altar. Tonight, he decided, "no more." Whatever reason she had for leaving was her doing, and her doing alone.

When the sun came up, James got out of bed, dressed, grabbed his weapons and his duffle bag and headed out to his truck. He had no idea when, if ever, he would be back here. He headed off to the meeting location. He pulled up in front of it at 0645. He had been told that they were meeting at 0700, but James was always early. It gave him additional time to scope things out. Additionally, this time, it gave him an opportunity to scope out the others on the "team."

Seeing Lafferty pull up at 0657, James got out of his truck and approached him. They shook hands and James followed Lafferty into the warehouse. It was obvious to James that everyone on the team was ex-military; they just had the look.

Lafferty elbowed James and nodded his head in the direction of an older man. "He is the boss. Retired Marine Colonel. Leads all of our missions." Lafferty took James over and introduced him to "the Colonel." James remained quiet as he was welcomed to the team. "You might get a chance to show me that you are as good as Paul says you are." James nodded his head.

The Colonel brought the team together. "Justice Department is our client on this mission. The FBI has lost someone they were supposed to be protecting. Several FBI agents are dead, and they have no idea where the asset is. They believe, but are not positive, typical FBI bullshit, that this is the work of the Ricci mob. For those of you that don't know, the Riccis are into everything, drugs, sex trafficking, money laundering, you name it, they do it."

There was a pause as the Colonel looked around. "This will not be an easy mission. We have a new member of the team. He is going to go by "Shooter."" It was at that moment that Lafferty let him know everyone had nicknames, his was "Hammer." We are going to head to the last known location of the asset. If we get any additional info, we will deal with it from there."

James got the AXSR, the Glock and his ammo and got ready to go. They loaded into three SUVs and headed out. There was no conversation during the ride. The problem was, there were no real details to focus on. What did he get himself into? He would find out soon enough.

When they got to the location, everyone but the Colonel and one other man remained in the SUVs. Shortly after that, the Colonel came running out. On their headsets, each team member heard that there was a possible location for the asset based on a tracker that had just been activated.

On the way to the location, which was a two hour ride, information about the surrounding area was relayed to the team. "Shooter, where do you think you should set up?" James identified a hill just to the west of the location. "Okay, you set up there and you can feed information back to us."

Once they were near the location, James was dropped off. He made his way to the top of the hill. It wasn't real high, but it gave him a perfect view of the location. Once he was set up, he used the scope on the AXSR to look around. The target location was a farm.

"Nothing seems to be happening at the house, but there is a large barn to the east of the house that has several men standing out front and two more in the rear."

 

[zydrate]

Her thoughts kept wanting to go back to the past... her time with James... accepting this assignment...

Walking away from her life all to end up like this. She knew that was a bad place to because her mind was set on the reasoning that she was done for.

This was not the end.

She had been woken up with a hard kick to the stomach then being dragged up and thrown on chair. Her hands were still handcuffed behind her and she knew wrists were raw and bleeding. Her face her as did her head... hell, her whole body hurt. But not once did she cry out or utter a sound when they kicked her.

She wasn't going to give them the satisfaction.

They were waiting for something which was why she was still alive.

Something or someone.

Another punch came hard and she fell to the floor.

Fucking assholes.

Just as they yanked her back up and slammed her back onto the chair, a low rumbling could be heard in the distance... she could only surmise one of Ricci's sons was about to land.

"Get her outside."

Two men hauled her up and yanked her towards the door. As soon as it was opened, the bright light hurt her eyes. They continued to drag her away from the barn and toward the clearing. She tried to purposely stumble but they held firm. The noise of the helicopter got louder and started to descent to a landing. Rory sighed carefully and looked up to see the bird landing not too far from the group.

 

[BeachBum25]

As the team began to move themselves into position on the outside of the farm, James kept them informed on the positions of the men on the exterior. The problem that the team had was that they had no idea how many men were inside the barn, and how well armed they were.

The Colonel shared that the team was going to enter through the back of the barn where there were fewer men bad guys to contend with. James wasn't so sure about the plan. It seemed like the Colonel was in a hurry to get inside instead of waiting and trying to gather some intel on who and what was inside. He was new, however, and was not going to be sharing his opinions. "Just do as you are told," he said to himself.

"Hold on" James saw something. Looking up, he saw the chopper coming in before anyone else would have heard it. "Chopper inbound. Keep cover." The chopper circled over the farm before landing.

"Door opening. People from inside in doorway. Males and a woman."

Putting down in a clearing in front of the barn, the chopper's rotors slowed and came to a stop. Two of the men in the front of the barn slowly moved toward the chopper. They looked around before opening the door. A well dressed man in a black suit got out and stood there

"They are moving the woman toward the chopper." James followed them through the scope. "Fuck." The Colonel came back, "What's wrong Shooter?" James didn't respond. He looked more closely at the woman. No, it couldn't be.

He told himself to get back into the game. It isn't Rory. Can't be. Focus on the mission. "Do we have a plan?" James was getting anxious. "I don't think it is a good idea to let the asset get on the chopper. We may never find her again."

The Colonel didn't appreciate the new guy giving his opinion. "You don't know that is what they are doing. Let's just wait and see." James wasn't a wait and see kind of guy. He preferred to be proactive in addressing a situation instead of being reactive.

The woman tried to pull away from the two guys that were dragging her toward the chopper. James focused on her. "Could it really be her?"

 

[zydrate]

The man in the suit approached Rory. She knew him. She knew exactly who he was. He was the asshole lawyer of Ricci's. The one guy that Rory had insisted to the FBI team that he was the one they needed to take down also. But no, their main focus was on Anthony Ricci.

"So, Ms. Park... or should I say McDaniels."

Rory didn't give him the satisfation of reconginition that he knew her name. She expected it. After all, they were sure to get her real name because of the trial.

"You look worse for wear and you have no one to blame but yourself."

She could care how banged up she looked, she rolled her eyes and tugged as the men held her in place, "Fuck you."

WIth that, a hit to the back of her leg from the butt of someone's rifle made her fall to her knees. With that, the man kicked her in the gut before nodding to the men still holding her, "Get her in so I can get out of her... I hate the country."

 

[BeachBum25]

Refocusing on what the mission was, James kept the scope on the woman and the men holding her. He saw the butt of the rifle to the back of her legs and then the kick to her stomach. "They are going to try to get her on that chopper. If they do, it will be almost impossible to find her unless she still has the tracker on."

He felt certain that he could take out the two holding the woman easily. His concern was whether the guy in the suit was armed and would that endanger the woman. He waited for the Colonel to make a decision. James had done his job. He had provided recon to the team. He did not have a green light to shoot.

While he waited, James once again focused on the woman. The free time had him back to wondering. "That can't be her. What would she be doing in this kind of situation? Why would she have put herself in a position like this?"

The he heard, "Shooter, how many of them can you take out?" He wondered what the plan was, but then refocused on his job. "I can get the two with the woman easily. Not sure if I can get back to the suit fast enough. After the first two, I can provide cover for anyone coming from inside or from the rear."

He waited. Still no green light. That meant that they were working on a plan. James didn't like this. There was no forethought put into it. "What would they do if I wasn't here?"

"They are moving her toward the chopper. Someone needs to decide real quick what we are doing or she will be gone." He was tempted to take his shots without the green light, but he didn't want to risk the woman getting killed since there was nobody else was ready to act.

"GREEN LIGHT"

Without even thinking, James took his shots. Both men dragging the woman went down with head shots before they had any idea of what was happening. He turned his weapon toward the door to look for anyone coming out, but nobody appeared. Then, two men appeared from the back of the bar. Neither of them made it to the front. James took them both out with head shots.

Scanning back, the guy with the suit was dragging the woman toward the chopper. "Where are you guys? He is going to get her on the chopper. What the fuck is going on?" The way the suit was dragging the woman denied James a clear shot. He decided that his only option was to shoot the fuel tanks in order to keep the chopper from taking off. That would leave the only escape route for the suit to take to be in one of the parked vehicles.

The shots were accurate just like he expected. The fuel began leaking. The suit didn't know what to do. The chopper pilot jumped out and they both dragged the woman toward an SUV. James' next shot took out a tire on the SUV, which caused the two men to retreat into the barn, dragging the woman with them.

 

[zydrate]

Inside the barn was one place Rory didn't want to be. What the hell had just happened? She figured her tracker worked and that was the FBI but the operation seemed... sloppy. Except for the headshots, which she was grateful for.... except the blood splatter that got onto her face and clothing. There wasn't anything she could about it now.

She went complete dead weight and that threw off the men dragging her. That action barely gave Rory enough time to wrench her cuffed wrists down and behind her ass as she moved under her legs and over her feet. The action hurt a lot but it had worked. Just as she thought she was free, she was yanked back to her feet and an arm wrapped around her neck from behind as the doors to the barn, both front and back burst open with men... men she wasn't familiar with...

Oh great, they weren't agents, she could tell instantly...

Everyone started to yell at each other and the scene was in complete chaos with shouts and guns pointed every which way, some at the man behind her but also at her because of the man behind her.

"Stop! Stop!!" Rory yelled and talked to David, "Come on Dave, they have you surrounded. Don't do this... Ricci isn't worth dying for... you know it!"

 

[BeachBum25]

Suddenly, there were people running from everywhere. There were team members running in. He could hear faint shouting from this distance. "What a cluster fuck," he said out loud, to nobody but himself. "These guys are supposed to be professionals, and they make good money doing it? I would hate to see the guys that they rejected joining their team."

A horrible thought ran through James' mind. What if the team really wasn't working for the government? What if they were working for a competing organization? "Why would they want the woman, though?"

He started to wonder if the group he was with had intentions of taking the woman and exploiting her in some way? Could they want her in order to get a ransom? His mind was racing. Then, his mind came back to a previous thought... was that Rory?

He ran the images through his mind again. It looked like her. It couldn't be here, though. She had walked away from him. She had basically left him at the altar. If she was just doing something for work, she would have said something. She wouldn't just disappear.

From this distance, he could not tell what was going on in the barn. He was tempted to start making his way down there, but he didn't. He was given an assignment and he had to fulfill it.

"I gave up going into the Sheriff's Department for this? What the fuck did I get myself into?" As time passed and nothing was happening, at least, nothing that he could see, James became more and more concerned. He had a feeling there was some kind of standoff taking place in the barn.

"Shooter to the team, is the asset secured?" There was no response. "Shooter to the team, I need a status report." Still nothing. He knew that the suit would not be able to escape. He had no means of travel unless he was able to take out the team and use one of their vehicles.

He had been on missions before where he waited for days to get the shot. This was different. He didn't trust the team he was working with. They were totally unorganized and conducted this mission without a real plan. In the past, James was confident in the intel he received, and he was constantly given progress updates. Now he had nothing.

He made the decision to go down there and figure out what was going on. He didn't care if he would no longer be a part of the team. Maybe he could still get into the academy for the Sheriff's Department. He started to stand. "Shit." There was movement. He repositioned himself and he saw people backing out of the barn with guns raised. There was no sign of the woman, yet. "Why are they pulling back?"

James focused his scope toward the entrance to see who came out next. What he saw shocked him. "What the fuck is this?"

 

[zydrate]

Rory was near the end of her rope. She was hurting all over… they really had done a number on her, “I told you David…”

“Shut up!” He whispered at Rory, “What the hell is this?”

Shrugging, Rory’s grip didn’t loosen on his arms as she continued to try to pry his arm away from around her neck. “They don’t care about you David, even if you’re Ricci’s lawyer they’ll—”

“Let her go!”

That was the last thing heard as a shot rang out from above her head and then the hot barrel of the gun pressed against her head. David yelled back, “Get back!”

The men didn’t hesitate as they moved back out of the barn. David held Rory as they neared the entrance. She stopped fighting him as she just went with it. She was too tired to fight anymore, and this stupid standoff was between David and these strange men, right? Were they there to rescue her? Or was there some sort of communication breakdown to where Ricci had sent both his lawyer and then these men.

Her eyes adjusted to the brightness as they were able to step back out from inside the barn. Just as she took her next breath, Rory heard the shot and David’s grip lax but as he fell, she was quickly grabbed once more by one of the men from the group. They didn’t force her anywhere or say anything. Instead, they searched her before another man came up and they both grabbed her by the arms before yanking her toward the dirt road as a truck drove up and she was roughly placed in the back seat between the men holding her.

“You all don’t know what the fuck you’re doing, do you?” She yanked her arm away from one guy and felt the back of her head, feeling a trickle of blood from one of the hits she received earlier. “Who the hell are you all?”