Crossover with 007 Universe
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The Aston Martin led a parade of pickup trucks and SUVs down the road. Ezra
would slow down then speed up staying just out of reach of the vehicles behind
them; wanting to keep the pursuing parties interested in the chase. The ATF
agents looked for a safe place to keep them busy and far from the Chosen
headquarters.
Vin had been studying the map; they had familiarized themselves with the
area earlier and didnt have a lot of choices. "Theres that old
mining camp coming up, think the sheriff would mine if we damaged a few of
the buildings?"
"We can ask her later," Ezra spun the car in a circle before making the turn.
Those in pursuit couldnt miss seeing them go down the dirt road. Unknown
to the two agents a black helicopter flew overhead and kept Spectres
personnel informed of their whereabouts.
++++++++++++++++++++
The team regrouped in the basement laboratory of the lodge. Nathan was grim
as he told the others of what he and JD had found.
"Spectres people have taken the next step and tried the virus on a
human subject. They didnt get the expected results, the virus mutated.
It not only killed the subject, a drifter passing through town, but the scientist
giving the injection as well. Both died terribly in great pain. Their bodies
are in a clean room after having gone through sterilization."
Nathan held up a journal, "One of the scientists working on the virus keeps
a written log of everything he does as well as what was going on around him.
Its more of a personal diary than a record of his work."
"The only good news is all their hard copies of the research seem to be here.
There is only one scientist, a Dr. Barms, who is still alive and working
on the virus and he is here at the lodge. Blowfeld has had every one else
connected with the project killed."
JD added what he had found and done. "With the information on hand and with
Nathans help, Ive been able to make adjustments to my programs.
They can now destroy the research on the Spectre virus in any form no matter
how its hidden. Ive already sent out the programs over the satellite
connection belonging to the Chosen." JD looked around the room. "The only
thing left for us to do is destroy whats here. All the paper work and
the living samples are stored here."
The team went to work; James went to look for the missing scientist and Josiah
to keep watch. Chris brought the propane tanks down from storage, they would
help in burning everything in the laboratory. The big bottles were used in
the kitchen for cooking and as a backup if the electricity failed. Bond went
to deal with the missing scientist. Buck set up the hot bombs that Felix
had given them especially for this mission. Meanwhile JD and Nathan piled
everything they could find on the virus in the middle of the room, not wanting
to leave anything to chance, making sure that everything would be incinerated.
Bond came back as they were setting the timers. "Theres no one in this
wing. Blowfeld and company must be in the main part of lodge."
"You want me to reset the timers for later?" asked Buck.
"No, all this has to be destroyed. We cant take the chance of someone
disarming them," Bond answered him
"What about the other scientist? With him Blowfeld can set up shop somewhere
else." Nathan wanted to know.
Chris held up his hand at the sound of some one on the stairs.
++++++++++++++++++++
"Will you stop that?" demanded Ezra, Vin had been singing softly, We
got a mighty convoy, trucking through the Night, ever since they turned
on to the dirt road. The fact Vin only knew the chorus was irritating.
"I can always hum Dueling Banjoes," Vin said.
"Please dont." Ezra answered as his hand caressed the top of the gear
stick lifting the cap up to expose the red button that launched the car seat.
Vin decided that he didnt feel like humming after all. Ezra checked
the mirror; "Our friends are still behind us. The well trained troops of
the enemy are still blindly following us."
"Yeah, met types like that in the Army," Vin told him. "Trained to follow
orders literally, no thinking required, point them at an objective and let
them loose. They keep going till they either obtain the objective or die
trying. Were going to need to find a way to keep them busy and out
of the way."
The car hit a bump in the road and started to skid, Ezra quickly regained
control. The road out to the old mining camp hadnt been used since
the last snowfall. Snow covered potholes and an uneven surface made driving
difficult. A full moon and a pack of headlights helped to light the way,
still driving was tricky. The camp came in sight, a chain was stretched across
the entrance with a sign declaring danger no trespassing.
Ezra didnt even slow down, going straight through snapping the chain
in two. A long line of pickup trucks and SUVs followed.
++++++++++++++++++++
The mining camp had made money for the first miners to strike gold there.
A lot of money, that is till the yellow mineral ran out. The good folks of
Moose Head found themselves in need of another means to make a living. Skiing
was gaining in popularity at the time, so the town collectedly decided to
move to the base of the mountains in another part of the valley. The tourist
trade came to Moose Head and all had prospered.
Over the years the camp had been turned into a graveyard for old abandoned
cars and equipment. The water tower still stood and a few of the other buildings.
The Aston Martin was parked between the saloon and the water tower. The men
inside watched the vehicles fan out in their hunt.
"How long do you think we can keep them here?" asked Vin
Ezra had been checking the readouts on the infrared screen in the car. There
seemed to be a lot of action going on at the entrance to the camp. "Our
adversaries are working intensely to obstruct the route we arrived by. We
may be able to use that to our advantage."
Vin checked on the information JD had dug up on the mining camp. "Says here
thats the only way in or out. The other end of the road has been allowed
to go back to its natural state. In other words no one has used it in so
long its over grown and impassable."
"That too is to our advantage, if we can keep the remainder of our adversaries
occupied till the ones building their barrier have finished."
Vin had been studying the water tower as they talked. "Ez I got an idea."
++++++++++++++++++++
Vin climbed back in beside Ezra with a grin on his face as he tossed the
clasp to the bolo on the back seat.
"Well what did you do?"
"Did ya ever made a spider web with thread when your were a kid and get the
other kids to run into it?" asked Vin
Ezra gave Vin one of his you got to be out of your mind looks.
Vin just shook his head at Ezras deprived childhood. "I took the rope
from the bolo, its strong and its too thin to be seen in the
dark. I ran it from the water towers wooden legs to the main support
of the saloon. Well get a pickup to follow us. He hits the rope and
pulls down the tower. It should smack down on whatever vehicles are behind
him and confuse the rest."
Ezra sat there a full minute than shrugged his shoulders and said. "What
the hell." And started the engine.
Ezra and Vin played a game of bumper cars with their pursuers, while the
Aston Martin was reinforced with armament and bulletproof glass the other
cars werent so lucky. The bullets shot at 007s car bounced off,
usually into the vehicles of the Chosen leaving them dead in the street.
Two large pickups tried to trap Ezra and Vin between them, only to find
themselves crashing into each other when Ezra made a sharp turn that had
them going straight for the water tower.
The pursuers kept following. The sport car shot under the rope Vin had stretched
across the small space between the tower and the old saloon. The truck caught
the rope across the windshield and pulled the old wooden supports out from
under the water tower before snapping. The wooden tank came crashing down
on it and the few remaining trucks. That left the blockade at the entrance
for them to deal with.
The men building the blockade had done an excellent job. They had dragged
an old rock truck and an abandoned commercial car carrier to block the entrance.
Learning from the last encounter they placed their own automobiles on each
side of the blockade, lining them up so their prey couldnt drive around
them.
"What do you think Ez?"
"The machineguns." Ezra answered him.
Vin brought the guns on line. The panel covering the guns swung back, the
machineguns of the spy car were fully loaded and ready. Ezra drove the car
in a large arc firing. The bullets took out tires and radiators of the vehicles
on either side of the blockade. That left the trucks blocking the entrance.
Ezra swung the car back around and stopped facing the blockade.
"Rockets?" asked Vin.
"By all means."
Vin did the honors and two rockets flew from the Aston Martin to explode
and destroy the rock truck blocking their way. The car trailer then collapsed
onto what was left of the rock truck making a ramp. Ezra aimed the car for
the makeshift ramp, hitting the booster as they started up. They shot through
the sky to land with a bump on the other side of the burning cars. Both were
feeling pretty pleased with themselves. Their pursuers were trapped behind
their own blockade, unable to follow. They werent prepared for an air
attack.
The black helicopter had been monitoring the speeding car since it had left
the Moosetail saloon. They were under orders to take the passengers alive.
The men in the helicopter had been unable to keep track of the vehicle while
it had been in the mining camp. Out on the open road was another matter.
The plan now was to force the car off in to a ditch and take the occupants
captive. Lining up the car in their sights they fired off a missile to hit
the ground next to the vehicle.
Ezra fought the wheel as the Aston Martin jumped when the first rocket exploded
on the road beside them. The next explosion flipped the car over; the Aston
Martin rolled till it came to a stop on its side.
Vin pushed the air pillow away from him and than reach over to shake Ezra.
"Ez, you ok?" Getting a moan for his trouble. "Ez?"
"Im alright Vin." Pushing the drivers side air pillow away from
his face. "Lets get out of here." Both worked to open the door on the
passenger side. Vin pulled himself out with a little help from Ezra. Before
exiting the vehicle Ezra made sure to set the homing device and lock the
car. No sense in letting the bad guys have the alluring sports car.
They had made it to the ground and taken care of the first individual who
had tried to take them down. But a rifle butt to Ezras stomach and
then to the side of his face had Ezra down and out. Vin wasnt fairing
much better, he had taken out the first two men. The third was being careful
not to get too close. If Vin and been willing to leave Ezra he could of gotten
away, but that was out of the question for Vin Tanner, he wouldnt leave
a friend behind. So he stopped and put his hands behind his head and surrendered.
Under guard Vin carried Ezra to the waiting helicopter.
++++++++++++++++++++
Chris held up his hand at the sound of some one on the stairs, it was Josiah
coming back down.
"Theres a helicopter heading this way, looks like its going to land.
Weve got maybe ten minutes before it gets here."
"Alright everyone up to the kitchen and lock the door behind you." Once upstairs
Chris turned to Buck, " How long on the timers?"
"Got another twenty minutes. Enough time to get us back down to the van."
"Good I want you, Nathan and JD to take off and get down to the van, wait
for us there. James and Josiah youre with me. Well go take care
of our missing scientist and Blowfeld." All three men started to protest
the orders.
Josiah was getting impatient at the delays. "Enough, if all of us go traipsing
up there well all be caught and killed. Blowfeld will set up shop somewhere
else and all this will have to be done all over again. Go." Even at a whisper
Josiahs voice could and often did rattle windows.
The three men turned to look at Chris in mute appeal; he only shook his head.
After making sure it was clear the three started back to the lift, sticking
to shadows to stay out of sight of the fast approaching helicopter. This
left the others to make their way into the main part of the lodge.
Chris turned his glare on Josiah who had the grace to look sheepishly at
his boss, "Sorry Chris, but Im getting a bad feeling that we need to
get off this mountain top, and the sooner the better." Chris, James and Josiah
made it into the main building of the lodge before the helicopter touched
down. They watched through a window as the passengers disembarked. It was
too far away to distinguish details other than three were armed and two were
prisoners. The two prisoners had been thrown off the air ship in to the snow.
One stood guard as the other two dragged their prisoners toward the house.
James whispered to the others. "Lets let them take us to Blowfeld."
Chris and Josiah nodded in agreement. They waited in a room off the hallway
as the five from the helicopter made their way in to the lodge. They left
the door to the room they hid in open a crack to keep watch. When the guards
passed with their prisoners, they followed.
The guards were not gentle in their handling of their prisoners; dragging
them along banging into the walls and furnishings. The three couldnt
get a good look at who the two men were and stay out of sight. The guards
came to a maintenance closet and pushed the prisoners inside, locking the
door. Leaving one man on guard out side the others went on. The guard pulled
a chair over to the door and sat down, his rifle in his lap.
"Do we get them out now or pick them up on the way back?" Whispered Josiah
from around the corner, out of the guards line of sight.
"On the way back, now at least we know where they are." Chris whispered back.
"You two act as if you know whos in there." asked a puzzled Bond.
"Who else but our two trouble magnet little brothers." Smiled Josiah, "Im
surprise they didnt surface sooner." Bond pushed a button on his
wristwatch; a green light blinked on and off, Bond smiled as well when he
turned the device off.
"Youre right, the tracker Q planted on Ezra says the same." Josiah
raised an eyebrow at that disclosure so Bond explained. "The reports on those
two said they usually end up in the middle of whatever was going down. We
thought wed play it safe and have a way to track them if we needed
to. Q had it placed under the cap on Ezras gold tooth."
Josiah could tell that Chris was intrigued by the idea and wasnt surprised
when Chris asked. "Does Q have a way to make the tracking devise permanent
and can he put one in both of them?"
"Chris?" Josiah frowned at his boss but couldnt help thinking along
the same lines himself.
Loud noises came from the maintenance closet as the sound of shelves crashing
to the floor came through the door. The guard got to his feet to check on
his prisoners, while he was distracted Josiah stepped out of the shadows
and hit him hard, the man went down. Josiah sat him back in his chair and
propped up his rifle in his arms minus, the bullets of course. Stepping around
the unconscious guard he opened the heavy door to the closet and looked in.
There sat Ezra and Vin on the floor tangled up in towels and cleaning supplies
that had fallen from the shelves over their heads.
"You two stay put, well pick you up on the way back. And try to stay
quiet." Josiah closed the door and relocked it.
It took a moment for it to sink in that it was a friend who spoke to them.
But before Ezra or Vin could get up to demand that they be allowed to go
with them the door was shut and locked. Vin crawled over to the door and
tried it just for good measure, it didnt budge. There was no lock on
the inside of the door; nothing for Ezra to pick open and the door was too
thick to break down.
"Damn."
"I agree Vin, nor am I comfortable just waiting for them to return for us.
They may need our assistance to bring this affair to a successful end."
Vin fingered the buttons on his shirt. "You remember how to work the triggering
device on the watch?"
"I believe I do." They got to work setting up the explosives. As they worked
Ezra asked. "Vin how were you inconvenienced getting out of the saloon?"
"There was a guard dog inside that fence behind the saloon. Remind me to
thank Q for the fancy boxers the next time I see him."
"You werent hurt by the beast were you?" Ezra stopped, wanting to check
for himself but not wanting to look at such a personal area.
"Nah, only my pride, think Ill ask Q if I can keep the underwear."
The two men crawled under the shelves on the back wall and started to pull
down towels and blankets to protect them from the blast.
"Ez, you doing all right? The side of Ezras face was black and blue
and his eye was starting to swell shut."
"Nothing time wont alleviate, that and a hot shower."
"Ok
Ez?"
"What?"
"Howd ya spend the summer with James?"
"Being educated and enlightened about the fairer sex."
"Uh?"
Ezra sighed. He had hoped that Vin had forgotten about James comments
or at least would not ask for details. "James took me on a tour of the oldest
and most prestigious of Europes brothels." Ezra smiled at the memories;
it had been a very enjoyable and beneficial way to spend the rest of the
summer. Even at twenty-one he hadnt been that experienced or skilled
with the ladies fair. James had filled in for all the uncles and big brothers
he never had while growing up.
Vin must have sensed that Ezra didnt want to talk any more about it
when he brought up his watch and started to press the triggering mechanism.
++++++++++++++++++++
When Josiah shut the door he really didnt expect the pair to stay put.
The time it took for them to break out of the closet would keep them busy
and out of trouble for a little while. Maybe long enough for them to get
this business over with. They could pick their younger brothers up on the
way back.
Josiah quickly caught up with James and Chris. The guards they had been following
had gone into a room with double doors. Chris got on one side of the doors
and Josiah on the other with James squatting in the middle. With just a nod
Chris and Josiah kicked the doors in. As the doors flew open James fired
his gun taking out the two guards.
There were Ernest Blowfeld and Dwight Hamit sitting before a fireplace. Blowfeld
was petting his cat; as the threesome stormed their way in he addressed them.
" Mr. Bond I was being to think your werent coming." An eyebrow rose
at the sight of Josiah. "Mr. Sanchez it has been a long time, I thought you
got out of the business of tilting at windmills"
The light from the fireplace made the shadows darken on Josiahs face
making it hard to read. The sound of his voice spoke of restrained rage that
his words masked "Not long enough, Blowfeld. As long as you keep trying to
destroy the world people like me will be stopping you?"
"Still the melodramatic Josiah? I would never destroy the world completely
where would be the profit in that?"
Chris had patted Hamit and Blowfeld down and removed their guns while James
and Josiah kept watch. It was James who now spoke to Blowfeld.
"Wheres Dr. Barms?"
Blowfeld sat back down in his chair and went back to stroking his cat, not
putting it down even when Chris checked him for weapons. He acted as if having
three men hold guns on him was normal and that he was some how in control
of the situation.
"The doctor is no longer in my employment."
"You had him killed?"
"Of course."
At this Chris turned around having finish with Hamit, his gun trained on
Blowfeld.
"Why?"
"Where did you get this one?" Blowfeld asked Bond. "He seems to be unenlightened
on the realities of the situation."
Chris studied the man sitting in the chair patting the white cat. He didnt
seem to be that dangerous. But then most killers didnt fit the Hollywood
stereotypes. "You didnt answer my question."
Just than the old lodge shook from the force of an explosion and Blowfeld
smiled. "Thats why. Now only I can save the lives of the people living
in the municipality of Moosehead. Your explosions have sent the virus into
the air and to those with whom those air currents come in contact with."
With the same confident look on his face Blowfeld added. "You will pay me
anything I want for the cure."
Hamit growled at Blowfeld "You never planned on giving the Chosen the virus
did you?"
"Of course not, you and your little group were merely useful at the time."
Hamit sat back into his chair with a defeated air about him. James, Chris
and Josiah started to chuckle. Blowfeld looked at the men holding guns on
him with a puzzled expression. It was Josiah who explained.
"That was thought of, we used incendiary hot bombs especially made for virus
elimination. We even added the propane tanks from the lodge for good measure.
Everything in the lab was burned to ash even before the building over it
could catch fire. The only thing thats left of your laboratory is a
charred hole."
Hamit jerked his head toward Josiah. "The arsenal! That could catch on fire."
Four pairs of eyes turned to him. "We have been stockpiling explosions and
armaments under ground here for the last two years. They are in bunkers under
the courtyard. Theyre all connected to the basement that the labs
in." Another blast rocked the building, this time stronger, the force of
the blast knocking the men off their feet. Blowfeld took advantage of the
distraction and pulled a gun out from under his cat shooting Bond in the
arm as he made for the door. Another explosion and the building was starting
to come down around them.
"How much explosive do you have stockpiled?" shouted Josiah as he pulled
Hamit to his feet.
"Enough to blow off the top of this mountain." Hamit shouted back over the
noise of the lodge falling around them. "We need to get out of here now."
James looked round for Blowfeld and started for the door, gun in hand. Chris
called him back.
"Well get him later, hes got no where to go." James took one
last look down the hallway, turned and headed out with the others.
The lodge was burning, every few minutes another explosion would occur. Tracing
their path back the way they had come, they soon found themselves outside
of the maintenance closet that had held the two younger agents. The door
was off its hinges. The two wayward ATF agents were still sitting on the
floor looking stunned.
"Think ya used enough dynamite there Butch?" Vin asked Ezra who hadnt
moved, just sat there blinking his eyes at the destruction.
Chris looked in at the pair on the floor partially buried under cleaning
supplies. Between him and Josiah they managed to pull them out of the closet,
in the process getting a good look at them for the first time. The phrase
chewed up and spit out ran through Chris mind, as he looked
them over. "You two going to be able to walk on your own?"
"Of course, lead the way." Ezra leaned a little toward Vin and Vin was leaning
toward Ezra. The two would help each other stay upright leaving Chris free
to take on any one who tried to stop them with Josiah bringing up the rear
with Hamit and James. They made it outside in time to watch the helicopter
take off and race off into the night sky only to see it get shot down minutes
later by a pair of USAF fighter jets. The group turned towards James.
"Felix had them standing by just in case."
"Good, I hope Blowfeld was on it." Chris said as till more explosions rocked
the ground. The courtyard and buildings around them were burning out of control.
There was only one way left open for them to go.
Chris led the way back to the small gatehouse that sheltered the top of the
lift. The fires from the ground and the lodge lit their way. Explosions rocked
the ground. Bond was clutching his arm with his good hand as the blood spread
through his fingers. Ezra and Vin held each other up as they limped into
the lift. Josiah had custody of Hamit and dragged him along with them. Once
everyone was inside Chris initiated the controls to start the lift, nothing
happen.
Hamit looked over at Chris, "The controls wont work on automatic if
the computer is out or the electricity." As if on cue the lights dimmed.
Chris shouted into his radio lead "JD can you start the lift from down there?"
JD answered back. "Nothing to connect to,
wait a minute." The men inside
the lift were silent, as JD looked through his data banks for a solution
JD
called back. "Look for a manual override, it even has its own battery
back up system."
Chris turned to Hamit. "Your life is riding on this as well as ours, where
is it?"
"Out there," Pointing to the shelter outside the cab. "Its inside the
gatehouse. You cant operate it and ride the cab down at the same time.
Someone has to watch it to make sure the system doesnt stall on the
way down." Hamit told him.
Bond stepped forward, "Ill stay, its my job to take those kinds
of risk. Go with your men."
Chris turned and punched Bond in the jaw sending the British agent to the
floor of the cab unconscious. Another explosion shook the lift sending Hamit,
Vin and Ezra to the floor to join Bond. Only Chris and Josiah managed to
keep their footing. Chris eyed Ezras jacket, "Ezra give me your jacket."
Ezras unswollen eye grew wide as he realized what his friend and boss
was planning. "You cant, its in the middle of the night." Ezra
tried to stand and back away from Chris at the same time. "Ill stay,
at least Ive had some experience with the paragliders."
Josiah grabbed him and swiftly stripped him of the jacket. "Boy you can hardly
stand let alone safely fly this thing down." Holding the jacket out to Chris
he said, "If I was a slimmer man..." letting the sentiment trail off, Chris
patted Josiah on the back in understanding. There was no way for a man the
size of Josiah to fit into that jacket. Chris was closer in size to the
undercover man. Ezra was shorter than Chris, but he was as broad across the
shoulders as the man in black. The jacket should fit.
Seeing that his boss wasnt going to listen to reason Ezra showed him
how to put the ski jacket on and operate the paraglider. Vin got to his feet
and limped over to Chris. "Ya cant do this cowboy, its too
dangerous."
Chris glared at the younger man. "Not too dangerous for you and Ezra but
to dangerous for me."
"Yeah."
Chris placed his hand on Vins chest and gently pushed, sending Vin
back to the floor. Vin let out a yelp when his sore bottom met the floor.
As Chris exited the lift he stopped and asked Josiah. "Youll take care
of them for me."
Josiah shook his head yes and added "May God go with you my brother." He
than shut the door and waited, after a few minutes the lift slowly started
down.
++++++++++++++++++++
"What the hell is keeping them?" asked an impatient Buck. The fire and explosions
still rumbling on top of the mountain illuminated the sky over head. Rocks
kept falling forcing the men to stay inside the shelter of the gatehouse.
So far nothing of significant size had fallen. "JD ya get any word from them
since the lift started?"
Instead of answering JD walked over to the opening of the shelter and looked
up as the cab of the ski lift came into sight.
"About damn time." Exclaimed Buck as the cab shuttered to a stop. Buck, Nathan
and JD were at the door waiting for it to open. Vin and Ezra limped out only
to be grabbed by Nathan and made to sit down as he started to examine them.
"Leave us be, James got shot in the arm, hes bleeding bad." Vin told
the medic. Nathan rose and went over to the British agent. Josiah got off
the lift with Hamit in tow and headed for the parking lot. Ezra and Vin got
up from the bench Nathan had forced them to sit down on, wanting to follow
Josiah. Buck had watch them disembark and came up one short.
"Wheres Chris?"
No one answered Buck. Ezra and Vin were struggling to keep up with Josiah.
Nathan had finished wrapping James arm, it was a clean wound. The bullet
had passed through the muscle with little damage other than the loss of blood.
James too tried to regain his feet; Nathan tried to stop him. "Take it easy,
youve lost a lot of blood." Bond shook his head and got to his feet.
Buck still hadnt gotten an answer, he walked over to James and blocked
the mans path. "Ya going to tell me where Chris is?" He asked the British
agent.
"Hes still on top of the mountain. He stayed to operate the manual
override on the lift."
"Hows he going to get down? The way ya talked the whole top of the
mountain is full of ammunition going off."
"Ezras jacket."
Realization hit Buck "Aw hell, the paragliders."
"Yes." Bond answered Buck, but was puzzled by the smile growing on the
mans face.
Buck looked over at Nathan and JD. "Go get the van, we need to go pick up
Josiah and the younguns." Buck helped Bond to the door of the gatehouse
and out into the darkened parking lot.
They drove out to the far end of the lot where they found them looking up,
watching the sky. Hamit sat at their feet, all the fight gone out of him.
Josiah had gotten his binoculars from his pack and was scanning the sky.
The fires were burning brightly, every few minutes there was an explosion
to add to the chaos. It was too far away to make out details but the glow
from the fires could be seen for miles. Sirens could be heard in the distance.
"There!" yelled Vin. Josiah swung his binoculars to where Vin was pointing.
There against the glowing sky was a black dot that was growing bigger as
they watch.
"Why isnt he opening his suit?" questioned Vin.
"He doesnt want to chance being blown back into the fire." Buck told
him.
"Come on Chris, come on Chris, open the damn chute," Vin was chanting, his
eyes never leaving the man falling through the sky. Ezra had joined Vin not
even aware that he was doing so, together they chanted "Come on Chris, come
on Chris, come on Chris, come on Chris."
JD looked to Buck, he would follow Bucks lead and he didnt seem
to be to worried. So JD would try not to be as he watched Chris fall.
They held their breath till finally Chris opened the paraglider and observed
as it filled with air. The men on the ground watched him guide it toward
the town lights. Buck took a good look at the pale faces of Ezra and Vin
and started laughing.
"Its not funny Buck, he could have been killed," growled Vin.
Bucks laugher appalled Ezra, "Hes not yet back on terra firma."
Ezra reminded the ladys man.
Buck gasped out. "YOU TWO do this to him all the time. Hes just getting
back at ya. Hell Chris is more than capable of operating that paraglider.
We did night jumps all the time as Navy Seals."
"How many years ago was that?" snapped Ezra. "We must go after him and make
certain of his wellbeing."
Buck stopped laughing; a grimace marked his handsome face. "What do you boys
mean by years? Chris and I both have kept up our certification. You children
have no idea what Chris and I are capable of." Buck stopped his tirade, the
pair looked like they were about to fall down and James didnt look
much better. Buck would find a way to make the younguns understand
later. Maybe next time the two would think before performing a similar stunt.
Now he needed to get them to a hospital and checked out.
Not giving them time to think up excuses he loaded everyone into the van
and got back on the road. They needed to leave before the sirens got there.
But even in the rush to get out of there, Buck couldnt resist asking.
"Tanner where the hell is the rest of your pants?"
++++++++++++++++++++
Two days later found James Bond and Chris Larabee sharing a pot of coffee
in the kitchen of the rental house. Felix told the team that he had rented
it for a full week. They might as well put it to good use and rest up in
it. Ever practical Felix wanted to get the governments moneys worth.
All the reports had been written and turned in to Felix, with copies going
to M. No one outside of a few highly placed officials would ever see them.
Buck, JD, Nathan, and Josiah had headed out for the ski slopes. Josiah went
along he said to help carry back the body of whichever one of them got hurt.
Buck went to look for snow bunnies. JD and Nathan went to ski, they enjoyed
skiing as much as Vin and Ezra; only in Nathans case not as recklessly.
The two afore mentioned ATF agents were sitting uncomfortably in the living
room. The pair was under strict orders from Nathan to stay put. Ezra had
a slight concussion and bruised ribs. Vin was bruised all over, mainly on
his butt, which made sitting awkward. After an overnight stay in the hospital
they were allowed out under the watchful eyes of their teammates. Chris and
James stayed behind to make sure they followed orders.
The local newspaper had carried a story on the fire and destruction of the
ski lodge. According to the news item the fire had started in the kitchen
and spread to the lodges propane tanks, which exploded. Additional
explosions occurred when an illegally stored arsenal caught fire, burning
the hundred-year-old lodge to the ground. The owner of the lodge, a Dwight
Hamit had let most his staff have the night off, limiting the loss of life.
The Feds were looking into the illegal storing of armaments at the
ski lodge. Mr. Hamit is a member of the supremacist group the Chosen and
has refused to answer any question on the hoard of explosives. He is now
in custody of the federal government, waiting charges.
Chris placed the paper on the table and smiled at the story. The Sheriffs
Uncle Clyde had run a nice piece covering all the bases. Not one word or
inquiry about Blowfeld or the virus had come up. No one had even noticed
the teams part in the affair. By the time the local fire department
had made its way via the back road everything had been burned to ashes.
Felixs people had swooped in and taken over for the sheriff, sighting
the possibility of unexploded ammunition and Federal jurisdiction. Felix
had made it a point to make it look as if Sheriff Scott had called them in.
All in all a good ending to the case. No one had gotten seriously hurt and
there was no one asking questions. A cars horn sounded outside bringing
Chris back from his musing. He and James made their way outside, only to
find Ezra and Vin had beaten them there.
The young men were bored and any excuse to get out from under big brother
supervision was welcomed. Inaction was not their strong suit, the distraction
of Q and Felixs arrival with both the Aston Martin and Ezras
jag was appreciated and seen as a possible means of escape.
Vin ran his eyes over the Aston Martin noticing the car showed no sign of
the rough treatment it had received the other night. "She looks good Q, no
trouble getting her back?"
"No gentlemen, the homing device worked admirably, we had no problems finding
her." Q turned his gaze on James, "007 you might take a lesson from these
young men. Not only didnt they destroy all equipment I entrusted with,
they found a way to return most of it."
James Bond British secret agent, 00 license to kill was taken aback at Qs
temper. He wasnt that bad was he? And what if he was, what the hell
did it matter? He got the job done. Oh well, might as well let Q vent. It
will do him good for the next time 007 had to sacrifice equipment to save
the world.
"Of course Q, Ill pay attention." James said with a smile not meaning
a word of it, knowing Q knew it too.
"Come along 007, M wants us both back home as soon as possible. Say your
good-byes and get your things." Having dismissed 007, Q turned his attention
to Ezra and Vin. "Gentlemen I couldnt give you the chameleon system
for the jaguar but I did make a few improvements for you." Q walked over
to the jaguar and patted the bonnet. "I replaced the bullet proof glass with
some of my own creation, much better than the commercial stuff and the important
systems are now armored." With a smile he added. "I made a few improvements
to the engine as well. Not only will you find yourself spending less time
in the shop, she now has a bit more power to call on when you need it."
You would of thought someone had given Ezra the keys to Fort Knox at the
beaming smile gracing his face. "Q, the keys please?" asked Ezra as he stood
beside his car, Vin was already inside, both ready to make their escape.
"Oh yes here they are." Q tossed them to Ezra. Ezra reached up to catch them
only to see a hand shoot out and pluck them out of the air. His eyes followed
the hand that held his keys back to the body it belonged to and groaned.
Chris dangled the keys from his fingers and shook his head. "Back inside,
both of you."
"A test drive is warranted, surely."
Chris had pulled Vin out of the car and was pushing Ezra ahead of them.
"No its not. And dont call me Shirley."
END
Comments to:
Nsscbs1978@aol.com
Please let me know if you liked the story. I have a new E-mail address.
My apologies to anyone who wrote me since my last two stories were posted
and didnt get a response. I was having trouble getting my mail and
didnt know it. Hopefully the new address will change that. If you write
I will answer.
All the tech terms JD used are real; thanks to the Screen Savers, a TV
show that explains computers and other extraordinary technical stuff, so
even I can understand it. It can be found on Tech TV.