Missions of the Retrieval Team - Kilts in a Cage

[Livingston]

Come on Mr.Livingston!Where is your stiff uppper lip?It could be worse it could be me!

Sorry Jock. That glancing hit in the last adventure has me very adverse to any further close contact with lead projectiles.

[Coemgen]

Sorry, wrong character, that's Coemgen you're thinking of. Unfortunately, the captors probably confiscated that along with the sporrans.

Indeed they did, the evil b******s!

[Jock Scot]

Sorry Jock. That glancing hit in the last adventure has me very adverse to any further close contact with lead projectiles.

Quite understand my dear fellow,but "cometh the hour, cometh the man" and all that.

[Pleater]

Now now - Poor Livingstone has just had the far from tender ministrations of Madam Pleater visited upon him after almost bleeding to death - perhaps it could be worse, though it it is difficult to see just how - unless he gets bitten by a snake on the way out.

[davedove]

- unless he gets bitten by a snake on the way out.

Hmmmm...

[Jock Scot]

Now now - Poor Livingstone has just had the far from tender ministrations of Madam Pleater visited upon him after almost bleeding to death - perhaps it could be worse, though it it is difficult to see just how - unless he gets bitten by a snake on the way out.

Watch out Mr.Livingstone,you never know what happens in the fog of war,I would hate Madam Pleater to give you a shot of that pepper stuff by mistake.

[Livingston]

And just as I'm getting a job offer with a 33% raise. This would not be a good way to start a new job.

[Pleater]

A 33 percent payrise rise?

OOH look Mr Dove - isn't that an anaconda, there, slithering through the long grass?

Coo its lucky it isn't up in a tree, a snake that big you could have a branch break and then the snake, branch and everything would drop on your head.

Oh look - it seems to have noticed that tree there between us and the gate and is preparing to climb it. What a silly snake it is. Those huge stinging ants are running all over it getting really angry at it shaking their tree.

[davedove]

Scene 26


Factory Compound of General Ricos


We made our to the gate as quickly as we could. Fortune was smiling on us this time; there were no guards to block our way.

As we neared the gate, I saw it was pulled open. Standing guard there were three people with rifles, two men and a woman. But these weren’t the General’s guards; the men were wearing kilts.

Moving towards them, I could see it was Panache and his wife, along with Coemgen.

“Good,” said Jaime as we reached him. “You’re the last of the adults.”

“What about the children?” I asked.

“We haven’t heard from Grant or his team yet, but they were supposed to head into the wilderness to get the children clear.”

“Where’s everyone else?”

“David and Bradley led them away. They’re supposed to meet us about a mile to the east.”

“Let’s move then. We need to get Livingston to treatment.”

We turned to flee the compound, but were brought up short. General Ricos along with five guards stepped into our path. The guards had their rifles pointed at us.

“Gentlemen,” said Ricos, “And ladies, you have demonstrated that you can be quite resourceful. You very nearly succeeded with your escape.”

Coemgen moved to raise his rifle, but the General interrupted. “Do not do that,” he ordered. He held up a small control panel. “If you make any show of force, I will simply push this button. It will send a signal to detonate the explosive I have placed under the children’s barracks. You wouldn’t want anything to happen to them, would you?”

“It won’t work,” said Jaime, “Our men have already freed them.”

“Oh, no, that barracks is still locked tight. And, as for your little plot to free them, it didn’t work.”

The General motioned and three of his guards stepped into view. They were guarding James MacMillan and Robert, also known as Ancienne Alliance. The two of them were supporting and unconscious Dee. They had been on Grant’s team.

“Robert, James, what happened?” I asked.

“My friend, I am so sorry,” said Robert. “We did not get to the children.”

“What about Grant and his men?”

“The cowards, they ran into the trees to escape.”

“And the other two, the new guys?”

James just shook his head. “They didn’t make it,” he said.

“So you see,” said the General, “The children are still locked away and, if you want them to remain alive, you will throw down your weapons and surrender.”

[davedove]

Scene 27

Factory Compound of General Ricos

Ms. Stork leaned closer to me. “Slip-knot,” she whispered.

‘Slip-knot’ is a code my team uses for just these situations. It meant that she was ready to initiate a breakout from our captors and that she had a clear shot to the primary deterrent, in this case the control the General was holding.

To keep her from acting, all I had to do was give her a negative answer. My mind rushed through the possibilities. We were in a hopeless situation. If we went along with the General, we would lose our best chance of escape. However, if we tried and were unsuccessful, the unthinkable would happen.

It would be better if my own team surrounded me. We had worked together and knew each other’s moves. I didn’t know how most of those around me would react, but most of them seemed comfortable with the weapons they were carrying. Plus, we had two wounded men to think about.

This really was our only chance though. “Clear,” I whispered back to her. I could only hope that the rest of our group reacted well.

We held out the rifles as if we were going to throw them away. Ms. Stork reached to carefully pull the pistol she had tucked into her clothes. It was the pistol I had taken from the Lieutenant, empty, but no one else knew that.

Then, before anyone could stop her she threw the pistol towards the General. It struck his arm, which he was still holding up to show everyone the control panel. The device was knocked from his hand.

“Drop!” I ordered, hoping everyone understood. I swung the rifle towards the guards and started firing.

Ms. Pleater reacted remarkably well. She grabbed Julie and Livingston and pulled them to the ground. Di reacted only a half-second later, dropping beside them.

James, his instincts honed from years in the military, reacted just as quickly. He pulled Dee down and covered Dee’s body with his own.

Jaime and his wife reacted at the same time, each of them pulling the other down. Once down, they grabbed their rifles.

Coemgen was fast, having worked with me before. He dropped quickly to a prone position and started firing only a fraction of a second after I did.

Unfortunately, Robert did not have the experience we did and moved a little too slowly. He tried to grab one of the guard’s rifles, but the guard pulled the trigger and a bullet caught Robert in the thigh. He slumped to the ground, grasping his wound.

After throwing the pistol, Ms. Stork had dropped as well to avoid my gunfire.

When Ms. Stork had initiated the action, I had switched the selector lever on my rifle to full automatic. I swung the barrel of the weapon towards the guards, firing a steady stream of bullets. The stream caught each of the guards and they all fell to the ground.

A bullet had caught the General as well. He dropped to the ground.

As I was surveying the area to make sure the guards were down, I didn’t notice the General’s arm move. He had fallen so that he was within reach of the control panel and moved his hand to it.

Jaime, however, did notice the General moving, but was too late to stop him.

“No!” was all Jaime could call out as the General’s hand came down and activated the device.