Play@YSDC

Z-Day + 1 - 7:06 AM Mountain Time - Warren Air Force Base, west of Cheyenne, Wyoming
At the landing pad-
The Humvee pulled to a stop at the edge of the landing pad where the Huey UH-1N Iroquois helicopter stood ready for takeoff, not far from a hangar. Seated in the cockpit were the pilot, Captain Johnson, and the co-pilot, 2nd Lieutenant Rebecca Doolittle. There were two more members of the flight crew manning the chopper's twin machine guns. The helicopter was configured as a transport with room for nine people, and seven of them were already seated inside. Major Nelson Harris led the small force, which also included Technical Sergeant Jessica Valdez, Staff Sergeant Larry Dauterive, Airman Marcus Winters, Airman Kevin Osbourne, Airman Catherine Rourke, and Airman Gary SImpson. All of them were wearing body armor and helmets and were kitted out with plenty of gear.

Two Security Forces troopers got out of the Hummer and opened the rear doors. Out stepped Katarina Iiliescu and Julie St. James, both dressed in camoflage trousers and white tank tops. "Here we are, ladies," said one of the SFs. He motioned to an open footlocker resting nearby. "There's equipment for both of you in there. Take what you need and then board the chopper. It leaves in less than ten minutes." The footlocker contained two small suits of Kevlar body armor and matching helmets, just the right size to fit both women. It also held four hand grenades, two 9mm pistols with several magazines, two combat knives, and Julie's bow and arrows.

Zoe Gallagher emerged from the vehicle last, dressed similarly. The SF pointed at the hangar. "You'll report there, ma'am," he said. "They're waiting for you."

Zoe nodded, then hugged Katarina and Julie. "Be careful," she said, choking up.

Katarina tried not to cry, hugging her back as tightly as she could. Now she was about to lose everyone and everything ... all on a gamble that her friend was still alive. A gamble she had to make.

Kevin Nods towards the three hugging women "and that, kids, is what we call a You-are-gonna-die sendoff. I am truley impressed by the faith in this mission and we who are just about to carry it out. it just so touching"

Katarina bursts into laughter, the tension abruptly broken, which also causes the unshed tears to roll down her cheeks. She turns toward Kevin, blushing fiercely, and nods a little in agreement. "I sorry! I just ... it's been..." The laughter dies down suddenly and she sighs, gazing up at Kevin with cute, puppy dog eyes and an expression of pure hope. "We be okay?"

Kevin Smiles, and almost blushes himself, then says to Katrina "Its A couple of wounded Nutjobs against us?, so they got their cute little nicknames! we got the skills, we got the Load-out, and we got the numbers. I will bring everyone home in one piece. otherwise, I got guilt issues. and there's nothing like issues to throw off a Man's Aim, and you know I cant afford that!"

Katarina giggles a little at that and, spontaneously, throws her arms around his neck, before pulling back, sniffling a little and a little surprised at herself. It's the first time she's touched a man freely in so long, or even wanted to, that it almost starts her crying again. There's nothing sexual or romantic in the hug ... she's nowhere near that level of ready yet, but it feels good to have some small level of trust in a man again. She'd thought the last of that has shriveled up and died back with the Skinheads. Her thoughts go back to the people they left behind on the other side of that trapdoor ... were they zombies now? No, she couldn't think about that. "Anyone have tissue?" she asks hopefully, not wanting to abuse her sleeve just yet.

Kevin, suprised by the hug, grins at Katrina "goshh......here you go, Katrina" he takes a white cloth out a compartment in his backpack that he had put there to clean his gun with and hands it to Katrina

Katrina blows her nose on it very messily and then blinks up at him with a friendly smile that broadens into a big grin that takes up half her face. Boy, she hadn't smiled like that in forever! "Okay, I'm ready to go!" she says, bopping a little with the statement.

OOC,Actually, [b]Katarina[/b] doesn't even have a sleeve- she's wearing a tank top. The Kevlar vests are sleeveless too, but you haven't taken yours yet.

At the landing pad-
"Not yet, you're not," said Julie, laughing too in spite of herself. "You've forgotten to take your equipment, Katarina." While Katarina had been talking to Kevin and Zoe had headed off to the hangar, Julie had collected her bow, quiver, a pistol, a knife, two grenades, a vest, a helmet, and seven 9mm magazines from the footlocker. She waved at Kevin. "Hi," she said. "I'm Julie St. James."

Kevin and the other members of Strike Force Alpha could see that Katarina was an astonishingly beautiful young woman, the most gorgeous they had ever seen. She was petite, with long red hair, and looked to be in her late teens. Julie was in her early thirties, with flowing dark hair. She was beautiful too, but not as beautiful as Katarina. Then again, who was?

"Ladies," said the major in command, nodding. "I'm Major Nelson Harris. Welcome to Strike Force Alpha. We'll be lifting off in less than ten minutes, so gather your gear and get aboard when you're ready. There will be plenty of time for introductions."

Airman Catherine Rourke grinned at Katarina. The tough woman also had red hair, though her looks were merely average. "We'll take good care of you, kiddo," she said.

Katarina grinned around at them all and then went to fetch her things, her hair bouncing behind her. "Got tie?" she asks, pointing to her hair. "Or maybe snip it? No want zombie grab it."

At the landing pad-
Katarina collected the gear that had been left for her in the footlocker on the landing pad. She took a Kevlar vest with an attached utility belt, a Kevlar helmet, a 9mm pistol (which, while not loaded, had seven magazines with it), a combat knife, and a pair of hand grenades. Once she had gathered all of it, she boarded the helicopter.

In the helicopter-
Julie had finished putting on her vest and helmet by the time Katarina climbed aboard.

"Oh, you shouldn't cut your hair off," said Catherine to Katarina. "It's so beautiful! I wish I had hair like yours. Here." She fished a scrunchy out of her pocket and handed it to her. "My name's Catherine, by the way."

"Welcome aboard, ladies," said Major Harris. He indicated three of the people sitting on one side of the chopper. "These are Technical Sergeant Jessica Valdez, Airman Marcus Winters, and Airman Kevin Osbourne. They make up Fire Team 1. Ms. St. James, you'll be assigned to them." He pointed out the three on the other side. "And these are Staff Sergeant Larry Dauterive, Airman Catherine Rourke, and Airman Gary Simpson. They're Fire Team 2. Ms. Iliescu, you'll be with them."

Katarina nods to all of them and puts her hair up with the scrunchie before wriggling into the vest and helmet.

In the helicopter-
Katarina finished putting on her armor.

"We lift off in five minutes," said Major Nelson Harris. "Everyone strap yourself in. We'll use this time to get acquainted. Once we're in the air and en route, I'll give a full briefing and take questions."

"Here, sit next to me," said Catherine to Katarina, patting the empty seat beside her. "I'll help you get strapped in. Want to tell me about yourself?"

Katarina holps up next to Catherine. "What to say? I don't know. What about you? Where you from? What your life like?" She doesn't really want to discuss her past for fear of the horrors that mined her memories.

In the helicopter-
"Life for me is one big adventure," said Catherine with a huge grin. "That's why I joined the Air Force, and it sure delivered on everything it promised. I come from Boston, but my ancestors are from Ireland. That's where I get the red hair and freckles. I just love Irish folk dancing, too. I'll have to teach it to you some time."

OOC,[b]Katarina[/b], you may roll Psychology.

The significance of her words are loston Katarina. "I hope I can learn. I like dance." She looks morose for a moment, the likelihood of her return heavy on her mind. "I sure we be fine."

In the helicopter-
"That's the spirit!" said Catherine, putting a friendly hand on Katarina's shoulder. "I'm sure you can learn folk dancing just fine. I'm just an amateur - you wouldn't see me on Dancing with the Stars or anything - but I'll teach you as best I can."

Katarina nods and smiles, cocking her head to one side and pondering if Catherine is hitting on her. Nyet, surely not... "That be fun." She tries to imagine herself coming back victorious. She succeeds only by thinking herself injured with a broken bone.

It's testament to how the past day (and her past few years) have been that it actually cheers her up.

At least it's an image of her coming back.

In the helicopter-
"Everyone strapped in?" asked the pilot, turning his head back. "We'll be taking off in a couple of minutes." He turned to Lt. Rebecca Doolittle, the co-pilot. "Have you completed your preflight checks?"

"Yes, sir," she said. "Everything's five by five."

Checking hsi rifle one last time Kevin says "lets do this"

In the helicopter-
Catherine checked Katarina's straps and then her own to make sure they were secure. The other members of the team also inspected their straps and equipment. The time passed with agonizing slowness until the pilot got on the radio. "Ground Control, this is Strike Force Alpha," he said. "Requesting permission to take off as scheduled."

In the helicopter-
"This is ground control, McCoy," replied a woman's voice, "granting Stike Force Alpha clearance to take off. Destination as filed. Clear for take off, SFA."

"That must be Kathryn McCoy," said Lt. Rebecca Doolittle. "She's an air traffic controller they let in last night. I met her at the quarantine clinic over breakfast. Good to see they're putting her to work so fast."

The pilot nodded and responded on the radio. "Roger that, McCoy," he said. "Preparing for takeoff." He started the engine, and the helicopter's engines came to life. The rotors began to spin, picking up speed.

Katarina bit her lip and hugged herself in her seat.

In the helicopter-
"Lifting off," said the pilot into his radio. He opened the throttle, and the Huey rose into the air. Once it ascended to a high enough altitude, he leveled off and then steered north.

"This is great!" said Catherine to Katarina, leaning back and smiling. "I love flying! Have you ever flown before?"

"No, never," said Katarina, feeling a little ill.

In the helicopter-
"Hang in there, you'll be fine," said Catherine. "Uh, if you need a bag, just ask."

The chopper flew northward and soon passed over the base perimeter fence. Wherever they were going, the relative safety of Warren Air Force Base was being left behind fast, and Katarina didn't know if any of them would ever return.

Major Nelson Harris stood up and walked to the front of the passenger compartment. He cleared his throat before speaking with a raised voice. "We should be arriving at our destination within ninety minutes. In the meantime, I'll brief everyone on the mission. We will be landing on a plateau approximately two miles south-southeast of Scobey, Montana, not far from the Canadian border. The plateau is also one mile south of a fortified compound of a neo-Nazi group calling itself the Aryan Brotherhood. Their strength is estimated at 200 men, but they may have experienced losses in the last day."

"Are we going to attack the bastards from the air?" asked Julie.

"Hardly, ma'am. Our plans are more subtle than that. The plateau gives a good vantage point on the compound and its approaches, and we'll be able to observe it with our binoculars and, in Airman Osbourne's case, through a rifle scope. He's a good enough sniper that he can hit a target at that range, though we hope it won't prove necessary. I'd like to keep fighting at a minimum. We cannot afford casualties. We are a small force on a very specific mission.

"Our ETA at the plateau is 0845 hours. The helicopter will land long enough to let us off with our equipment, and it will then return to base. It will fly back to the plateau at 1800 hours to pick us up. If we fail to make the rendezvous, it will make one final attempt to retrieve us, at 0600 hours tomorrow. If we are not there, we will be presumed missing in action. Once on the plateau, we are to establish a camp and monitor the approaches to the compound for any sign of the men known as Deadeye and Nitro and their captive, Lara Voronova. They were last seen in a white panel van. We expect them to try to reach the compound, and we are to intercept them before they gain entrance. At least one of the two men must be captured alive. They have intel that is vital to base security. If possible, we are to liberate Ms. Voronova and bring her back to base as well. It's possible that she has important intel as well."

"Well, we ain't short of objectives, that's for sure," said Dauterive, scratching his chin and grinning ruefully. "Ladies, welcome to the front line. Watch out for bullets, snakes, and dead guys. It is time to earn our paychecks."

Dauterive checked his weapons; first the guns and then his fists. Both seemed fine. He chewed ferociously and grinned over at the ladies. It was probably meant to be reassuring.

"We be paid?" asked Katarina. The thought seemed so ludicrous to her that she burst into a cute, if loud, hysterical bout of laughter that only lasts about 2 - 3 seconds. "Good. I want iPod 2. Oh ... no ... no ... X-Box 360. No! Massage chair. Need to go mall after this."

In the helicopter-
Major Harris chuckled a little, letting his mask of professionalism slip. "Ms. Iliescu, if you want cash, we'll be glad to give you some if we survive this," he said. "You'll have more than earned it. Of course, it won't do you any good any time soon, if ever. Under the current emergency, money isn't worth the paper it's printed on any more. Only things of real value will be traded until we can set things to rights. If you want all of those things, I expect you could just walk into a mall and take them. The only people there would be the infected, though they may present a problem. Now, we're going to need to know whatever you can tell us about our quarry. What do you know about Nitro and Deadeye? And what can you tell us about your friend Lara?"

Dauterive waited for an answer to the Major's question but when none was forthcoming, he started to make himself comfortable for a 90 minute snooze.

"I guess all I need to know about Nitro and Deadeye," he drawled, "is whether they bleed."

Katarina just stared at her hands, allowing the gap to grow longer before finally gathering up her strength to speak about them. "Nitro know bombs. He called Helmut Krieger. Deadeye is sharpshooter who real name is Bobby Lee Duke. Nitro is huge man, bigger than you, he smart and cruel but bit mad even before now. Deadeye is big, not nearly as big but big, very quick. Nitro was worse with us. He like to hurt people."

She wrings the handkerchief in her hands, staring downcast, tears bubbling in the corners of her eyes.

"Lara is my good friend. We speak Russian. We could talk ... skinheads couldn't know what we say. Lara is, how you say, studies ruins and old vase. She come to America to be bride but not know husband. She very pretty, small girl, blonde girl, very smart, very fast, but not cope well and her mind not strong to last much, maybe, if she still with them."

Larry watched the Russian girl speak.

"Sweetheart," he drawled. "I ain't never seen a man big enough that a bullet won't stop him. You stop your worrying now. This isn't some piss-ant Russian outfit going to rescue your girl. This is the U.S. military. If we say we're getting her back, and we're taking down the bad guys, then it's time for them to make their peace. You get some rest. When you wake up, you're gonna see some good old fashioned retribution."

OOC,While [b]Katarina[/b] can speak Russian, she's actually Romanian - though [b]Dauterive[/b] might not realize this.

In the helicopter-
"If Lara's as plucky as you, maybe she did already get away from them," Catherine told Katarina. "I sure hope so."

"Do remember that we need one of these two alive," Major Harris said. "Ms. Saint James, do you have anything to add?"

"I didn't know those two well or for long - thank God," said Julie. "They're scum, they're brutal, and they're tricky. If you do manage to capture them, don't take your eyes off them for a second or let your guard down. They got the drop on me. I don't even want to think about what they would have done to me if my partner Dan hadn't shown up and rescued me." She shuddered, reliving the terror. "Both Nitro and Deadeye were wounded, and we managed to capture them both alive after Dan shot one and Zoe stabbed the other. Dan went to go take a look out back, leaving me and the girls they had abducted with them. That's when Zoe and Lara decided to kill them both. I can't blame them, really, but it backfired horribly. Zoe held me at gunpoint and made me drop my pistol, and then Lara went up to Deadeye and taunted him, sticking her gun in his mouth. He managed to grab it away from her and then took her hostage, but luckily Zoe gave me her own pistol before Nitro could grab me too. The two of them dragged Lara away. If we do capture one of them alive and save Lara, we may have our hands full keeping her from killing him. If she gets another chance, I don't think she'll hesitate."

Major Harris nodded. "Thank you, ma'am. Does anyone have any questions?"

Larry shook his head.

"Now, y'see," he said, chewing gum as he spoke. "That's the problem with all you civilians. Too much time pointing guns, not enough time shooting 'em. I tell ya, these guys ain't getting the drop on me. One sign of trouble, and they're out cold."

Dauterive mimed smacking someone around the head with his pistol.

"Questions Major? No, sir. I'm just itching to get this bird on the ground and start righting some wrongs."

Katarina smiles at the piss-ant Russian comment. She never liked that country much.

In the helicopter-
"What nonlethal combat options do we have?" asked Julie. "We're armed to the teeth, but most of what we have is deadly."

"In addition to being an excellent sniper," said Major Harris, "AIrman Osbourne is very good with grenades. He has a tear gas grenade and a smoke grenade. All he needs to do is spot the enemy - and he's great at that too - and get close enough."

"Thank you, sir," said Kevin.

"What if that doesn't work?" asked Julie.

"Then we'll need to rely on hand to hand combat," said the major. "Some of our volunteers are MPs and orderlies from the quarantine clinic, armed with batons and also skilled at unarmed combat. Once we subdue one or both of our targets, Airman Winters can keep them sedated."

"Wait," says Dauterive. "It's just the two targets we have to capture alive right? The other guys are fair game no? I'm not keen on running into this base throwing stink bombs and harsh language around while there are bullets flying back at us."

In the helicopter-
"The other guys are fair game if we have to engage them, Sergeant," said Major Harris. "I'm hoping we don't have to, though. From the intel we have, we'll almost certainly be greatly outnumbered. If we need to enter their base, we won't be storming it, we'll be infiltrating by stealth."

"Stealth suits me just fine, Major," says Dauterive. "Just so long as we've got a backup plan and some tools if it goes wrong."

He looks out of the chopper to see if they are approaching their target.

"How will we do that? Hide in stealth?" asked Katarina.

In the helicopter-
Larry looked out the window, but he couldn't tell much from the ground passing by below. However, a glance at his watch told him that they hadn't been in the air anywhere near long enough to be arriving at their destination.

"Well, ma'am," replied Major Harris to Katarina, "there are a few different ways. One possibility is to approach under cover of darkness and sneak into their compound, but that would involve waiting until night. Most of us with military training know how to do that fairly well, though I'm not personally skilled in that area. We wouldn't all be going in if that happened, only a small team. Another possibility is to get our hands on some of their uniforms and disguise some of our men, shaving their heads to blend in. How we approach will depend on the situation on the ground. We'll know more when we get there and have a chance to look around."

OOC,I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated this thread. The helicopter flight won't have to go on for too much longer in real time. I need to wait for the other Sword threads to catch up to your arrival time so that they're all in sync and I know what the situation is then, but it shouldn't be long.

"How you sneak with helicopter?" Katarina asked in wonder.

Show,having flashbacks to my brief run with a helicopter pilot.

In the helicopter-
"We don't," said Major Harris. "We'll be landing a ways from the compound, and then we'll operate on the ground. There's a chance they'll see it arrive and then take off again after it lets us out, but that's a risk we'll have to take. Stealth helicopters do exist, but they're made to be invisible to radar. They can still be spotted visually. This isn't one of those anyway."

"What if zombie come? We got quiet guns?" asked Katarina hesitantly.

Larry laughs. "Zombies and fascists; ain't that the perfect mix for the perfect night? Let's worry about the dead guys if they turn up sweetheart. If they do, like as not, they're going to attack the rednecks as well and those guys won't worry about silenced weapons. Might even be that the zombies would be a good cover for us."

Larry smiles reassuringly, and picks his nails with a massive serrated edge Bowie knife. The effect is not as reassuring as he might have hoped.

In the helicopter-
"We did not have suppressors available for our weapons, unfortunately," said Major Harris. "However, most members of this strike force are skilled in hand to hand combat and capable of moving with great stealth."

"My bow and arrows are silent," pointed out Julie, "and I know how to use them well. I can also sneak around, but I'm not as good at it."

"What I do if I attacked?" asked Katarina, frowning.

In the helicopter-
"You rely on us for protection," said Harris. "We don't intend to let you get in harm's way, but we can't control everything that happens out there. You can fight back if you want, but nobody will blame you if you stay behind us. If it's the infected, the best way to kill them is to shoot or stab them in the head. If it's skinheads, that'll work on them too, but you can hit them pretty much anywhere, and grenades can be effective too, though they don't work so well against the infected. They can take out their legs and slow them down, however. If we need to keep quiet, use your knife. Remember that we need at least one of the two guys we're looking for alive. I know that you probably want to kill them after what they've done, but consider that what's in store for them will be worse than killing them. Death's too good for them anyway. And you need to keep yourself alive. Don't try to be a hero; that's our job."

"I no hero," says Katarina quietly. "I survivor."

"Same difference. sweetheart," says Larry. "Same difference. Just stay close and stay alive. This will all be over in no time."

Katarina smiles shyly. If she were such a survivor, she wouldn't be here on a helicopter flying out to her doom in order to save someone who may already be dead. "What we do after? I not get a chance to celebrate yet."

In the helicopter-
"Latest word is that there's going to be some kind of shindig at the base tonight," said Major Harris. "Of course, they'll probably quarantine us once we get back, just to be safe. Still, no reason we can't have a party in quarantine."

OOC,I'm getting close to the point where I'll be able to have you arrive. Both of you, please let me know when you're ready for me to move on.

Katarina sucked in her lips and waited for their arrival.

Show,Ready when you are for Katarina's impending Fate-Worse-Than-Death.

Kevin taps his foot anxiously as the adrenaline pumps through him, he can feel that they are close. He double checks his weapons and optics and looks at the civilians wondering if they will end up being a liability...

In the helicopter-
The rest of the flight proceeded in silence. Well over an hour later, the pilot announced: "We're over the LZ now. Strap yourselves in while I set her down."

OOC,Everyone, please roll Spot Hidden. The base skill is 25%.

Kevin scans the ground as they prepare to land. His highly trained eyesight notices something.

{Spot Hidden},{[url]http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3590428/[/url]

Airman Kevin Osbourne,As the chopper descended, [b]Kevin[/b] caught a glimpse of a fortified collection of buildings through the window. It was located about a mile north of the LZ, and its location and description matched the compound about which they had been briefed. He couldn't see any unusual activity there, however.

OOC,I forgot to mention that those of you wearing helmets get a -5 penalty to this roll. That roll still succeeds, however.

"Major Harris, I have eyes on the compound but no unusual activity that I can see"

In the helicopter-
Major Harris nodded. "Thank you, Osbourne," he said.

Once everyone had gotten strapped in, the pilot set the helicopter down on a plateau about a mile south of the compound. It was a rough landing, however.

"All right, we're here," said the major. "Everyone out and get set up."

"We'd better check out the chopper for damage before we try to take off," said the pilot. "Just to be safe." Lt. Rebecca Doolittle, the co-pilot, groaned, but she unstrapped herself nonetheless.

Katarina is shaking like a leaf as she gets timidly out of the helicopter.

Kevin gets out of the helicopter and drops down in a prone position and starts scanning for enemies.

On the plateau-
One by one, the members of Strike Force Alpha and the civilians who were along with them got out of the helicoper. So did the pilot and co-pilot after they shut down the engine. They began looking over the craft as the rotors gradually wound down.

"Let's see if we can get eyes on the compound," said Major Harris, nodding when he saw Kevin setting up and looking through his scope. "It's about a mile to the north."

OOC,Everyone, please roll Spot Hidden.

Katarina istoo nervous to spot anything.

On the plateau-
Kevin peered towards the compound through the scope. "I see movement, sir," he reported. "There's dozens of the guys in the compound, in some sort of paramilitary uniforms. Shaven heads. All of them armed. Looks like a lot of them have AK-47s, and I see some grenades too. No sign of any women. There are vehicles parked there, gray in color. I see a couple of pickup trucks and a panel van. Looks like they've spotted us too. I see a couple of them pointing in this direction."

"We should go back in chopper, come back later," said Katarina hastily. She looked over at the helicopter. "There minigun on it?" she asked hopefully.

On the plateau-
"There are machine guns, ma'am," said Major Harris, "but if we pull out now, we're talking hours of delay getting back to base, refueling, and coming back here. There's a good chance we'd be too late to catch our targets and help your friend Lara. Plus, it looks like we've already alerted them. They'll be watching more carefully from now on."

Lt. Rebecca Doolittle examined the helicopter. "We shouldn't take off yet anyway," she said. "I can't tell how much damage there is from the landing. I wish I could say otherwise. I don't want to stick around any longer than I have to."

"Let me take a look, ma'am," said Gary Simpson, heading over to join Rebecca. He leaned over her shoulder and poked around inside the engine. He shook his head. "I wouldn't try to take off on this if I were you. Damned if I can fix it."

"What?" said Technical Sergeant Jessica Valdez. "Move aside, Airman, let me see." She took one look and frowned. "I'm not even touching it. I'd probably only make it worse."

"If you'll allow me," said Julie. "I've never worked on aircraft before, but engines are engines, and I know a bit about them." Major Harris nodded, and she examined it. "I'd better not after all."

Jessica motioned for Marcus to come over, but he knew just enough to know he shouldn't tinker with it.

"Sir, I'm not a bad mechanic," said Kevin.

"No, I need you on watch," replied Major Harris. "Keep an eye on the compound and report anything unusual."

"Yes, sir. The guys who pointed our way are going over to a building and talking to two more guys outside it. They've got M16s. Now they're going inside, and the guys who told them are splitting up and heading to other parts of the compound."

Julie shivered. "You mean we're going to be stuck here?" she asked.

"Maybe we should just risk it and take off anyway," said Rebecca.

"No," said Major Harris. "There's barely enough fuel to get back to base. If there's a leak, or if anything goes wrong, you'll never make it back. We've lost too many choppers yesterday, and we can't afford to lose this one too."

"I'll take care of it," said Catherine confidently. She looked at the engine. "Yeah, there's some damage, all right. I can fix it, but it'll take me a couple hours."

"A couple hours?!" said Julie. "I don't think we'll have that long!"

"Relax, ma'am," said Major Harris. "We're more than capable of holding this position."

Katarina sniffs nervously.

Kevin draws his scope down looking for any sign of the nazi pair and the girl.

On the plateau-
"Don't worry," Catherine said to Katarina as she started working on the engine, "I'll protect you."

"Look on the bright side," said Major Harris. "If we find and retrieve our targets within the next couple of hours, we won't have to wait here until evening when the chopper returns."

Kevin continued to observe through his scope.

Kevin Osbourne,After a few minutes, [b]Kevin[/b] saw the two men come back out of the building. Accompanying them were another man in a similar uniform with a woman on his arm. This man had on a cap and carried no rifle, but there were a pistol and a sword on his belt. Everything about his bearing screamed officer. The woman was very pretty, with dark hair, and in her twenties. She wore a short black skirt and a white blouse. He couldn't make out more details from this distance. This was the only woman he had seen in the entire compound the whole time he had been watching.

Major Harris, I've got what looks to be some sort of officer in the compound with a girl. He has a pistol and a sword but no rifle and she has dark hair with a white shirt and black skirt. She appears to be hot and in her twenties. She is the only female I have seen int he compound so far.

Katarina shudders at the reference to a woman in the compound being 'hot'.

On the plateau-
"Keep your eyes on that officer, Osbourne," said the major. "I know you can't hear what he's saying and you probably can't read his lips from here, but try to suss out what he's doing and what he commands others to do." He shifted his attention to Julie and Katarina. "His description of the girl match your friend Lara Voronova?"

"Dammit!" moaned Catherine, tinkering with the engine. "The landing was rough, but it shouldn't have caused this much damge. You guys must have screwed it up when you were trying to fix it."

Kevin Osbourne,[b]Kevin[/b] saw the officer speak briefly with the men who had initially approached the building after they exchanged salutes. He glanced over in the plateau's direction, seeming to look right at him. Then he said something to the men, took the young woman's arm, and walked her over to a gray pickup truck parked outside the building, followed by the two men with M16s who had originally been standing guard outside it. The officer opened the driver's door and helped the lady inside, where she slid over to the middle seat. He got behind the wheel while one of the riflemen opened the passenger door and climbed into the shotgun seat. The other one got into the pickup's bed.

Major, The officer, the girl and two henchman with m-16's are on the move. They are getting in a grey truck right now.

"No, that not sound like Lara," said Katarina.

On the plateau-
"Well, if it's not Lara," said Major Harris, "there's nothing we can do about her."

"You mean you'll just leave that girl in there?" asked Julie.

"We're a small team, ma'am. We're not equipped to take on a hundred or more heavily armed guys. Besides, for all we know, she could be there of her own free will."

"For all we know, she isn't!"

"It's not within our mission parameters. If it were Lara, maybe we could find a way to rescue her through stealth. It would be highly risky, but we'd do what we could. Since it's not, there's nothing to gain." He turned to Kevin. "Let's see where they go."

Julie looked away in disgust.

Kevin Osbourne,The pickup truck moved south, in the direction of the plateau, and stopped in front of a gate in the compound's perimeter fence. Guard towers flanked the gate on either side. [spoiler][b]Kevin[/b], please roll Spot Hidden. Your helmet gives you a -5 penalty.[/spoiler]

"They treat white American women well," said Katarina with a sad little shrug. "It is possible. You need be careful."

Major, the grey truck is leaving through the gate in our direction. There are guard towers on either side of the gate and there's something else as well...

"Something else?" asks Katarina in a small voice.

On the plateau-
"Keep the officer in your sights, Osbourne," said the major. "Don't fire without my authorization, though. Rourke, keep working on the chopper." He glanced at Katarina and Julie. "You two better stay near her, just in case. The rest of you, set up a defensive perimeter."

"Sir, we may be able to keep things peaceful," said Staff Sergeant Larry Dauterive. "We should try to negotiate with these guys. We don't want to start a war in our current situation."

"Yes, Sergeant, I'm well aware of that."

OOC,The roll failed. You don't see anything else.

Kevin Osbourne,A couple of uniformed guards inside the gate opened it up, and the truck rolled through and continued heading south towards the plateau. The guards shut the gate after the vehicle left.

Major, the grey truck is leaving through the gate and is on it's way in our direction.

Katarina itches at the thought of being re-captured -- her hatred clashing against her growing cravings. How long since they had forced those drugs on her? She was going into Withdrawals. All the panic and confusion had pushed it from her mind but being here right now is making it all come flooding to the fore. "I find place to hide," she says, quickly finding a suitable spot.

On the plateau-
"Get me a bullhorn!" barked Major Harris.

"We don't have one, sir," said Lt. Rebecca Doolittle, "but you can use the chopper's loudspeaker. I'll get it set up for you."

"Good enough." The major followed her into the helicopter cockpit.

Katarina took cover behind the helicopter, where Catherine was working on the engine. Julie joined them there, but she kept peeking out and giving her position away.

Soon the gray pickup truck got close enough to the plateau that everyone could see it. It started rolling around the edge of the plateau at the base of the cliff, towards a slope on the right side that would allow it to eventually reach the top.

Kevin's trigger finger was itching, Major, let me know when I can fire sir.

On the plateau-
"Hold your fire, Osbourne," replied Major Harris tersely. "Do not fire without my express order unless fired upon."

The rest of Strike Force Alpha took up defensive positions with their weapons ready. As the truck started up the slope, the plateau blocked Kevin's view of it. It did not become visible again until it crested the lip of the plateau. The vehicle was a Ford pickup truck painted steel gray with swastika emblems on it. It looked like it nothing so much as a historically inaccurate German vehicle in a World War Two movie. It contained three shaven-headed men in militaristic uniforms. One was in the bed of the truck with an M16. The one in the shotgun seat also held an M16. There was a young woman with black hair seated in the middle seat.

"This is the Major Nelson Harris of the United States Air Force," came an amplified voice from the helicopter's loudspeaker. "Do not approach any closer!"

The driver stopped the truck and got out. He had a cavalry saber and a pistol on his belt. "I'm Lieutenant Joshua Stuart of the Aryan Brotherhood Armed Forces," he said. "This area is under our protection. What are you doing here?"

Kevin watches the armed men closely through his scope waiting for one to make a wrong move.

Kevin watches the armed men closely through his scope waiting for one to make a wrong move.

On the plateau-
"That information is classified," replied Major Harris through the loudspeaker. "This is public land, and we have every right to be here."

"As do we," said Joshua. "We should work together to increase our chances for survival. Do you know anything about what's been happening in the last day?"

"No more than you. Have you received any new arrivals since the recent events started?"

"Only Tricia here." He motioned back to the woman in the pickup truck. Then he looked around at the armed people, including Kevin, who were watching them. "I'd advise you and your troops not to take any rash actions. If anything happens to me and mine, it will mean war, and you're not prepared for one. You aren't the only one with a sniper."

On the plateau-
"How do we know you're not bluffing?" replied Major Harris. "We haven't seen any sniper."

"No, and he wouldn't be much good if you had," said Joshua. "He's there. If you decide to call by firing the first shot, he'll fire the second - and it will be lethal. Having trouble with your bird, Major?"

"That's none of your business."

"Come on, I saw someone back there working on the engine - not to mention those other lovely ladies. Tell them not to be so shy. They should come out where we can see them."

"Sir," said Staff Sergeant Larry Dauterive, "let me talk to this guy. I think I can make some headway."

On the plateau-
"Go ahead," said Major Harris.

Dauterive approached Joshua with his arms raised, empty palms outward. "I just want to talk," he said loudly with a Louisiana drawl. When he was next to Joshua, he lowered his voice, and they conversed quietly.

OOC,Everyone, please roll Listen. If you're wearing a helmet, there is a -5 penalty.

On the plateau-
Katarina was able to hear some of what Dauterive and Stuart were discussing. Airman Osbourne was too focused on watching the strangers to pay attention to what anyone was saying.

Catherine Rourke and Katarina Iliescu,"My name is [b]Staff Sergeant Larry Dauterive[/b], sir," whispered [b]Dauterive[/b]. "I share your views about the inferior races." "How do I know you're not just saying that?" asked [b]Joshua[/b]. "You don't, but it's the truth, sir. I'm not the only one, either...is one of us too, and there are more back at our base." "Okay, I believe you." "I have a proposal for you." "I'm listening." "You're right, the chopper is damaged, but it can be fixed...In the meantime, this unit...There's a window...If you can..." "Hmm." [b]Joshua[/b] stroked his chin. "That could result in casualties." "It might, but if they have any sense...If not, you've got...shift the odds. They're not all...Two of those..." "Why should we take the risk?" "This force is here on a mission that's...They think a couple...are on their way to...or that they've already done it. If we...before they have a chance to...they'll just be...We've lost a number...and we can't afford to. This is already the edge of...And the potential benefits...I don't know if you noticed, but..." "Oh, I noticed, but [b]Tricia[/b] is the only girl..." He smiled at her, and she smiled back. "Yeah, but I bet the other guys you're with..." "Oh, yeah," said [b]Ralph[/b], licking his lips. "I'd love to...Especially that redhead. I never seen anyone that gorgeous." "She'd be the general's type," said [b]Joshua[/b], "and he'd...But I still don't know about this." "You'd also..." said [b]Larry[/b]. "All you gotta do is...back down, withdraw to your compound...But you'd have to do it quick." [b]Joshua[/b] smiled. "I like the way you think. With luck, we can do this without firing a shot." A chill ran down [b]Katarina[/b]'s spine. At least one of the men had apparently seen her and was eyeing her.

Joshua raised his voice. "Okay, we're leaving!" he announced. "If you leave us alone, we'll leave you alone."

"Agreed," said Major Harris from inside the helicopter.

Stuart got back into the pickup truck while Kevin tracked him through his rifle's scope. Then he kept it under observation as much as possible as it turned around and headed back down the trail to the base of the plateau.

On the plateau-
Major Harris emerged from the chopper and called Dauterive over. "How did you pull that off?" he asked.

"I just convinced him we're all in this together, sir," he said. "It took some doing, but he saw it wasn't in his interest to start an unnecessary firefight."

"Well, good job, Sergeant. I'm putting you in for a commendation when we get back to base."

"Thank you, sir."

"You'll probably get a promotion too - especially considering the casualties we've taken in the last 24 hours."

Behind the helicopter, Catherine continued working on the repairs to the helicopter's engine. Julie hugged Katarina. "Oh, thank God that's over!" she exclaimed. "I thought we were all doomed."

We may yet be, Katarina couldn't help thinking.

"Sir, the vehicle has returned to the compound," reported Airman Kevin Osbourne. "They're letting it through the gate, and it's heading for a big building in the center."

Major Harris nodded. "Probably their command center. They're going to report back to their leader."

"They're getting out of the vehicle and entering the building now."

"Keep your eyes open. Don't forget to look at the surrounding terrain too. We don't want any surprises coming at us from another direction while we're looking north."

"Yes, sir."

OOC,Everyone, please roll Spot Hidden. If you're wearing a helmet, there is a -5 penalty.

Katarina almost tripped in her eagerness to reach the Major's side. "Sir? Sir? I ... sir, but I need to speak to you please for a moment alone. Please ... come here." Her voice strained around the word please. She sounds close to tears. "Sir.... There's something you don't know."

On the plateau-
Major Harris walked over to Katarina. "Yes, ma'am, what is it?" he asked.

OOC,[b]Katarina[/b], please don't forget to make that Spot Hidden roll, with the -5 penalty from your helmet.

Katarina is too distracted to see anything. "Dauterive lied," she said in a stage whisper, too upset to really try to couple quietness with her urgency. "He make plans with skinhead, say he like them, say that we weak and easy taken down, talk of take down this unit as there a window while chopper is damaged, and man wonder if might cause casualties and he say that they could shift odds in they favour and we won't fight and he mention who we looking for and there no reason to do that but to hurt us. It wasn't just him lying to make them believe him because why mention who we looking for? He offer me and Tricia to sweeten deal and he tell them how to make plan to do it and they withdraw then he mumble and I can't hear but how if they lucky they won't need fire a shot." She squares her shoulders and takes out her M9 9mm automatic. "I not be sweetener!"

On the plateau-
"Are you sure you heard right?" asked Major Nelson. "I haven't noticed anything odd about his behavior."

"I couldn't hear a thing," said Julie. "The noise of the repair work was too loud."

"I heard snatches of it too, sir," said Catherine Rourke. "Don't worry, Katarina, we won't let anything happen to you."

"All right, everyone stay calm," said the major. "I believe you. I'll place Dauterive under arrest right now and prepare our defenses. What's the ETA on the repairs?"

"At least another hour, sir."

"Maybe we should run?" asked Katarina.

On the plateau-
"No, that would mean abandoning both the mission and the helicopter," said the major. "We'd be stranded hundreds of miles from safety, and the base would lose yet another helicopter. We've already lost too many in the last day, and we can't afford to lose this one. If we don't return with it, no more will be sent out on anything but patrols around the base. It was difficult enough to convince the CO to authorize using this bird on our mission. Now that we've identified the traitor in our midst, we can neutralize him. After we've done that, we will be able to hold this position until the repairs are complete. We have the high ground."

On the plateau-
"We should kill him," said Katarina, a dark look in her eyes. "He will be trouble if he lives."

"We don't operate that way, ma'am," said the major. "Rourke, keep up the repairs. The sooner you finish, the sooner we have a way out. I'm tempted just to abort the whole mission at this point."

"But Lara..."

"I said I'm tempted to. I haven't made a decision yet. We'll see what the situation is when the chopper's operational. First things first." He drew his sidearm and walked out from behind the helicopter, Katarina and Julie following with pistols in their hands.

OOC,Everyone is moving to the thread linked below.

High Ground