Agent Carolina (topoftheboard) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2017-10-24 03:54:00 |
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Entry tags: | agent carolina |
Who: Agent Carolina
When: This morning
Where: Off the coast of Sudan, then an undisclosed hideout
What: Carolina’s mission goes full fubar and her squad is captured
Rating/Warnings: Mentions of violence, implied torture and death (faked and otherwise)
Status: Narrative, complete on posting!
“Hey, Church. ....Church? Hey! Major! Are you awake?! Carolina?!”
Carolina’s eyes snapped open. Her body tensed as her sleep-fogged mind raced to assess the situation. It was dark, but she could tell that there was someone right in front of her. Was it the enemy? A friendly? She was still wrapped up in her hammock, so any sudden movement would have to be planned. It took a moment for Lieutenant Jones’ face to come into focus, but when it did, she let out a long breath. “Jesus, Jones. Personal space.”
The man in question wisely stepped out of reach of the woman swinging in the hammock. “Sorry, sir.”
He didn’t sound sorry. Carolina glared as she ran a hand down her face to get rid of the rest of the cobwebs. A quick glance at her watch confirmed her suspicions. She had come off watch a mere hour ago and she was still due for another three hours of sleep. Dammit. Carefully, she slipped from the canvas to the floor. “We had better be under attack, or I swear to God you’re going to be spending the rest of the ride wishing you were a strap.”
To his credit, Jones barely winced. He had dealt with her for the last few months as one of her ‘students’, but on this mission he was supposed to be running point. “Benny and Jak missed their check in.”
That got her attention. Benny and Jak, two other ‘students’, were supposed to be topside on watch. If something had happened to them, then the hidden compartment the rest of their squad was in was about to be compromised. All thoughts of sleep and revenge vanished like morning mist in a desert. Carolina’s green eyes were sharp and alert as she began to check her weapons. “How long?”
“Two minutes.” Jones nodded to the door. “You’re the first one I woke up. Watch the door while I get the others.”
Carolina gave him a sharp, reprimanding look, but she held her tongue. Now was not the time to argue. Nodding, she settled the helmet on her head and headed toward the door. Within moments, she was joined by the rest of her squad. Somehow, the room was even more silent now than it had been when everyone had been asleep. Pressed against the door, they listened for the tell-tale sounds of someone getting closer to their position.
They didn’t have to wait long. The sound of boots on metal echoed through the hallway, followed by shouting. From the snippets of Arabic she could catch, it was obvious that the intruders were no mere pirates. Their cover had been blown.
“Shit.”
Carolina spared a moment to glare at the idiot who had spoken. One finger went to her lips. They were only going to get one shot at the element of surprise. Rifle at the ready, she nodded back at Jones. His mission, his call. The Lieutenant silently turned the knob, preparing to pull open the door. He nodded once, holding up three fingers. Then two. One…
________________________________________
[One week earlier…]
“What are the odds on Marine?”
Jak looked up from his notebook. “One to Four.”
Martinez balked before leaning forward across the table. “What the hell, man? Even Vegas gives better odds than that. What’s the point of even betting with those odds?”
Shrugging, Jak waved his pen in a circle. “Bragging rights. You pay to say you’re right.”
“That’s dumb. Losing is one thing, but losing even when you win is too much, bro.” Martinez crossed his arms. There was no way he was going to bet on something that wouldn’t even get him extra money for booze. He chewed on his lip, trying to think of something else. “What about cop?”
“Five to one, and before you ask, ex-cop is two to one.” Jak nodded at the others slowly filling the room. He was keeping an eye out for one in particular. So far, so good.
Martinez was far more interested in making money than in keeping watch. “FBI?” “Seven to one.” “School teacher?” “Twenty to one.” “IT guy?” “Fifty-seven to one.” Oh, that didn’t sound so bad to him. In fact, it might even be enough to get him a down payment on that car he’d been eyeing for months. Or a 4K tv at the very least. Martinez grinned a sly grin. He knew just what to bet on. “What about-”
“Girl? Yeah, that’s one to one odds. Sorry, man.” Jones clapped his shoulder and pulled up a chair.
“Dammit, man! I don’t even know whether to be mad that it’s already been done or to bet on it so that I can have another fantasy to dream about at night.” Martinez laughed, bumping fists with Benny.
“I guess that’s one reason why we don’t need to bet on why you’re not married, Martinez.” Carolina drawled as she emerged from the shadows. Immediately, five chairs went flying as the men stood up like kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar. “At ease, gentlemen. I’m not here as your teacher, today. We’ve got a mission.” She pulled out a chair at the table, but didn’t sit down. The other men relaxed only part of the way. Understandable, considering that they had just been caught gossiping about their superior officer’s married life. Especially one who could kick all of their asses before she’d had her morning coffee. Said coffee was currently resting on the shelf of the bookcase she had been leaning against, unnoticed, as everyone else had arrived.
“That’s right, ladies. This time Lieutenant Jones is going to run the show.” Their CO, General Hadley, closed the door behind him before handing out their briefing folders. “I understand you have contacts in Sudan?”
“Yeah- Ah, yes, sir.” Jones cleared his throat, looking up from the report they were all skimming. Hadley nodded and continued. “Good. You’re going to need them. Yesterday we got a report that one of our mobile bases was overrun. They’ve got hostages and we think they’re going to auction them off to the highest bidder sometime in the next two weeks.”
Benny raised his hand. “How do we know they’re still alive?” Hadley tapped the folder. “The spooks intercepted some chatter about buyers and pricing. So far the only thing we know is that the exchange is due to happen in Suakin. Specifically, their port. As you know, we can’t send you in via normal channels…”
Jones nodded, catching on. “...Which is where I come in. Got it, boss. I’ll reach out to a few people, see if they can get us on a cargo ship.” Hadley nodded. “Good man. Give me the details when you get them and I’ll get transport to the ship green lighted. I don’t need to emphasize that we don’t have much time, here. We need to get our people out and we need them out yesterday.”
“... Sir?” Carolina’s eyes hadn’t left the list of people stationed at the outpost. “We’re certain these are the people they’re holding hostage?” She looked up to see Hadley nodding, an understanding look on his face. So. He knew about her connection to the hostages. That was probably the real reason she wasn’t point for this operation. He couldn’t risk her taking this personally. Fine. If that was what he wanted, then she would play ball. Taking a breath, she closed the folder and looked at Jones. “Whatever you need from me, Lieutenant, you’ve got it.” Jones looked a little confused, but nodded in return.
Hadley looked around the table before straightening. “That’s all I have right now. We’ll brief you further once we have more information. I’m talking to the top brass in an hour, so expect to have wheels up sometime in the day or two, once Lieutenant Jones has made the necessary arrangements. Keep your phones on. Dismissed.”
The General left shortly after that, leaving the team to discuss the particulars amongst themselves. Jones looked both overwhelmed and excited. It wasn’t every day that one of Major Church’s ‘students’ got tapped to play quarterback over her. To him, it was just another test of his skills and connections. “My first real mission, guys. Guess I’d better not screw this one up.”
________________________________________
[Early this morning... Somewhere in the Arabian Sea…]
“I really screwed the pooch on this one, sir.” Jones winced, holding his side as he covered Jak moving positions.
Carolina didn’t even look back, eyes focused on the boxes in front of her as she tried to work out a plan. Splinters and lead rained down on them, courtesy of the enemy across the way. The boxes they were hiding behind were not going to hold for long. Muscle memory made sure her hands were steady as they switched out the clip on her rifle. “And I’ll be more than happy to yell at you later, Jones, but right now we need to focus on getting the hell out of here.”
”Alpha One, this is Alpha Five. We managed to get a hold of control.”
“Give me some good news, Alpha Five.” Carolina leaned over Jones to send a few bursts in the direction where she suspected they were trying to set up a sniper.
”They got a hold of the base in Turkey. Good news is, they’re coming to pick us up. Bad news is, we’re looking at half an hour till exville.”
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me!” Jones cried out in frustration. Beside him, Carolina couldn’t help the small smile that emerged. Jones reminded her a lot of her brother. Eyes too old for his face and a sense of humor that never failed to make her lips twitch upward. She missed her brother. If Wash were here…
Carolina shook her head. There was no use thinking about things that couldn’t happen. Right now, she had to focus on getting out of here alive. She flicked the safety off of her rifle. “Looks like we’re going to have to take them out on our own.”
Jones snorted. “Us versus twenty armed mercs? What do you think the odds on that’re going to be?”
”You’re looking at one to seven, at the very least. One to fifty if you include-... Shit.”
Squinting against the faint light, Carolina exchanged a look with Jones. “Shit isn’t what we want to hear right now, Alpha Five.”
”Sorry, boss, but you’re going to like this even less. Radar just picked up three more incoming boats. They’ll be here in fifteen and they don’t look like friendlies.”
Shit. Carolina looked at Jones and then down at his side. Taking out their current contingent they could manage. Taking out an additional sixty to two hundred guys? “Alpha Five, how long will it take you to prep the lifeboats?”
”Uh… five maybe? Ten, if we have to fight out way there.”
“Do it. Get yourselves out of there. That’s an order, Alpha Five.”
“Church-” Jones began, only to be cut off by the woman in question. “You’re hurt. I’m taking over point. Besides,” Carolina’s voice softened a bit. “Someone has to make sure they stay on task.” Mind made up, she began to take off her helmet and pack. “I’ll provide the distraction. You just make sure everyone’s on that boat.”
“Yeah, but- Wait, what the hell are you doing?” Jones’ voice started to crawl upward as his teacher and superior officer practically began stripping in front of him. Here. In the middle of a goddamn firefight. “Uh, Church? I don’t know if that’s the kind of distraction that’s going to work on these guys.”
Clad in black fatigues and boots, Carolina placed a hand on his shoulder. “Trust me. Men. Boat. Now. Copy?” She wished she had her armor. The armor from her Dreams, that was. Unfortunately, the government-issued armor, while extremely useful, would only hamper her movements.
The confusion on Jones’ face gave way to determination. “Copy. Give ‘em hell, boss.” He hissed as he forced himself to his feet, getting ready to move.
Carolina made sure her hair was firmly tied back. With any luck, the pirates wouldn’t even see her coming until it was too late. She nodded to Jones to give the signal. “See you on the other side, boys.”
_____________________________
[Three days ago]
“Wrong side, Montenegro.” Jones gestured to the row of pallets opposite the hammocks. “You’ve got third watch. You’ll get the hammocks tomorrow.”
“C’mon, Jones! You know how much I hate those things. They give me a crick in my back.” Montenegro complained, one hand on his back as he played up the imagined injury.
“Sorry, Princess.” Jones looked up briefly before focusing on the clipboard in front of him, trying to hide a smile. “Tell you what. You can arm wrestle for it. If you beat the person who has the top bunk, you can have your choice of hammocks for the rest of the mission.”
Imagined injury gone, Montenegro brightened. “Deal! C’mon, Benny. You and me!” He cracked his knuckles and hopped in place, getting his blood pumping in a show of strength.
“Not me, man. I’ve got the bottom hammock. It’s the only one long enough for me.” Benny raised his hands in surrender. He backed up so that the person placing a pillow on the top bunk could be seen. The slender figure had been easily hidden behind Benny’s 6’2” frame. Montenegro’s face went from smug to regret so fast you could almost feel the whiplash.
Carolina turned, one hand possessively on the top bunk. “Arm wrestling for bunks, huh? Sure. I’m game.”
“You know, I was just thinking that maybe the pallets’ll actually be good on my back this time.” Montenegro moved quickly over to one of the pallets and set down his bag. The memory of challenging the newest member and supposed leader of their squad nearly six months ago was still too fresh to want a rematch so soon.
“Suit yourself.” Carolina shrugged and hopped easily into the top hammock.
“Next time, Montenegro.” Jones clapped his shoulder before moving on. From his own pallet, Martinez scratched at his beard and looked consideringly at the top bunk and it’s occupant. “So Church, when are you going to put everyone out of their misery?”
Carolina didn’t open her eyes, but she also didn’t insult him by “Jak, what’s the pot up to?”
“Still shy of cutoff, boss.” Jak was a smart man. He had offered to cut her in from the start, so long as she held off answering until they had enough players to make a tidy profit. “Buuuuut I think these guys have earned a bit of a hint.”
“A hint, huh?” Carolina opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling of the small compartment that was to be their home away from home for the next week. These men were not the States, her old squad of Freelancers, but they had accepted her as family. A sister in arms. Perhaps she was getting soft, or maybe it was because she had been living with her brother in both blood and arms for the past year, but she supposed she could afford to be a little candid about herself.
“My first love was a Marine, but I didn’t marry him.” The memory of that time hurt less, now. It was more rose-colored. Nostalgic. God help her, she must actually be happy. “No, the man that I’m head over heels in love with, that finally got me to think that settling down might not be a bad thing is...” She trailed off and the entire room grew quiet as the squad waited with baited breaths. Even Jones had stopped looking at his checklist and was staring at the redhead. Could this be it? Could she finally be revealing the answer they’d all been waiting for?
“... A jedi.”
Five loud groans filled the dead air. “C’mon, boss. That’s C and U, even for you.” Martinez shook his head, laying back down and punching the thin fabric that passed for his pillow. “Wake me up when my shift starts.” The sounds of people adjusting and checking weapons and gear followed shortly after. Muffled silence had finally returned to the room when something occurred to Benny.
“So, who had the bet on fictional Disney character?”
____________________________________
[Present day. Sudan.]
“You know, I was beginning to think you didn’t exist.”
The room swam when Carolina tried to open her eyes. Blurred shapes greeted her efforts and she squinted in an attempt to focus them. Her arms and legs felt like hundred ton weights; impossible to move, even if she wasn’t tied to the chair. Her ears, however, seemed to work perfectly fine. Drugged, then. Quite heavily, if it was affecting her this much, even through her tolerance. She rolled her eyes up at the man who was talking.
“Imagine my surprise when one of my men reported that the infamous Red Devil had appeared once again. On a simple cargo ship! Did you know, nearly half of my men still refuse to enter the building - this building - because of you?” The man laughed incredulously, idly reaching for his hip flask. His voice was heavily accented, but it spoke of education. Culture. He had probably studied in the U.S. Carolina filed the information away for later. You never know what might end up being useful down the road.
Carolina ran her tongue over chapped lips. “That’s strange. I didn’t think smart people would want to join up with an idiot like you.” Her throat felt like sandpaper. How long had she been out? She remembered providing the distraction for her team. Killing the remaining pirates that had invaded the ship. Then came the explosion. Wait, explosion?
“Cheeky, as expected of a female with a bounty on her head. Women like you are my favorite ones to break. So proud. So strong. Before the end, I promise I will have you begging me to let you kill your men.” Carolina looked down, shoulders relaxing unconsciously through the chemicals in her blood. Her men were alive. If they were alive, they still had hope. People knew they were gone and would come looking.
The hope must have shone on her face, because the man laughed again. “Oh yes. They are alive. But according to your government, you and your men died in a tragic accident at sea.” Ah. Now the explosions made sense. Best way to hide the evidence of piracy was to put the crime scene at the bottom of the sea. Smart.
If the government bought the pirates’ story, then she would have to count on her brother’s melodramatic sense of paranoia to find them. Carolina closed her eyes, wishing she could will a message to her brother. Or to Kanan. Did the Force work that way for non-Jedi? When she opened them again, the room was clearer and the blurry lines of her captor’s face had narrowed considerably. She knew that face. He was on the most wanted wall in the main building at Pendleton. He was also looking at her with something akin to pity.
“No one is looking for you. Our sources say that your death certificates have already been signed and filed away. In fact, right now one of your precious clergyman is on his way to inform your next of kin of your untimely demise.” The man began calmly rolling up his sleeves. Now that the fog had cleared a bit, Carolina could see that he was leaning against a long table filled with various medical instruments. Torture instruments.
Carolina glared up at the shape of the man’s face. “Killing you will be a pleasure.”
The man gave her a withering smile. “I have injected you with truth serum. It will take a few minutes to circulate through your bloodstream. In the meantime, how about we find a baseline for your pain tolerance. Some people do not like getting their hands dirty with such work, but thankfully, I have no such limitations. ” He picked up the first tool from the table: a cloth wrap for brass knuckles.
“Shall we begin?”