From: timk@tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca (Tim Kuehn)
Subject: UN Patrol: "Hide 'n' Seek"
Organization: TDK Consulting Services
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 05:48:12 GMT


(A still-growing cast of characters follows this installment. 
 How so many folks got involved in such a little operation is 
 almost beyond me! TDK)

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Chris Brilson watched the last of the Black Tiger team made their way 
across the street to an alley near the NightSky when Mi Phong called 
his attention to a form moving in the vehicle.  Chris took a closer 
look and could clearly see that someone was stirring within the vehicle.

	"Grey Thunder Leader to Black Tiger Leader," said Chris.
	"The objective is not neutralized."

No sooner was Chris's transmission made when a dark, shadowy form emerged 
from the back windows of the smouldering Night Sky and darted into a 
nearby alley. With the subect out of line-of-sight, Chris took replayed 
a record from his standard personal video logging system.  When it showed 
the form emerging from the vehicle, he froze the display, zoomed in, and 
enhanced the picture.

What he was a man who had an uncanny resemblance in appearance to their 
quarry.

Except this man was pitch black.

				=== * * * ===

In Ocule, one of the techs reported:

	"Recalling the operative now."

Special counter-active chemicals were released into Carl Rudke's system. 
Methodically, system by system, he was retreived from his drug-and-computer 
induced rest period, designed to produce the equivalent of eight hours 
sleep in of one.

	"What's going on? Why did you wake me up prematurely?" asked
	 a still-groggy Rudke.

	"A situation's come up and we need your services now," said
	the commander.

	"You realize you're taking a big risk, pulling me out prematurely 
	like this?" asked Carl. "In my present state there's no guarantees 
	what I might do. Under section 3502 subpart D..."

	"I am fully aware of that section," interrupted the commander, 
	"and it's possibilities. I hereby take full responsibility for 
	any consequences."

	"3502D acknowledged," relied Carl a little less groggily. "Let's 
	hope this works out."

				=== * * * ===

Tiger Team - Grey Thunder:

	"Mi-Phong, do you recall any record of there being a chamelion 
	paint in existance?" asked Chris.

	"None, sir," answered Mi-Phong.

	"Strange," whispered Chris as he keyed into the command net.

	"Grey Thunder leader to Black Tiger leader."

	"Black Tiger Leader."

	"A subject has left the vehicle," said Chris.

	"Acknowledged, sir," replied Vladimir. "Black 4 tracked it. 
	He said it was the darkest black man he'd ever seen"

	"I think that was our target," said Chris.

	"Sir?" asked a puzzled Vladimir.

	"Send Black 2 to the vehicle and check it out," said Chris briskly.  
	"If the target isn't inside, he's somehow changed color and made 
	his way into the alley beyond your position. He may have some kind 
	of chamelion body-paint he's disguising his appearance with."

	"Acknowledged sir," replied Vladimir.  "Moving out now."

	"If this guy has developed a chamelion paint and we capture him 
	intact, it'll be worth some extra leave for the entire team," 
	said Chris as he re-interfaced with his intelligent binoculars. 

The light streak on Mi-Phong's face might have been a smile.

				=== * * * ===

	"Engaging with systems now," reported Carl.

Instantly status indicators on the monitoring consoles flashed to life
as Carl re-integrated himself into his wide array of monitoring systems.

	"Please give me the last known co-ordinates where the 
	subject vehicle was located," requested Carl.

	"Downloading now," replied a tech.

	"Hmmm..." mused Carl.

Almost immediately various displays began to flash at incredible speed as 
Carl searched through various system inside the city, initiating program
after program in a search for the inforation he was after. 

In one section of the Ocule bunker Dr. Marlin Sachs, a psychologist 
who specialized in neural/cybernetic interaction nervously watched the 
displays arrayed around him. He'd worked with Carl before, and knew his
history like the back of his hand. While Carl hadn't displayed the deadly 
symtoms of sleep-induction withdrawl (otherwise known as SIW) yet, he'd 
never seen anyone, even Carl, working at this level of intensely before 
either.

It was a receipe for disaster.

With a few mental commands, Marlin silently maneuvred around Carl's 
whirling thoughts looking for that one indication of SIW he prayed
he didn't find.

				=== * * * ===

	"Narrowing search pattern down," reported an Carl. 
	"Integrating and analyzing now."

				=== * * * ===

Black Tiger:

	"Black 2, prepare to move forward," said Vladimir

Immediately Shirley Wu moved in preperation to sneak towards the fitfully 
smouldering NightSky. After making sure the rest of his unit was in place, 
Vladimir gave the command:

	"Now."

Like a fluid shadow, Shirley darted from dark spot to inky blackness, 
taking advantage of every bit of cover available as she made her way to 
the smouldering vehicle. After checking to see if the coast was clear, 
she somersaulted out from  a doorway next to a crumpled door of the 
NightSky. After freezing and listening intently to make sure there wasn't 
any respose from the vehicle passengers, she reached inside her suit and 
pulled out the fiberscope. After attaching the device to her local 
interface, she pushed the head of the small device next to the driver's 
side window, then the passenger's compartment.

				=== * * * ===

Ocule Group:

	"I have isolated the area in question," reported Carl.  "No 
	vehicular movement indicated, however there are readings 
	indicative of a small fire in the area, probably from the 
	vehicle or other source. Acoustic and seismic sensors 
	indicate there is some form of stealth activity in the 
	area, possibly corresponding to attack by the enemy or 
	evasion of one or more friendlies. No energy or small-arms
	discharges detected." 

The commander intently asked:

	"Can you tell if they are alive?"

A brief pause, then:

	"Not certain at this time," said Carl. "They have not left 
	the area however.  I will provide more information when it 
	comes available."

And the intercome fell silent.
	
				=== * * * ===

Grey Thunder:

	"You are certain?" asked Chris.

	"Positive, sir," replied Vladimir. "Images relayed by Black 2 
	indicate that there are two people inside the vehicle passenger 
	compartment, niether of which match the target description."

	"He must've escaped down the alleyway," said Chris. "Proceed 
	with caution. There's no telling what else he has up his bag 
	of tricks. Capture him intact with that chamelion device intact
	and there may be extended leave in it for your team."

	"Yes, sir!" replied Vladimir.

				=== * * * ===

Vladimir keyed into his local command net.

	"Black Tiger to move forward," said Vladimir. "Black 2, take point.  
	Black 3 and 4, support. Black 1 will follow in reserve. If we get 
	this guy in one piece with his chamelion disguise intact, there's 
	extra leave in it for us."

	"Black 2."

	"Black 3."

	"Black 4."

	"Ok," said Vladimir, "move out."

Almost as one, four shadows detached themselves from their respective 
hiding places around the street and moved to front of the alleyway. Peter 
and Harvey moved to opposite sides of the mouth of the alley and took 
covering positions. When they were in place, Shirley moved up next to 
Peter, then slipped into the alleway behind some garbage cans, extended 
her fiberscope, and began scanning.

				=== * * * ===

The silence covering the UN Armed Forces base that night was broken by a
blaring of alarm klaxon. Instantly the heliborn platoon commander was at 
the communications console taking down his orders. Once he had validated 
the coded orders and put them into a pocket, he moved out into the assembly 
area and bawled to the scurrying soldiers:

    "YOU HEARD THE MAN, NOW LET'S MOVE IT OUT! TODAY, GENTLEMEN, TODAY!" 

On the helipad, a high-pitched whine built up as the engines of four 
assault/transport choppers revved up to speed. The pilots then engaged 
the rotor blades as heavily armed UN troopers climbed into the choppers' 
waiting bellys. Once he was sure they were all loaded, the platoon 
commander climed into his chopper, gave a curt order, and the platoon
lifted off in formation into the overcast night and raced toward the 
immobilized NightSky.

				=== * * * ===

In Ocule:
	"Helicopters have lifted off from the UN Armed Forces Base. 
	ETA five minutes," reported Carl.

	"Acoustic analysis suggests one of the forces are searching
	for some or thing."

				=== * * * ===

Dr. Sachs stopped near one area of Carl's lobes which seemed to show a 
bit of strain from the premature sleep withdrawl. With some computer-drug 
assistance, he smoothed the area back. As his worried senses watched, the 
area returned back to normal.

But the operation was just getting going, and Sachs knew there'd be a lot
more situations like it before the night was over.

Sachs resumed his patrol of Carl's mind.

				=== * * * ===

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The (still-growing) cast of characers I write for:

HQ: 					
---
Commander:					Triumverate

OCULE GROUP: 
------------
Matrix-Commando Operative: 			Carl "The Munchkin" Rudke
Commander:					(Un-named)
Remote Monitoring Officers:			Sharon Leacock, Argenton

Neural/Cybernetic Psychological Monitor:	Dr. Marlin Sachs
		
Chief, Photo-Interpretation:			Lieutenant Rich Harris
       Photo-Interpretation:			Nelms, Crofts, Francis 

SHIELD GROUP: 	
-------------
Commander:					Commander Sharon Eccles

Watch Officers: 				Seargent Henry Calder
						Seargent Paul Pryde

Combat Squadrons:				Orange, Blue, Green 


UNITED NATIONS:
---------------
UNIS-CICHQ (United Nations Internal Security-CinC)
HQ, Chief of Ops, Security: Brigadier-General Brian Haessler

WHITE ARROW: 
------------
Tiger Team 
	Grey Thunder:	1: Christopher Brilson (Leader)
			2: Mi Phong (Communications)

	Blue Fang:  	1: Paula Christie (one)
			2: Mark McKinley  (two)

	Red Ocean:	1: Sean Vandemark

	Black Tiger:	1: Vladimir Nerovski	(Squad Leader and Mage)
			2: Shirley Wu
			3: Peter Winonovitch
			4: Harvey Paulson

The above are are all mine. Touch them without my permission and you die. :-) 
At the very least do not use any of them without running it by me first for 
comment. 

Copyright 1992, Timothy D. Kuehn, All Rights Reserved.
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