Thread: A Survivor's Musings

- Queen of Diamonds - Venezuela, South America August 17th, 2011 The modified Humvee bottomed out after a particularly nasty pothole in the jungle road, spitting a plume of dirt, rocks, and mud in its wake. Shayne Wolfe almost bit off part of her tongue as her head snapped forward, one arm bracing against the seat of the driver while her other arm gripped the metal roll cage in a vice grip. Christ girl, slow down! She shouted, looking back at the metal crates that thankfully had been tied down tight enough that the frantic jostling of the Humvee had not disturbed it. Inside the crates were enough munitions and small arms to run a small army?precisely the reason why they had been transporting them. A few guerilla factions had offered a hefty sum for these weapons, and as long as they paid up, she didn??t care what they did with them. Common sense told her that they would stage another attempted coup on the government perhaps they would win this time, perhaps they??d lose. But if she made an honest buck off of the deal, she was fine with whatever outcome happened. She was pretty sure she wouldn??t be visiting again anytime soon. Well I??m fucking sorry, but if you hadn??t seen it necessary to piss off the entirety of the Venezuelan military , I wouldn??t have to drive so God damn fast! Nicole snapped back at her with a venomous tongue. Her partner had been driving like a madwoman, trying to ditch their pursuers ever since the two of them had ??liberated?? the weapons from a Venezuelan Supply Depot under the guise of two lost tourists. The Humvee hit another nasty bump, and Shayne almost cracked her head off the roof of the car. Damn it! She barked, grabbing her head. She twisted around and looked behind them. In the fading wake of scattered dust were five jeeps from the Venezuelan Army. Each was manned by three men. A driver, and two passengers, armed with pistols and Kalashnikov assault rifles. She thought she caught a glimpse of a troop transport, but she wasn??t sure. That would bring the total up to 27 soldiers, maybe a few more. ??Are there guns on this wagon?? Nicole looked at her as if she had grown another head for a moment, tearing her eyes away from the winding road before them to glance at the weapon crates. ??Ooh no!? Shayne retorted, ??We??re getting paid to deliver those weapons. We start shooting them off, we lose money.? She caught a microsecond glimpse of muzzle flashes from the lead jeep before the rearview mirror shattered, forcing her to duck in her seat. The unmistakable dakkadakkadakka ! of an AK-103 rattled behind them, and bullets pinged off the metal panels. Several rounds buried themselves into the bulletproof window with a spider web of cracks. ??Oh all right! But this is coming out of your half!? She shouted, twisting around and grabbing one of the weapons crates. She grabbed a pair of bolt cutters from the vehicle??s floor and snapped the lock. Flipping over the lid, she grabbed a Kalashnikov. Shayne inserted one of the 30-round ??banana?? magazines into the receiver and pulled back on the charging pin, feeding a fresh round into the breach. ??Hold this thing steady!? She yelled over to Nicole, climbing between the seats to stand in the back. Formerly, this space would have held a .50 caliber machine gun turret ?? a feature that would have come in handy right about now ?? but now stood as an empty hatch. She batted open the hatch and stood, branches whipping past her head. ??Steady!? Shayne raised the assault rifle, peering down the almost archaic iron sights, and pulled the trigger. The assault rifle was set onto fully automatic fire, and the recoil kicked into her shoulder like a mule, while the sound was nearly deafening. Sparks blossomed off the leading jeep, and she laced the front of the jeep with the entire magazine before she took her finger from the trigger. Steam hissed from the jeep??s punctured radiator, and the shattered windshield revealed the slumped corpses of the driver and passenger. The vehicle veered off the jungle road and ground into the embankment, flipping the jeep on its side. The other jeeps pulled back to a safer range. ??They know we bite now!? Shayne called down to Nicole. ??How much further?? ??We have to ditch our tail before we can return to the camp!? She shouted back, ??If there??s any sign of the military when we return, the deal??s off!? ??Then you??d better keep driving!? She yelled, watching as the much larger troop truck charged through the pack of vehicles and crushed the flipped jeep aside. The soldiers that stood in the back of the truck raised their rifles. ???DOWN!? Shayne screamed, pressing herself as low to the bottom of the truck as she could. The world sounded like it was being torn apart. The bulletproof windshield didn??t as much as shatter as it did crumble under the barrage of 7.62mm rounds. Sparks danced inside the vehicle as holes appeared as if by a magician??s hand. ??Nicole?? No answer. ??Nicole!? ??What!? Her voice finally screamed back. The back of her chair was cratered with pockmarks. She had armored the seat back just in case. It had paid off. She reached forward and shoved the destroyed windshield out of place it slid aside and half-hung over the side of the vehicle. ??I was just checking to see if you were still with me.? She said, looking up at the battered roof. Where she had been standing was now riddled with bullet holes. Shayne shook her head, looking down to the floor. She blinked, cocking her head before reaching down, her gloved hand closing over the head of a Russian-made RPG-7. Her hand slid down the length of the grenade, finding the launcher sitting nearby. She never recalled loading them onto the truck. But in the chaos she had been raising there, Nicole might have had the foresight to grab one. She grabbed it and inserted it into the launcher with a reassuring shunk . She pulled the pin at the end, and once again stood through the hatch. If the driver knew what she was holding, he made no effort to change course. She sighted the truck and fired, the rocket screeching away behind a trail of blue-gray smoke. After ten feet, the small rocket motor ignited, propelling the rocket the final length of its journey in an instant. At this range it would be impossible to miss. The troop transport violently disappeared underneath a yellow-orange fireball as the anti-armor rocket blasted the truck down onto its axles. Oily black smoke boiled into the sky, shrapnel soaring in all directions. The deafening blast echoed through the jungle behind them as the flaming hulk groaned to a stop, steaming in the mud. With the road blocked, the other jeeps would be unable to follow. For now, at least. Shayne dropped the smoking launcher to the floor, settling back into her respective seat. For a long moment, not a word passed between her and Nicole, the two of them just thankful to be alive for one moment longer. But as the adrenaline faded, emotions boiled up and broke the dam of silence, unleashing a torrent of words. ??What the fuck was that all about?!? Nicole cried, pounding her fist against the steering wheel so hard it nearly tore up her knuckles. Nicole didn??t lose her temper often, making it all the more surprising when she did. Shayne had found her working a dead-end job in a computer firm in LA, making just enough to keep her going, but nowhere near her level of skill. Plus, Shayne had to admit, the girl could drive. Add that to her brains and Shayne had found the perfect business partner. The two split their jobs 50-50, and things went from there. ??You just can??t make things simple, can you?!? Her sunglasses almost fell off her nose. ??It could have been a quick, in-and-out job, but no! You had to go and start shit! And this!? She swept her arm around the bullet-riddled cabin, ??Do you know how much this is going to cost to repair?!? Meanwhile, Shayne pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket and shook one out. She gently tapped the end against the metal frame of the cabin, and the Insta-Lite tip lit the cigarette for her. With a sigh, she took a long pull before exhaling the cloud of white smoke. The wind coming in from the open windshield blew it back against her face, but she didn??t bat an eye. It was always best in her opinion to let the girl blow herself out before speaking back. Nicole swallowed a few breaths of air to calm herself, easing her white-knuckle grip from the wheel. Shayne let out a soft grin, ??You finished?? She asked her, looking back to check on the cargo. Only one AK and an RPG fired. That wouldn??t hurt them too much. ??Look, don??t worry your pretty head over it, we??re alive, we didn??t lose too much, and we??re going to get a nice paycheck at the end of this.? Nicole said nothing, just letting out a dissatisfied sigh and planting her hands on the wheel, focusing on keeping the battered truck on the road. Shayne took a final drag on her cigarette and flicked it out the window. The sooner the job was done, the better. The guerilla camp was buried deep within the vast expanses of Venezuela??s jungles, with only a few hastily dug roads connecting it with the outside world. Because discovery was always an imminent threat, the base was always ready to be on the move within fifteen minutes. Even before the two reached the camp proper, they encountered two men manning .50 caliber machine gun nests, hidden within the thick vegetation. ??Parada!? One of the men shouted angrily, the two menacing gun barrels swiveling in their direction. Shayne had already had enough bullets shot at her today, and decided not to make any more trouble for her and Nicole. Within seconds, a man with an assault rifle was pulling the door open and grabbing her by the arm. Roughly, she was slammed against the side of the Humvee, watching as the same was done to Nicole on the other side. She felt the barrel of an M-16 being shoved painfully into the base of her spine, while the man shouted incoherently at her in Spanish. ??We??re here on business with Raul.? Shayne grunted. ??You can take it up with him, but if you don??t cut this shit out, you and your pal are going to be real sorry, real quick.? ??Usted! Llame Raul. Vea si esta ramera miente.? The man called to someone who had a radio. He kept the rifle barrel jabbed against her spine as his partner radioed in their arrival. While she couldn??t hear the exact words coming from the other end of the radio, she could imagine what they were from the way the soldier??s face sank. She heard him apologizing profusely, and she smiled grimly. ??Permtales ir!? He shouted, waving down the road, and the rifle was removed from her back. She glared at her former ??captor??, opening the door to the Humvee and climbing back in. She slammed the door closed behind her and looked over at Nicole. ??You alright?? She asked. Nicole said nothing, just staring straight ahead at the road, her hands gripped on the wheel. She maneuvered the vehicle down the road, past sandbag and barbed-wire fortifications, past more machine gun nests, before she drove right into the center of the camp, pulling to a stop and killing the engine. She opened the door and stepped out, leaving Shayne at a loss for words for once. Had she really angered Nicole that badly? She stepped out of the truck as well, looking around the rebel encampment. There were a few tanks lined up against the wall ?? older model AMX-30Vs, French tanks developed in the 1960s, and upgraded over the following decades. While no match for modern MBTs in terms of armor and firepower, the AMX 30 was faster and more maneuverable, which was exactly what these guerillas wanted. Rebels patrolled the compound with dogs, armed with pistols and assault rifles. If you made it here when you weren??t wanted, you would know it. ??Senora Wolfe!? A familiar voice called to her, and Shayne spun on her heels to face the man. Raul Guerrero did not look like someone you would expect to be running a guerrilla faction. With his short, portly build, thick mustache, and wide smile, he looked like someone who would be running a Spanish restaurant. But he had the eyes of a soldier, and the fact that he had led these troops this far was a testament to his military prowess. ??You got the weapons, si?? ??Yes Raul, two crates full of guns in the back. We got a few RPGs as well. We met some stiffer resistance than we thought though.? She jerked her thumb back towards the bullet-riddled vehicle behind her. ??Gracias, Shayne. I apologize for what those putas did to your truck, but I hope I can offer some consolation in the fact that the money has been transferred into the specified accounts.? He turned to a couple of the soldiers that were milling around and barked a few orders to them. They scurried over and began to unload the crates from the truck bed. Shayne smirked a little. ??That??s good news, Raul. We??re going to need to get out of Venezuela soon. I??m pretty sure news of our raid has spread all over by now, and I want to get out before they lock us down.? She said firmly, looking around for Nicole. ??The sooner we get out of here, the better for you as well.? She added, and Raul nodded. ??Si.? He said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a cigar. ??We can provide you with gas for your vehicle, but you will have to make your way to the airport by yourself.? He spoke, looking up at the setting sun. Shayne nodded. ??I understand, Raul.? She said. It was strictly business, as always. Raul ordered his troops to fill up the Humvee, and Shayne turned to find Nicole. She walked around the courtyard, finding her partner leaning against the flagpole, staring at the ground beneath her boots. Shayne stepped up to her and sighed. ??Raul??s going to fill up the truck, and then we??re going to book it to the airport before they lock down our flight?? ??I want out.? Nicole spoke sharply, locking her eyes with Shayne??s. She blinked, having never expected to hear that from Nicole. ??I??ll take my cut, and I??m done. I can??t do this anymore.? Shayne??s mind had gone blank, and the void was quickly replaced by the easiest emotion she could generate ?? aggression. ??And what are you going to do? Go back to that computer firm I found you working at?? She snapped at her. ??At least it??s better than nearly getting killed every other week!? Nicole shouted. Shayne reached out and pinned Nicole??s shoulders against the flagpole. ??It??s what you signed up for, wasn??t it? I told you this shit wasn??t going to be easy!? She shouted, drawing the attention of a few soldiers around the base. Nicole shoved her back, freeing herself momentarily. ??But you make it harder than it needs to be! We didn??t need to be shot at today, or last time, or the time before! But you go and start shit that comes down on us!? She yelled, stabbing at Shayne with her finger. ??Do you want to get killed? Is that it? Do you have no concern for your own life?!? ??Maybe I don??t!? She shouted, ??Maybe I don??t want to live the cushy life that you lived. I want the rush, I want the danger! Why else would I go to the ass ends of the earth doing things like this?!? She breathed heavily, glaring at her partner. Nicole stared back furiously, before finally giving up with a sigh. Her shoulders sank, and she shook her head. ??Fine. Whatever. Just?do it without me.? She said, walking back to the Humvee. Shayne watched her as she climbed into the vehicle. Shayne shook her head, walking over and climbing into the passenger seat without a word. The soldiers had also fastened a burlap covering over the rear of the truck to hide a majority of the bullet holes. Raul stood back, giving her a trusting nod, before turning back to his men. Nicole started the truck and headed out of the camp, driving down the bumpy jungle road without a word. The trip to the air base passed in silence, not a word was spoken between them. Thankfully, whatever damage had been done to the Humvee did not draw attention, but she knew that she had stirred up the hive. Military jeeps patrolled the roads furiously, and she saw a few Mi-35M2 attack helicopters searching the area from the skies. They reached the airport, handing over their papers to the guard at the tollbooth, who eyed the battered vehicle with suspicion. He allowed them to pass, and Nicole nodded, maneuvering the Humvee towards the rear of the C-130 ??Hercules? transport aircraft. With the U.S. Military mothballing an extensive amount of its military hardware, she had managed to buy one off at a far cheaper price than what it would have cost to service and maintain. Pulling up the ramp, Shayne set to strapping the vehicle down while Nicole moved to the cockpit. Shayne closed the ramp, before moving up to the cockpit as well. Desmond Wright looked up from the computer console set up in the cockpit, removing his headset. ??Jesus, what did you two do?? He asked incredulously, ??The radio chatter from the military has been crazy. They??ve got troop movements they??re scrambling fighters, armored columns up and rolling.? He shook his head, adjusting the glasses that slipped down his nose. ??We??d better get the hell out of here, and fast. The military just ordered the lockdown of all outboard flights, and this tub is no match for a fighter jet.? ??He??s right.? Shayne said, climbing into the copilot??s seat. Nicole had already strapped herself in, flipping through the pre-flight checklist. She still wasn??t speaking. Shayne shook her head, placing her own headset on and fastening her harness. The massive engines fired up with a deafening roar, and Shayne??s headset was suddenly flooded with voices from the control tower about her lack of clearance. ??Can you shut them up?? She asked Desmond, who quickly cut comms with the tower. ??That probably tipped them off.? He said, looking out the window at the line of vehicles that raced onto the tarmac, military jeeps among them. ??Definitely tipped them off. Let??s go!? The lumbering transport crawled out onto the tarmac. The vehicles pulled out of the way, their drivers smart enough to not play chicken with a 42 ton plane. Bullets pinged off the fuselage, but small arms would not penetrate the airplane??s thicker skin. The drone increased as Nicole maneuvered the aircraft onto a relatively open runway, cutting off a smaller plane. The plane rattled underneath them, as Shayne and Nicole worked the plane into the sky, lifting off just shy of the end of the runway. ??We??ve got inbound fighters ?? Su-30s. ETA?ten minutes.? Desmond warned. Shayne cursed softly, ignoring the burning glare that Nicole shot in her direction. SU-30??s, ??Flankers??, as designated by NATO, was a Russian-designed multi-role combat aircraft. One capable of flying circles around their slow transport before blowing it out of the sky. And there would be no way they would be out of Venezuelan airspace by the time those fighters showed up. There were no US military bases nearby either ?? although that was also the last place she wanted to land. ??Is there any way you can throw them off?? She asked Desmond, who frantically started hammering away at his keyboard. ??I don??t know?? He muttered, ??All we??ve got are some countermeasures, and those won??t last us for very long. What about the Stinger?? Shayne shook her head. ??No good. They??ve got us beaten in range by a good hundred miles. The Stinger??s only got a range of three.? She paused, ??We could just bail out. Tie the stick and have them chase a ghost plane.? She suggested. Nicole entered the conversation, ??And then what, walk through hundreds of miles of hostile jungle? I don??t think so.? She again turned her eyes to the controls, and then shoved the plane into a descent that made Shayne??s stomach fly to her throat. ??What in God??s name are you doing?? She yelped, grabbing for her own flight stick and trying to pull the plane back, but it was a fruitless battle. ??The mountains will interfere with their radar and slow them down.? She muttered, ??As it is, they??re probably going to try and force us to land rather than shoot us down directly.? Outside the cockpit, the jungle surged up towards them, and Nicole finally leveled the plane out. ??Once they close the distance, hit them with the Stinger.? They were still vulnerable, though. Shayne didn??t say anything for a moment. She didn??t like the idea, but she was sure Desmond and Nicole didn??t like it either. She unbuckled, standing from the seat and walking to the rear of the cockpit. ??We??re not going to lose anything back there, are we?? Story Gap Arizona, United States September 9th, 2011 The dry, arid expanse of Arizona desert did not seem like an inviting place to live, especially not in an old aircraft hanger, but Shayne had found having her own airfield to be an invaluable asset. She always had clearance, there was no traffic, and it made authorities less of a problem. Shayne wiped the sweat from her brow, looking at the repairs done to the Humvee. They had needed to replace nearly the entire frame, as well as the windows, taillights, and most of the interior. Nicole had been right, it wasn??t cheap, but they had earned more than enough for the repairs. Nicole had gone back to Los Angeles, and hadn??t contacted Shayne since. Desmond had gone to his apartment in New York. They all had lives outside of what they did, except for her. She had no home to return to, no comfy life outside of her killing and smuggling. And even if she did, she didn??t like being tied down like that. She needed to be up and moving. Shayne lit a cigarette, walking outside to stand in the blazing sun. There was emptiness around for countless miles. Civilization was just a ghost here. Taking a drag, she exhaled and headed towards the dilapidated-looking hangar. A closed-circuit security camera peered down at her from the man-sized access door. She stepped in and sighed in relief at the wash of cool air that rolled over her. While the outside looked worn-down, the interior had been turned into a high-tech living space. The metal skin of the hangar had been coated in insulation that kept the heat out and the cool in. The rear of the building sported a two-floor apartment, with kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living room, computer room, and armory. All that she really needed to live. Her boots slapped against the concrete floor, and she kicked them off as she entered her house. She took the stairs up to the kitchen, fishing around in the fridge to grab a cold beer and a sandwich. Shayne stepped into the living room and dropped down in the worn-out chair in front of the TV. The news had been the same as it had been for years. Oil prices at record highs, while the introduction of synthesized fuels were only starting to ease the strain. The Middle East was still recovering from the limited nuclear exchange. Russia was engaged in a civil war that threatened to spill out into other countries. All in all, the world was going to hell in a hand basket, and the only thing to do was get through it the best as you could. She cracked the beer open, taking a long, thankful sip before setting the can down. She hadn??t done a job in a few weeks, she needed to hunt down another driver, or find some way to get Nicole back. Had she known how difficult it would be, she would never have gotten in that argument with her in Venezuela. She regretted what she had done a million times over, but there was nothing she could do to change it now. She sighed, taking another drink from the can. Their first job had been a simple ??cargo?? exchange in Japan. The Yakuza wanted someone transported, and they wanted someone outside of the influence of the other clans to do it. The two of them had delivered the man to a waiting cargo ship outside of Tokyo harbor, to be taken care of however the Yakuza saw fit. Once the job was done, the two of them had a few days left to chill and see the sights. She shook her head, bringing her back to reality. She finished the beer, setting it aside as she yawned. She looked over at the clock on the wall. She should get a few hours of shut-eye before looking in on getting a new driver. Turning off the TV, she closed her eyes and sank into the chair, being claimed by sleep before she even knew it. Shayne was jolted from her sleep by the heavy thump of helicopter blades hovering right outside her hangar. She leapt from the chair, reaching over and grabbing the M-16 assault rifle that was resting against the wall. She didn??t know who it was, but they weren??t invited, and they were more than likely unfriendly. She was down the stairs in an instant, crossing the concrete floored garage, holding her assault rifle in a safe position. She quickly made sure that she had a full magazine, before flipping the safety off. Shayne reached the door, cracking to open slightly only to be blinded by the barrage of whipping sand as the helicopter landed right in front of her. It was a UH-60 Blackhawk, U.S. Marines markings labeled on the side. She snarled, what the hell could they want? The engine wound down, the massive propeller blades slowing, drooping under their own weight as they settled. The side door slid open, and four Marines bounded out of the helicopter, XM8 assault rifles held at the ready, aiming at her. She was somewhat impressed, either someone thought she was legitimately dangerous, or they wanted to intimidate her. ??Drop your weapon!? One of the men shouted over the still whining sound of the helicopter??s engine. Shayne considered her odds at fighting them, even hand to hand, before she tossed the weapon away, watching it clatter onto the ground with a plume of dust. She placed her hands on her head as the soldiers surrounded her, one delivering a rough blow to the back of her knees that sent her down. She recovered enough where she didn??t land on her face, but the assault rifle that was pressed against her neck made her growl. The Blackhawk finally wound down, and another figure stepped down and began walking towards her. Unlike the soldiers, this man was dressed in a uniform. She glared furiously he had gotten a few promotions since she had last seen him. The man stopped before her, looking down at her. ??Let her stand.? He said to the soldiers around her. Slowly, they stepped back, letting Shayne get back to her feet. ??It??s been a while, Shayne.? He spoke calmly, apparently unaffected by the blazing sun.