Agents Universe

This takes place just after The Lads Night Out - Extraction Part 6

12:08 Sergeant_Mark_Christopher: I got dressed into my dress uniform. I hated meetings in London. Hereford to London was a long drive and I hatred trains. The last time
I’d been on a train was to kill some
Hijacker’s.

I ran my hand through my freshly shaved face and hair and adjusted my beret on top of my head before choosing a decent aftershave and putting it on. Never hurt to look good when heading into the London division offices. That’s where all the important people where and doesn’t look good on the regiment to look like shit when you’re there.

I put my Sam Browne belt across my chest and around my waist before heading out to the car. Tommy was driving me down to London and I got in the back of the car as he drove off.

We hadn’t discussed that night with David and Sam. It had been very horny and having Tommy’s massive cock shoved down my throat had been a great experience. But in the time since it hadn’t been mentioned. Tommy was discrete as he was horny. And while on duty we hadn’t been thinking about it. I had jerked off once thinking of him. But I jerk off a lot that wasn’t anything new.

David was going to be at the meeting and I’d seen him once since that night. I’d miss him when he went back to America. David was something special. Different.

Two hours later I got out of the car and headed into the old buildings, a massive set of Victorian offices in central London. Briefings were boring but a good necessity they tended to proceed action.

I see Styles as I head into the briefing room. “Hi Jeremy. You okay? Haven’t seen you in Hereford I’m the last week. You been trapped here?”

10:01 Lieutenant_David_Armstrong: My assignment here in London was coming to a close, serving as an onsite liaison with the UK military command. We'd spent the last several weeks digesting the intelligence that Sergeant Jeremy Styles had brought with him.

Now, I understood why we had been forced to keep him alive at all costs. If he had died before we'd gotten him back... best not to think about. Things had come to a head, we'd called in and sworn to secrecy some of the West's best and brightest microbiologists in the world to help us come up with a plan to deal with this horrifying threat. It was almost unbelievable, more like something you'd expect in a bad science fiction novel... not in the real world. The Syndicate had gone off the rails with this one.

We needed more time ... but we no longer had time. We needed to act. And we had a plan ... a daring plan, a batshit crazy plan, but it was the best plan we could come up with.

When Jeremy had first proposed it, the brass had shot it down, dismissed it. But as time went on, and it became increasingly clear that no other viable options were on the table, we proposed it again. Again, the brass had dismissed it, except for one man... Agent James Mason, backed up by Marcus Vanderbilt, head of MI6.

As I headed towards the conference room, in my dress uniform, the dark blue fabric covered in medals, with a row of buttons up the middle of my dress jacket, my rank on my shoulders, wearing my beret with pride, I was joined by Agent James Mason. He came up beside me, his handsome face breaking out into a wide grin, wearing a simple white button up and grey slacks, he was always professionally casual. His thick, hard muscle strained the seams of his shirt, it was obvious James did more than push papers around.

He greeted me casually, "David, looking sharp as always mate. Let's go in, shall we?"

Together, we opened the door to the conference room.

10:01 Sergeant_Jeremy_Styles: I was in the briefing room, going over the summary I'd put together for this briefing. The hardest part was wading through all the heavy science from the boffins and translating it into speech that those of us without an IQ of 200 can understand.

The last two months since getting extracted in that hellish mission had taken up my every waking minute, arguing with the stubborn brass, getting grilled over and over by the microbiologists until my head wanted to explode, then insisting that there was only one way to deal with this threat, getting overruled again and again, until finally, James Mason had stepped into the fray, backing up my approach. With him on my side, we'd finally hammered some sense into the brass. The problem with them was they were not able to see the difference between the Syndicate and the mercenaries the Syndicate contracted for their security services, specifically the Brotherhood of Steel. Exploiting those differences was key.

Lost in my thoughts, I nearly jumped out of my seat as Mark walked in. "Fuck Mark. Make some noise next time. Nearly gave me a fucking heart attack." I ran my hand through my hair, looking over at him, "Trapped is one way of putting it... fucking smashing my head against a brick wall composed of pig-headed mother fucking arrogant generals and cabinet ministers and Yankee Secretaries of this and that who haven't got a fucking clue how shit gets done in the trenches."

Just then, as I'm ranting, I see David and James Mason step into the room.

14:02 Sergeant_Mark_Christopher: I smile at Jeremy. “It’s okay. We will get whatever you want sorted. It’s what you do.”

I am still smiling when David turns up. It’s always a good thing to see him. He always makes me just a little bit hornier than I had been every time I see him.

Then. Sam’s brother is also here. I’d only met him twice before. Once before and once after my mission in Russia. The fucker still hadn’t taken me out for that drink.

“Elder Brother Mason,” I said. “I’m guessing you’re still not here to buy me a drink. Which by the way is getting into the ridiculously overdue column. It’s not like mi6 doesn’t have spare time. You work 9-5. Right.”

“How can the SAS and the Rangers help you, Mister Mason.”

10:01 Lieutenant_David_Armstrong: Instantly, my face breaks out into a wide grin as I step into the conference room and see Mark. My mind is taken back to the incredible four way fuck where he, Sam, and his man Tommy fucking owned me. It was humiliating... but also hot as shit. I felt my balls tingle just at the sight of him.

It would be good to work with him again. Not only was he the hottest man I'd ever met, he was just the man I wanted with me on this assignment. He was, hands down, the most competent, ruthless, professional brute of a soldier I'd ever worked with. Just what we needed.

I took my seat, looking over at James as he sat down next to Jeremy. James, Jeremy and I were all in total agreement on selecting Mark to be my partner for this mission.

10:01 Agent_James_Mason: I nod at Jeremy, then grin at Mark, "After this next mission, Mark, if we are still alive, you have my solemn promise on as many drinks on me as you want as well as the keys to the kingdom. I think you have a seriously distorted view of what working for MI6 is like." I sit down, ruefully running my hands through my hair, starting to grey slightly at the temples now, "Spare time is for fat and lazy soldiers who are only worried about the next target they are ordered to shoot. You try carrying the burden of coming up with a way to save the world, and then you talk to me about spare time. You see, Sergeant, the SAS and the Rangers are not here to help me, but to keep this fragile thing we call 'western civilization' from coming apart at the seams. Over to you Jeremy."

It was good to see Mark again. He was a remarkable man. He had once single-handedly infiltrated and destroyed a Syndicate research lab all by himself. Unfortunately, that hadn't been enough to put a stop to the Syndicate's plan. But if anyone could, he and David would. He was also very attractive. Incredibly so. Hard. I wondered, as I had before, what it would be like to get brutally intimate with him.

10:01 Sergeant_Jeremy_Styles: I looked over at Mark, nodding at James and David. I take a deep sigh. "The Syndicate lab I was stationed at was tasked with creating a new strain of bacteria that is resistant to all known anti-bacterial drugs. They succeeded in that task. That much I was able to piece together from the little visits I had made to their lab during my time their. They had in fact, gone some distance beyond that. The bacteria they developed can enter a 'dormant' stage, where it forms what is known as a 'cyst'. Normally, a bacterial cyst will reactivate when environmental conditions are favorable for the organism." Fuck, there I was, talking in fancy words. Too much time around these goddamn boffins. Need to tone my speech down.

"But in this case, the Syndicate researchers have created a bacterial cyst which will only reactivate when exposed to a very specific enzyme, one that they have specifically engineered. Now, that by itself, is terrifying enough. As soon as I was able to figure out that they had created a bio-weapon able to lay dormant until they decide to activate it, was bad enough. But it's much worse than that. Far fucking worse. Back to you James."

10:01 Agent_James_Mason: I nod, "Over the past few months, we've been trying to make sense of some very bizarre intelligence. The Syndicate are not known for their interest in rural scenery, but in at least five different occasions, our sources have intercepted chatter directed at Syndicate teams operating in rural areas, near lakes and reservoirs. It didn't take long for our analysts to figure out what these lakes and reservoirs had in common."

James looked grim. "They were all the source of a major metropolitan water supply. In the UK, the US, and across Europe. We have taken samples of the water in major cities, London, New York, San Francisco, Edinburgh, Chicago, Berlin, Paris... And in each case, we have found bacterial cysts consistent with the intelligence provided by Sergeant Jeremy. In total secrecy, we have bent all our resources to study and analyze these cysts. They are incredibly resilient to the water filtration systems we have in place. We are working around our own boffins around the clock to figure out a something to counter this bacterial agent. But it will take at least a year to come up with an answer. And we don't have a year. "

He looked around at each man in the room. "A .. sizable proportion of western civilization is currently hosting these ... bacterial cysts. Just waiting for the Syndicate to activate them. We suspect that the Syndicate, any day now, will present ransom demands to the governments of the major world powers, threatening to unleash this bacterial horror on us all if their demands are not met."

"When they do... we won't be able to keep it secret any longer. The chaos that will ensue.. panic, riots, the collapse of financial markets will cause just as much, if not more, damage than the bacteria itself. The bacteria, when activated, is not usually fatal. But it causes a severe, long-lasting debilitating illness that will require intensive care. If it were to somehow accidentally get activated..." I didn't need to finish that statement. These men were intelligent. They knew the consequences.

"Now, there is one hope we have in this mess. The Syndicate have developed some kind of anti-bacterial agent for their creation. Jeremy, back to you."

10:01 Sergeant_Jeremy_Styles: I look grim. "They had just finished perfecting the cure for their creation when I left. I was able to pick that much up. But the cure wasn't being worked on at the lab I was at. I ... "
He sighed.

"I don't know where the cure is being worked on. But... I know a group that probably does know. Even if they don't know that they know. The Brotherhood of Steel." I look around the room.
15:14 Sergeant_Mark_Christopher: I blink. “Well. That’s. A load. Of fuck.”

I wasn’t sure what to make of that. Not at all. That’s way out of my league. I went into the army because I was terrible at school. I’m not qualified to spell half those words let alone understand.

“I don’t proclaim to understand half of this. But the summary is. Fucking bad stuff happening unless we get the cure dealt with. And to get the cure we need to go and kidnap some brotherhood of steel guys and water board them till they give us the location?” I ask.
15:42 Commando_Ivan_Usov: 10:01 Lieutenant_David_Armstrong: I put my head in my hands, looking over at Mark with a wry smile. "I take it that you didn't exactly cover yourself in glory when you took your A-levels, did you mate? I think you summarized it pretty well though. Bad stuff will happen unless we get the cure. Very bad stuff."

I still remembered my biology class from high school, strangely enough, I'd really liked biology, so I actually understood most of what Jeremy had said. Jeremy was a smart dude.

10:01 Agent_James_Mason: I look over at Mark with a wry smile. He was handsome. Street smart in a way few men were. Hard as fuck, ruthless, as fit as an MMA fighter... but he was not gifted in the area of higher learning. "I'm afraid it's not quite that simple, Sergeant. The Brotherhood of Steel does not know what the Syndicate is up to. They are contractors. The Syndicate pays them to guard their facilities, and to perform strikes on military targets. The Brotherhood of Steel has never accepted a contract involving a civilian target. They are also paid not to ask questions. It's going to take more than kidnapping one of their mercenaries and torturing locations out of him. It's going to require ..."

He looks at Mark. "...cooperation."

10:01 Sergeant_Jeremy_Styles: I nod, backing up James. I had spent a year embedded in the Brotherhood of Steel. I knew them, their culture, their principles. They were bastards. Ruthless mother fuckers. But they were not monsters. They had a sense of honor. Civilians were off limits in their book, but military, law enforcement, and the like... they were fair game. How they justified taking money from an organization that was much ... less scrupulous ... seemed like a major point of hypocrisy to me, but, Derek Steel was a man of many contradictions.

"I think that if the Brotherhood of Steel actually knew what the Syndicate was up to, they might be ... receptive."

15:59 Sergeant_Mark_Christopher: “That would have involved me taking my A Levels. I left after GCSE’s. Where I proudly got a D in Maths and C In English.”

He turned and listened to Styles. “Right. Okay. Well. Jeremy. So you’re going back in. And you’re going to say ‘well. Remember when I was your friend then I betrayed you and got half of your mates killed. Well guess who is back. Who wants a beer?”
16:07 Commando_Ivan_Usov: 10:01 Sergeant_Jeremy_Styles: I laugh out loud, doubling up, and pounding the table. "Fuck, I've missed you Mark... So.. Hmmmmm... Why the fuck do you think you and David are here?"

10:01 Agent_James_Mason: I look uncomfortable for a moment... I flashback in my mind to Des Moines... to Ivan... with a gun to my head... suddenly telling me to take Kyle and go. He could have killed me. Should have. But he didn't. Instead, he let Kyle go... with me... out of love for him.

The situation was so fucked up, even to this day. "I have ... arranged ... a meeting with Derek Steel and Ivan Usov through ... back channels." I was not about to let it be known to a wider audience that I had a ... connection ... with Ivan Usov. That we both were in love with the same man. "They have agreed to listen to what we have to say. But only if we meet them at the time and place of their choosing. And we can only bring three people to the meeting."

16:28 Sergeant_Mark_Christopher: “This is like some sort of …” I say just frowning. “This is … well this is a bit fucked up.”

“And you want us to go. And make friends with them “

“Seriously.”

“I mean. Seriously.”

“I’m pretty darn sure we’ve killed each other’s friends a lot.”

“You’re fucking insane. As in… bonkers.”

“But okay. Whatever MI6 says.”

I think they’re crazy. Totally crazy. “And I bet you’re not going to give me any files of which of my personal friends they’ve killed beforehand are you so I can’t shoot them in the face.”

10:01 Lieutenant_David_Armstrong: I sit back and look at Mark. My face is impassive. He reacted pretty much how I thought he would. Pretty much how I did. Took me a while to get used to the idea. The idea that the Brotherhood of Steel wasn't just a band of murderous thugs. I still had my own reservations. But in the end, I trusted James and Jeremy.

10:01 Sergeant_Jeremy_Styles: I look really uncomfortable. Mark is not wrong. But ... well ... I spent a year with them. Got to know them. Maybe I shouldn't have. Maybe I let myself go 'native'. They have a sense of honor... of integrity, even if that puts them at odds with us most of the tim. I don't want to look Mark in the eye right now. This is hard. I'm no traitor... and I'll kill any fucker that threatens my friends or my country, including any member of the Brotherhood of Steel, fuck I already have when I freed those two lads that Ivan and Watts were torturing. But... maybe ... I don't see things quite as black and white as I used to.

10:01 Agent_James_Mason: I spoke up then, my tone taking on a harsh quality. "Grow up Sergeant. We live in the real world. Not in some fairy tale world where you can easily draw a line in the sand and say 'those guys are evil and these guys are good.' The facts are simple. We don't know where the cure is. The Brotherhood knows, but doesn't know they know. We can't find where the cure is without their help. We have sufficient reason to believe that the Brotherhood is not in favor of the Syndicate's plan. There is more at stake here, far more, than which of your friends they have killed. Insanity would be to allow your personal feelings to get in the way of doing what we have to do to keep our way of life from collapsing."

I fix Mark with a stare, ruthless, and harder than steel.
16:51 Sergeant_Mark_Christopher: Mark turned sharply to James standing up and matching his stare. “Perhaps you should phone your brother and find out what he thinks of the people who killed half his troop in wales. Go on. Fucking do it. You want to tell me to grow up. Say it to my fucking face. And say it to your fucking brother’s face.”

“Let Sam tell you what it was like in there.”

“Or has MI6 removed any fucking human compassion that you may have had when you were in the SAS. Sam worries about not living up to your standards. Fuck. You should fucking worry about not living up to his.”

He pointed at Jeremy. “I will do this because I’ve known this guy for over 10 years. I will fucking do it for him. But I will fucking not do it for you. Because if you EVER suggest anything about my friends being killed not being important. Even fucking hint about it. I would fucking watch your back Mister James Mason.”

10:01 Agent_James_Mason: I look at Mark with a cold stare, my own rage starting to boil inside me. I was friendly and affable most of the time, but I had a core of steel. I stood up, putting my hands on the table and staring at him. "First of all, Mr. Christopher, the man behind the attack in Wales, one Jordan Byrne, is not affiliated with the Brotherhood of Steel, and second, before you accuse me of lacking compassion you should know your facts.

My lover, Kyle Byrne, was a captive of Ivan Usov and Derek Steel. He was subjected, for over a week to intense torture and brainwashing. This is a man that I would give my life to defend. Without a second thought. I would give my life for my brother, for you, or for anyone else. Don't accuse me of lacking compassion. I'm not suggesting that having your friends being killed is not important. I'm suggesting that NOT having civilization collapse is more important."

10:01 Sergeant_Jeremy_Styles: Holy shit... I sat back in my chair. I could see both sides here, and I was torn right down the middle. I felt ... deeply uncomfortable.

10:01 Lieutenant_David_Armstrong: I sat back, remaining impassive. I thought about intervening, but decided against it. I knew James was far from lacking compassion. I also knew that some of the decisions he had to make for the greater good caused him anguish and deep grief. I hoped that Mark would see that. But it wasn't for me to intervene.
17:16 Sergeant_Mark_Christopher: “It is SERGEANT Christopher. Not Mister Christopher. And as I said. See what your fucking brother says. And if you think he’s not affiliated in some way you’re fucking stupid. Considering the first time I met him was in a syndicate base and there were brotherhood of steel guys there.”

“So don’t get all fucking high and mighty on me. It seems to me that you forget where you come from.”

“What’s the fucking point in having a civilisation if you fucking forget why it’s a civilisation you want to live in in the first place.”

“If it was Jordan you were asking me to meet I would shoot him the moment I met him. The very fucking second. Don’t you fucking give me the greater good speech. I don’t fucking need it.”

“I’m doing this because an old friend needs my help. Not because of fucking MI6. You can fucking keep the drink you owe me. I think it would taste fucking sour now.”

I turn and sit and down look at Styles. “Where are we going.”

17:31 Commando_Ivan_Usov: 10:01 Sergeant_Jeremy_Styles: I look at Mark with a deeply uncomfortable cast to my features. "We are not going anywhere Mark. As you said earlier... The Brotherhood of Steel would shoot me on sight. You, Mason, and Armstrong are the ones going to meet Ivan and Derek."

10:01 Agent_James_Mason: I look at Mark. I see so much of myself in him. He's a good soldier. One of the best. But he can't see the bigger picture. I wish sometimes that I couldn't either. But I could see the picture of panic, riot, the collapse of our society, our way of life. I could see that. And I would die before I would let that happen. But nothing I could say or do would convince Mark of that.

I sat back down, seething inside. This wasn't an argument there was any point in continuing. I was just ... sorry that it had gotten personal. I never meant it to get personal between me and Mark. Sam gushed about Mark all the time to me. He'd told me some of what he and Mark had been through together.

This made it all the more difficult for me. I regretted my outburst earlier. But .. this was a sore subject for me. I still had trouble reconciling the Ivan Usov who had tortured Kyle with the Ivan Usov who had fallen in love with Kyle and released him to go with me. It still fucked with me, even to this day.

10:01 Lieutenant_David_Armstrong: Finally, I spoke up, "We are going to Lappeenranta, Finland. It is very close to the Brotherhood of Steel's training camp in Russia, just over the Finnish border." I knew better than to try and reconcile the situation between Mark and James. They would have to work things out for themselves. I could see where both of them were coming from.

17:39 Sergeant_Mark_Christopher: “Oh jolly good fun. At least I’ve got David there to watch my back and not randomly decide that I’m expendable because of arbitrary decisions”

He sat back and looked at David. “I like Finland. Did a ski training course there once.”

“Okay. When are we leaving? Are we going in ready for a fight. Or is this meant to be playing nice and assuming they will as well.”

10:01 Lieutenant_David_Armstrong: I look at Mark, a smile slowly spreading across my face. "Well, we aren't going to this meeting dressed in full battle gear, but we are definitely going to be armed. I don't trust Ivan. I sure as hell don't trust Derek Steel." My expression was grim as I remembered how badly Derek and his trainees had injured Aaron when I rescued him from that training facility in Russia. It would be a true test of my willpower not to fucking blow his brains out when we met up. I hated the bastard, with an unholy passion. But I understood what was at stake. We were out of options.

10:01 Agent_James_Mason: I keep my expression neutral as Mark makes another dig at me. I had a ton of respect for Mark and his abilities, but it was clear that he was the kind to hold a grudge. Well fuck him. I wasn't going to waste my time trading insults with him. If we were going to be working together on this mission, then what we needed to do was go somewhere private and beat the fuck out of each other.

I considered it. Then I decided to wait and see how this trip to Finland played out. I answered the rest of Mark's question, even though it wasn't directed at me. "We leave this afternoon."

10:01 Sergeant_Jeremy_Styles: I've known Mark for ten years, and he can be your best friend, or your worst enemy. Looks like James was now on his shitlist. But James was not the kind of man to fuck with. He might seem friendly and affable, but he had a core of pure steel. I've come to see that over the past few weeks. In his own way, he was every bit as tough and hard and ruthless as Mark was. This was not good. Not good for the mission.

But it wasn't my problem. It was between Mark and James. Mark was a professional, and so was James. They wouldn't let their newfound enmity get in the way of the mission. I knew them both well enough to know that.

But there might be a lot of collateral damage if these two clash heads.

I speak up then, "I've prepared a brief summary of what we found regarding the Syndicate's bioweapon. Enough that the Brotherhood of Steel can verify that we are telling the truth. The rest ... will be up to you three."

10:18 Sergeant_Mark_Christopher: I nod, listening to Jeremy. “What if they say no. I understand the importance. And trying to get them to help. But what’s the plan if they say no.”

“Because we’ve all got to realise that is an option.”

I turn to David. “Armed but not in battle gear. Oh great am I going in civilian clothes. Because that means the government pays for a new jacket. That’s where all my Superdry and North Face jackets come from.”

I’m joking because it cuts through the tension, the seriousness of it all.

“Jeremy you were with them for a long time. Any avenue of attack to get them to do what we want. Any final suggestions?”

10:01 Sergeant_Jeremy_Styles: I look at Mark, then speak up. "This is my reasoning Mark, the mercenaries Derek employs all have families scattered around the world, America, Europe, wherever Derek recruits from. The Brotherhood guarantees that the families of their mercenaries fall under the protection of the Brotherhood itself. This includes arranging for the financial well being of their families in the event a mercenary dies, the families health care, and other kinds of protection as needed. They have built up this reputation over the years, and they have gone to some extraordinary lengths to follow through on it. They have tremendous street cred in mercenary circles. This policy is the reason they are able to pick and choose only the best. The Syndicate has clearly not told Derek what they are up to, and the families of the mercenaries themselves will be carrying around this inert bio-weapon inside them. If we can convince Derek and Ivan of what the Syndicate is up to, I think Derek will see it as a betrayal by the Syndicate. I think that is our best angle of attack to get his cooperation."

I swallow, "As for a plan B..." I look over at Mason.

10:01 Agent_James_Mason: "We are already executing Plan B. We have ... recruited... " I almost said kidnapped, which was more accurate, since we didn't give them much choice. " .. a team of the top boffins in micro-biology to come up with a way to counteract the Syndicate's bio-engineered bacterium, as well as a way to neutralize the enzyme they have developed to activate them. But I have been told that any viable solution is at least a year away. Beyond that, we are stepping up our surveillance activities, scouring the globe to find this hidden lab. It's a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack. But we are doing all we can. The problem is ... once the Syndicate presents their ransom demands .. that's when the shit will hit the fan. And we believe that they will make their move any day now." Which is also why my hair is turning grey, and I haven't slept well in several weeks. But I didn't say that.

10:01 Lieutenant_David_Armstrong: "Bring the North Face jacket. Lots more pockets on those. Good place to carry a gun." I grin at Mark.

11:21 Sergeant_Mark_Christopher: I listen to Jeremy’s information and nod slowly. “Okay. That’s useful. Play on their fears of losing all their little mercenary friends when they all go rogue and find out about this.”

Looking at David though I smile. “Fine. I like it anyway. It’s black. I only own black, grey and white clothes.” I look at him. Fuck he’s so handsome sometimes when he’s not being too serious.

“Right. I’ll go and pick my stuff up and head to the RAF base. I’ll see everyone there in a few hours.”

I smile at Styles. “Good job Jeremy. Now get some sleep buddy.”

12:38 Commando_Ivan_Usov: I sat down next to Derek in the small cafe on the outskirts of Lappeenranta. It was wintertime, and the weather outside was hellishly cold. The small field across from the cafe was piled high in snowdrifts. The scene reminded me of my childhood winters growing up in Tobolsk.

Except I don't recall seeing the unmistakable glint of winter sun flashing off the carefully concealed barrel of a sniper rifle in the field across from my childhood home. But times change.

This would be the first time I've exchanged words with Mason since Des Moines. I would not ask him about Kyle. I had already made up my mind on that. I would not. Suddenly, Derek's voice cut into my musings.

10:01 AgentDerekSteel: "It's almost time to meet those mother fuckers, Ivan. I still can't fucking believe I agreed to this. It's fucking insane. Yes it is." I didn't fucking like this. No I didn't. Not one fucking bit. When Ivan told me that he had been contacted by James Mason requesting a meeting to discuss a mutual life or death threat, I nearly laughed in his face.

Meet fucking James Mason and his entourage of cock-suckers? After the mother fuckers had just finished embarrassing the hell out of my men by embedding a mole in our operation, then coming in with their boys and killing a dozen of my men? What a fucking pair of balls he has.

I'd argued with Ivan over it. It was a fucking trap. Of course it was. Those government types don't just come and say, "Oh please Mr. Steel, can we have a civilized conversation?" Fuck me. They don't. Even though we picked the location, the timing, and the conditions of this meeting, I still was fucking half way convinced it was a trap.

Except for one thing... he'd given us the oddest request... He told us to take samples of the tap water from five different major cities, San Francisco, New York, Paris, Berlin, London, all cities where some of my men had families living there, and to have the water analyzed by a microbiologist that I trusted.

Then, to make up my mind whether or not to meet with him. It was fucking batshit crazy. But ... the message had made me curious. So I humored him. Only to have the micro-biologist I sent the samples to jabbering at me about some new kind of bacteria in the water, in cyst form. Jabbering about how the this new bacteria was present in all the samples. He hadn't known that all the samples came from different cities. I sure as fuck wasn't going to tell him.

I began to get very uneasy at that point. Something totally off the fucking rails was going on. And... I contacted James through Ivan and laid out the conditions for our meeting. Only three men, at a time and place of my choosing. And I had this whole fucking town locked down. My men were everywhere, I had snipers set up, I had fucking Russian-made anti-air and anti-tank defenses hauled in and set up, camouflaged and well hidden. I was taking no fucking chances.

But... I had agreed. For some reason ... my gut said to go with this... if it was a trap I was ready. If it wasn't... then I figured life would stop being boring pretty damn soon.

Suddenly, Corporal Andriy approached me. A solid man, hard-muscled, good fighter, from the Ukraine, he and I did some BJJ sparring on occasion, he was an excellent fighter, and made a good training partner. He used to work for Jordan's outfit before some kind of black ops crap in Siberia wrecked the place the Syndicate had contracted him to guard. He had told me about it after I'd hired him. Apparently, this SAS badass, Mark Christopher had single handedly swept in and trashed the place.

10:11 Corporal_Andriy: This place was too cold. Too much like Siberia. I still had nightmares about Siberia. About Mark Christopher. About how I had failed Olek. About how easily he had manipulated me. There are times when I still wish he had killed me. There are times when the shame of my failure burns like acid in my guts.

Yet, I go on. For my family. At least they are taken care of now. Jordan's stash of money that Mark had gifted me with had disappeared at an alarming rate. And in the end, it had all been for nothing. All that money had gone to pay the doctors who promised me they could cure my wife's cancer. They had lied. So now, I go on. For my children.

I speak up, "The men from MI6 have entered town, Derek. They will be here any minute."

12:54 Sergeant_Mark_Christopher: Well this place was nice, I liked the snow, I used to love all the snow training we used to do in Norway and Sweden, it was a good type of cold, unlike the cold in Wales where we did the rest of our training.

My boots crunched across the snow as I wanted through the place heading towards the cafe. While I was carrying weapons, because I would be stupid not to, and I'm pretty sure these people would as well, I'm also not dressed in my uniform, I'm dressed in black north face jacket and heavy black combat trousers with a black baseball cap with a subdued United Kingdom Flag on it.

I head into the cafe and look around, it was obvious who we were here to meet, as they were overly muscled people sitting at a table. I don't even recognise Andriy, he had just been someone I had fought once. Ivan I recognise, he had been closer in my mind and had been a lot more recently. Derek I only knew from files, I'd never actually met him.

"Is this where we say something like 'The Arrow Moves at Midnight'," I say sitting down at the table. "You know.. some sort of secret code to say we are who we said we are."

"Because I'm guessing none of us are really happy about having this conversation right now."

I lean back looking at them and look out of the window scanning the outside of the cafe. "If you can nicely ask the sniper that's in the field over there to stop pointing at us, that would be super... because we're all meant to be having this conversation, nice and friendly like.. Right."

13:24 Commando_Ivan_Usov: I look up as the door opens, to see the three men walk in. My eyes narrow, and my gut starts to twist. There he is. James Mason. All the memories of Kyle come slamming home as I look at him. Our eyes meet and I keep my face expressionless. The intensity cuts into me like a knife. Finally, I break my gaze away and examine the other two. Instantly, my mood shifts gears. That other one next to him... that is the SAS Commando I fought in Libya. The one who nearly bit my dick off and left a highly insulting note with Darrell.

My eyes harden. And ... so does my cock. He is a magnificent bastard. I snarl at him, "I know who you are. And Captain America there beside you as well." My eyes take in the massively muscled form of the American, a Ranger, that Darrell had nearly killed. This was good. Focus on the SAS Commando. Don't look at James. Keep the memories of Kyle away.

10:01 Agent_James_Mason: Walking through the snow-covered streets, I can see the signs of Derek's men everywhere. He isn't even bothering to be particularly subtle about it. My shoulder blades are itching. But, I expected this. I was wearing a thick overcoat, with plenty of room for my Glock, and a simple white button up and jeans beneath the winter gear.

I entered the cafe, David and I flanking Mark. Instantly, I caught sight of Ivan. Rage and confusion and pain swirled inside me like a cyclone, but I kept my face impassive. The man who had hurt my Kyle... and the lover of the man, Daniel Allen, who had tortured me. Both in the same room. It would be so easy to end them both.

I stay quiet, listening as the Sergeant cracked jokes in his blunt head-on manner. There was a Ukrainian beside Derek that I did not recognize, some kind of guard. My eyes fell on Derek Steel. And I flashed back for a moment to Toledo when I was strapped down to a table and Derek held a knife against my cock and balls threatening to cut them off and shove them up my ass. Every detail of the memory is exquisite. The pain. The fear. The rage.

Then it passes. Fuck. I want to kill him so badly. I sit down next to David.

10:01 Lieutenant_David_Armstrong: My heavy combat boots leave deep prints as I trudge through the snow. I don't mind the snow. I like it. But I don't like having all these fucking guns pointed at me. I've spotted at least two snipers and I'll bet dollars to donuts that half of the people on the streets are Derek's men. They have that hard-bitten mercenary look about them.

This is fucking crazy. But I keep my mouth shut, my senses sharply honed in, and my reflexes ready for anything. I follow Mark into the shop, and get my first look at Derek Steel and my second look at Ivan Usov. Mark starts talking and I sit down, "I'm sure as fuck not happy about having this conversation, that's for sure. If you want to fucking kill us, just get it over with already. My shoulder blades are itching." Like Mark, I'd spotted the sniper outside.

10:01 AgentDerekSteel: I look over the three men. James I knew by sight of course. He'd been our guest, me and Daniel's, briefly, before that fucking little waste of space Agent Jack Young and his sugar daddy Agent Jeff Rogers had rescued him.

The other two, I'd never seen before. The big one was obviously American, special forces, probably Captain America's secret twin, and the other was a countrymen. British. Special forces... Probably... Hmmmm... Paras... or SAS. Not a Royal Marine though.

But I liked him. He was a ballsy bastard. That suited me. "You can say whatever shite you like. Just so long as it includes what the FUCK is going on."

"Don't know about you, 'mate', but I'm perfectly fucking happy as a fucking Christmas Elf getting his balls frozen off to have a nice little chinwag with Mason and friends. Tell me, you suck his cock yet?" Then, I turned to the American. "What about you? You sucked it yet? It's a thick piece. Meaty. Well proportioned. Did he ever tell you that I was ... this .." I bring my thumb and forefinger together ".. close to cutting it off for a trophy?"

I was enjoying this.

I looked back at Mark. And I start laughing. "Holy shit, I like your style man. You want me to call my snipers off? Sure. Just as soon as you hand over your guns. C'mon. Put them right here on the table. No? Well then." I smile broadly at all three men.

"Let's just pretend that we are friends and although we both have weapons we aren't going to kill each other. Not yet anyways. Not until someone fucking tells me what the hell is in the water. And why the fuck did you go out of your way to tell me about it?"

13:49 Sergeant_Mark_Christopher: I look at Derek as if he’s from another planet. “If I wanted you dead. You’d be dead already. I wouldn’t bother coming and sitting down with you. You’d already be dead. I don’t believe in talking if I’m going to kill you.”

“You want to know what we know. Then stand those fucking snipers down now.” I take out a gun and slam it onto the table.

“Then we have that conversation. And trust me. You want to hear this. So let’s have some fucking give abs some fucking take right now.”

I turn to Ivan. “Yeah good to meet you as well. Mainly since I let you live the last time we met. How’s the cock by the way. Still attached?”

And then I turn back to Derek. “I haven’t sucked his cock. I have no intention of sucking his cock. I care nothing about his cock whatsoever. It’s just interesting that you’re interested so much in it. To have that much memory of it. Says more about you than it does about him really. Dream of it do you. You imagine his cock slamming into you making you his fucking whore.”

“Definitely says more about you. Doesn’t it.”

“Get rid of the fucking snipers. Then we can talk like men rather than fucking petty playground insults.”

14:39 Commando_Ivan_Usov: I sit beside Derek and keep my attention focused on the loud-mouthed SAS fucker that I nearly killed. "If we wanted you dead, you'd be dead already, is what you fucking meant to say, you you cunt." I snarl at him, answering for Derek.

Then, suddenly, I grin at him as he mentions my cock. "It is. Remind me never to have you give me head. And I see that your arm appears to have healed along with that lovely little hole I dug in your side. A shame. Next time I will be more thorough."

10:01 Agent_James_Mason: I have to admit, listening to the exchange between Mark and Derek and Ivan was probably the most fun I've had in a very long time. Mark had a certain flair about him. And, even better .... he lacked the personal baggage that I had in my dealings with Ivan and Derek.

I watched as he slammed his gun on the table. It made sense. It's not like our handguns are going to make a difference if things get hot. Not against the amount of firepower that Derek has brought here. I reach into my pocket and follow suit, slamming my own gun on the table.

10:01 Lieutenant_David_Armstrong: I can't help but grin openly as I listen to Mark and Derek give each other shit. When Mark, then James, slams his gun down on the table, I know I have to follow suit. I think it's crazy. But there you have it.

I take out my gun and likewise slam it down on the table.

10:01 AgentDerekSteel: I look at Mark, with a glint in my eyes and a twisted grin on my face as he gave as good as he got. I'd heard about the little fracas Ivan and he had had back in Libya. A shame I'd missed that. But Daniel, Tommy and I were busy elsewhere.

"Oh yes, I'm very interested in his cock. I mean to have it as a trophy one day. It says a lot about me. Quite a lot, doesn't it?"

I watch as first James then the American boyscout follow suit. I speak into my radio, "Charly, Delta, Echo, stand down." The three snipers I had trained on this cafe acknowledge my order, and I grin. "There. I'm a man of my word. And I don't know about you... but there is nothing petty about my insults." I grin at him. I tend to carry out my insults.

"But. We can always have fun later. Andriy, take these weapons for safe keeping. We'll return them once we are through." I turn then to Mason. "All right Mason. Talk."

10:11 Corporal_Andriy: There he was. The man who ruined my life. The man who killed Olek. The man who brought shame down on me. I felt utterly consumed by a white hot murdering rage. But outwardly, I was cold as an iceberg. Derek ordered me to take the weapons for safekeeping.

He should kill them. Kill them all. Especially the SAS man. Now. I gathered up the three handguns and swept them into a duffle bag, putting it behind the counter, then calmly I turned back towards the table. Suddenly I saw Olek again. His dead body. The blood. There was so much of it. Olek had been my friend. My brother. And now he was dead. Because of that man right there.

It would be simple. It was simple. I didn't want to carry this burden around any longer. I didn't have to. It was time to be a man again. In one smooth motion I drew my handgun, pointed it at the SAS Commando's head, and fired.

10:01 Agent_James_Mason: I listen intently as Derek turns to me. I start to gather my thoughts as the Ukrainian I had noticed earlier collects our weapons. I frown. I'm trained, highly trained in reading people. In reading and interpreting the unconscious body language. It's a necessary skill in my profession. And that Ukrainian seemed ... off to me.

Suddenly in a flash he had a handgun out and it was pointed at Mark's head. Mark had turned his head to double check that the snipers had stood down as Derek had ordered. My reaction was instinctual, second nature. I threw my body on top of Mark's body, knocking him down in his seat. I heard the crack of gunfire, then I felt something like white hot fire erupt in the middle of my back, spreading like lava through my chest. I tried to talk... but suddenly, blood fountained out of my mouth onto Mark. I looked astonished... I tried to speak... but I had a hard time breathing for some reason... and suddenly... I had a hard time seeing anything... then there was nothing but blackness.

10:01 AgentDerekSteel: I saw the expression on Jame's face change to one of puzzlement then horror. I followed his eyes. I sprang out of my seat, but I wasn't fast enough. Andriy fired, but then I was on him, tackling him down to the floor, wrestling the gun out of his hysterical hands. I screamed out, "Ivan!" I smashed the butt of the pistol against his temple knocking him out, cutting off the endless repetition he was screaming out. "THAT WAS FOR OLEK MARK CHRISTOPHER... THAT WAS FOR OLEK... FOR OLEK!!" I didn't have a fucking clue what he was going on about.

I stood up, spinning as guards came surging in, weapons drawn, at least twenty of them, but they weren't sure what was happening. James Mason had a fucking hole in his back and he was bleeding out. Fuck. I snap out. "Everyone fucking freeze." I turn to the guards. "Stand down."

14:50 Sergeant_Mark_Christopher: I push James Mason off me and stand up and look directly at Derek. I had no idea who that guy was. He was just shouting random words. I don’t think about the people I’ve killed. Their faces don’t even imprint on my brain.

But right now Sam’s brother is bleeding out On the floor after saving my life.

“Either you fucking planned that. And I’m going to kill you,” I say directly to Derek. “Or you didn’t.”

“Get a medic now. He’s the one with the information you need. I don’t have anywhere near enough. But the short version. Every single one of your men and their families are in danger. You want to talk seriously. You give me a gun. I’m going to kill that guy that shot James. And you get him a medic. Then we talk.”

15:12 Commando_Ivan_Usov: As Derek leaps out of his seat I turn and watch in shock as Andriy shoots James. And ... the first thought in my mind is how much this is going to hurt Kyle. Funny that. Derek shouts my name and I stand up, moving to stand beside him, covering his back as he dealt with Andriy.

10:01 Lieutenant_David_Armstrong: I see the movement out of the corner of my eye just a moment before the crack of a pistol shot. Some of Jame's blood spatters on my face. I am now in full combat mode, every sense goes hyper. But this is no ordinary situation. I see Derek tackle the gunman who shot.. who tried to shoot Mark, but James threw himself on top of Mark.

Well fuck. I stand up right beside Mark shoulder to shoulder. I doesn't have the feel of something that was planned. Derek and Ivan both seem equally shocked. I drop down beside James, find his pulse. It's all over the place. There is a lot of blood. "He needs more than a medic. He needs a hospital. Fucking now. He's dying."

10:01 AgentDerekSteel: I turn to face our three guests. I don't answer right away, I call out on my radio, "Get a medic here. Now. And I want a car waiting out front to take one of our guests to the hospital."

I turned to some of the guards, "Take him away. Keep him ziptied. I'll be questioning him later. I want to know why the fuck he tried to shoot the Commando over there." I nod my head at Mark.

Then, I turn to face the SAS Commando. I'm totally different now, like a switch had been flipped. Gone was any trace of humor. I was all business now.

"Don't be stupid. I didn't plan that. If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead. You are not going to kill him, because that privilege is reserved for me, after I find out why the fuck he tried to kill you. When I decide to kill someone, I kill them. I don't play games. It's not my style."

"Now, you had better start fucking talking. What the fuck do you mean, my men and their families are in danger?"

10:01 Lieutenant_David_Armstrong: Desperately. I strip off James' overcoat. I remember him taking the briefing and sticking it in an inside pocket. I fish it out, and throw it on the table, "All the facts of what we know are there. You can check it out. Upshot is my dear old enemy, the Syndicate wants to unleash a fucking bioweapon on the goddamned world if we don't give in to their ransom demands. It's all fucking there. Mark, you'll have to handle the rest. Someone has to stay with James. I fucking hate Derek's guts too much to talk nice to him anyways." I stare murder at the man who had Aaron tortured. "That leaves you."

I turn back to James, desperate to find some way to stop the bleeding. Suddenly, a medic rushed in, and a car slammed the brakes on outside the front of the cafe.

15:25 Sergeant_Mark_Christopher: David is dealing with James. They don’t need to see me concerned for Sam’s brother. I look at Derek. “If you don’t kill him. I will. That’s just a statement of fact.”

I glance as the medic turns up and I pick up the information and look at Ivan. Derek is too much of a loose canon. I look at Ivan. He’s much more to the point. His emotions aren’t all over the place.

“I mean. The syndicate has created a bio weapon that is already in the water supply. Half your guys and their families may already Be infected.

I look at Ivan. “ the detail is in here. I’m not a scientist. I don’t deal with this crap. But Mason believed it was true and had the proof.”

“And they are expected to start demanding ransoms soon. Unless we can find a cure. Then it’s game over.”

“We have a joint enemy right now.”

15:57 Commando_Ivan_Usov: I look over at Derek. He looks at me. I can tell he wants to get to the bottom of why Andriy tried to kill the SAS Commando.

10:01 AgentDerekSteel: I listen carefully to the SAS fucker. Then I turn to look at Ivan. We both saw those reports from the water samples we sent off to our source to be analyzed. I nod at Ivan. I trust him to deal with this. I have to make sure and get to the bottom of Andriy's actions. Was he acting alone? Was he another fucking mole? I hated being embarrassed like that.

"Deal with it Ivan. Brief me later. I'm going to get to the fucking bottom of this." I turn and leave with the guards dragging Andriy. I turn to see James being stretchered out with the big American boy scout following along.

Normally, the sight would delight me. My fucking enemy shot in the fucking back and bleeding out is a thing of beauty. But instead... I'm saving his goddamned life. It's too fucked up. But I brightened... all this means is that I can kill him later.

10:01 Lieutenant_David_Armstrong: The medic checks out James and looks at me hard. "This man will die in the next ten minutes if we don't get him to an emergency room. I don't have the tools to save him here." I nod. "All right then. Let's do it. Now."

I turn to Mark. Fuck. He was handsome. Why the hell was I noticing this now? Probably because I was leaving him ... alone ... surrounded by dozens of armed men, one of whom had just tried to kill him. "Call me when you can. And ... do me a favor... don't get yourself killed." Then, I leave with James and the medic.

10:01 Commando_Ivan_Usov: I watch James leaving with the American. Again, I think.. Kyle will be so upset. Then, I snap back to Mark and pick up the report.

I digest what he is saying. I look through the briefing, skimming the key points. The picture it paints is utterly terrifying. My guts clench. All this time... we have been guarding their bases for them.. and they have been cooking this up. This is not what we signed up for. Derek and I had the same philosophy. We had no moral qualms taking the Syndicate's money.

The world was the way it was. The Brotherhood is here to fight. Not to slaughter or terrorize civilians. Not to deal in slaves or any of that bullshit. We are here to fight men who know what they signed up for. Men who, like us, know what the risks are. We fight soldiers, agents, commandos, police at the drop of a hat. We don’t fight for a cause, or for any other idea, or any of that bullshit. MI6, CSIS, all of the other agencies, they think that the Syndicate is the problem. But the Syndicate isn’t the problem. It’s just a symptom. They don’t understand, demand creates supply. Even if they managed to take out the Syndicate’s operations, it would only mean someone else would step up to meet the demand. It was all so fucking pointless, all the sickening political games the big boys like the US and UK and Canada play with people’s lives, all while painting their motives as ‘virtuous’. Whatever. Their motives are all the same, to protect their hold on power. Just their way of trying to take a pile of shit and painting it rose-colored, and peddling it to the masses as a rose. It was all bullshit.

Humans will fight their wars over their ‘causes’ and ‘ideologies’. It was all the same to us, fighting for democracy or communism or religion or whatever reason people decide to kill each other over, it was all insane. We couldn’t stop it. And certain men were going to be born to fight. The thrill of combat was in their blood. So we looked to give those men a home, a community, a family where they didn’t have to fight for any of those crazy crusades, but just fight because that was what they were born for. Help them feel valued doing what they were born to do, without the crazy bat-shit ‘causes’ that fucked with men’s heads and made them somehow think that their ‘cause’ justified their actions. For us, our actions didn't need any justification. We knew who we were and what we were doing.

And so, there was never any qualms about working for the Syndicate, as long as we worked on our own terms. We only went after military targets, and we didn't get involved in operations targeting civilian populations, drug running, human trafficking, we avoided that shit.

But ... this. This changed everything. The Syndicate was stepping way over the line. I digested what the report said. Then, I added up all the little clues in my head. The various labs. The security provided to expeditions out to remote rural areas... near the freshwater sources for major urban areas. The policy the Syndicate had of "no questions asked." I believed. It all made too much sense. And I knew Derek would as well.

But the worst part was... the Syndicate had been rather indiscriminate ... the families of our men were at risk because of these crazy bastards. I felt a deep, murderous rage start to boil inside my guts. For once... not directed towards MI6 or any of the other big players. But at our cash cow... the Syndicate. This would upset the apple cart and no mistake. But I knew that Derek would not stand by and sit this out. Not when they targeted our own people. And millions of other civilians at the same time.

There were lines. And the Syndicate had crossed them.

I looked up at the SAS bastard, putting the report down. I wait a long moment my eyes drilling holes in his head, my expression fierce and hard.

Finally, I speak up. "It would appear so. I'm inclined to believe this report. It all adds up." Then, I look closer at Mark, putting more pieces of the puzzle together. "That's why your man was embedded with us in the Congo."

"Fuck." I meant to hunt him down and kill him one day. But that would have to wait now.

"So... you need to find the cure for this bioweapon. Apparently... we all need to find it. I think I know where it is." And I did. The latest contract had just come in from the Syndicate. A contract so unusual and so remote that it couldn't be anything else.

16:09 Sergeant_Mark_Christopher: “Yes that’s why he was with you. He put it together and brought the information back to us. It’s why I destroyed a base in Russia I believe. They had scientists cooking stuff up. But it must have been only one lab. Not the whole operation.”

“Look right now, Putin, you and I want to kill each other. I know that. The feeling is very fucking mutual. But we can get to that after we’ve saved everyone else.”

“The guy who was embedded with you. He said you had some type of code of honour. And I’m pretty sure you know I do. So right now we put aside our fucking hatred of each other and we find this place. We get the cure. Then when everyone is safe we can go back to fighting.”

“So how about we get a vodka and we plan how to save the world. Together.”

Which was a hugely terrifying thought.

“I don’t like you. You don’t like me. We put that aside. You don’t stab me. I don’t bite your cock off.” I put my hand out for him to shake.

“On our honour. Until this is over.”

16:21 Commando_Ivan_Usov: I sat back and looked at Mark as he put his hand out for me to shake.

I stared at him long and hard, probing, searching. And ... remembering. Remembering how ... strangely intimate it had been when we were trying to kill each other back in Libya. Remembering how the entire time my dick had stayed hard from the thrill of battling him.

Remembering how much I had wished that he was with the Brotherhood. Suddenly, I spat in my palm. I reached out and took his hand in mind. I felt a jolt of electricity travel up and down my arm, down my spine and into my nuts as I made contact with this bastard.

"On our honor. Until this is over."

"I hope you can handle real vodka. Not the weak, watered down crap they sell in the West. But the real stuff. It makes you grow hair on your balls and wards off the coldest winter. We'll need it where we are going."

"Come. We have plans to make, but not here. Back at our facility across the border in Russia. We have to move. Now. The transport for the security detail we are providing to the Syndicate base departs for Antarctica in 8 hours."

16:36 Sergeant_Mark_Christopher: In perfectly fluent Russian I say. “I have also trained with the Russian Spetsnaz. I have had stronger vodka than you have ever had.”

“My name is Mark. What’s yours unless you want me to call you Putin for the next week.”

Fuck this guy was hot as I held his hand my balls were getting ready.

“Eight hours then. Time to get ready. Sleep. And kill a load of people who want to destroy the world.”

09:46 Commando_Ivan_Usov: I look up at Mark, my face breaking out into a wide grin. I responded in Russian, "I can see you are better with languages than science."

I switched back to English, "My name is Ivan." My face breaks out into a broad grin. Not the usual grin that I display to a man I'm about to kill... this one is reserved for one of my mates.

I thought for a moment about how to spin this to Derek. He is going to be less than thrilled about including an SAS Commando in the detail shipping out to Antarctica. He'll insist that we simply handle the matter ourselves, find the cure using our own people.

I know Derek. But I also know .. that I want this man to accompany me. I don't tend to overthink things. I simply know what feels right. It feels right to have Mark along with us. Even though it would be simpler to do it ourselves. Mark has access to resources that might prove invaluable. Acquiring the cure is likely to be much simpler than escaping with it.

This situation was intriguing. On so many levels. "I assume that your plan all along was to embed yourselves in our troops? Very well. That is how we shall do it. Inform your superiors. I will inform Derek. Then, I will take you to our facility in Russia, where you will learn what it means to be in the Brotherhood." I lean forward looking intently at him. I grinned even harder.

I was seized by a sudden desire to kiss him. There was such electricity between us.

10:30 Sergeant_Mark_Christopher: “I speak Russian and Arabic. Considering where I get deployed. Speaking in the native language is good.”

“Let me say that I already have a brotherhood. The British army. I don’t need a second. So let’s not get too cozy about that fucking arrangement. At least one of your guys has tried to kill me. While under yours and Derek’s protection. So I’m under no illusion that I will have to fucking watch my back the entire time.”

“Although if I’m going with you to Antarctica. Which is fucking hell on Earth even when not getting shot at. I’m going to need to borrow some weapons.”

“And I hadn’t got a plan. I don’t do the planning. I do what I’m told. And right now. I was told to get your help in getting that cure. Because we all have people who we want to save.”

I look Ivan directly in the eyes. He is a fucking tough fucker. Solid as a rock. It’s a pity he’d given up Spetsnaz and worked as a mercenary. “I even tried to kill you. And one of your men nearly killed one of my friends. Plus one of your guys tortured and raped two Royal Marines. But I think that guy is already dead. At least I hope he is.”

“But right now we are allies. Three rules from
My side. I fight for my country. Not for money. I don’t kill civilians. Which I’m told you’re the same. And I don’t settle for shite vodka.”

11:00 Commando_Ivan_Usov: "You had better learn how to act like you are in OUR Brotherhood, otherwise you will get us all very dead. The man who tried to kill you will no doubt be dealt with. Derek doesn't like to be embarrassed."

"Don't worry about weapons, you'll have plenty of those. You have secured our help, and I am already beginning to come up with a plan."

Then, I look at him with an amused expression. He was very outspoken. I liked that. He wielded his power with a confidence and directness that appealed to me. It's a pity that we didn't recruit him before the SAS ruined him. "In war, people kill each other. People torture each other." I shrugged. "It happens."

I was about to mention the SAS General in New York that I nearly killed. But he seemed to be the type to take things personally. I was much more adaptable myself. Kyle was a case in point. So I didn't mention it. "Watts is very, very dead. A shame. He was one of the few that could match me shot for shot. He was a friend of mine." I stand up.

"But right now, as you say, we are allies. We can worry about killing and torturing each other after the current crisis. We don't have many rules here... but there are a few, and strangely enough they are not so different from your own. We fight for the Brotherhood. The money, that just pays the bills. We don't kill civilians. And we don't settle for shite vodka."

I stand up. "I'm going to go brief Derek. Make your arrangements with your superiors as you need. I'll be back here in ten minutes, and we will leave for Russia."

11:14 Sergeant_Mark_Christopher: “That’s true. But two kids, and make no mistake they were kids. Yeah, one is a royal marine and one is a Ranger. But they’re just kids. And last time I checked the Brotherhood of Steel is a mercenary company. You can’t declare war.”

“Me and you. That’s different. That’s… well … Spetsnaz and SAS. We’re used to that. And I’m still interested in which of us would have won that fight.”

I smile at him. “I’ve trained with the Spetsnaz. You’re good fighters. That’s a compliment that I don’t give out lightly.”

“Get me some guns and somewhere to sleep. I’ll not get you killed.”

11:23 Commando_Ivan_Usov: I start to laugh, "We are always at war. And I would have won. Of course. But perhaps someday we can settle the question more definitively." I still remember how utterly aroused I was as I fought him. He was good. One of the best I'd ever faced. As good perhaps as Russel Shade.

I walked off to find Derek.

10 MINUTES LATER

I return, and nod at Mark, "Let's go. I had to talk very fast to convince Derek to take you with me. He wanted to handle this with our own people. But .. as I pointed out... your people will have access to resources we do not. Specifically a method of leaving Antarctica once we obtain the cure. I'll explain more later."

"Oh... and, I'm sorry, but Derek has decided not to kill Andriy. Andriy explained to him why he tried to kill you. He didn't even need to be tortured." I look at Mark with a wry grin on my face as I walked fast to the waiting car. "Apparently, he has a grudge against you. He was a guard at the facility in Siberia that you assaulted. You killed his friend Olek. He wanted to kill you for that. To Derek, that is a perfectly legitimate reason for him to attempt to kill you. However, Andriy embarrassed Derek by his choice of time and place. So Derek has decided to 'reward' Andriy by allowing him to fight you, one on one, unarmed. After the current crisis." I grinned. Andriy was good. I knew he was very good. But Mark would slaughter him. Derek knew that. He always had a way of coming up with such .. unique punishments.
11:35 Sergeant_Mark_Christopher: “I don’t fight people for other people’s pleasure. Derek can’t make that decision that I will fight someone. I’m not a fighting dog.”

“He shot a member of the British government. You need me to get you out of Antarctica. Right. Well you hand that bloke over and I’ll get the government to agree. No fighting.”

“I fight for my country. And who I choose to fight. Derek forgets I’m not one of his men.”

“Oh I remember him now. I let him live. I even gave him a fuck tonne of the IRA’s money. That’s fucking just being in greatful.”

I square up to Ivan. Fuck that guy was hot. Dangerous. But hot. “You. I’d choose to fight. I don’t believe in choosing to fight people who are so far below me that I barely recognised he existed. You on the other hand. I remember. I will remember that fight for a very very long time.”
11:57 Commando_Ivan_Usov: I shrug, "That's up to you of course. You can take it up with Derek when you have the leisure. He's not coming with us back to Russia though, and neither is Andriy. I suspect that if you refuse, Derek will simply release him. Andriy will clearly try to kill you again, and at that point, he will get his ... punishment, or reward."

"At any rate, that is neither here nor there."

"As I would choose to fight you. After this is all over... perhaps we can discuss that. I will not soon forget our first encounter." I grinned again, my muscle tensing slightly as I took in the hard muscled form of my temporary ally.

"Let's go."

Published: 2021-09-09, viewed 45 times.