Espionage, the spinoff

[Dante]

OCC: To save confusion, I should point out now that both Ananthema and EWS possess characters named Alex. They are not the same person.

* * *

"We don't think the Pelican took this nuke originally." Jared reported to Julia as she made her way through Inverness. "It was almost definately another group."

"But he'll know where it is?" Julia asked, holding her collar up against the cold.

"Probably. He's out from the CIA." Jared sighed.

"What?!" Julia shouted.

<What?!"> Midgar typed.

"He's not in the building and there are no records of him being moved anywhere else." Jared sighed. "He's out and he's using the CIA for it. I don't know how."

<Probably by endangering us.> Midgar typed furiously, <I'll tell Justin at once.>

"Some of his agents are with me at the moment." Julia said, "We're ready. Just tell me where to look."

"Midgar? You have the exact location?" Jared asked, realigning one of his cables with a foot.

<Location, co-ordinates, codes to get in, everything.> Midgar typed, <Sending them to you now Julia...>

"You should be getting a transmission from Midgar about now..." Jared told his sister.

"Got it." Julia reported. Around her the snow swirled as her associates gathered in. She pitied any aircraft trying to land in these conditions. A thought occured to her.

"Where exactly is Pelican?" She asked.

"Somewhere over the Azores." Jared answered. "Trust me, he can't cross the Atlantic immediately, especially not after a direction change like that."

"Direction change?!"

<Direction change?! Oh pish he's heading for Inverness!> Midgar typed, checking the satellite pictures.

"Yes, fortunately the fact that he sent out for Micronesia first time has slowed him considerably." Jared smiled. "He's had to turn around, and almost definately won't make it on the fuel he's got. He'll have to stop to refuel before he gets to Inverness."

<Still, it means you've got a time limit, Julia.> Midgar sent.

"That's ok, I'm quite close to it." Julia sent. "I'll have it back in Redlack before the morning." She signed out.

<Your sister is very optimistic...> Midgar commented.

"She has good reason to be." Jared sighed.

<?>

"She's not dead yet."

[EWS]

Location: Inverness

THe figure ambled throught the market place, the snow pelted down unrelentless (seems that it snows everywhere in Espionage) he was wrapped up in a large thick jacket and his grey scarf was flapping madly in the arctic wind.  He reached the large shopping centre and took out his phone.

"Alex?"

"Hey there Peter, what can I do you for?"

"I am closing in on the nuke. It seems that it is in a warehouse or something.  I am just about to head there now."

"That sounds great.  We have just finished refuelling and I am heading there now.  Do you think that I could land?"

"Thats a big negative.  You will probably get diverted to Kinloss or Lossiemouth."

"Ok, thats fine.  Just locate the device, and secure it until I arrive.  I trust that you have enough agents to help you?"

"Yeah, they are all closing around it."

"Excellent.  Keep me updated."

"Will do Alex.  Peter out."

Peter hung up the phone and stepped out of the centre.  The snow had seemed to grow heavier and the visibilty was getting poor.  Peter made his way to where he believed the device was.  It seemed to be in a very quiet part of town.  There was not a soul about, and Peter thought it was going to be easy.  He had located the warehouse and proceeded to enter when a sound alerted him to something behind.  Cautiously he walked around the warehouse, keeping a look out for anybody.  As he rounded a corner, he saw a figure clad in black silently take out a window and climb through it.  Peter followed.  Inside was full of crates.  The unknown person was skulking about silently, examing every box possible.  He/she then stopped at the largest one and opened it.  Peter never got to see inside, but he did see the figure take something out and put it in his coat.  He drew his gun;

"Halt or I shoot."

The figure turned around alarmed and threw something that narrowly missed Peters head.  He set off a few shots.

"Do not shoot, I am carrying the device.  I assume you are the Pelican no?"

"No my Russian friend.  I just work for him."

"You will not get this weapon, it is going to Justin"

The figure then let off a smoke bomb and dissapeared into the snow.  Peter tried to follow the best he could but the snow was too heavy and he watched in vain as the figure vanished into the wilderness.  He took out his phone;

"Who is Justin working with.  Nearly got my head taken off by some ninja like thing."

"Go and get it." THe voice was the Pelican.

"Damn right I will, and when I find who it is I am gonna slit there throat."

"Calm down Peter.  Did you get the device?"

"Hell no.  That ninja thing got it, it said that it was going to Justin.  Alex, what the fuck have we got ourselves into?"

"Liberation Peter.  Liberation.  Do not worry, I shall see you in a few hours and then we shall start phase 3.  In the meantime, I have a job for you.  Find out all you can on who killed the American Trump.  I feel that we could use them as a good ally."

"I'll see what I can drag up.  Shall I head to America?"

"No, you spearhead the operation from our secure location and send your best man out."

"Right, I'll get right on it."

"Pelican out."

Peter headed back into the town, he needed to finish his shopping.

[Dante]

Julia smiled as the man carefully placed the nuke into the bag. She originally intended to go and get it herself, but the presence of the man with the grey scarf had set alarm bells ringing in her head, and she had instead sent one of Justin's men, figuring that from her point of view at least, he was expendable.

He had done surprisingly well, but with the snow already on the ground he would be easy to follow. He was wearing black too. Ueful inside a warehouse but against snow? Julia sighed to herself and gestured to the five men and one woman around her to take up defensive positions.

"If he was followed, kill the follower." She ordered. Then she beckoned to one of the men. "Come on, I'm heading out by the public route, guard us." So saying, she began to make her way along the narrow allyway towards the centre of town.

There wouldn't be many people around but there would be a darn sight more there than here. She shivered in the cold and wrapped her white cloak around her, she should have brought proper wear.

"He called me a Russian you know." The man muttered as they shuffled through the snow. "You know why?"

"Probably thought you were someone else." Julia frowned. Why had he assumed that someone else who was trying to get the nuke wuld be Russian? Neither the Guardians nor her own family were Russian.

On the other hand, the incident with the nuke now in Elisa's possession had probably coloured the man's view. She said as much to the man at her side.

"I even thought it was the Pelican at first too..." He muttered. Julia sighed. She couldn't expect everyone to do everything.

* * *

"Why can't we just get your sister down her to blow our way in?" Zidane muttered sarcastically. "Apparantly she's got the second nuke the Pelican tried to steal."

"Indeed she does." Vivian smiled, toasting a marshmallow. "But a second nuclear explosion in under a month? A teeny bit suspicious I think."

"We'd better get something to do soon..." Alexei muttered grimly. His sister glared at him.

[Dragoon Knight]

Location: Somewhere in Scotland

Time: 13:32

Agent One checked the device again... it was still there.

[EWS]

The plane lands and skids to a halt.

[Dante]

"Nothing. I can't find anything." Vivian growled. "Or to be more specific, anyone."

"That's because there's nobody there." Jared told her, "The place emptied, and surprisingly fast. Still, they can't have taken everything in so short a time period. There's bound to be plenty of stores, ammo, and the like just lying around in there. You can't evacuate an entire complex like that in half an hour without leaving a lot of stuff behind."

"Anything new?" Zidane asked, holding a little metal instrument that flashed and went *beep.*

"Nothing we don't already know." Vivian sighed, folding up her laptop. "We're to ransack the place for now. Jared and Midgar are tracking the evacuees."

"They get all the fun." Aeris complained from some distance away.

"Sure, if sitting in a dark room all alone all day and all night is your idea of fun, they do." Alexei growled. He was sulking after being told to stay put now that they were on Yap.

"Door's open." Zidane said slightly apprehensively as the front door swung open.

"Ok, we'll do this slowly, by the book." Vivian murmured, walking forward to the now open front door of the mansion.

"Searching for traps, triggers and other various method of death?" Zidane asked with a smile. Vivian was about to reply, when she was thrown off balance by an arm to one side. Her brother pushed past her, and strode into the mansion.

"Crud." She muttered, and the three of them followed him.

* * *

Back at Redlak, Julia put her feet up in front of a large log fire, satisfied that for now at least, her job was done. And several other jobs besides...

* * *

Jared and Midgar both tracked the evacuees from Yap. It was phenomenally easy, as there were so many of them. They made no attempt to hide themselves and their convoy of vessels was watched from the moment it left shore.

* * *

Menwhile, still sitting in Russia, Elisa was growing restless. She bagan to play catch with herself in an attempt to lighten the mood.

[Dragoon Knight]

Location: Occupied Base, Yap

Time: 13:21

Zidane and Aeris were asleep - it was the first rest they had had for a long time, and they were in deep slumber.

[Anathema]

Sigh...

I'm afraid I must resign from this thread. I don't have regular acces to internet anymore since I moved out.

Besides that, I joined in late and it seems difficult anyway to "stream" into the current storyline anyway.

Sorry.

[Dragoon Knight]

Location: Occupied Base, Yap (Codename: Bird's Nest)

Time: 13:30

Zidane was wandering the corridors of the occupied base, now codenamed the Bird's Nest.

[EWS]

From his bed, The Pelican smiled.  This what he had dreamed off.  Unity.  With a bomb in his possession he could finally rid the world of the impurities.  Greatest Happiness for the Greatest Number of People.  Yes, that was the theory he implied by, and there was going to be no more happiness than that of Russia, China and the group that decided to follow him.  Screw those American bastards, fuck the British government.  What had they ever done for him?  ALl they did was empty promises and lies, and then they screwed them over.  Infront of him a monitor had appeared.

"Ladies and Gentleman," read the newscaster, "London has been bombed by what seemingly was Russians.  ALthough they deny all knowledge of the bombing, the bombers (two sucidal) flew a soviat flag.  Here from the scene, is Julia Whitcroft.  Julia."

"Yes Bill?"

"What is happening?"

"Well we have just heard reports of a thir...."

A huge explosion sounded out behind her.

"I correct, a FOURTH explosion.  This one has just exploded outside Buckingham Palace.  It's mayhem. I...."

"Sorry to cut you off, but we have reports of an explosion in Washington DC.  Yes they have been confirmed.  But I am afraid I do not have pictures....."

THe screen went black, and the pelcian reclined.  Outside the world flew buy as the jet he was flying in zoomed accross the sky to an unknown location.  A location where he could start his new reign of terror.

But this time, he was going to do it with the RUssians, the Chinese, and all those who hated America.  This was war, and it was going to be glorious.

[Dante]

"Strange..." Vivian muttered to herself.

"What?" her brother asked, picking a hole in someone.

"I just got the strangest feeling of Deja vu..."

"We don't have time for that." Aeris snapped. "Full scale war on a scale that has never been seen before is about to break out."

"And here we are sitting on a rock in the middle of nowhere." Alexei growled.

"Not anymore." Zidane approached, carrying a stone beard. "We're leaving for Scotland. Now."

* * *

Redlak Mansion security was tighter than usual. If that was possible. The military were far too busy watching other things to notice new defences spring up. Defences that were huge and metallic and probably not legal when owned privately...

The walls were plated. The gun turrets raised. The whole area bristled with technology and rudimentary basics.

The doorbell rang.

The expressionless face that opened the door did not look at all surprised to see a young, slightly flustered looking woman standing on the doorstep. Her red hair was tied back in a straggily ponytail, and her glasses were skewed. She carried two suitcases.

"Elisa Frey?" The stoney face asked... stonily. The woman frowned.

"Let me in and give me a shower right now or I shall personally set off this little device I have been babysitting right now!"

* * *

"Time to put so many plans I thought I'd never need into action..." Jared sighed.

<'Thought' or 'hoped,' Jared?> Midgar typed.

"Both." Jared sighed to himself. He brought up several black screens around him, and sighed heavily. He pressed a button. Nothing seemed to happen.

"Five... four... three... two..." He whispered.

<One.>

* * *

"Erm... sir?"

"What is it?"

"We have a problem sir."

* * *

"News just in. Computer systems everywhere are reported to be crashing all over the world due to an unknown virus. So far military, governmental, financial and personal systems have been infected with one of two viruses that appear to be 'unstoppable' according to this expert..."

* * *

"What's happening, the numbers shouldn't do that!"

"This is the stock exchange, the numbers rarely do what you want them to."

"No, not that. Just look at them!"

"Jesus, they're not supposed to do that!"

* * *

"What have we done?"

<We've cast the second stone.>

"Are you protected?"

<We all are.>

"And them?"

<Helpless.>

[EWS]

"Ehhhhh boss."

"What is it?" Replied the Pelican

"We just lost comms with ATC"

"Land then."

"But sir"

"No buts, land.  There will not be anyone there, trust me.  They are too busy trying to defend that damn bomb which was set off."

"Yes sir"

"Oh and please, call me Alex."

"Certainly"

Alex sat back and yawned.  He was bored of it all, he needed results.  A few more bombs, some more deaths.  It wasnt what he wanted but it was needed.

He stepped over to his computer, but at that time he noticed the special report on the virus.

"If I use my computer, they can track it."

He stopped and sat back down, examining his wound.  It was tender, but he would live.

Next, he went to his phone, dialled a number and said three words

"Go for it."

He hung up and turned to the figure at the front of the aircraft.

"Thats some more gone mate."

"Excellent came the reply. Where?"

"Tokyo, New York and Edinburgh."

"Great, now we need to lay the blame.  Shall we take the next step?"

"In due time."

"Excellent."

[Dante]

"Well this isn't good." Jared sighed.

<Need I even ask?> Midgar typed.

"Between his bombs and our viruses we've pretty much destroyed any semblance of order." Jared reported as his screens screamed at him. "Chaos, rioting, looting, fires, destruction, death, mayhem... And that's just the cities."

<We have to stop this.>

"Agreed. But everything has it's way..."

<What are you talking about?>

"We sell the virus destruction software for a few million, and then set about reconstruction."

<...What?>

"A profit is made."

<And the Pelican?!">

"Oh who cares? I've already sent more than enough evidence from his old base and our various encounters to lay the blame for the bombings squarely at his feet. We can forget about him for now."

<I can't just profit from desperate people.>

"That's ok. I can. For the next few months things are going to be pretty chaotic while we fix things. But the plus side is, without order to manipulate, what can he do?"

<I'm giving the software out.>

"Fine. You just don't get any of the profits from mine."

<Fair enough.>

"We ignore the Pelican for now. What your boss does is up to him."

[EWS]

"Mr President," came the voice, "I am The Pelican.  I claim responsibilty for the bombings of all the major cities on behalf of the Russian government.  We do not like the way you try to govern the world and now you must be eradicated.  At this present moment 4 ICBM Nuclear missles are heading for the Western Seaboard.  This will take out your major cities in that area.  Goodbye Mr President."

He spoke in a fluent Russian accent.  After the message had been recorded it was patched through to the White House via a very valuable source.

"Set off the next series of bombs."

****

"This just in, reported explosions in Paris, Geneva, Berlin and Rome.  All sources point to extremists in the middle east."

[Dragoon Knight]

Location: Redlak House, Justin's Private Quarters

Time: 16:22

Justin shook with rage.

[Dante]

For the first time in more than a decade, the whole family, what remained of it, was gathered in the one place. They habitually made the greatest effort to avoid doing this; together they made a most tempting target indeed. But desperate times did indeed mean desperate measures as the clich

[EWS]

To The Sneaky Bastards;

[hide] Nagasaki - Shinjo's Sushi's Diner, 9pm.  Do not be late.[/hide]

[Dante]

*A day passes*

Alexei sat back in his chair and checked his watch. 9:02. Either they were late or they were sizing him up. Looking around, Alexei could spot several groups that looked evil enough to be the people he was waiting for. He ordered a meal that he knew was completely impossible to accidentally poison, and waited.

[EWS]

Alex stepped out of the car and headed into the restaurant.  It was smoeky and he immediatly spotted who he was after.  Strolling up behind them, he made the first comment.

"You kill me, this place goes up in smoke.  That isnt a threat, it is a promise."

[Dante]

"What makes you think I'm not prepared to die?" Alexei answered with a smirk. He indicated the chair opposite him, smiling all the while.

[EWS]

"You dont seem the type, plus.  Why else would you agree to meet me?"

[Dante]

"To kill you." Alexei's eyes smiled behind his sunglasses. "If that were my mission."

[EWS]

"I have already been dead twice, infact, how can you be completly sure that I am the pelican?  Now to business!"

[Dante]

"Certainly." Alexei smiled, offering his hand. The Pelican looked at him suspiciously for a moment, but then reached forward to shake it. He drew his hand back sharply.

"You cut me." He stated, inspecting his palm as a trickle of blood ran down it.

"Oops, I'm sorry, sir, I have a very sharp watch strap." Alexei appologised, bowing slightly. The Pelican glared at him.

"To business, as you said." Alexei continued, "But first, if you would excuse me for a moment? Too much to drink..."

As Alexei got up, the Pelican made a motion, and two men fell into step behind Alexei.

"I'm a big boy now you know." He commented as he walked past, but made no move to get rid of the men. It was only as he passed the doors to the Diner that he moved, diving to the side and through the glass, rolling into the street.

Of course the men were shooting before he even hit the ground, and Alexei was limping even as he began to run. He didn't need to go far though. A few metres away a black car waited, door open. The bleeding Alexei crawled in, and it screeched away.

"What do we do now, boss?" One of the men asked, while the others went about the default protective behaviour.

"Find them and find out whatev...whatev-er..." The Pelican mumbled, swaying on his feet slightly. He held up his numb hand, and realised that he was seeing double. This revalation seemed quite unimportant as he slumped to the floor.

[Dragoon Knight]

Location: Somewhere in Russia

Time: 04:43

The Russian Soviet leader was gloating.