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Entry tags:
The Company
On March 18, we had Bonnie ("Xiang Wen," a.k.a. "Wu Xie Zhi" and "Dot"), Marc ("Anabel Windsor," a.k.a. "Abigail Wilson" and "Vicky"), and Torsten ("Qoqa Ramazanova," a.k.a. "Zoya Petrovna Sidorova").
Time: Friday, February 14, 2014 (night).
Place: Athens, Greece.
Last Event: Eluding a dragnet of would-be abductors – or assassins.
Riding an ordinary city bus, the Agents leave behind the university and their attackers, arriving in downtown Athens a short time later. Their ultimate goal is to find transportation out of Greece, but the immediate priority is to get off the street for a few hours while Qoqa treats Anabel. Nobody is keen to check in at a hotel, however – it seems too likely that their well-supported enemies have contrived a way to monitor such establishments via high-tech gadgetry or police contacts. After a brief huddle, everyone agrees that a nightclub should suffice . . . tourists aren't going to stand out at such a place on a Friday night, and the chaos within is sure to interfere with hostile surveillance.
It doesn't take long for Jili to pick out a suitable nightspot and talk (and bribe!) the team past the doorman. A bit more silver scores a private booth with a view of the exits. Then it's time to sit down, catch breath, and give Qoqa a chance to treat the injured. Qoqa determines that Anabel mostly needs rest, and orders her to stay put and drink plenty of water, not booze. Then Qoqa takes Jili to the restroom and tapes up her busted rib. After that, the Agents plan their next few moves: (1) taking public transportation to the airport, (2) stealing a suitable vehicle from the parking area, (3) driving to Durrës, Albania, and (4) catching the ferry to Bari, Italy.
Toward closing time – well into the wee hours of Saturday – the Agents file out of the club, hidden among the other patrons, and board a regional bus that heads out past the airport. They disembark as close to the airport as possible and then hike to the perimeter fence nearest the parking area. Anabel, the group's best thief, confirms that she feels up to a little late-night burglary. After Klas and Wen establish that no security personnel are in sight, Lev and Paul boost Anabel up and over the barrier.
Anabel stalks expertly across the shadowy compound to the car park. It doesn't take her long to locate a good-sized minivan, disarm the alarm, break in, and start the engine. As luck would have it, whoever left the vehicle here foolishly sat the long-term parking ticket in plain sight on the dash. This enables Anabel to drive up to the gate, pay the fee, and hit the road as though she were the legitimate owner. Moments later, Anabel pulls up to her allies' hiding place with their stolen ride.
Everybody piles into the minivan, whereupon Paul gets behind the wheel for the long, boring road trip to Durrës. Paul's conservative driving and the group's fresh identities ensure that passage into Albania goes smoothly. The Agents reach their destination without incident at 13:30 on Saturday afternoon. Their first task is to dispose of the van, which they accomplish by pulling over in what's obviously a crime-ridden area, leaving the doors unlocked, and walking away – though not before Qoqa "cleans" the vehicle.
With that done, the next order of business is to book passage to Bari. This proves trivial – but as departure is at 23:00, the Agents have half a day to kill. They take advantage of this break to rest, get something to eat, and do a little shopping. Everybody is feeling refreshed by the time they're boarding the ferry. Their relatively new false identities attract no special attention throughout this process.
It's 08:00 on Sunday, February 16 when the team disembarks at Bari, which everyone finds quite beautiful. The Agents procure rooms at a pleasant hotel. Once they're out of sight, they report in to Chaturvedi by secure phone. Chaturvedi is anxious to know what has been going on. After hearing the details, his anxiety is replaced with fear that the group's enemies will try to wipe out anybody who knows about their base of operations before they give up such a wonderful site.
The Agents agree with Chaturvedi's concerns and explain that they intend to hit the island base before its occupants pick up the trail again. After some discussion, a plan takes shape: Chaturvedi is to use the Company's resources to procure a legitimate cargo vessel and the means to equip it with secret compartments and anti-surveillance tech. Then the group will steam close to the island, broadcast a false distress call, and run the ship aground on the beach. After that, the team will let the enemy take a good look and then sneak out of the wreck once things have cooled down.
Chaturvedi believes the Company will support this ploy and asks the Agents what they'll require . . . besides a freighter. To prepare the vessel, the group requests electronic countermeasures for foiling common portable sensors, hardware for constructing hidden compartments, concealable surveillance devices so that they can observe what's going on outside, and explosives for rigging the fuel tank. The list of personal gear includes small arms, body armor, regular and thermal camouflage, secure tactical communicators, and – if at all possible – a TN-8111 "silent" mortar and some kind of anti-materiel rifle. Other needs include a quiet warehouse in which to drill, the temporary reassignment of Vinnie as ship's master, and a fast launch that Vinnie can flee in and use to recover the team later.
Chaturvedi is extra-careful to repeat back everything, to avoid any confusion. He says that he should be able to set the group up in Valencia. He also promises to talk to Dieter about getting hold of the heaviest body armor possible, and to contact certain Company assets who have access to high-quality H&K firearms. He isn't as confident about the heavy weapons, but notes that V may well still have trustworthy channels for procuring those without drawing attention. With that done, it's time to wait and see . . .
Time: Friday, February 14, 2014 (night).
Place: Athens, Greece.
Last Event: Eluding a dragnet of would-be abductors – or assassins.
Riding an ordinary city bus, the Agents leave behind the university and their attackers, arriving in downtown Athens a short time later. Their ultimate goal is to find transportation out of Greece, but the immediate priority is to get off the street for a few hours while Qoqa treats Anabel. Nobody is keen to check in at a hotel, however – it seems too likely that their well-supported enemies have contrived a way to monitor such establishments via high-tech gadgetry or police contacts. After a brief huddle, everyone agrees that a nightclub should suffice . . . tourists aren't going to stand out at such a place on a Friday night, and the chaos within is sure to interfere with hostile surveillance.
It doesn't take long for Jili to pick out a suitable nightspot and talk (and bribe!) the team past the doorman. A bit more silver scores a private booth with a view of the exits. Then it's time to sit down, catch breath, and give Qoqa a chance to treat the injured. Qoqa determines that Anabel mostly needs rest, and orders her to stay put and drink plenty of water, not booze. Then Qoqa takes Jili to the restroom and tapes up her busted rib. After that, the Agents plan their next few moves: (1) taking public transportation to the airport, (2) stealing a suitable vehicle from the parking area, (3) driving to Durrës, Albania, and (4) catching the ferry to Bari, Italy.
Toward closing time – well into the wee hours of Saturday – the Agents file out of the club, hidden among the other patrons, and board a regional bus that heads out past the airport. They disembark as close to the airport as possible and then hike to the perimeter fence nearest the parking area. Anabel, the group's best thief, confirms that she feels up to a little late-night burglary. After Klas and Wen establish that no security personnel are in sight, Lev and Paul boost Anabel up and over the barrier.
Anabel stalks expertly across the shadowy compound to the car park. It doesn't take her long to locate a good-sized minivan, disarm the alarm, break in, and start the engine. As luck would have it, whoever left the vehicle here foolishly sat the long-term parking ticket in plain sight on the dash. This enables Anabel to drive up to the gate, pay the fee, and hit the road as though she were the legitimate owner. Moments later, Anabel pulls up to her allies' hiding place with their stolen ride.
Everybody piles into the minivan, whereupon Paul gets behind the wheel for the long, boring road trip to Durrës. Paul's conservative driving and the group's fresh identities ensure that passage into Albania goes smoothly. The Agents reach their destination without incident at 13:30 on Saturday afternoon. Their first task is to dispose of the van, which they accomplish by pulling over in what's obviously a crime-ridden area, leaving the doors unlocked, and walking away – though not before Qoqa "cleans" the vehicle.
With that done, the next order of business is to book passage to Bari. This proves trivial – but as departure is at 23:00, the Agents have half a day to kill. They take advantage of this break to rest, get something to eat, and do a little shopping. Everybody is feeling refreshed by the time they're boarding the ferry. Their relatively new false identities attract no special attention throughout this process.
It's 08:00 on Sunday, February 16 when the team disembarks at Bari, which everyone finds quite beautiful. The Agents procure rooms at a pleasant hotel. Once they're out of sight, they report in to Chaturvedi by secure phone. Chaturvedi is anxious to know what has been going on. After hearing the details, his anxiety is replaced with fear that the group's enemies will try to wipe out anybody who knows about their base of operations before they give up such a wonderful site.
The Agents agree with Chaturvedi's concerns and explain that they intend to hit the island base before its occupants pick up the trail again. After some discussion, a plan takes shape: Chaturvedi is to use the Company's resources to procure a legitimate cargo vessel and the means to equip it with secret compartments and anti-surveillance tech. Then the group will steam close to the island, broadcast a false distress call, and run the ship aground on the beach. After that, the team will let the enemy take a good look and then sneak out of the wreck once things have cooled down.
Chaturvedi believes the Company will support this ploy and asks the Agents what they'll require . . . besides a freighter. To prepare the vessel, the group requests electronic countermeasures for foiling common portable sensors, hardware for constructing hidden compartments, concealable surveillance devices so that they can observe what's going on outside, and explosives for rigging the fuel tank. The list of personal gear includes small arms, body armor, regular and thermal camouflage, secure tactical communicators, and – if at all possible – a TN-8111 "silent" mortar and some kind of anti-materiel rifle. Other needs include a quiet warehouse in which to drill, the temporary reassignment of Vinnie as ship's master, and a fast launch that Vinnie can flee in and use to recover the team later.
Chaturvedi is extra-careful to repeat back everything, to avoid any confusion. He says that he should be able to set the group up in Valencia. He also promises to talk to Dieter about getting hold of the heaviest body armor possible, and to contact certain Company assets who have access to high-quality H&K firearms. He isn't as confident about the heavy weapons, but notes that V may well still have trustworthy channels for procuring those without drawing attention. With that done, it's time to wait and see . . .