Revelation (M/F) (F/M) - A sequel to Devastation

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wolfman
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Post by wolfman »

"Ultralight titanium allow frame supporting carbon fibre bodywork. It offers little protection, but is light, fast and maneuverable. The powerplant is a four of custom electric motors, driving high yeild prop blades, with a variation on slip differentials. As a result, when it turns, the power is increased to outer props and decreased to inner props to aid the turn." Carl says with pride, as Jim guides the vehicle at speed along the river towards their home. "The motors are electric and allow for near silent running."

The forty foot boat cuts through the water like a knife as the sun begins to rise. Either side of the bank the cacophony of the night, gives way to the soft burble of the creatures of the day, as the light of the sun begins to penetrate the jungle's canopy.

"We need to go to ground, this boat is amazing, but it is not invisible." Nikita says, softly.

Carl smiles, then purses his lips and nods to his brother. Jim grins and gives a wink, saying, "Well actually."

Around them a series of soft clicks and pops, echo around the vessel. Beneath their feet, ballast tanks slowly fill and the boat begins to lower in the water. Jim eases back on the power allowing the vehicle to slow and slip beneath the river silently. Softly, the the interior of the vessel reverberates as the submarines' sonar begins to ping.

Nikita shrugs and smiles, "I stand corrected." She glances over at Carl and asks, "So what other stuff have you got up your sleeve."

Carl blushes and simply says, "Coil guns, stun batons, micro drones with tranq loaded autoinjectors, ultraviolet laser microphones, gun cameras and Kinetic reactive armour among other things. I also have plans for an ekranoplan, vehicle modifications and security upgrades"

"I don't pretend to know all of those things, but it sounds an impressive list." Nikita says, warmly.

"When we get back, I will take you round the workshop." Carl says, with a smile, which fades just a little, when he adds, "Dani used to keep me on my toes."

"I bet she did." Nikita says, shooting him a smile, "I spoke to her when I died. She is so proud of you all."

"Do you think she will come back?" Jim asks, hopefully.

"I think...." She pauses choosing her words carefully, "If there is a chance no matter how small, she will be back. As soon as she can figure out how to rebuild her body."

"I have an algorithm running to flag any suspected sightings." Jim says, with a grin.

Carl opens his mouth to speak unnoticed by everyone and then decides to keep his own council, while he gathers his thoughts.

Nikita thinks carefully for a moment and speaks softly, "Blueprints for Carl, search algorithms hunting Dani, Controlling vehicles if a dongle is installed. You certainly have the skills." Nikita says in a light tone.

"I get by." He says with a dismissive smile.



Nikita pauses, knowing that she about to embark on a one way path, "It is a surprise that you didn't do a deep dive on the family."

Jim sits, in a quiet panic, trying to find the words, but Nikita beats him to it, "Why didn't you tell Dani, I was alive?"

She sits back watching the others, thinking, "I wonder who will jump in and help him. I am guessing Fey, she wears her heart on her sleeve almost as much as Jim."

Fey squeezes Hel's shoulder in support and speaks softly, "It was me, I pushed him into it. Dani was often gone for long periods and at times, I wondered if she was ever coming back.I asked Jim one time to see if she had returned to Sasha and Dad.That's when he found you were alive."

"How long have you known?" Nikita asks hating herself.

"About three months. We didn't tell her because, we were worried, she would choose you over us." Fey explains, tearfully.

Nikita glances around the room, seeing the guilt on their faces, "If she was going to do that, she would have just done it. Everything she did, was for you, to keep you safe from those who would do you harm. You had nothing to fear."

All but Nikita begins to cry, she smiles and moves around the confines of the boat hugging everyone in turn and giving words of comfort. She embraces Hel last, whispering in her ear, "If you ever need to talk, I will always listen."

"Thank you, Niki." Hel says, feeling the warmth and thoughts of love and compassion in her sisters mind, as they embrace.



Jim eases the submarine around a bend in the river and slows, "We are nearly home, everyone." He announces, guiding the craft into a sunken cave. "I'm just easing us into the back passage."

A moment later, he slumps his shoulders and speaks softly, "Yeah, I know what I said, you can laugh."

Everyone giggles, at the double entendre. When the laughter dies down, Nikita chuckles, "Family trait, we all do that."

"Really?" Jim asks, curious.

"After being killing a guy that tried to hold Sasha hostage, it was decided that she is not keen on being taken from behind. Then after animating too many corpses, Dani decided to limit herself to five guys at once." Nikita says with a shrug, "It happens to us all eventually."

Fey gives a sly smile, "Even you?"

"Yeah, even me. In the cave, I stripped off before diving in the water to transform into an octopus. When I emerged, I said "I prefer being naked, when I get wet." After another round of laughter from every one, Nikita continues, "At which point, Sasha helpfully pointed out, my ability to turn my limbs into giant penises."

The chuckles continue as the submarine surfaces and Jim docks in the caves under their home. Carl gets up from his seat and hugs Nikita warmly and whispers, "Can you pop down to see me, I would like to measure you up for a custom NAKI suit. I have a few ideas that could work really well for you." 

"Sounds good, I will pop down after I have freshened up." Nikita says with a smile and a nod, before addressing everyone present with authority, "We have had a big night and done a lot of good for a lot of people, but now, we need to do good for ourselves. Take time out for self care, eat, clean up and rest. We will all catch up later."

"Sounds good to me, I could do with a shower. I smell like a gorilla's armpit after all the humping around I have done tonight." Fey says wearily.

Hel has to bite her tongue to stop laughing. Jim breathes a sigh of relief, "It does hit us all eventually."

Fey looks up and has a moment of realisation, "No." She protests, "I meant humping around as in lifting. I humped a lot of men tonight after I touched them and tied them up."

"A very wise man, once said, " Nikita begins, trying to keep her tone even, "When you are in a hole, stop digging."

Fey slumps her shoulders and hangs her head, knowing that nothing she says, will get her out of this,  "Damn you all." She says, laughing, "I will never live this down."

Jim tries to mask his normal Kenyan twang and speak in a high class English accent, "I am sorry to say, that no matter where you hide, you will never escape the men you humped tonight."

Hel covers her mouth trying not to laugh out loud. Jim closes his eyes and bows his head, his body shaking with silent laughter. Carl smiles sympathetically at her and says, "All joking aside. You were amazing tonight, babe.", trying to difuse his sisters embarrassment.

The fierce red burning from Fey's cheeks fades a little and in a quiet voice she says, "Thanks, bruv." 



Nikita stands tall in clean red cargo shorts and a crop top, showing steel hard abs and whipcord tight arm and leg muscles. She softly knocks on Carl's door and waits. Carl opens the door, fresh faced, clean shaven for the first time since she has met him, him long hair tied back in a ponytail.

She stares stunned at him, thinking, "My God, he looks like dad."

Carl seems to relax, letting the tension drain from his shoulders when he sees Nikita standing there, "Thank you so much for coming. Please come in."

Nikita feels her hackles rise ever so slightly, "Something is not right, he is tense. This is not about a suit fitting."

Her eyebrows raise in surprise at the spotlessly clean room, dominated by a large plush sofa and massive flat screen television atop a large side board. The floors and walls look like polished stone. The whole effect is very minimal but with a certain clean style, "I expected to see electronics and motor parts all over the place."

"I can't work like that, I need order and structure to work efficiently."  Carl admits, sheepishly. 

"So, you wanted to measure me for a NAKI suit." Nikita says, watching for his reaction.

Carl extends his hand towards the sofa, indicating that she sit and crossed the room to the sideboard opening a drawer. Nikita watches his suspiciously and moves towards the sofa but doesn't sit, remaining ready for anything.

Carl turns with two small bundles in his hand. He lays one of the table and opens the other bundle up, to reveal a sculpted NAKI without sleeves or legs. "This will fit and provide protection for your body and major organs, while leaving your arms and legs free to do whatever you need to."

"I had a feeling you didn't need to measure me up. What is this really about?" Nikita asks, surreptitiously confirming that Carl is not armed.

Carl places an ash tray on the table and takes a seat on the sofa."I am sorry for the deception, but I really need to talk to you."

Nikita notes the trembling in his hands and the sweat on his brow, "He looks genuinely worried about something." She thinks taking a seat, before gently speaking, "It's ok Carl. I am here for you. Whatever is wrong, we can fix it."

Carl stares at the table gathering his thoughts and wringing his hands. He nods to himself and looks across at Nikita, "On the boat, you said about Dani rebuilding her body." Carl begins, nervously, "It got me thinking. I can think of a project and know what is needed to complete it."

As Carl pauses, Nikita lights a cigarette and braces herself for the worst.

"For her to do it, she would need her original body. However, the body was pretty much atomised by the bomb." He says, with a nervous energy, "So she wouldn't be able to use it to come back."

Nikita takes a deep lungful of smoke and swallows hard, "This is Dani, if there is another way, she will find it."

"That is why I wanted to talk to you, to sound you out." Carl says relieved, "She can't use her body to come back. But, she spilled a lot of blood at the cage fighting club. It is a long shot, but there might be a lot of her bodily fluids, in the blood traps under the ring."

Nikita feels her pulse thundering through her veins. She nods slowly, "That could be something. How often do they clean the blood traps?"

"No idea, but given how often they clean the toilets, probably once an ice age." Carl says, with a shrug.

"Do we have a car?" Nikita asks, taking a drag on her half finished cigarette, before stubbing it out.

"Not really, we might be able to use Brother Tran's Tuk-Tuk." Carl suggests, before saying, "What are you thinking?"

"She might be in a bad way and we will need something discrete to get her home." Nikita says rising to her feet, "Can you turn around?"

Carl averts his eyes and begins to think about his inventory. He listens to the rustle of clothes being removed and then slipped back on again. He clicks his fingers, "I can fit a sidecar to one of the bikes."

"Nice, that could do it." Nikita says, smoothing the NAKI body suit, "Nice work by the way, you can turn back."

Carl sees his handiwork and nods, "Looks good, the ribbing on your back and stomach is designed to support and move with you. The contours around your chest, should provide a little extra blunt trauma shielding." 

Nikita slips her shorts over the top of the suit and asks, "How long for the side car?"

"An hour for functional but not pretty. Two hours for sculpted, tomorrow for a full paint job." Carl says, with an open handed gesture.

"You have an hour, to get it build and fitted. If you can get some paint on it, even a layer of matte black, that would be awesome." Nikita says pulling the crop top back on. "I will get the others."

"Cool, second bundle is a few more of those suits, tailored for you." Carl says, getting to his feet.

She hugs him tightly and whispers in his ear, "If she is there, we will bring her home."



Nikita strides purposefully from Carl's room and knocks on Jim's door. He opens bleary eyed in slik pyjamas. "Hey Niki, what's up?" He says, slurred with fatigue.

"Sorry big guy, we are rolling out in one hour." Nikita says, feeling sorry for her brother.

"Seriously?" Jim says, wearily.

"I'm sorry fella. We have a lead on Dani." She says, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Urban operation, dress like a tourist."

Jim's eyes flash open, all thoughts of rest banished. Fully alert, he nods, "I can be ready in five."

"Steady on. Carl won't be ready for an hour, take some down time." She says, warmly. 

"Is Dani really coming back?" Jim says, with a tear in his eye.

"I honestly don't know. But if there is a shadow of a chance, we will find her." Nikita says, assuringly, "I gotta get the others, will you be ok?"

"You can count on me, Niki." Jim says, warmly, "I will make you proud."

Nikita places a hand on the back of his neck and pulls him closer, looking into his eyes, "I am already proud beyond words to be your sister. You can do things, I can never dream of. The way you handled the drop off with the street lights, traffic signals and cameras, was frankly amazing and the speed and ease that you culled data and the traffickers building was incredible."

"It was nothing really." Jim says, trying to brush it off.

"I have worked with the worlds best Elint specialists and you leave them in the dust." Nikita says, sincerely, "And none of them are as good in a fire fight as you were at the warehouse."

"I have seen the amazing things you do. I am honoured and humbled to be your brother." Jim says, hugging her.

"I am a master of my body, you are a master of technology. We are the same." Nikita says, with a smile.

Jim straightens himself up, releasing Nikita fom his embrace and strokes the knuckles of his right hand with his left thumb. "Thank you Niki. I wont let you down."

Nikita smiles and winks at him, "I promise not to let you down either."'



Nikita smiles to herself as she returned to her room, thinking, "Jim briefed Hel and Fey before I even knocked their doors. We are in good shape."

Moving with practiced precision, she changes her crop top for a t-shirt and slips on no-show socks and ankle boots. She lights a cigarette and runs her fingers through her hair in the quiet of the room. 

Her head starts spinning and she flops down on the bed, suddenly feeling exhausted. She lays back and blows smoke towards the ceiling, gathering her thoughts.

Her mind is a whirlwind of images from the last few days, the sights of Kampot, meeting Jim and Carl, rescuing Fey, clearing the building and getting shot, assaulting the plantation. She smiles to herself, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

She stretches out on the bed feeling the kinks in her muscles pop. "Thank God for the PCS in  my system. I have no idea how I could do this otherwise."

Nikita takes a deep lungful of smoke and feels herself relax. She stares at the ceiling of the room, closely examining the rough hewn rock. She relaxes her focus and allows her eyes to wander, languidely trailing from a formation that appears to be a spider monkey, to another that looks like a London taxi cab. 

She daydreams absent mindedly about where she and the monkey will go, when she feels Hel's lifepulse approaching. She exhales slowly and extinguishes the cigarette. "Come in." She says softly when she Senses Hel pause by the door.



Hel enters the room, clad in faded blue jeans, a loose fitting Def Leppard t-shirt and walking shoes. Slung over her left shoulder is a small, but fully packed holdall. "We are pretty much ready." She smiles.

Nikita springs off of her bed, feeling refreshed in both body and mind, "What's in the bag?"

"Some clothes and medical supplies. The kind of stuff we would take on the rare occasions that we would back up Dani." Hel explains, "I guess we don't need medical supplies, thinking about it."

"Better to have stuff and not need it." Nikita says, pulling her shoes on.

"What gear are you bringing?" Hel asks, curiously.

"Not much, going for discretion." Nikita pauses for a moment, before crossing the room to close the door. She wrestles with her thoughts, wanting to confide but in two minds about doing so. Eventually she relents and turns back to her sister, "Under normal circumstances, I would not be pushing for this today."

"Eh? What do you mean?" Hel says shocked.

"We are all knackered. We have no idea what is waiting for us and no defined plan." Nikita confesses, sitting on the floor with her back to a wall.

Hel hesitates for a moment, before taking a seat next to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulder, "We can call it off. Just like that. No harm and no foul."

"No we can't. We have to take this chance. She might have been in there, since yesterday waiting for us." Nikita wipes a tear from her eye, "What's worse, what if she is not there. This is slim at best."

"I know the odds are stacked against us, but we would all hate ourselves, if we had a chance and didn't take it, however slim it is." Hel says with a nudge.

"Yes it is slim. But it's the best we have." Hel says, gently.
View my latest story, Revelation, here;

https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719


To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
GreyLord
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Post by GreyLord »

Another home run. Keep up your fantastic work Wolfman.
ImageA List of my stories:
An Unlikely Savior Completed
Spy Task Force Completed
Tale of an Archer Completed
The Bandit Scout on Newhome updated 05/30/23
Caesar73
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Post by Caesar73 »

Nikita and her plans :) We have been there before :) This chapter has something epic about. We learned a lot about the characters.
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wolfman
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Post by wolfman »

Jim stradles the motorcycle with sidecar, guiding it towards the edge of the city at the head of the convoy. He wears an open plaid shirt over a t-shirt and faded black jeans. He rides in considered silence lost in his own thoughts.

Nikita follows in close formation behind him and feels every bump in the road, as they race towards their goal. She chuckles to herself, before asking, "So Badger, why did you shave all your hair and beard?"

"You said we need to blend in." He shrugs, "I stand out plenty, just by being a black man in this country. Besides, a bus full of people were driven to a police station the other night, by a black man with grey hair. It makes sense to lose it to reduce any potential heat."

"Fair enough, but why not colour it?" Nikita asks, curiously.

"Nah, would have taken to long to wash the grey out and then dye it again." He explains, navigating a hairpin bend at speed, "Nice job on the sidecar, dude."

"Thanks man, I thought the pivoting connectors would let you lean into the corners a bit." Carl says, warmly.

"Working like a charm, brother." Jim says, giving a thumbs up.



"What's the plan when we get there?" Fey asks, easing her bike around the bend.

"Initially, everyone holds back and I will walk the perimeter of the building, if she is in there, I should be able to sense her" Nikita confirms, pausing for a moment, "If she is in there, Fey and Carl will come in with me. Hel and Jim will stay behind keeping the engines running."

"Jim can you mess with any camera's from outside?" Fey calls out.

"I should be able to kill the monitors and recording, but keep them live to give us eyes inside the club." Jim confirms.

"I have been here a couple of times before, but only to the main staging areas, I have no idea what the behind the scenes layout is like." Fey says, over comms.

"I have been trying to get floor plans. The problem is that the site was erected, as an empty shell and they have modified the internal space with bespoke staging and partitions." Jim explains, "The place could be a maze."

"That's where I come in." Carl chips in, "If need be, Nikita can tell us where to go and I can tell her where to smash to get through the partitions to get there fast."

"Last resort though, ideally we want this quick and quiet."  Fey adds, "I will scout ahead."



They cross into the outskirts of the city, unaware of the eyes focused on their progress and the hushed whispers being exchanged.

One pair of eyes watches the convoy enter the city, with emotionless eyes. He picks one of the riders out and calmly points and says, "That one."



They pull up behind the club and Nikita sits motionless on her dirt bike, staring at the buidlings back wall, the colour draining from her face slowly.

"Niki? Are you ok?" Hel asks, noticing the change in her sister.

"I see her." Nikita says, through trembling lips.

"She's alive?" Fey asks, shocked.

"In a bad way, but yeah, she is alive." Nikita says, barely able to believe the words coming out of her mouth.

She dismounts her cycle and takes a deep breath, glancing at Fey and Carl, "Shall we?"

"There are two cameras in the whole building, one covering the bar and the other in the women's toilets. No use to us, so i am shutting them down." Jim says, curling his lip in disgust, "Perverts."

Hel dismounts her bike and pulls her silenced pistol, holding it at the ready, in the pocket of her hooded top. "Good luck." She says, biting her tongue before adding, "I wish I was coming too."



The inside of the club is a gloomy tangled mess. The air is thick with sweat and less savoury scents, as nikita leads the trio deeper, she holds up a fist and crouches by a corner. She turns to her brother and sister and signs, "We are close, but I am not sure how to get to her. I will scout ahead." 

For a moment, Fey and Carl watch her confused as she doesn't move forward, instead merely extending an arm. Their confusion is short lived, once a dozen hornets emerge from her hand and fly off in different directions.

Nikita closes her eyes, focusing on the hornets as they blast through the corridors under the staging for the bar. The hornets scour the area, keeping close to the ceilings of the halls and rooms, above the heads of the few people they pass.

Nikita feels Dani's lifepulse wavering slightly and bites her lip, pleasding under her breath, "Hold on babe. We are nearly there."



Hel and Jim crouch by the bikes, looking over each others shoulders but far enough apart that they have clear fields of fire. Jim nervously glances at Hel, then back to the street. Hel catches the look and whispers, "This will work, we will get her back."

"It is just so surreal. I can't believe we are this close." Jim says, wearily, "I am waiting for something to go wrong."

"I know what you mean, but we have to stay focused. We are so close." Hel whispers, in a soft tone.

"It will be so weird, having Dani and Niki." Jim says, with a smile.

"I know what you mean. Nikita and Dani are forces of nature." Hel says, smiling softly.

"Are you worried we will get swept up in the storm?" Jim asks, with a gentle smile.

"Not quite. They seem to have an instictive fit together." Hel says thoughtfully, "I think we will have a wild ride, but it will be ok."

"Niki is scary, but I have to say, I really am beginning to like her" Jim confesses, with a shrug.

"I must admit, it has been great having her here. Fey is a different woman, confident, vibrant and has lost her nerves." Hel observes, "She has affected all of us."

"How do you mean?" Jim asks confused.

"Carl would very rarely venture out and now he is in the field for the third time in two days. Fey used to want to be invisible, now she walks like she is ten feet tall. I was frightened to use my ability for fear of being overwhelmed, but she believed in me and I took a chance at the people smugglers place checking phones for intel. I would never have done that." Hel says, brushing a lock of her lustrous auburn hair out of her face. "Even you have to admit, you have changed."

Jim leans back against the back wall of the club and rubs his hand over his freshing shaved scalp, "I am still afraid of putting myself in harms way, but She has made me start to think that if I do, I might be ok."



The forty metre chamber under the bar is dark and damp, dimly lit by an old flickering bulb, which hangs in the centre of a roiling mass of flies. Cases of beers and spirits are stacked against the far will, next to the large walk in fridge and freezer.

Carl stands next to the tank under the ring, that is used to catch the spilled blood of the fighters in the cage above. He runs his hand over the surface of the tank, seeking the release for the access panel.

Across the room, Fey is doubled over and retching from the stench of stale booze, rotted blood and dead flesh. Nikita stands at her side rubbing her sisters back. "Don't worry babe, breath through your mouth." She says softly, "Take shallow breaths. That's it."

Fey takes a sip of water and slowly gets her breathing back under control. "I will be alright, help Carl." She says, shakily, before spitting to clear her mouth of the foul stench that she feels like she has been chewing since she came in.

Nikita nods gently and rubs her back one last time, "Ok babe. Take it easy for a moment. I will be right over there."

She turns and jogs across to Carl, who gives her the thumbs up, "I can get us in." He says, nervously, "Can I ask you something?"

Nikita sees the worry on his face in the dim light and puts a hand on his shoulder, "Of course."

He swallows hard, "What if she is erm, not right?"

Nikita hugs him gently, "She is our sister, that is all that matters." She whispers, softly, "There is no point second guessing, lets get her out of there." She tries to keep her voice even, whilst watching the shadows on Dani's lifepulse, showing just how bad her condition is.



The hatch on the side of the tank opens with a screech of metal on metal. A cloud of flies rises from the sides of the tank, spilling into the room. Nikita stares into the gore filled tank and smiles weakly. As gently as she is able she extends her four arms tentacles into the tank and gingerly lifts Dani free from the muck.

"Fey, grab a case of vodka and be quick." Nikita says, laying Dani down on the floor and gently wiping the thick globs of congealed blood and matter off of her, "Hello babe, it is good to have you back."

Carl stands stunned, "Is it really her?" He asks, tearfully.

Nikita nods, with tears of joy in her eyes, "It really is." She gently cradles Dani in her arms.

Carl nods, relieved and signals in morse to the others, "Adeezhi."

Fey stands awkwardly holding a large case of vodka, "Is this ok?"

"Perfect, well done, can you pass me a bottle?" Nikita says, holding out her hand.

She takes the bottle and begins using it to rinse her sister clean. Carl passes her a large microfibre towel, which she uses with more vodka to clean away the layers of muck.

Nikita looks down at Dani with dismay, seeing her pale, emaciated body more clearly with each time she cleans her. Dani's eyes flicker but do not open. Her chest rises and falls slowly, as she struggles to breath.

Fey places a gentle hand on Nikita's shoulder and squeezes gently, before she takes a bottle of vodka and a towel and helps Nikita. "C-can you heal her?" She asks, nervously.

Nikita takes a deep breath and looks up at Fey for a moment, "Dani is malnourished and dehydrated. It looks like her muscles are under-developed possibly due to a lack of her own bodily fluids. I can heal the damage that has caused, but to recover she needs rest, fluids and time."

Fey looks fearfully at Dani, "But she will be ok."

Nikita smiles and nods, "Yes. I am slowly healing her and stabilising her so we can take her home. If I heal her too fast, it might put too much strain on her body."

"What is the best way to get fluids into her? We have some medical supplies back home." Carl enquires, from his position by the tank, while he watches the door.

"I am thinking, blood transfusion." Nikita says, thoughtfully, "Pump my blood into her, it is loaded with nutrients and PCS."

"She might appreciate a hit of nicotine while you are at it." Fey says lightly.

"Nah. This is effectively a new body for her. It is not my place to do that." Nikita smiles and winks.

"Fair enough." Carl pipes up, "When will she be ready to move?"

Nikita strains to reduce the rate of healing, to reduce the stress on her sisters weakened body, "Soon."



"This is the worst part. The waiting." Jim says, lightly bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"We will get her back." Hel says, in a supportive tone, "They have found her, it is just a matter of time now."

Jim looks nervously up and down the street, "Will be so strange having her back. In a way, I have got used to her not being there."'

"I know what you mean." Hel says, warmly, "It will be odd to have her back. But, at the same time, it will be nice to be a family."

Jim exhales slowly and winces slightly, "Speaking of family, when Niki goes back to the UK. I am going to ask to go with her. I want to meet dad and Sasha."

Hel smiles at him, "I know you do. To be fair, I feel the same way." She pauses, wondering whether to say any more, "Amy wants to go as well."

"Carl hasn't said anything, but I am fairly sure he wants to go. He loves the house, but craves a little more civilisation." Jim says, with an open handed gesture.

"We have hidden from the world for long enough." Hel says, thoughtfully. "We all look for a reason that this happened to us. We are not going to find it here."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe this is the right time to step into the world." Jim says, with a subtle nod and a wince.



An unseasonably cold wind blows in from the street, bringing with it a momentary chill to their bones. Jim subtly shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot, hoping Hel doesn't notice.

Hel misses him shifting from foot to foot, but, she catches the look in his eyes, when he glances her way.

"Are you alright?" Hel asks concerned at her brothers discomfort.

"Yeah, just need a pee." Jim says, relenting with a frown.

"Why don't you nip and have one?" She asks, empathising with his discomfort.

"Nah, will hang on till they get back." He answers with a wave of his hand.

"Trust me. Go now. When they come back we will be on the move straight away." She says, with a shooing motion. "

Jim stands in a moment of quiet indecision, before relenting, "Ok, as long as you are sure you will be alright."

"I have things covered here." Hel says, with a wink.

"Thanks, I will be quick." Jim says, jogging into the alley behind the club.



A lone figure, watches through binoculars, in contemplative silence. His faded fatigues, match the colour of the roof, rendering him nigh invisible to all but the closest of observers. From his prone position, he can watch for hours, with barely a movement.

He nods to himself quietly and keys his radio, "Target confirmed and is now isolated. Move in, I want a clean take, no visible injuries. No witnesses." He says, is rapid-fire Khmer.

With a grim smile, he watches his team sweep in and trapping the target in a pincer. He nods to himself with satisfaction, as the bag goes over the targets head and the target falls under a brace of blows to the back of the head from a billy club.

"Incoming." He whispers into the radio, as the target's partner approaches with a gun raised. Without emotion he lays down the binoculars and shoulders the Dragunov at his side. The weapon is barrel heavy, due to the large suppressor, mounted firmly in place.  

A pair of bullets silently arc towards the targets' partner, reduced to subsonic speed by the heavy suppressor. The trajectory of the rounds drops off sharply, but they still arc with pinpoint precision, into their victims chest. 

Dispassionately, he watches the pool of blood grow around the targets partner and observes his men bundle the targets' motionless body into the back of the waiting van.
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Post by GreyLord »

This is high tension material. You have us dangling once again. And very eager for the next installment.
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Post by slackywacky »

[mention]wolfman[/mention] You are one of the best writers (in my opinion) on this board and your stories could easily be published/sold on Amazon or similar sites. Thank you for sharing the adventures with us, much appreciated.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment.
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Post by Caesar73 »

slackywacky wrote: 2 years ago @wolfman You are one of the best writers (in my opinion) on this board and your stories could easily be published/sold on Amazon or similar sites. Thank you for sharing the adventures with us, much appreciated.
I agree! And the end of this last chapter was chilling - did I assume right, that Jim was shot? Or did I get that wrong?
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Post by wolfman »

[mention]GreyLord[/mention] [mention]slackywacky[/mention] [mention]Caesar73[/mention]

Thank you for your kind words and comments. I appreciate your support and patronage. Thank you for your time and patience with this tale, more is coming shortly.

[mention]Caesar73[/mention] A good question, who was shot?
View my latest story, Revelation, here;

https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719


To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
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Post by wolfman »

Nikita covers her mouth with her hand, stifling a scream. Carl and Fey stare at her fearfully. "Bring Dani." Nikita hisses running towards the exit, "Jim is out cold and Hel is down." She runs at full tilt towards Hel, without waiting for a response

Carl gently lifts Dani thinking, "This is bad."

Fey trembles motionless. Carl nudges her and looks her in the eye, "Down is not dead. We need to move. Now"

She nods shakily and lets Carl lead the way. He cradles Dani gently in his arms, picking his way through the myriad obstacles. With Carl's PCS enhanced physique, he is much stronger and tougher than a normal person, but even a non enhanced person would find Dani's eighty pound body, light as a feather.

"This is fucked." He thinks, gritting his teeth, "All is not lost, we have Dani. Nikita is en route to Hel." He shakes his head, "I hope Jim is ok." 

An image of Jim's smiling face flashes in Carl's mind, "We're coming for you, mate."



Nikita runs as hard as she can, doubled over in pain from the wounds in Hel's chest. She strains desperately trying to stabilise her rapidly ebbing life signs. "Don't you bloody dare." She pleads through gritted teeth, bursting through the outer door of the club and spilling out into the alleyway.

Hel lays still with eyes rapidly glazing, watching the van containing Jim, race away. Trembling lips, struggling to wrap themselves around the word, "No."

Nikita vomits from the pain of Hel's injuries and collapses to her knees. "No, I am not losing you." She thinks, sweeping the injuries from her sister into herself at the moment Hel's heart stops.



Fey bursts through the door, to see Nikita motionless and Hel weakly sitting at her side crying. She rushes to her side and throws her arms around her.

Hel sobs into her shoulder, incoherently mumbling. Fey strokes her hair and coos, "It's alright Hel. Everything is going to be alright."

Carl emerges from the door and his eyes widen, with a few quick strides he crouches at Hel and Fey's side and hands over Dani, to their confusion.

He stares at Nikita, then at Hel and then back at Nikita, open mouthed.

Hel mumbles softly into Fey's shoulder, "She took my injuries at the moment I died. I think she is gone."

With a smooth sweeping movement, Carl sweeps the kerambit from his belt and plunges it twice into Nikita's chest, matching the bullet holes in Hel's top. Like a machine he rises to his feet and sprints to the sidecar, grabbing the holdall. He withdraws a slim syringe and pulls off the cap with his teeth, as he returns. The needle punches through into her chest with ease. Trying not to think about what he is dong, he presses the plunger, emptying the contents into her heart.

He leans back for a split second, retrieving a stubby black block from the bag. In a blur of motion, he jabs the prongs of the stungun into her side and pulls the trigger.

Fey and Hel stare at him with disbelieving eyes, as he numbly rises to his feet and drops the stun gun back into the bag. He pulls a blanket out of the bag and wraps it gently around Dani, then he stoops and picks up Nikita and with some effort moves her into the recovery position.

"What the fuck have you done?" Hel asks, numb. To which Carl wearily reaches down and takes Nikita's right hand in his left and closes his eyes, to pray. 



With scream Nikita sits up, retching hard and gasping for air. She slumps forward, exhausted, unmoving when Carl gently brushes her hair out of her face and whispers "Welcome back." Through tears of relief.

Nikita moves weakly, thinking to herself, "I brought Hel back from death. I should be dead, or at least out of action for a while." Silently she watches an ashen faced Hel and Fey load Dani into the side car and bundle her up to prevent injury from being bounced around on the road.

She looks down, feeling a hand grasping hers. Her eyes travel up the arm attached to the hand and her gaze eventually rests on Carl's face, emaciated and aged with worry. He gently rocks back and forth whispering, "I'm sorry."

Gently she squeezes his hand, giving him pause and causing to gaze back down at her. "I'm sorry, I had to hurt you."

"What happened?" She mouths, breathlessly.

"You were dying from a wound you hadn't received and your body didn't know how to cope with it. I gave you injuries to correspond to the wounds that you took from Hel. Then injected you with adrenaline and hit you with the stungun. That jump started your body and forced you to produce a massive amount of PCS. The rest was down to you." Carl explains, sheepishly.

She stares at him speechless, eventually able to stammer, "H-h-how?"

Carl gathers his thoughts and pauses choosing his words carefully, "My ability is not building machines, I see patterns. I look at something or someone and see a pattern for them, if there is a problem with them, then their pattern is off and I know how to fix it. You died from a death that was not your own, bypassing your bodies ability to recover. I had to hurt you to bring you back."

With trembling fingers she reaches up and gently grips the back of his neck, pulling him down towards her face, "Thank you." She says in a ragged whisper, "How long was I out?"

Carl extends his free hand out and answers, "Maybe a couple of minutes."

"That was quick, normally, I would expect something like that to knock me on my ass for anything up to a few hours." She says thoughtfully, "Thank you.", then she loosens her grip on him and relaxes, laying back.

A moment later she sits up sharply, "Where's Jim?", feeling his absence from her senses for the first time since she met him. 



The man on the roof watches intently, as the siblings regroup. "Remarkable. The redhead should be dead and yet, she is up and moving around, as if nothing happened." he whispers, in a New England accent.           

He rubs his chin thoughtfully, as tries to recall the details of what he has just watched, "The redhead fell after I shot her and as the black man was being bundled into the van and driven off, the woman with black hair came out. She dropped and the redhead got up. The blond hugged her and then the guy came out carrying a sick looking woman. After putting her down, he did something to the black haired one and soon after she was moving again."

He checks the video, recorded through the telescoping sight of his rifle and shakes his head, "If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't believe it. This will be worth something to someone."



Jim's head lolls languidely, as the van races through the city streets. He winces at the pinch of the cuffs, securing his wrists behind him and tethering his ankles. He takes a deep breath focusing in spite of the ringing in his ears.

"OK. This is not good. I am chained like an animal with a cloth stuffed in my mouth." He thinks, testing the limits of his restraints and realising that apart from a dull throb at the base of his skull, he is unhurt, "Well they want me alive for some reason. At least that is something."

He takes a deep breath through his nose and feels an unnatural wave of calm wash over him, "Let's find out where we are."

Jim lays still and extends his senses calmly and thinks to himself, "Time to see what you are capable of.", at the same moment that the man next to him, plugs his phone in to charge, then lights his rolled up cigarette.



Jim feels the phone through his connection to the vehicle. He takes control of the mobile phone of the smoker and uses its' GPS to confirm that the van is heading toward the industrial district of the city. Then he accesses the providers network through the phones connection to access all of the smokers contacts and pings their phones. "Given the orientation of the van and speed of travel, we are heading towards a cluster in this location." He thinks, zeroing in on a cluster of phones on the docks of the city.

He accesses each of their phones through the network and reviews the messages held on the devices, "Interesting, they are not directly aligned with the people smugglers and opium traders, but there are links, as if they are a different branch of the same organisation." He thinks, recording the network of connections in the back of his mind. One of the phones is plugged into the mains to charge and he drills into the power grid to back up his search, stripping data and intel from the systems in question.

In his data mining, he discovers other sites and strips data from computers and phones onsite, building a picture of the whole network. He thinks quietly to himself in the darkness, "This is great intel in the right hands. Carl would take one look at this and be able to pick the network apart with a few strokes." He chuckles, inwardly, "I guess the DEA will have a field day with this."

He subtly pulls on the handcuffs and begins to think of his escape, "These will come of easy. Not too many guys around me, should be able to slip away fairly quick once this parks up."

Jim focuses for a moment, flicking through some of the data he has retrieved when once text catches his attention from this morning, that appears to indicate that while the bulk of the DEA were onsite at the poppy fields, one of their surveillance units was attacked and one of the agents was taken by the people that hold him now.

He scrolls through a few more files and spots a set of photos that makes him feel ill, just as the owner of the phone, finishes his smoke.

Underneath his hood, he closes his eyes, to conceal their bright blue glow. 



"We shouldn't be leaving him." Nikita says, worrying about Jim. In her heart she knew Carl was right, "Hel's weak and still recovering. Dani needs constant support and a blood transfusion from me as soon as possible. Fey is fired up but for the moment, we need her and Carl to get us home."

She turns to Carl as he pulls up the motorcycle and side car next to her and keys her headset, "Those drones we were talking about, do you think that would be able to find Jim if we bring them to the city."

He subtly shakes his head, "We haven't got a copy of his heat signature on record." He speaks softly, not making eye contact.

"Do you have something that could help to find him?" She asks, hopefully.

"No. That is not the problem." Carl says, chewing his bottom lip. "The problem is, that he hasn't called."

Nikita notices him exchange a looks with Hel and Fey as they glance back from their motorcycles in front of them, "What do you mean?" She asks, curiously.

"Wherever he is, he is part of a domain, any device either within that location or connected to it, is his to do with as he pleases." Carl begins, "If he is in a vehicle with someone who has a phone, he can access the phone and use all of its' functions."

"So, if he is awake, he could conceivably call from a nearby phone." Nikita says, starting to worry.

"Yeah." Carl says, biting his tongue.



"What is his story?" Nikita asks, knowing there is something she is missing.

Carl smiles sadly, "Jim is a sensitive soul. He had it rough as a kid, son of a female Kenyan diplomat, born out of wedlock with blue eyes. He was too black to be white and too white to be black. He had it rough growing up. His mum was all he had until she passed. He was passed around from care home to care home. Then he was tortured to death and met all of us." 

Fey takes up the mantle, seeing Carl get choked up, "We are all damaged in our own way. But, he was broken before he died. For him coming back was like a rebirth of sorts, a chance to put his past to rest and begin a new life. One where he could at last find peace."

"We often talked about what we could do with our new lives and abilities. He talked about wanting to be the voice that is always there for the forgotten and downtrodden." Hel explains, warmly.

"How could he do that?" Nikita asks, idly curious.

"If he is near a phone or any device that can connect to the internet. If he can access the internet, then that becomes like a domain to him and anything on there or connected to it, is his. A kid texts her friend to say, she is being bullied, he can see it. A sexual predator attacks someone, he can access their phone and find them with their GPS and then dispatch the police." Carl explains, glancing down at Dani, to make sure she is ok, before continuing, "A battered spouse who feels trapped, finds a deposit of cash in their bank account and a taxi booked to take them to a hotel."

"That is incredible, can he really do that?" Nikita asks, imagining the quiet power her brother possesses.

"He can only do one at a time at the moment. We are working on a program that he can use to augment his abilities." Carl says, with a nod. "He sees it as is his duty, to act for those who cannot act for themselves. He is a good man at his core and a gentle soul at his heart."

"Wow. I had no idea." Nikita says, with more than a little admiration. "I just want to give him a hug."



Jim grunts feeling rough hands pull him from the van and drag him by his ankles into a building. He feels a myriad blows rain down on his body, as he is dragged through the building.

He understands that the man have struck him, but down not feel their force. Instead, his senses are flooded with something awakenedby the site of the images he has seen, "No child should be treated in that way." He thinks, feeling his mind focusing a way it never has before.

He writes and dispatches programs to do his bidding across the country. He knows the players and he knows where they are. 



At an airport that does not officially exist, several fully armed, Chinese-made military drones take off, with no human intervention. The drones scatter as soon as they are off of the ground, streaking out across the country. According to the flight logs and security cameras, the vehicles do not move an inch.



Jim feels his ankles being unlocked and his trousers and underwear being removed, before his feet are pulled wide apart, then chained in place. Then he feels his handcuffs unlocked and his shirt roughly removed, before his hands pulled over his head, to be chained once more, so that he appears as an X. His attention, however, is focused on the whimpering he hears to his left. With a thought, the camera from the laptop on the desk, shows him the layout of the room.

Three men, bare chested and heavy set are beginning to flex their muscles and inspecting a wicked looking set of tools and blades lain out on a table to his right. A hosepipe is connected to a rusted tap in the corner of the room. Most interestingly for him, there is a woman chained at his side, in the same way to him and also naked, albeit blindfolded, instead of hooded. He frowns seeing the heavy bruising all over her body and the blood trickling from where the handcuffs dig into her wrists. 

"Shit, she must be the DEA agent. They have really worked her over." Jim thinks sorrowfully, he takes a slow breath and nods to himself, "The pieces are in place. I hope I can do this."

Jim feels the hood roughly pulled from his head and he looks around the room with his own eyes for a moment, acting as if getting his bearing. His gaze falls upon the face of a man, smaller that the rest, dressed in a white suit. Jim smiles to himself thinking, "Got you right where want you."

The man spits at Jim and hisses, "Welcome to hell, mercenary." The man slowly walks around Jim and the DEA agents chained bodies and tsk's. "You and this DEA bitch came to my country, to stop my people. You have only succeeded in finding your doom."

He roughly pulls the cloth from Jim's mouth and grabs him by the chin, "Your death will be filmed and sent to the world. We will send a message to the world, that we will not tolerate foreign interference in our operations. Do you have any final words?"
View my latest story, Revelation, here;

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To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
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Post by slackywacky »

> With scream Nikita sits up
It is one of those movie moments, you know it is going to happen and it still makes you jump.

> The man on the roof watches intently
Interesting, to say the least. Where will this lead to.

Great chapter.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment.
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Post by GreyLord »

Jim has the man in the white suite right where he wants him. What will all of Jim's efforts produce now?
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Post by wolfman »

Nikita puts her arms around Hel and Fey, as they gather around Carls phone, watching the scene unfold on screen. The man in chains can only be Jim, but he is jet black in appearance and his face appears like Roberts, mimicing the appearance of Nikita at the plantation, but without the tentacles. Everyone is silent, waiting for Jim to speak.

The figure on screen smiles and speaks in flawless Khmer, "I am no mercenary. My name is Minh, of the Mrenh Kongveal. We have been watching from the jungles for some time." He pauses, noting the confusion on the mans face, "Davuth Do Dang. You have profited from the sale of opium, the souls of your countrymen and women and traded on the misery of others."

Davuth stares wide eyed at the foreign devil before him and slowly backs away signalling his men. The three men scrable to claim a weapon from the table, but stare startled at the door as it slams and locks. 

Jim's chains unlock themselves and he stands before them, resplendent and unbound. The nearest man panics, flinging a knife at Jim, sealing his fate. Jim ducks under the arc of the blade and rolls forwards, rising to his feet. With an open handed, upwards strike to the man's throat, he effortlessly slams the hapless man's skull into the ceiling with a crunch.

The other two shirtless men, now at close range, drop their weapons and charge Jim, hitting him in the chest. He grunts, but does not fall, his PCS enhanced physique, easily a match for them. Devastating hammerblows to the base of their skulls, send the men to floor. He steps over their bodies towards Davuth, with confident menace. 

Davuth fumbles with his holster, pulling a gun and aiming at the naked black man before him. Jim merely smiles, as the man pulls the trigger and is rewarded with a click. 

Disbelieving eyes, look on helplessly, when Jim plucks the firearm from his fingers. "How?'

"You ask how?" Jim asks, playfully, before continuing, "The how is irrelevant. What is important is what happens next?"

"What happens next?" Do Dang asks, with trembling lips.

The steel hard fingers of Jim's left hand, wrap around Davuth's throat and lifts him off of the ground. The small Vietnamese man beats his attackers arm with impotent blows, as he hangs in the air. "What happens now, is a death knell. Each blow is the tolling of a bell, signalling the end for your kind."



Jim lets the pistol slip from his fingers and punches the man in the face, with irresistable force.



A man armed with a Kalashnikov, walks a lonely path around the perimeter of a plantation in the east of the country. The clouds overhead, shroud the area in a thick gloom. He shoulders his weapon and casts his gaze about frantically. His hackles raised, but the buzzing of a massive insect. He sees nothing and hears even less. He takes a deep beath and lowers his weapon. "Just the wind." he decides, turning back to camp.

He is taken off of his feet, but a series of almighty explosions across the plantation, turning the fields to ash and the buildings to rubble.



Jim pulls his arm back and delivers a second punishing blow to the man's face.



The trains whistle, echoes mournfully in the night. Men stand alert along the length of the train. Well paid men, with motivation to protect the cartels cash reserves from all comers. They have repelled countless attempts and are prepared to repel countless more. The train climbs high through the mountains, surrounded by cloud as it ascends.

The train travels, across the country stopping briefly to collect more money, before moving on. Constant movement has been the trains best defense. Has been. The train thunders ever onwards into the night. Racing along a mountain pass, thundering in the gulley of a ravine, then sailing off ofthe end of a bridge that is no longer there.

The driver, does not even have time to ouch the breaks, before the engine is airbourne and dragging the carriages towards the raging river below. The river runs thick with money. The air is thick with the sound of moans from the crew, a sound soon drowned out by the buzzing of a huge insect, before the scene erupts in flame.



Jim's face is a mask of rage, as he slams his fist into Davuth's solar plexus, forcing the air from his lungs.



The ships captain, lights a pipe on the foredeck and looks out to sea with wary eyes, "Storms coming." he whispers into the wind, watching roiling clouds and the flash of lighting in the distance. He sways on deck with the gentle rocking of the massive cargo ship at his command.

He does a double take, seeing something coming in low and fast over the water from the Cambodian coast. He frowns and squints trying to see it more clearly, then his eyes widen with the realisation of what it is.  The middle aged man drops his pipe and runs towards the bridge. 

Captain Song places his hand on the handle of the outer door for the bridge as the ships is rocks by a line of thunderous explosions from prow to stern on its' port side along the waterline. Less than two minutes later, all that remains on the surface of the ship is scattered debris, bleeding from the carcass of the ship, heading towards the sea bed.



Do Dang's head snaps back from a hammerblow that destroys his nose in an explosion of blood and bone.



Kit Ramsay smiles to himself, as he counts his winnings. The roulette wheel has been kind to him, for once, breaking a six month losing streak. He leers at the croupier, undressing her with his eyes. "Can I spin your wheel, baby?" he asks, licking a hundred dollar chip and slides it across to her.

She clucks her tongue in disgust and shakes her head. The security man behind her, places a firm hand on her shoulder and addresses Kit, "She would be delighted."

The glass ceiling above them implodes, showering all of the casinos patrons with glass, the croupier dives for cover a split second before a white ball of flame erupts in the centre of the casino floor, peppering the patrons with shards of white hot, razor sharp, metal.



Jim winces at the sickening crack of the man's cheekbone under a thunderous backfisted blow.



The mountain side never sleeps. Shacks dot the slope filled with furtive men and foul smelling chemicals. This site produces anything up to a ton of crystal-methamphetamine a week and despite its' ramshackled appearance, it is a well oiled machine.

A tired looking chemist, emerges from a shack, pulling off his gas mask and gasping for air. The middle aged Cambodian man, looks ten years older than his fifty years, in the flar of the match he uses to light a half smoked cigar, he started two days ago.

The quiet of the night is split by a cacophonous roar overhead, follwoed by a low rumble, that makes the ground tremble. Less than a minute later, the mountain side is scoured clean by a wave of rocks, thundering down its' flank.



Davuth's head begins to roll in the aftermath of a hammerblow to the top of his head.



Across the globe, seemingly random accounts start to drain and bit coins are traded and gifted. The whole process takes little more than a few seconds, reducing the multi-billion dollar empire to insolvency at a stroke.

In a non descript house in a council estate in the UK,  a young woman hides in the bathroom. She soaks a cotton pad in antiseptic and dabs the angry looking cut in the centre of a growing purple bruise on her cheek. 

"I am sorry love, I promise I wont do it again." A male voice pleads, from the other side of the bathroom door.

Her heart sinks, "How many times has he said that and then a week or even a day later he hits me again, twice as hard?"

Her phone pings silenty with a banking alert. She frowns picking up her phone, not expecting any withdrawls, but then her eyes widen and she covers her mouth with her hand seeing that someone has just deposited twenty thousand pounds into her account.

She stares at the account that deposited the money, there is no account number and in place of the account holders name, it simply shows the words, "You have suffered enough, time to live for you."

The young woman, hesitates for less that a second, before opening the bathroom window and climbing out into the night. 

The young woman is not alone. Across the world, hundreds of women find a deposit in their accounts and a message of support encouraging them to escape



The light behind Davuth Do Dang's eyes goes out, as the  final blow drives a shard of his cheekbone, into his brain.



The heat in the data centre is almost unbearable, screens across the vast complex display images of unspeakable acts performed on the innocent and the helpless of the country, all available on pay per view.

The deafening clatter of keys, drowns out the noise of the drones approach and the salvo of missiles it launches. The site is obliterated before anyone onsite, knows what happened.

In the aftermath, nothing stirs in the flaming, smoke shrouded shell of the oilrig, as it lurches towards the waves.



Jim drops the lifeless man feeling disgust that his fingers ever touched him. He breathes slowly in the quiet of the room, lost in his thoughts. Wearily he retreives his trousers, boots and sunglasses, then slips them on. He rips the shirt off of the only dead man wearing one and tears it into two triangular strips. One he ties over his lower face, the other he uses to cover his head.

Calmly, he opens the first aid kit on the wall and withdraws a pair of latex gloves. He feels the movement of the devices in the building, working out their patterns around and above him, while he slips the gloves on.

He turns to the woman chained up by her wrists and speaks softly, in Khmer "Agent Church, I will release you shortly. First I need to deal with the other men here. Will you be alright?"

She hesistates for a moment, before nodding weakly.

He crossed the room and closes the laptop, switching the live feed to his smart glasses. With a long slow breath, he strides towards the door, snatching up a machete and a six foot length of chain, from the weapons table on the way.

The pheumatic mechanism for the door operates quietly, opening the door effortlessly before him.



A man stands either side of the door, facing the corridor. Jim flicks the chain in his left hand and loops it around the neck of the left hand mans neck, then jerking him sharply backwards into the door jamb. With a precise sweep he brings the machete up and under the chin of the man on the right as he turns.

He releases both weapons without breaking his stride and scoops up the mens AKS-74U submachine guns and folding his arms, pointing them in opposite directions, across his body. He strides the length of the corridor with the triggers locked, spraying the rooms either side of him through the thin wooden walls, peppering the men inside. 

He reaches the stairwell, as the weapons click dry and he drops them, claiming a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher at the base of the stairs. He climbs two steps at a time reaching the top as, bewildered mercenaries stumble from their rooms.

Jim forces the nozzle of the extinguisher into the nearest mans mouth and empties the cannister down his throat. Then he flings the spent cannister, as the man drops to the ground, striking a machine gun wielding man on the temple, with its corner.

Jim rolls forward claiming the fallen man's weapon, as the men in the corridor ready weapons. With an iron grip he fires the Vietnam War era M60 machine gun one handed, letting the ammunition belt feed over his open left hand. The men in the corridor are cut to ribbons by the withering fire from the deadly weapon. Jim feels a reverence for the rounds passing over his palm, almost as if blessing them before they enter the weapon with deadly purpose.

With the corridor clear, he quickly advances from room to room, cutting down the hapless men inside. He keeps moving, without breaking his stride, until he clears the final room in the building. He crosses the room and smashes the window, with the stock of the weapon and then empties the weapong into the vehicles parked outside until it clicks empty. 

He drops the spent machine gun and takes a deep breath before he bellows in flawless Khmer, "The Mrenh Kongveal, have spoken and pray that you have the wisdom, to have listened." With a thought he ends the feed, darkening the screen of anyone watching.
View my latest story, Revelation, here;

https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719


To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
Caesar73
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Post by Caesar73 »

Hi w[mention]wolfman[/mention] , you did an outstanding job - again.

When I read Sequences like the ones, when Jim breaks his chains and wreaks havoc, I have the feeling I´m watching a movie, so accurate is the description of moves, equally flawless the composition of this chapter: The frequent "cuts" remind me very much of a movie.

Wow - that I´m lost for words does not happen very often :) But this chapter left me speechless. Speechless in awe.

And now I read this chapter a third time :)
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Post by slackywacky »

I agree [mention]Caesar73[/mention]. great chapter yet again. I know it sounds repetitive, but you are a great writer.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment.
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Post by NotSeen »

The way you write action scenes... wow. Yet another brilliant chapter to your masterpiece. Bravo.
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Post by GreyLord »

@caesar73, @slackywacky, and @notseen have eloquently described this last chapter. A thank you to them. I would just add that you are displaying scholarship in your knowledge of southeast Asia.
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Post by OldTUGger »

Superb installment! This story is published in an electronic format, but it's still quite a "page turner." Kudos!
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Post by wolfman »

[mention]Caesar73[/mention] [mention]slackywacky[/mention] [mention]NotSeen[/mention] [mention]GreyLord[/mention] [mention]OldTUGger[/mention]

Thank you very much for your support and very kind words. It means a lot and I appreciate it greatly.

This was a hard chapter to do, I wanted Jim to show his technical side as well and show he is Steve's son and Dani trained him. I am really pleased with how it turned out.
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Post by slackywacky »

wolfman wrote: 2 years ago I am really pleased with how it turned out.
It always feels good when one is happy with a chapter. Sometimes chapters turn out great, sometimes they took some work. It is all part of writing.

I agree, this chapter worked well, although most of your chapters do.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment.
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Post by Bandit666 »

You know there’s so little I can say that I haven’t said before. And yet maybe that’s praise in itself. This saga has and still proves to be a masterpiece. One I sit back and wait to build up one step at a rime before returning. Like you would a good book. The twists and turns. The cliffhangers and scenes. [mention]wolfman[/mention] you created a whole new level when you began to post this tale
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Post by wolfman »

Nikita sits back in shock looking at the feed. She reaches for a cigarette with trembling fingers and lights it, taking a deep lungful of smoke. She sits with Carl, Fey and Hel in the main living room of the house, processing what she has just seen.

Carl breaks the silence in the room, simply saying, "We have to find him."

"We have to get out of here. By morning the jungles will be crawling with soldiers, hunting the Mrenh Kongveal." Hel adds, numb.

"Does him cutting the feed mean he is done?" Fey asks, numb.

"I hope so." Hel adds, nervously.

Carl stares at Hel and Fey, shaking his head, "That was not like Jim, he is a gentle giant. Not a brutal killer." 

"I agree, something happened to him." Hel says with a nervous nod.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON?" A deep sonorous booms from the entrance to the room.



Jim approaches the chained DEA Agent and pauses for a moment, before whispering, "Agent Church. I have no desire to harm you. The others onsite have been dealt with. I wish to remove the gag from your mouth. Can you promise me that you will not scream?"

The stricken agent, nods weakly. Jim pulls the cloth from her mouth gently and she gasps for air, speaking between breaths, "Thank you...Please I can't take this any more..."

"Of course." He says, softly, running a data miner to gather all available information on the woman before him.

Still blindfolded, she feels his right hand in the small of her back and his left hand between her shoulder blades. Gently but firmly, she feels her body pressed against his. She relaxes letting her arms drop to her sides, when he releases the chains holding her wrists and ankles with a thought.

Jim supports her weight, lowering her to the floor gently. He winces as he sees the cuts on her arms and legs, confirming that the tendons in her lower arms have been severed and her hamstrings have been cut. He thinks sorrowfully to himself, "You poor thing, you must be in agony."

She reaches up with useless hands, to try to rub the blindfold with the back of her hand and restore her sight. Jim gently takes her hands and speaks softly, "Hold still, let me help you with that." With gentle fingers,  he pulls the knot at the back of hear head loose, then uncovers her eyes.

His breath catches for a moment, as he stares into her pure emerald green eyes, then as if for the first time takes in the gentle sweeping curve of her body and the voluptuous grace of her full lips. Even bloodied and bruised, her beauty shines through, touching him inside. "After so much death, here, the opium fields, the human traffickers, I had begun to doubt that beauty existed in the world any more."

Jim gently helps her to sit up for a moment and fetches his shirt, slipping it onto her, to provide some little dignity in this night of horrors. "Agent Church, Are you alright."

"Natalie." The woman says, "I think you have earned the right to at least call me by my first name."

"Thank you Natalie." Jim says, he pauses with a glazed look in his eyes for a moment, before he adds, "Help is on the way."

Natalie takes in the ripple of his muscles under his dark skin and the cadence of his speech and exclaims, "You're African. Your accent is from Western Africa."

Jim is filled with dismay, "The less you know about me the better for you." 

"Don't I know it." She says, trying to get comfortable.

"What do you mean?" Jim asks, curiously.

"Shit, I shouldn't have said anything." She thinks, berating herself before she says, "Well, you know." Trying to shrug it off.

Jim gently takes her hands and looks into her eyes, "Right now you are in a bad place and you are hurt. Whatever happens, I will not let anything happen to you. If there is something that you know that will help me get you back to your people and then for me to get free and clear, now is the time to speak up."

Something in his voice or his manner puts her at ease, "T.H.I.S."

"Go on." Jim says, reaching for a first aid kit.

"Ahh." She winces as he begins cleaning her injuries, "T.H.I.S. Trans Human Intervention Section."

"Sounds innocuous enough to be a problem. Who are they?" He asks, with a sense of disquiet.

"No one knows for sure." She says deciding to trust him, "There have been rumours ever since the incident with Captain Price and the Wronged Woman, about a covert operations team who would show up when an incident occured involving beyond human or unnatural means. Witnesses would be silenced and suspects would disappear."

"Do you think the rumours are true?" Jim asks, watching her closely.

"I have no idea." She  says shaking her head, "But my boss ordered the files from the strike on the opium farm redacted and to have the incident with the hornets removed from the records." She pauses, for a moment, "He is worried about them sweeping in."

Jim begins bandaging the cuts on her left arm where the tendons were severed, "Who are they?" He asks, constructing a data mining program to seek out any mention of THIS, in his mind.

"No one knows for sure. Lots of rumours about Russians, Chinese, North Korean or American intelligence. Some even say about corporate backing." Agent Church says, watching him work, "Are you a doctor? You are doing a good job there."

"It's amazing what you can learn from the internet." He says smiling under the bandana. He then begins work on her other arm.



She closes her eyes and suppresses the urge to cry. "I am sure the internet would say that I wont be able to recover from these injuries and live a normal life."

"In time, you will be able to play the violin again." Jim says, without thinking.

"They didn't just cut my tendons, they severed each end and pulled them out, they cauterised them. I wont be able to pick up a pen again let alone play the violin." Agent Church says sorrowfully, looks at him fearfully, "Who are you? How do you know I play the violin."

Jim berates his carelessness, "We know a lot about you."

"Who is we?" She asks, as he gently rests her freshly bandaged left arm on her stomach.

He decides to take a chance, spinning a tale to confuse any who ask, "We are the Mrenh Kongveal. We are not of this land, but it infuses us. We are the Guardian Herdsmen of this land. We protect the unprotected and stand for those who cannot stand for themselves."

"As of right now, I cannot stand for myself." She says, thinking of her achilles tendons, "I doubt if I will ever be able to walk again. Does that mean you stand for me?"

In that moment, he sees the vulnerability of the woman before him, "Yes, Natalie. I stand for you." He says bandaging her achilles tendon on her right leg.

"I will never dance, play the violin or be able to do anything quite the same again." She says, trying not to cry, 



Mike slumps back onto a sofa and rubs his hand across his grey flecked black hair and takes a deep breath, “So let me get this straight.” He begins, “Fey snuck into a people smuggling operation and got captured. Nikita arrived and rescued her before she stormed the building, as a swarm of hornets. Then you ambushed people coming to collect a shipment of people.”
 
Nikita opens her mouth to speak, but Ryan holds up a hand gently to stop her, before continuing, “Then using the intel gathered you silently stormed an opium plantation. At that point you decide to bring Dani back from the dead and Jim disappears. Now he has gone on a rampage and half the country is in flames. Have I missed anything?”
 
Nikita and her siblings all sit in nervous silence like chastised school children. “That’s about it.”
 
Mike throws his head back and laughs, “Why didn’t you give me a heads up?”
 
“We thought you would tell us no.” Carl admits, sheepishly.
 
“I have worked with you long enough to know, that you all know your own minds.” He shakes his head with a chuckle and adds, “Just like your father.”
 
“Did he do things like this a lot?” Fey asks, curious.
 
“More than you might think.” Mike says, fondly reminiscing, before he glances at Nikita “I think this is the first time we have met. It is really nice to finally meet you.”
 
“Nice to meet the legend, finally.” Nikita says with a smile.
 
“What do you mean?” Mike raising an eyebrow.
 
“Dad has spoken about you a lot, he has a lot of respect for you.” Nikita says, with a disarming smile.
 
“How is he? How is married life treating him?” Mike asks, with a grin.
 
“They are doing great. Louise is about four months pregnant and even though he isn’t saying much, Dad is really excited.”
 
“This will be the making of him. He missed out on watching you lot grow up and I think that hurt him more than he let on.” Mike confides, “He would be so proud of you all.”
 
Nikita casts her gaze across her siblings and nods her ascent, “Yeah he would be.”
 


Special Agent Black gets into his SUV, with a furious scowl, driving away any who would join him. "God damn it." He bellows at the steering wheel, "We are in the middle of a war and Agent Church is..." His lip trembles remembering the young agent image on the TV screen, her splayed limbs and tortures moans, ringing in his ears.

She had not been with him for long, maybe a little over six months. However, her work ethic and natural charm, had won him over, even managing to cut through his grief at times. In some ways, she was the daughter he had never had.

"Not that she could replace the daughter I had, but I think I have lost her like I lost my wife and daughter." He thinks, pressing the ignition button of the well equipped vehicle.

The vehicle roars into life and he sits silently contemplating the gun in his shoulder holster and wondering if today is the day, his pain will end.

With a sharp click the doors of the vehicle lock and it puts itself into gear, smoothly pulling away. Confused, Black tries the unresponsive door and stamps on the brake in a vain hope of escape or stopping the vehicle.

He moves to roll down the window but remembers that they are one inch thick composite glass, that will stop anything short of a fifty calibre bullet. Changing tac, he snatches out his phone to see it has no signal.

The screen in the vehicles centre console blinks into life and is lit up with the words, "Do not worry Special Agent Black. You are in no danger."

"Well that is reassuring to hear." Black says, unclipping his seat belt and climbing into the back seat.

A moment later, he flicks a switch to lift the seat base. He pulls out a tactical vest and an MP7 machine pistol, fitting a snatch holster to his chest, then selecting a few grenades for good measure. Then he pulls out more tactical vests. Slipping them between the rear seats and the door and hunkers down, ready for anything.
 
 

Nikita leaves everyone else after an hour, to check on Dani. “Her lifepulse is looking a little stronger.”
 
She waits by the door to Dani’s room and knocks softly.  She listens closely and hear the gentle sound of soft breathing from within. Not waiting for an invitation, she enters the room and sees her sister curled up on her side, with a towel wrapped around her body and her wet white hair plastered to her face
 
Her body moves subtly with each breath. Nikita is struck by how well she looks. “She thinner than before, but overall in pretty good shape all things considered. That said, she is looking better now that I have given her some of my blood.”
 
Nikita sits on the bed and places a warm and gentle hand on Dani’s shoulder. She can barely react before Dani sits up sharply and hugs her, pressing her face into her shoulder. Nikita hugs her close, softly whispering, “Shhhh, it’s ok, everything is going to be ok.”
 
They sit in each other’s arms, as Dani holds her. Nikita rocks her gently just holding her sister, until Dani pulls back slightly and mumbles, “It’s gone.”
 
“What's gone, babe?” Nikita asks concerned.
 
“The Zombie is gone.” Dani whispers, mournfully.
 
“What do you mean?” Nikita asks, fearful of the answer.
 
“The part of me where the Zombie was, is empty.” Dani says, feeling lost, “There is nothing there.”
 
“The Zombie may have gone, but you are here. That is the main thing.” Nikita says gently.
 
“I guess you are right.” Dani mumbles.
 
“Listen to me, you are the same person you have always been. You are still the sister I love.” Nikita says, fighting back tears.
 
“Thanks Niki, but I don’t want to be a burden.” Dani says, bitterly.
 
“You will never be a burden Dani. You are family and we need you.” Nikita says, rubbing her sisters back.
 
Dani looks at Nikita with a newfound respect for her, “I have seen you with the others, you are better at this than I ever was. They are a team and you are their leader.”
 
“Behave yourself. They look to me, because you haven't been here. They missed you and wanted to make you proud. When there was a cat in hell’s chance of finding you, no one questioned it, everyone was in.” Nikita says, gently shaking Dani, “You have done so much for everyone. Time for you to let us give something back.”
 
“I guess, you are right.” Dani says, daring to crack the weakest of smiles.
 
“You brought us together and we all owe you.” Nikita says, gently, “We are here for you.”
 
Dani gives a small smile and looks into her sisters eyes, “Thanks Niki.”
 
“When I was being held by Medteqniq, they hurt me over and over and there was nothing I could do and I felt nothing could save me.  I made peace with that. I embraced the thought that nothing could save me and I would need to find a way to save myself.” Nikita says, trying to help.
 
“In time I might be able to embrace that, but I felt like I could do anything, with myself by my side. She was a part of me for quite a while.” Dani says sadly.
 
“You can still do so much, don’t write yourself off.” Nikita says, warmly, “If it takes a lifetime, we will find out the core of your power.”
 
“Thanks babe,” Dani says wistfully, “Feels like I am incomplete.”
 
Nikita nods, deciding to change tactic. “I trained for eighteen months and I am still not as good as you. You are a better investigator than me, better tactically than me, better in a fight than me and always know what to do. I have been flying by the seat of my pants since I have got here and done what I can, but we need you.”
 
She pulls out her Mobile phone and tells Dani that Jim is missing, before showing her the video he streamed and the news reports from around the country.
 
“We need to find him. We are going to head out soon to bring him home. Can you help?” Nikita says calmly.
 
Dani sits quietly, not speaking for a moment, as she watches the video of Jim clearing the building. Eventually she extracts herself from Niki’s embrace and heads towards the bathroom. Nikita watches with dismay as her sister turns her back on her. Dani pauses placing a hand on the door frame and turns back to Nikita, “When he shot the vehicles from the window, I recognised the hills in the background. I think he is near the Vietnam border.”
 
“Can you lead us to him?” Nikita asks, hopefully.
 
“I think so. I need a minute first.” She says, entering the bathroom.
 
Nikita nods, giving a gentle smile, “Take your time.”
 
 

"Thank you." Agent Church says softly.

"For what." Jim asks, gently.

"You saved my life and have given a few moments of human kindness." She says, wishing he wasn't wearing glasses, so she could look him in the eyes, "You have already done so much, but I need you to do something else for me."

"What do you want me to do?" Jim asks, warily.

She looks down at her useless limbs and looks up at him with tears in her eyes, "I can't live like this."

Jim sits open mouthed, subtly nodding his head, "I understand, I promise you will not have to live as you are."

"Thank you." She says with tears in her eyes. "It hurts so much."

Jim nods solemnly and moves behind her, "I will make this as painless as possible." He wraps his right arm around her neck and squeezes.

At first Natalie doesn't notice anything, but then her head starts to swims and the room begins to spin. She weeps softly as black circles form in her vision and pulsate. With each pulse they get slightly bigger. She breathes deeply, without knowing why. The scent of his musk fills her nose as she take a final breath before everything goes dark and the pain in her body fades to nothing.
View my latest story, Revelation, here;

https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719


To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
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Post by Caesar73 »

The end of this chapter ... this is one of those moments you are so good at - [mention]wolfman[/mention] :) In this last paragraph there lies a whole world of possibilities:

Did Jim kill Church Agent Church?

Did Jim not kill Agent Church?
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Post by GreyLord »

No! I do not believe that Jim killed Agent Church. Jim is much too dedicated to life.
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Post by wolfman »

Dani clicks the door to the bathroom shut and folds down the lid of the toilet, taking a seat. With weary fingers, she takes a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of the robe hanging on the back of the door. With shaking fingers she lights one and looks at herself in the mirror. 

“Pull yourself together Dani, you need to stop mourning what you have lost. The Zombie is gone, focus on what remains.” She tells herself silently. 

She takes a deep lungful of smoke and closes her eyes, reaching down into the laundry hamper and pulling out a handgun. Keeping the cigarette in her mouth, she takes a clean towel off of the rail and rolls it up, before tying it over her eyes. 

Dani snatches up the gun, unloads it and begins to count. With practiced efficiency, she begins to disasemble the weapon. She feels her body relax, using the rote movements of countless drills as a form of meditation. By the time she finishes, she has counted to fourteen and feels a bit more like herself.

She rises to her feet and removes the towel from her eyes. She fold it and hangs it on the rail again, then loads and slips the gun back into the laundry basket. With a final drag on the cigarette she stubs it out and stands in the centre of the large bathroom, removing the robe. 

Dani launches into a series of close quarter kata, unleashing punches, kicks, nerve strikes, elbows and knees. She manages four minutes of high speed practice, before she has to slow down to catch her breath. "I have most of my speed, but my power feels way down." She looks down at her hands and clenches her fists tentatively,  "Before I found the Zombie, I could do a couple of hours. I guess I have work to do."

She splashes water on her face and stares at herself hard in the mirror, “Jim needs you. Time to step up.”



Dani focuses and strides out of the bathroom and heads for the closet, trailing smoke behind her.

“I need to get changed, I am coming with you.” Dani says, firmly.

Nikita smiles and her heart leaps inside her chest, as she sees a shadow of the Dani she remembers, charge across the room.

Dani slips on underwear and a sports bra, then lays out a NAKI suit, before tying her hair back, as Nikita knocks the door. "Come in babe." She says lightly.

With her heart breaking, Nikita sighs softly, "Dani, you can't come with us."

Dani pulls a balisong from a drawer and drops it on the bed, next to the suit, "Save it. I am coming. Jim is out there because of me."

Nikita steps in her path as she reaches for a second balisong, "I would love to have you there, but you are still recovering."

"I need to do this." Dani says, trying to reach around her.

"What you need, is to recover properly. You were the best part of dead when we found you." Nikita says, placing a gentle hand on her sister upper arm, "You need to build yourself back up."

In her heart of hearts, Dani knows that Nikita is right, but it doesn't make it easier to accept, "I need to be there for my brother."

"If it makes you feel better we could draw rounds and whoever gets the round without a bullet stays behind this time. I might even be able to palm one as well as you." Nikita says, raising an eyebrow.

Dani opens her mouth and closes her eyes. She hangs her head, "You know, don't you?"

Nikita smiles and speaks softly, "I wasn't sure, but I suspected that you did it, to spare Sasha and I."

"You're right. I couldn't risk the baby and I knew you would be better in the long term for our other brothers and sisters." Dani confesses.

"Just like Africa, your instincts were right, you were the only one of use that could have moved the bomb." Nikita says, with a soft smile, "But this time, we can do this. You need to hang back so you can fight another day."

"Let me guess, Mike and I hang back while you and the others race off into the night." Dani says, warmly.

"Mike and Chelle are packing up. We will need to clear out after this. The heat will be ridiculous. Carl is packing up too." Nikita explains, "I will take Fey and Hel with me."

"Makes sense, Hel is great at tracking and investigating. Fey will be a good scout." Dani says, with a nod.

"Fey is a good backup if I fall." Nikita says with a knowing smile.

"Fey is not a front liner, Hel is better in a fire fight." Dani says, thoughtfully.

"Maybe, but Fey took out a building full of armed guys without a shot being fired." Nikita shrugs.

"What? How?" Dani asks, shocked.

"She can incapacitate a person with a touch, or transfer any sensation she knows to another person." Nikita says with a grin, "She can take me down."

Dani gives a proud smile, "Really? Good for her. I am so proud of her. Thank you for bringing her out of herself." She pauses for a moment before adding in a solemn tone, "Actually thank you for everything."

"You don't have to thank me." Nikita says hugging her sister, "I have to ask, how long were you back before we came?"

"I came back just after we spoke at the people smugglers, a couple of days I guess. I just didn't have the strength to get out of there." Dani says hugging her sister back.

Nikita smiles to herself hearing that the conversation with Dani's ghost was real. "How did you deal with the smell? It was awful."

"You haven't been in the loo after Carl have you?" Dani asks, innocently. The moment hangs in the air, until both girls get the urge to uncontrollably giggle.



Jim slips off his left boot and peels back the insole. Working quickly he plucks a small rubber disc from the hidden compartment. He twists off the lower quarter of the disc to reveal and tiny by razor sharp needle. He plunges the point into Natalie's carotid artery and squeezes the disc.

"There is not enough PCS to fully heal you, but it should get you well on your way." Jim says, brushing hair from her face. "You will play the violin again."

He lays her down gently and gets to his feet. A moment later he returns from a quick sweep of the building and sets down a bag of weapons from those who no longer needs them. With gentle compassions, he helps Agent Church into a pair of trousers, socks, boots and a clean shirt from the locker room. "Sorry they are not your style, but they do the job." He whispers, gently picking her up.

He carries her towards the exit, past all the bodies that have piled up since he arrived. He gazes down at the sleeping woman in his arms and wonders, "Beyond normal human compassion, why do I care so much for this woman?"

Jim pauses for a moment and gazes at her, "She is beautiful, there is no mistake there but, is there something more than the physical that draws me to her?"

He is shaken from his train of thought, by the crunch of car tires on the gravel outside. With a hint of sadness, he looks back down at Natalie and whispers, "Alas our time is at an end. Your ride is here." He pulls up the bandana, covering his mouth and places a gentle kiss on her cheek.



Special Agent Moses Black readies the twelve guage combat shotgun and prepares himself for whatever may come, as his SUV pulls into a courtyard in front of building on the edge of the jungle near the Vietnamese border.

He watches confused as what appears to be a black man carries his agent out to his vehicle and lays her on the bonnet.

"Hard to tell with the facial coverings, but is he black?" Moses wonders, as the man steps back.

"Special Agent Black. I return Agent Church to you. She will need care and a good friend to heal. I entrust her to you." A voice says in Khmer over the speakers.

"Give me a reason why I shouldn't shoot you right now." Moses says, suspecting the vehicle is bugged.

"We both know that the glass and door will stop any rounds fired at them."' the voice replies. "

"Fair point. So, what happens now?" Black asks, eyeing the man, warily.

"I put her in the car, you don't shoot me and then you get her out of here." The voice says, without emotion.

Black considers the options and decides that the change to get Church back safely is worth the risk. "Fine. But one day, you and I will have a reckoning."

Jim nods and speaks through the speaker once more, "Of that I have no doubt. Once I close the car door, you will have control over the vehicle." The passenger side front door opens on it's own and he steps forward, laying her gently on the seat. 

Black watches the stranger closely, keeping his weapon trained on him. "Who the fuck are you anyway?"

"I am Minh of the Mrenh Kongveal." Jim replies closing the door.

"Bullshit." Black curses, not breaking eye contact with him.

"Frankly, who you believe me to be, is irrelevant. Now, leave this place." Jim commands. 

The click of the shotguns trigger being pulled is deafening. Black looks confused at the weapon and panicked pulls the trigger again, only to be rewarded with a click. Moses closes his eyes and waits for retribution from the stranger.

Black twitches in fear, hearing the car door slam. his eyes spring open and search frantically finding no sign of the man. He drops the useless shotgun and climbs into the front, placing his forefinger gently against Church's neck.

With a smile and nod, he confirms that her pulse is strong and steady. "Screw it. Whoever that guy is, he is a problem for another day. As of right now, my focus is getting my agent to safety."

He doesn't look back, as he leaves the building in a cloud of dust, racing towards the nearest hospital.

Jim watches Moses, race away in the Black SUV from the treeline and smiles. "Time to check in." He thinks, disappearing into the shadows of the jungle.



"I am not hugely familiar with the area, but the hills from the video are off to your left, you should be in the area of where Jim transmitted from."' Dani says over comms.

Nikita guides the bike through the jungle, her skin camoflaged black as night, feeling Hel behind her and to the left and Fey off to her right. Her breath catches in her throat, as Jim's voice echoes in her ear. "Hi Niki, I am sorry I have not called sooner."

"Ah shit, Jim. What have you done?" Nikita says softly.

"Broken the cartel here in Cambodia." Jim says nonchalantly, "Maybe done a little good behind the scenes too."

"Why didn't you ask for help?" Nikita asks, knowing that from the events of the evening, he didn't need it.

"Things moved too fast and to be fair, I wanted to make sure Dani was looked after." He admits, sheepishly, "How is she?"

"Chain smoking and thinking of ways to kick your ass when she is back on her feet." Nikita says, suppressing a smirk.

"Ha. That is a lie. Even if she could only move her little finger, she would find a way to kick my ass." Jim chuckles, "I know you are coming to get me. Do me a favour, I have sent my location to your phones, can you ditch the bikes about a mile out and then come the rest of the way on foot?"

"How come?" Fey asks, confused.

"Hello Darlin'." He says, with an expression of joy, "There may be another player in the game. Niki, have you ever heard of THIS?"

"This what?" Nikita asks, confused.

"Sorry, an organisation called T.H.I.S. Trans Human Intervention Section." Jim explains, "Ultra secretive group, targeting those people who display unusual abilities."

"I have heard the rumours, but they are just a legend, a myth." Nikita says, firmly.



"Actually."' Dani says, softly over comms, from her perch on the sofa, "I have encountered them before. In Africa, they came after Leona's pride after a local saw her displaying unusual behaviour."

"You never told us that." Hel says surprised.

"Who is Leona?" Nikita asks, warily as she pulls up on her bike.

"The lioness." Dani says, sheepishly. "That was the name we gave her. T.H.I.S. Turned up while you were all recovering. We set a trail that led them away, but it was touch and go."

"What do you know about them?" Jim asks, pointedly.

"They are well equipped, well trained and disciplined. Don't underestimate them." Dani says, calmly. "I have no idea, who they are aligned to though."

"We will find out soon enough." Jim explains, "They are coming."

"We are close, we will be with you in a couple of minutes." Hel confirms, parking her bike.
View my latest story, Revelation, here;

https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8719


To view it's prequel Devastation, please click below;
https://tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7458
GreyLord
Millennial Club
Millennial Club
Posts: 2257
Joined: 3 years ago
Location: Southern USA

Post by GreyLord »

With THIS you can continue Revelation for a long time [mention]wolfman[/mention]. Or make it the foundation for your next story. I am sure that whatever you choose will be best. Great tale.
ImageA List of my stories:
An Unlikely Savior Completed
Spy Task Force Completed
Tale of an Archer Completed
The Bandit Scout on Newhome updated 05/30/23
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