Chapter Five - Deluge
- [7:22 PM] -
Parking Lot of "VID
EO PALACE"
Sitting in the nearly abandoned parking of the Video Rental is an unmarked SUV. Unbeknownst to bystanders lay three Agents in wait. Though the identity of their main target is known, his location is not. Though they may be detached, the agents are not alone. Alongside them works two other squads across the rest of their small town in an effort to locate the criminal Ring Leader: "The Bear".
"So...," Kevin's squad was the earliest to arrive at their location, and thus the first to start.
"...when exactly do we call off a stakeout?"
The other agent responds,
"Wouldn't know. I've never had to."
"Okay then..."
"..."
A brief silence passes.
"I never got your name. Or...anyone else's for that matter."
"Well, you weren't exactly keen on introducing yourself either, you know."
As Kevin is about to retort, Fox peps up,
"He's Kevin, and I'm Fox. Forgive us, but we didn't expect any of this. I'm STILL confused. A little skeptical. I just can't see Babylon Gardens as the location of a massive terrorist operation."
"Well, Fox, thank you for speaking up. I'm Kayla. And to answer your qualms, we didn't think so either, but logistically speaking, it's the place of highest activity."
And thus the night begins for Kayla, Kevin, and Fox.
- [7:39 PM] -
Abandoned Gas Station on the Outskirts of Town
In much of the same style as their colleagues, Sergeant Ralph, Agent Lindsey, and the as-of-yet unknown agent sit in a similar vehicle overlooking two hotel complexes. These complexes could pose as an enticing center for criminal activities due to their anonymity and their ability to hide in plain sight. Even in such a small town as Babylon Gardens, these things are possible.
The other agent in the car had chosen the third shift and was promptly asleep at a moment's notice.
"Sarah, I still feel terrible about it to this day, that I didn't come back after...when were you offered the position?"
"Okay, if I answer this, you have to stop apologizing or else I might snap. Only an hour after you left, the Commissioner came in and explained exactly what you said...and he handed the badge to me. I took it and he left me to my own thoughts."
"I'll be honest, I felt like a jerk after that. Anyways, it's my turn to sleep. You know the drill."
She immediately shuts her eyes.
"Sarah..."
Two Hours Earlier...
- [5:36 PM] -
Fido's House
As time ticks on, Fido drives faster. The longer he is away from his colleagues, the more questions they'll have. Fido arrives at his house and races inside. He quickly stashes the envelope collected earlier and darts out of his house.
Back in the station, everyone waits with impatience (specifically for Fido) before they're dismissed. A few of the agents leave the office area with hushed voices, and Kevin challenges Bruce to an arm wrestle. It is around the time Kevin calls for a second rematch that Fido walks into the station. All of the agents have returned by this point, and he's met with a few glares.
"Hey pick up the pace! Come on, we're already an hour late! It took your buddies long enough just to get packed!"
"It's not my fault you barged in so suddenly with your "secret mission"! We had no idea any of this was even happening, so I don't know what you expected!"
"Listen, just calm down, alright? Davis, we aren't working with professionals here. Up until today, this town has been real quiet and peaceful, and we just came in and told them that they've got everything wrong, so expect some confusion. Fox, I understand everything's happening really fast, but you need to keep up."
Fox leaves the office area, presumably towards the garage.
"Oh, and Fido, do hurry it up. Davis is right on this one, we can't waste a second. On that note, we're fifteen minutes behind deployment, so everyone moves out now, if you're not prepped by now, you're out of luck." She walks off. A moment later she calls out to Ralph and Agent Davis from down the hall,
"Come on boys!"
Fido hastily grabs some equipment from the armory and makes way back to the bullpen. Ralph, Davis, and Lindsey are gone, and the rest of his companions have left with haste as well. Left with him is only Agents Bruce and Holland, the Bulldog and Hound. With his thick mark of German, Holland breaks the silence,
"Well, I suppose we're it. Okay...Fido, was it? We're posting ourselves at...," he very closely peers over his phone's map.
"...Liesel & Brooks Finances. Hmmph, guess I'll take out a loan for mein Traumauto while we wait, eh? Haha!
"Maybe I can get in on the exchange!"
"Hehe, yeah, yeah...s-sure." Fido very nervously laughs. What if one of the employees recognizes him? More worryingly, what if
she recognizes him? He'll be thrown in prison! Ruined, at the very least. What will Sabrina think? He focuses on this,
"What would she think, if she knew?"
A million thoughts of disaster and downfall plagued his mind for the duration of his ride to their post.
-[8:08 PM]-
Parking Lot of "Liesel & Brooks Financial Brokers"
"Here we are, Fido. You can stop chasin' yer tail back there, it's a simple assignment."
"S-sorry. I guess it's just...the first big assignment," he lies.
Bruce snidely remarks,
"Hmmph. You really are a small-town boy, huh? Well, no matter, we'll at least get the job done, hehe."
"Leave him alone, Bruce. It's understandable for him to have fear. My squadmate had a very similar fear at home with the GSG9. Look, Ralph, I will be honest. We are very probably going to be shot at and we will also be expected to keep as calm as we can in such stressful situations. You may even get hurt in your line of duty, but you must remain vigilant. We will watch you so long that you watch us in battle.
"Yeah, we've got ya. Look Ralphy, we've got this, but only if we go about it right. If we see any of these lot act up, we're all goin' in. We've suspected this to be a major export for the Bear for a while, but we've only been able to hit it now due to a lot of more pressing issues going on at the time." Bruce jokes,
"Heh, Just a tiny coup, nothin' serious."
For a while longer, the three squads sit in silent attentiveness. Watching, waiting for their target. Until...
-[8:51 PM]-
Parking Lot of "VID
EO PALACE"
In the parking lot of the old rental VHS store,
"ZZZZZ" Kevin fails in his vigilance and succumbs to his fatigue, but Fox and Kayla continue to watch.
"So how many crimes have you stopped over the course of your FBI career?"
"Three." Fox, taken aback, responds rather baffled,
"Whaaaat? Nah, I don't buy it."
She smiles, but looks away.
"Yeah...hmm, I guess you could say I'm the new one, but I don't really know why they chose ME."
"Trust me when I say I know how you feel. I worked hard to join, but I just...mess up. It's very discouraging, but..."
"I'm sure we'll be fine. I'm sure your Sergeant is a good person, and I know mine will at least pick me up off the ground..."
-[9:00 PM]-
Abandoned Gas Station on the Outskirts of Town
Sarah remains in her slumber as the other agents sit in silence, though who incited it is clear as Agent Davis rarely responds to any of Ralph's attempts to converse.
"So, Agent Davis, when did you join?"
"..."
"...Do you know what exactly we're looking fo-?"
"-Are you deaf?" Ralph fires back,
"I know, I know, I'm talking about specifics. If you won't talk to me as me, at least talk to me as your uninformed inferior."
"That's not what I- okay, fine. They usually show up with a few vans, maybe two or three. It's just like all the cliches you've seen before, only, it's real this time and not some cheesy movie. Like we mentioned before, we know this place is a hotspot, but we wanted to wait before busting it to see if it is in any way connected to our larger target."
Ralph shifts his focus back to the window and continues speaking.
"Well...thanks."
"Yeah I-"
As he looks over, he spots three vehicles coming around an intersection.
*CLICK*"Visual at the Good Omen Hotel. Got a convoy showing up here, get over here." *KSSCH*
"Sarah. Sarah, get up!"
"...Mmmmhmm. Wh- Oh!" She reaches for the radio in a half-asleep hurry.
*KSSCH*"K-keep your radios on and wait for our signal when you get here!"
The Vans pull around into the left alleyway of one of the main buildings as the car behind them parks on the street curb. All the while, Ralph watches intently as the other two fumble with gear.
"Alright, they've parked in that alley over there. What do we do now?"
"When the others get here we are going in first. Hmm..." She picks up the radio again.
-[9:06 PM]-
Downtown
Kayla has the pedal floored as they race to the other side of town when her Captain comes through.
*BEEP*"Kayla, are you there?"*KSSCH*
"Hey, Fox, get that would you?
*CLICK*"We're here!"*KSSCH*
*BEEP*"Alright, when you get here, park quietly in the gas station across from the motel. When you get our signal, you'll move in behind us, got it?*KSSCH*
*CLICK*"Got it. Pull around into the gas station and move in with you."*KSSCH*
*BEEP*"After. Also, you're now Team B. Out.*KSSCH*
"Told ya I won't call off a steakout."
-[9:07 PM]-
Parking Lot of "Liesel & Brooks Financial Brokers"
By now, both Fido and Bruce are awakened from Ralph's message, and very suddenly, the radio barks out Agent Lindsey's voice.
*BEEP*"Listen up Holland! When you get here, park in the gas station across the street from the motel and wait for our signal. You're going to secure the cargo and hold down the parking lot, got it Team C?"*KSSCH*
*CLICK*"Verstanden. We'll be there in ten minutes."*KSSCH*
"Get your things ready, we will attack without delay!"
-[9:20 PM]-
Over the last ten minutes, every squad has prepared themselves with almost no words to each other, only questions pertaining to procedure. Sergeant Holland is the first to arrive, parking on the side of the gas station opposing that of Team A, with Team B arriving shortly afterward.
With everything in place, Ralph asks,
"Everyone's here...," he looks over to his colleague.
"What's the signal?"
Captain Lindsey opens the door.
"That's us!" Davis quickly disembarks from the SUV.
Ralph follows suit,
"What th- al-alright then!"
The agents hastily arm themselves and move deftly across the street, making an effort to keep their forms low. Lindsey leans on a corner, waiting for the other two.
As soon as they get on the wall next to her, she whispers,
"Alright let's go."
She lifts her sidearm up as she turns the corner, now facing the vans. At this moment, she waves to the other teams and continues moving along the alleyway.
Team B leaves their vehicle, and Fido pulls out his radio as he does so.
"Team B is moving into place."
In a similar fashion, the team members race across the street, surrounding the parked vehicles. Looking through the windows, Ralph and Holland report.
"Got anything over there?"
"Nein."
"Nothing."
Team C makes their way to the same wall Team A rallied on, but turns the opposite corner leading into the central parking lot of the motel.
On the second floor catwalk is three animals bearing the same uniform: a heavy leather jacket in jeans. One has a handgun tucked into their pants, but the others do not have a visible firearm. Team C hides behind the hedge in the center of the complex as Holland pulls out his radio.
"We're in position."
Ralph stays close behind Lindsey as they move down the alleyway, darting across windows to avoid detection. At the end of the alleyway, the agents start up a set of stairs leading to the balcony and turn onto the main catwalk for the second floor.
Fido looks over the hedge to see...Ralph?
"Hey is that Ralph and Lindsey?"
Holland looks over the hedge and pulls out his radio.
"Oi, wait a sec. Don't use the walkie, those lot'll hear 'em."
"Hold it." She waits for a moment. The three thugs in front of her are in conversation, but one of them suddenly turns away, leaving the other two to each other.
"Okay, Davis you take the one closest. I've got the one behind him." She signals a countdown.
Three. Two. One. Lindsey charges one of them, taking him to the ground, while Davis drags the other to the ground. *CLICK*
"Two down." Ralph watches in amazement as they cuff the two and drag them behind the corner by the stairway. They secure them in the corner and Lindsey continues down the balcony. Ralph, blushing, gets a tap on the shoulder from Davis, and he keeps moving.
Kayla sits in front of the first van in the alleyway, looking out for anymore after hearing her Captain's message. Fox, behind the van, gets curious.
"Kevin, spot for me."
"What're you doin'?"
He tries to open the back door of the van, but it takes some effort. The van, being old enough, budges eventually, but only with Kevin's help, as they both had to tug it open. Inside of the van are a dozen crates. Fox motions to open one but as he moves...
*BANG* *BANG*
"We've been spotted! Everyone hold your positions!"
End of Chapter Five
Author's Note: Ayyy longest chapter with the longest wait! Man I gotta stop doing that...
Well, from here, it's definitely going to start ramping up. Part of the reason its so long with an even longer wait is because I did not want to return without some amount of action, but, I also didn't want to wait another week adding on a whole new completed scene. So, for now, I will compromise. As always, any and all criticism and feedback is greatly appreciated. I don't think I've mentioned it before, but this is my first foray into creative writing with an audience, so thats why I ask for feedback every time
. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed, and I will see you all in the next chapter.