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Post by Shogun Liquid© on Nov 18, 2008 20:12:29 GMT -5
The French countryside is a beautiful thing. At least, it used to be before it was invaded by monsters. Watch out around here. The air is thick with moans and groans of hungry undead.
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Post by lexi on Jan 2, 2013 15:04:55 GMT -5
2010 - Late Winter French Countryside - a few hours outside of Paris Early Morning
The small town resembled the picturesque scene littered across multiple American calendars with small cottages and tiny picket fences abutting cobblestone walks. A woman sat alone, unaware of the brisk morning breeze laden with the chill of winter, in front of a tiny cafe. The pudgy man inside was only just opening the shop and she waited patiently, leaning back in the chair and stretching her long limbs. It had been a busy few weeks but, thankfully, the most stressful part of it had arrived at the B.S.A.A. headquarters in the U.K. a little over a week ago. The package was no longer her concern.
She frowned as her cell phone chirped, quickly extracted it from the pocket of her black peacoat, and answered the call.
"You were reckless."
The lightly asian accented voice sounded as if it was torn between amused respect and disappointed anger. The corner of her mouth tipped upwards slightly before her reply, "I prefer to think of myself as efficient."
"The Ezekistan Government…would have to agree." Before she could pat herself on the back his voice continued, "That said they did get a picture of you. It's, admittedly, very blurry but if they connect this to Albatross that blurry picture will still get them a decent amount of money. Not to mention when the B.S.A.A. tracks it back to them they'll likely have a picture of you on file now. And what happened to the plan? Extraction if possible, termination if necessary, but should extraction be possible we would…"
She sighed loudly before interrupting, "Kai, you're aware of how this works. If our partnership has reached it's end then this conversation is over. I'm weary of explaining the process."
There was a long pause on the phone and the pudgy man from inside the cafe waddled out the door and over to her table, a giant smile on his face. He placed a cup of steaming coffee on the table before her alongside a sweet pastry, "Good Morning again, beautiful lady." The rich, french accent was almost as strong as the coffee. She smiled and nodded to him before he returned to the shop.
The voice finally continued on the phone, "It's been almost three years and you still don't trust me?"
"We're involved in preventing biological warfare across multiple countries with loyalties that switch on a daily, if not hourly, basis. I can't afford trust. Not anymore." She picked up the tiny spoon lying alongside her cup and stirred the black liquid, mixing the cream that had settled on the bottom. "The mission was a success and the virus was terminated alongside all information they had on it. The B.S.A.A. is capable of destroying the virus safely. Now let's move on to the next mission."
She took a sip of her coffee and the conversation finally turned to the details of another possible biological weapon purchased by another power hungry lunatic. His voice changed from slightly hurt to serious as they determined where the next insertion point would be and what she would require. Then, at the end of the conversation, his voice took on an amused tinge, "And…I'll see what I can do about getting your picture off their servers. I have a feeling the B.S.A.A. already got their hands on it but no sense in letting it go any further." A slight pause, "I'd have to agree with your frenchman….quite the beautiful lady."
A frown, "Kai.."
"I know, I know….but let me just add that while, as your informant, I should advise you to avoid cameras in the future…well, a part of me is hoping I get to collect more pictures of you. I've never seen your face before and just, wow…."
"Hanging up now, creeper." She clicked the phone off as the sound of male laughter echoed through it and shook her head, a bemused grin on her lips. She finished her breakfast alone, her only company the light chirping of her cell phone as the documents on the next mission were sent to her via Kai.
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Post by Winters on Jan 2, 2013 18:55:55 GMT -5
Looking out into the hills through a pair of military grade binoculars, John watched attentively. The cool air was good, and the quietness of the street was a calm he wanted to get used to, but he just couldnt. Wearing a track top and sweat pants, he wasnt very well dressed for public, only relaxation. Across the street was a small local coffee shop, or so it seemed, and the thought of at least eating a breakfast before setting off would be nice. A lot of things would be nice, but right now, he needed to keep watch over the hill, make sure he didnt miss it this time.
Finally after about fifteen minutes, John put down the binoculars, and turned back to his bag. Something was wrong, and he knew it. There was trouble in Paris, Griffin wasnt coming back. But before he could turn back around to see one last time, the man was standing in his front room, and not a sign of blood on him. "Heavy activity in the area, from here to Paris." Maybe coming out here was a good idea after all. Griffin wouldnt be able to stay around though, they would pick up his scent in a matter of hours had he stayed in the same place too long. "You know what this means now, right? Ill be back in the west. Give you a month, then ill be back for you."
As much as he didnt like that it was happening, it was happening, full motion. "Yeah yeah, thanks buddy. Got this for ya before you leave." The military man tossed his friend a bottle, and then watched him open it up and pop two of the containing pills, nod, and then climb out of the window. As John move back over with the binoculars, Griffin was gone, out of sight and out of mind. Now, he had a job to do. But first, he needed to collect a little more info from the locals, flesh out whos working for who. He always had a good idea for the locals. Anybody who wasnt French didnt need to be here, and could be considered a suspect. While even the locals who would blend in could be all working for Tricell. Or worse, The Doctor.
His bag was small, and fit nicely on his back. John wore a thick leather jacket with his firearm tucked inside, ready for use if he needed it. His SMG was in the bag, folded, just in case there was a larger firefight to be had, but he wasnt expecting that in this small countryside locale. Down on the streets though, everything was all but normal, at least in his mind. It was early morning, but too quiet, more quiet than the night before.
The outside of the coffee shop held a single female who was sitting privately. Waiting for somebody? Didnt matter, John wasnt paranoid, and didnt care enough to think about it any longer then a second. As he opened the door, he quickly closed it to not let as much cold air inside. a friendly local greeted him, first in the native language, then in English. "Bonjour..." John started in French, to show he knew the language, but spoke in English following. "I heard a lot of men with a lot of guns came through here a few days ago, several times back and forth. Do you know anything about that?" At first it was an out of the blue question, but he had that covered. "My wife and I were in the area, and she was worried."
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Post by lexi on Jan 3, 2013 3:56:29 GMT -5
Lexi finished her coffee as the small town finally began to show life. It was still early morning and she wasn't surprised by the relatively silent streets. She enjoyed visiting this small village in particular due to the warmth and security it offered her. It made her think of what a home should probably feel like. She could recall, prior to the Raccoon City Outbreak, a sense of safety and love in her hometown. That feeling had been destroyed, ravaged in fact, by Umbrella….
She shook her head to rid her mind of the horrors of the past. She was safe here. Or so she thought. Her ears perked slightly as she caught the brief conversation across the street. French was a language that even Umbrella hadn't been able to teach her. Sure, they'd wanted her to learn multiple languages and while she'd progressed in a handful French had always stayed just outside her reach. Perhaps that was why she enjoyed visiting France so often. She was never fully aware of what people were saying and only their actions mattered. So when the conversation switched from French immediately to English it caught her attention. But what really piqued her curiosity was the word "guns".
Her fingers instinctively ran across the front of her coat, comforting herself to feel the pressure of the handgun secured in the shoulder holster under her left arm. It wasn't her preferred holster but it was better for keeping the gun hidden. She rolled her shoulders and leaned back once again, tipping her head so she could just make out their conversation. Her fingers tapped quietly at her phone, accessing information on the small village. When she'd started her visits a few years prior she'd looked into it but had never found anything of note before. The crime rate was even lower than most similar, adjacent villages. Could the B.S.A.A. have tracked her location so quickly? Surely not…. Had someone worse found her? She frowned at the thought of endangering the people here. She'd never offered more than the casual greeting and smile to them yet they'd always been kind to her, a stranger.
The thought disturbed her and she stood, faster than intended and likely bringing attention to herself. She placed a few euros on the table and glanced once again across the street, making eye contact with the curious man. She wanted to glare him down, unsure of his identity or what he was doing in HER village, but instead a smile lit up her face. She waved to the two and made her way towards them, "Fancy meeting another American out here of all places." She paused innocently before continuing, "I don't mean to interrupt, I just got really excited when I heard people speaking English."
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Post by Winters on Jan 3, 2013 4:38:51 GMT -5
"Ah, yes, the Americans, with their guns. No business here, I know this!" The french man spoke out, bit annoyance in his voice. That means it was exactly as he thought. Groups of resistance coming through here making checks, and John knew exactly who they were tied to. After nodding to the man, he spoke out. "Thank you, sir. Ill see what can be done about that." Of course, John was no officer of the law, little lone in this country. What he used to be was no more, and the only thing that remained was what he was now.
When the other American, the same woman he had seen sitting at the table drinking her coffee, approached him, John knew something was up. But he played along. Who knows, maybe he was paranoid, or maybe his gut was right, no way to tell. "Hello miss. I dont think weve met. Former Ltd. Caine..." He spoke, extending a hand. A title meant nothing, especially to a civvie, but maybe she would have some background. Thats what he was guessing, based on his instinct, but didnt imply it because there was an equal chance he was wrong. "...Dont see all too many Americans here, no wonder you picked me out."
Usually he wouldve liked to have a little chitchat, but here wasnt the place, and so John immediately veered them away from the local. "Im just asking around if anybody has seen anything strange lately, out of place. A group of soldiers with guns come through here, and I was just generally curious as to who they were, what they wanted. Tracked them here, but im guessing they got what they came for and split." He felt like he could trust her, his gut just going with the moment. If she knew what he was talking about, then the two Americans were in the right place. Maybe under two different circumstances, but the right place none the less. "You seen anything like that? Might know what they wanted?"
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Post by lexi on Jan 4, 2013 16:45:15 GMT -5
"A military man….? Former military man…" Her head tipped to the side as she took him in once again. Military. She supposed she could believe that. When he lead her away from the locals she followed willingly, curious as to what he was after. He didn't seem like B.S.A.A. so far but that still left the other side open. Or maybe he was a free agent like her… Her arms crossed loosely in front of her as she considered how to play this. Should she reveal herself or just continue the act of American girl doing a trip across Europe?
She frowned slightly as he told her about a group of soldier's, "I'm afraid I haven't seen anything but I've only been here since yesterday. When did you say these soldier's came through?" The timing was fairly coincidental. She'd never seen anything out of ordinary happen in this small village and the only two people out of place were currently speaking to each other. She didn't know who this Ltd. Caine was, perhaps they'd been after him. Or perhaps they'd finally tracked down Albatross.
Another pause before she laughed lightly, "I forgot to introduce myself, so sorry, the name's Lexi." She extended her hand to him in a friendly manner, a smile on her lips, but her eyes were ever calculating. It seemed like her next mission might be put on hold.
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Post by Winters on Jan 4, 2013 18:58:46 GMT -5
It wasnt a minute in before the hand came out, extended from the pretty American woman. John glanced around a little bit, trying not to look completely paranoid in the process, and then stick out his own hand to compliment the gesture. He wasnt exactly fooling anyone, and neither was she, but if they were going to pretend, then the two of them would have to have a little friendly tourist interaction. That word never stuck with him right, though, tourist. He was long from a civilian, so calling him a tourist would just be an insult, especially since his light body armor under the jacket could give away the fact he was here for something aside from a little peace of mind, or bread sticks.
But the smile? The smile just sold things. This was happening. "Thats catchy. Friends used to call me by my last name, but im pretty sure John would be fine." It was strange, the whole thing. Getting to know somebody like this, two Americans in the middle of France? Thats just strange. "So you havent seen anything?" Back to business, unfortunately. If either of them were at all interested in getting to know eachother, John wanted to get the dirt out of the way first. "They came through here about, lets say more then once in the last couple of days. If you missed them, mustve been your lucky day." He ended with a cheerful joke. Now it seemed certain that she wasnt here with the soldiers, and they werent here for her. Coincidence? Maybe. But that was about to change.
As if on cue to contradict what he thought, the rumble from engines came from the distance, and he could see military humvees rolling in. A pair of them, loud, obnoxious, and equally out of place. At least John tried to fit in, even the tourist gave it a shot with their clothing after a few days, but no amount of French style could put the two vehicles where they need to be. Staying between the buildings in the ally seemed like a good idea, not exactly hiding but just making sure to be out of the way, the both of them had a good advantage to check things out if they stopped. Which, of course, they did.
A total of six soldiers stood in the street now, BSAA, scoping out the area with guns raised. The lack of population out in the morning made things easy, but it didnt seem like they wouldve cared even if the area had women and children present. Those few who were on the streets got off them and inside, making the entrance even more ominous. "SITREP Jackson." The voice spoke on the radio a minute later. "No signs of hostiles, place looks clear." If the signs didnt all add up, these guys were here looking for BOW. It seemed clear, from what John could gather, and the lack of any signs of panic made the situation confusing. There was no such thing as a 'random check' when dealing with the BOW. You had confirmation, or intelligence speculated their presence.
The small unit moved out, split up into three teams. Seems they were looking for something. They were looking for something clear, something big, checking for signs that their intel was right or wrong. It was never wrong. Thats when John spoke to girl, as if she was part of the action now, not a tourist. "Keep a hand close to that sidearm." John wasnt going to point out a lie, nor a cover, nothing like that. Didnt matter who she was or what she was capable of, he knew she was carrying from his own years of experience, and that this was the time to be ready in case she needed to use it had they been on the verge of a viral attack.
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