Chapter 2.0
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Welcome | Banned Chapters <<Chapter 1.9 - Interlude
[edit] Chapter 2.0 (Like a beer)
The old man sat behind the polished desk with his arms behind his head and gazed around the spotless room. Steam and the aroma of hot black coffee emanated from his favourite stainless mug. He remembered nights where everything went wrong, where he received one of those pre-dawn phone calls that always began with "Sorry to disturb you general, but...."
The general sighed. This morning was now shaping up as one of the worst he had ever had. It had begun with a phone call like all the others, but this had been his own pet project, the one that would garnish an already esteemed career and cause people to clap and cheer as he and his beautiful young wife entered the ballroom.
"God damn it" he said loudly as he brought his arthritic fist down onto the table with a deep thump. "How hard can it be to capture one man!?!"
The old general sat brooding for a few minutes before standing and straightening his uniform. With a stifled groan and a grimace the old man limped down the length of the room and came to a stop in front of the bright window overlooking the immaculate grounds outside. "At least George hasn't got Osama yet." he thought as he observed with pride the troops outside parading under the dawn sky. "I couldn't bear the gloating next time we met"
The life long soldier allowed himself a quiet chuckle. "All the might of the American armed forces and poor Georgie cant find one seven foot Arab hiding in a cave with a Kalashnikov."
The sound of someone knocking on the door echoed around the room and brought the general back to matters at hand. "Come in!" he shouted.
The door opened slowly and Alex Stephens stepped into the room. Dressed in full combat fatigues and with his face already smeared with green and black zinc, the SAS Sargeant's eyes spoke of death, strength and discipline.
"Sir, chopper's en-route to the site now. Request permission to terminate todays planned exercise and lead a mission to neutralise this Tango poisoner instead sir."
The General smiled, he remembered the blood-lust himself. "In time Alex. I would not have any other man on the job. But for now, let's just concentrate on getting our boy back alive shall we."
The soldier stiffened slightly "Yes sir" he mumbled. "Did any re-con data make it through before we lost contact with Colin, sir?"
The general walked over to the desk and picked up an 8x10 still which he handed to the Seargent "Only a few shots of this and a few seconds of audio."
The image showed a light civilian helicopter a few feet from the ground and a four-wheel-drive parked on the sand behind it. The sergeant screwed up his nose and peered a little closer. At first glance the image appeared useless, but as he was about to throw the photo onto the table in disgust, he paused.
"Do you have a magnifying glass General?"
The old man nodded and opened the top draw of his oak desk, taking out a small glass which he handed it to the sergeant. He peered over the man's shoulder as he placed the photo on the table and held the glass a few inches above it.
"Yes," blurted Alex. "Have a look at that."
The general took the magnifying glass from the elite sodier and peered at the photo. He could just make out the letters 'sion ach ours' signwritten on the side of the chopper's skid. The old soldier smiled, it wasn't much, but it was a start. "You're on the next flight to Australia" he said as he turned and looked at the six foot four killing machine standing beside him. Alex smiled broadly, his gleaming white teeth contrasting wickedly with the green and black camo that was smeared all over his face.
[edit] Chapter 2.1
Welcome | Banned Chapters <<Chapter 1.9 - Interlude
