Chapter 025: Specter

After some minutes of discussion and agreement about the details of the deal, Lucas and Matteo left the house and the latter locked it.

They went to a warehouse Lucas rented online a while ago where he took possession of the supplies he ordered with his cryptocurrency for his destination. Among them was an Arctic truck expedition vehicle, a modified and improved AT44 that went through more than 2 300 miles of snow and glacier in record time more than a decade ago. Its size and look were enough to satisfy the wet dream of any fan of big and cool cars.

After checking everything, Lucas drove his new ride to the port, taking Matteo with him.

The place was actually beautiful, or at least its waters were. The majority of the boats on were cruise ships of 30 meters and upward and of a plethora of colors: white, red, black, and different combinations. To enjoy the trips they proposed, you would have to pay anywhere from 5 000 US dollars to 15 000 US dollars.

While Lucas was looking around and taking in the sight he didn't appreciate previously with quite a few foreign tourists, Matteo was prepping his boat. It was a medium size one that could be used to ferry a not too big expedition in one of the coldest waters of the world, if not the coldest.

When Lucas started wondering if one man could do the job, he saw Matteo make a sign that he could come. So after going through the troubles of loading his supplies and vehicle, he boarded the boat that seemed newer inside than outside.

After a few maneuvers, they were now going farther away from the other docked boats. Lucas observed Matteo at work for some time before going to rest.

'How I miss the unlimited energy I had in the desert. I wonder if anyone observing me would have guessed my destination for this trip.'

After a sigh and a smile, he went to his cabin.

Less than a week later, in just a few days, Lucas, standing on the front deck of the boat, saw from afar a white land coming closer. Recognizing the approaching next stop of his journey, he turned to Matteo and spoke to him:

"We are almost there, Matteo. As agreed previously, I will give you 5 000 dollars. You can leave if you want but make sure to be back ten days later and wait for me for five days if you want to earn the 25 000 more I promised you."

Smiling a little coldly, he continued:

"Though, you might hold a grudge against me or not, it doesn't matter. But, if you want to get back at me or stab me in the back for my money, try to make it interesting at the very least. Just so you know, you will need one of the best special forces teams in the world and a good plan for that so I wish you all the best."

Turning around, he went to get his things without waiting for a reply.

********

In a big expanse of white with a cold capable of making a mockery of any kind of air conditioner, a group of people was trudging with a false ease most probably the result of an intense and continuous training.

They must have had a purpose since they were practically in the middle of this very loosely populated land and on foot. Maybe they were air dropped or they left their vehicles farther for whatever reason.

The group consisted of six men and a woman, judging by their figures, all predominantly decked in a white outfit with some black color here and there, making them blend with their environment and difficult to spot from afar.

They sported guns, with the men having big ones like rifles on top of the handguns they all had. Taking that into account, plus the way they positioned themselves and the attire they were wearing screamed of specially trained elites like special forces, even if they lacked the emblem of an orthodox force.

However, looking closer, the only woman among the group seemed isolated and felt like a source of wariness for the rest. And maybe her being of a different origin contributed to the situation.

Indeed, while the men were mostly of white descent, she looked Asian, maybe Korean or Chinese. She was dressed in the same style as the others, with a bullet proof vest across which her gun was holstered.

She also had, just like everyone else, a mask on, not giving any hint about her face or hair, leaving only a bit of skin and her eyes with dark pupils to determine her ethnicity. If not for her being slimmer and her curves being moderately obvious, it would have been difficult to even determine her gender.

Having been walking for hours, the one that should have been the leader of the men of the group spoke to the others:

"Five clicks more and we will take a 10 minutes rest to adjust our condition. After that, we will go at full speed to the place that had been determined as the emplacement of the transaction and prepare the ambush. We have to welcome our guests with style, right guys?"

"Yes, boss, you are right. They made us come to this damn place. I hope they will resist when we bust them, that way we will have an excuse to bring them back feet forward."

One of the men on the side replied with a savage glint in the eyes.

"You are damn right. But I think we don't even need to bring them back in that case. We can just leave them there to feed the fauna."

While the men became rowdy and made a show of their bloodthirstiness, the leader, seeing the only female present not contribute to the noise of the group turned to her:

"So, Miss "Specter" of the foreign intelligence, is the plan good enough or will you need more than 10 minutes of rest for your little womanly feet?"

Not getting any answer other the snickers of his men at the jab he threw, he spoke again after a moment of waiting vain:

"If you are too proud to admit your weakness and ask for more rest, you can at least give your input about the ambush, right? We are supposed to cooperate on this op."

"Do what you want so long as you and your men don't get in the way when I will have to recuperate the object of the transaction."

Finally came the cold monotone voice of the woman who quite arrogantly didn't turn to look at the man that all signs pointed to not being on the same side as her even if they were allied for now, quite superficially at that, if the smile that flashed by his expression was anything to go by.

It contained disdain as well as some less savory and difficult to decrypt hidden emotions directed at her.

Too bad that in her confidence in her ability, her situation and her backups, giving rise to the feeling of being in an unassailable position, she missed that fleeting expression.

Really, too bad, because for an intelligence agent to have been nicknamed "Specter", she must have been very good at her job. She could have picked up the signs, maybe prevented what was to come or at least she could have anticipated the possible unfavorable changes to the situation and prepared a response.

Maybe later, if there was a later, she would look back and think: 'If, if only...'

Or maybe not. Maybe there was nothing she could have done to prevent what was to come.