32 Arc 2-Chapter 21 (The man named Reaper)

18th of August, 2011

Road to Puerto Gaitan, Columbia

11am

Kill team Nemesis is driving in an RV to Puerto Gaitan to meet with certain individuals. This wasn't pleasant for everyone, since Franklin, Yuri and Takeshi finished their last mission two weeks ago. But they had no saying in it.

Franklin is driving:"This is some bullshit! We kill one nut-job and now we gotta kill two more!?"

Carla is playing Angry Birds on her phone:"Calm down Frank. It's just another mission. We get to pop some more heads."

Franklin:"You weren't almost blown to shit by a crazy cult leader!"

Victoria:"Look. I get you've been through a lot, but if we finish this we won't have anything till November."

Takeshi:"I'm taking Franklin's side. We exhausted ourselves out there. We shouldn't be on the field."

Carla:"Pfft, YOU exhausted yourself? You were on your ass typing on that little box while the others were doing all the heavy lifting."

Takeshi gets mad:"If it weren't for me they all would've died! You should learn to read the reports better shorty."

Carla stands up:"Why don't you make me nerd."

Takeshi:"Oh you little-"

Yuri jabs the knife he was sharping into the table:"ENOUGH!"

They all stop talking and sit. Yuri voice boomed over the RV. It was so quiet you could hear the engine working.

Yuri:"We are on a mission. No matter what happens we are not to fail. If you do anything to jeopardise this, I will silence you both. Am I clear?"

Carla/Takeshi:"Yes."

Yuri:"Good. When we get back to Turkey feel free to kill each other. But until then you are to remain focused."

Victoria sat down and smiled. The quiet one finally spoke his mind.

Franklin:"We're here."

On the outskirts of Puerto Gaitan were several houses. Franklin parked next to a red house with white lines. The team gets out and heads upstairs. Franklin knock on the door and after several seconds they unlock. They get in the house and find an empty room. There was a door which led to a hallway in the left and a kitchen forward to the right. On the right wall next to the kitchen were several papers.

Carla immediately goes to the fridge. Victoria and Takeshi looks out the window while Franklin looked at the papers.

Yuri stood by the door. Then suddenly, a man comes behind him with a pistol:"Put your hands where I can see them, now."

The team turns around but they don't move. Yuri slowly raises his arms. He then quickly spins and grabs the man's wrist and pushes him to a wall. He's holding him by the throat. The man tries to struggle but Yuri doesn't even budge. He had a darker tan. He was Latino.

Yuri looked him in the eyes:"Who are you?"

The man was terrified. He couldn't speak. Then a female voice was heard from the kitchen:"C'mon Garcia is any way to treat our guests."

The team turned and saw a woman. Late 30s, light brown hair, about 5'6:"Although, you're not really being good guests here."

Franklin:"Who the hell are you?"

Woman:"Let go of my associate and I'll tell you."

Franklin:"Yuri?"

Yuri hesitates but lets go. The man holds his neck in pain:"God damn you got a good grip."

Franklin:"Alright your turn."

Woman:"My name is Martha Jackson. I'm a CIA agent stationed here and tasked with apprehending the local drug lords. The man you almost killed is DEA agent Roberto Garcia. He's been on this case for a few years and we're working together."

Franklin:"So you're our contacts. Gotta say I'm surprised Langley decided to intervene with something like this."

Martha:"When you take into consideration the state the world is in it's a miracle we don't take drastic measures. Now, you're the so-called Kill team Nemesis, right?"

Victoria:"That's us. I'm assuming you know our names and ranks."

Martha:"Yup. So let's skip the introduction and get started. Roberto?"

Roberto nods and walks to the papers on the walls:"The Hernandez brothers. Carlos and José. The largest narcotic producers and distributors in Columbia. They've been smuggling drugs all across Central America, Europe and Africa. About two years ago they started pushing further north into the states."

Franklin:"I already killed one of their drug pedlars in Mexico."

Roberto:"Chances are he ain't the only one. They got an entire global network, there's a reason they're number one. But, we found something. Last week we interrogated three narcos. They gave up the Hernandez brothers' next meeting site. The Santa Rita river. They have a dock not too far away from here. A new shipment is coming and the brothers are gonna be there."

Franklin:"So we get in and take them out."

Martha:"We want them alive. Preferably. But if proven impossible-"

Yuri:"I am killing them either way."

Martha looked at him with an eyebrow raised:"I know about your reputation for killing your designated targets. But this is an order. Bring the Hernandez brothers back alive."

Yuri looks at her then at his team. He sighs:"I will see what I can do."

Martha:"Good. Any other questions?" No one answers, "Great. Wheels out in 20, get ready."

The team heads out of the room. Martha grabs Yuri by his arm. He was over a foot higher but she didn't feel inferior. She looked at him dead in the eyes:"Alive. Do you understand?"

He doesn't answer, just walks out of the room. Roberto walks up to her:"You think it was a good idea bringing them here?"

Martha:"Them? Yes. Him? Not so sure."

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(30 minutes later)

Santa Rita

Kill team Nemesis is in the jungle. They're slowly approaching their designated location.

Franklin:"We're coming up on the dock."

Carla:"A bit small ain't it?"

The dock was small. It had three small structures and only about a dozen armed men. Something wasn't right.

After a while two boats showed up and the men in the docks start bringing out crates. But the Hernandez brothers were nowhere to be seen.

Yuri looks through his binoculars:"Negative visual on the targets. They are not here."

Victoria:"What do you mean?"

Yuri:"I mean the information agent Garcia extracted from the narcos is false. The Hernandez brothers are not here."

Franklin:"God dammit. We gotta go back then."

Yuri:"No. The fact that they are not here means that they are on another dock. These boats have to be taking that shipment somewhere. By the looks of it they cannot be shipping it out of Columbia. Where ever these boats end up, that is where our targets will be."

Takeshi:"An interesting theory. You got any proof?"

Yuri:"To quote a certain American, I have a feeling in my stomach."

Franklin:"First, it's in your gut. Second, that's not much to go on."

Carla:"Look can we just stop talking and do this?"

Franklin:"This is pretty far fetched."

Victoria:"Yes but it's the only option we have at this point. I say we take it."

One of the boats leaves. The second one is almost done with getting loaded.

Takeshi:"It's now or never Frank."

Franklin groans:"Fine. Let's do it."

The team heads to the dock. They put suppressors on their guns and split up. Franklin and Carla went to the right, Takeshi and Victoria to the left. Yuri went straight through.

Yuri shot the first man he saw, then two men that were next to him. The seven men on the sides where killed by the others. Carla ran to the back of the boat and shot the man by the steering wheel. One man on the boat turned around but was shot by Takeshi.

The last one got out of the nearby house, but before he could pull out his gun, Yuri threw a knife at his head. He then pulled the knife out and cleaned on the man's shirt.

Carla"Yuck. You could've just shot him."

Yuri:"I prefer not to use bullets if not necessary. Each bullet wasted is an enemy left alive."

Carla:"Right. Come on let's put these on and get going."

They put their disguises on, dump the bodies and drive the boat down the river. They catch up to the boat in front of them. A man from the boat waves and Takeshi waves back.

After an hour they arrive at a larger dock. It had five flat roofed, single floored buildings on the right side and three on the left, from the perspective of the entrance. Between them was a wide road leading to a cliff, which made the dock practically unseen from the other side.

But that's not the only purpose. It was hollow with a gate and door leading inside of it. Inside it was split into several rooms and one large storage room directly connected to the gate.

In between the three buildings on the left were two docks, one for each boat. The team docks the boat and some men come up to them.

Carla panics a bit:"Ah shit. What now?"

Takeshi:"I don't know. We might have to fight."

Victoria:"Frank, don't you speak Spanish?"

Franklin:"A little but they're gonna notice."

One of the armed men speaks up in Spanish:"Are the shipments ready?"

Yuri steps forward:"Yeah. We brought extra muscle to load it up."

Man:"No need, we got it covered. You heard about Miguel?"

Yuri:"Yes, tragic. Those American pigs really should get butchered."

Man:"You said it brother. Go get some rest."

Yuri:"Thanks."

The team leaves the boat and heads towards the cliff. Franklin gets closer to Yuri:"Why the hell didn't you say you know Spanish?"

Yuri:"You never asked."

Carla:"You know any more?"

Yuri:"German and Italian."

Carla smugs and speaks in German:"Oh really now. Prove it."

Yuri(in German):"Shut up and focus on the mission."

Carla giggles. They arrive at the entrance to the cliff. The guards let them in. After walking down a long hallway they enter the large storage room. It was less than half filled with stacked crates and there were two doors, one to the left and one to the right.

But something was off. No one was here.

Franklin:"Takeshi get the cameras."

Takeshi brings out his tablet. After a few moments he hacks into the security system. But he was shocked.

Takeshi:"What the hell?"

Carla:"What now?"

Takeshi:"I can't see anything. The cameras are turned off completely. I can try and restart the system but-"

He was stopped by a loud clanging noise. The doors on both sides opened. Thirty armed men poured into the room. Two men in particular. One was wearing a white long sleeved shirt and a black cowboy hat. The other one was opposite.

Yuri:"It's them."

Victoria:"You mean we were-"

Carla:"Tricked, backstabbed and quite possibly bamboozled."

The man with the white cowboy hat starts clapping his hands:"Well done! Very impressive indeed! But not impressive enough. You already know who we are but what kind of hosts would we be if we didn't introduce ourselves. We may be criminals but we are professional and we have standards. I am Carlos Hernandez. The less handsome and quiet man over there is my brother José. Welcome."

José:"You Americans really thought you could get the drop on us? We already know all about the buchons you've been killing in Mexico. We knew it was only a matter of time before you found us. So we figured: Why the wait?"

Franklin:"So you deliberately had your man taken hostage and told him to give us false information."

Carlos:"Yes. We knew you couldn't resist the chance to get an edge. You Americans, always biting off more than you can chew."

Yuri:"Clever."

José:"Thank you for noticing but flattery won't save you. I suggest you surrender, you have nowhere to go."

Yuri whispers:"Do as he says."

This was a shock to say the least. The most shocked was Franklin:"What the fuck?"

Yuri:"Just listen. If we fight now we will die. Takeshi, are you able to turn off the lights?"

Takeshi:"Temporarily, but why?"

Yuri:"When I give you the signal, you will turn off the lights and all of you will get on the ground."

Carla:"Dude what are you thinking? It'll be pitch black-"

Yuri:"Just trust me. Like I trusted you."

José:"I'm waiting. Drop you guns, I won't ask a second time."

They drop their guns and start getting on the ground. Takeshi has his tablet facing upwards with a glowing button.

Yuri:"Do it."

He pushed the button and then, darkness. A pitch black void. Everyone was confused. Yuri didn't have night vision, what was his plan?

The narcos tried to turn on the lights or get out of the room. But then it started. One body fell, the gun clanged on the floor. Then another followed. And another, and another, and another.

Carlos:"Shoot! Open fire!"

As they did, the muzzle flashes gave them little fragments of what was happening. Every time a gun would flash, one man would fall. One of the narcos was trying to shoot Yuri, but every time he fired a burst he would see one of his friends die. Until, it was his turn.

José tried to find the door. He managed to get a grip on the lock, but then his body was paralysed. As the knife went deeper into his chest, his life faded from his eyes.

The narcos kept dropping but no one knew what was happening. One man can't do this, can he?

After a few minutes the lights turned back on. The sight horrified everyone. All the narcos were dead. José's dead body was slouching against the wall. Dead bodies with stab wounds on their chests and heads, and cuts on their throats. This man, no, this monster, demon, navigated through the darkness like it was his own home and killed all of them with ease.

Carlos was the only one left alive. He panicked and hyperventilated. He kept spinning around holding his pistol, trying to find the man that did this.

He yelled in Spanish:"Where are you! You will pay for this! Face me devil!"

Then he feels a chip down his spine, as Yuri grabs him by the mouth. He brings his lips close to Carlos' ear:"I'm no devil. I'm the man that sends that sends scum like you to him."

Without further hesitation, he slits his throat, and as a stream of blood bursts out, Carlos' body falls on the ground.

The rest of the team was speechless. They witnessed something a normal person would find impossible. They got up slowly.

Franklin, Victoria, Takeshi and Carla, who were weirded out by Yuri are now generally terrified of him. Now they know that all those reports and files weren't exaggerations. There's a reason he's called 'The Reaper'.

Yuri looks at the team:"Franklin! Do you still have your explosives?" Franklin doesn't answer, "FRANKLIN!"

Franklin:"W-What?"

Yuri:"Explosives. Do you have them?"

Franklin:"Y-Yes. I'll set them up on the weapon crates."

He goes to set up the charges. The rest of the team snaps out of their trance and ready up. Once Franklin finished they got out of the cliff and went to the docks. There they killed three men that were unloading the cargo, took the boat and left.

Once they were out of range, Franklin set off the charges and the whole thing exploded, leaving a large cloud of smoke.

They drove off without speaking a word to each other.

——————————————————

(Two hours later)

Puerto Gaitan

CIA safe house

After returning to the safe house, kill team Nemesis reported everything that happened. Agents Jackson and Garcia weren't too happy about it, but the smoke cloud gave them something to work with.

Yuri was in the RV making a count of his gear per protocol. The rest of team was in the house, still trying to wrap their heads around everything.

Franklin:"Are we really not gonna talk about this?"

Victoria:"What's there to talk about? The mission is over."

Franklin:"That's not what I'm talking about! We didn't see it but we know what happened. What the hell are we working with?!"

Takeshi:"I did some crazy stuff before but this is just... I don't even know."

Carla:"You remember before our mission, when he said that we would just get in the way? I'm starting to think he meant it."

They lower their heads. Yuri was right to a certain degree. While their individual skills benefited greatly in their assignments, Yuri was able to complete them solo if need be. It made them feel somewhat useless.

Martha walked in:"Don't beat yourself up about it. That doesn't make you less of a soldier fighting for what he or she believes in. That guy may be a killing machine, but everything you did was a team effort. So don't be glum. Now go. I set up a plane for Turkey."

Franklin:"Thank you agent. We'll be on our way."

The team leaves the safe house and heads to the RV. Few words were spoken on their way back to HQ.

End of chapter 21

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