-2:03 AM, December 8th, 2054-
The wall before me sunk into the ground, revealing the hall that we had departed from less than an hour ago. I stepped through the opening and heaved a sigh of relief. Olivia, who was unconscious, was starting to get heavy.
Fortunately, I was all stitched up and disinfected. There was just a bit of pain.
Tucker was the first to notice us. "Kyle! We were getting worried."
I smiled but just slightly. My exhaustion was beginning to overtake me. "Don't worry. It was worth it."
Deacon also came over upon hearing the commotion. He grew shocked as he noticed the state Olivia was in. She had a bandage covering her lower leg that was soaked with blood. "What the hell happened to her?"
I sighed as I gently set her down against the wall. "Big Russian guy. He is no longer in possession of his head."
Deacon nodded before glancing at Lyle. He was carrying the Chinese woman. "What about her?"
I shrugged. "The bitch still had a pulse after Leighton was done with her, so we patched her up and took her as a prisoner. Her fate is not for me to decide, but I would appreciate a full briefing."
Deacon shook his head. "I can't guarantee that. It's above my paygrade. Lyle, we can discuss the prisoner later. What about the MO?"
I nodded and gestured towards Leighton who was holding the stone box. "There's enough to split evenly. I don't want any trouble from mine or my padawan's own governments."
Deacon scrutinized the box. "What is in there that was worth all this?"
I nodded towards Leighton. He opened the box. Inside were a few dozen kyber crystals.
Deacon was silent for a moment as he stared at them. "Are those?"
Tucker nodded. "I think so."
I chuckled. "Kyber crystals. Quite a few of them. Conveniently, there are 36. We can each take 12 and call it a day."
Deacon shrugged. "Seems reasonable. Lyle?"
Lyle nodded. "My life is owed to these two. I'm in no position to decline. C will be bloody pissed, but I can handle it."
I smiled. "It's settled then. Let's divide the spoils and get the hell out of here." I turned to Tucker. "What's our EXFIL?"
Tucker nodded towards Deacon. "We'll ride with them. I've already had our plan relocate."
I heaved a sigh of relief. Walking for miles was the last thing I wanted to do right now. "Good. Let's pack it up."
-8:45 PM, Same Day-
-Joint Base Andrews, Maryland-
It felt good to get out of my combat gear. I was now wearing a tan sweater, fitted jeans with a medium wash, brown loafers, and sunglasses. I had a Glock concealed behind my back.
I grumbled as I walked over to the stairs to disembark our C-17. "Ughhh, it was dark when we fucking took off."
Begrudgingly, I walked down the stairs and onto the tarmac. There was a light covering of snow on the ground, which was the only part of this situation I liked.
Tucker and Leighton followed me down the stairs. Our gear and the rest of the team would remain on the plane.
I looked up and noticed several SUVs pulling up to our plane. A dozen people got out quickly. There were a few suits and several soldiers. One of the suits was older, about my Uncle's age.
There was one more SUV, much nicer than the others, driving at high speeds towards the others.
Two of the soldiers pulled a metallic suitcase out of the trunk of one of the SUVs before following the suits. One of the suits tapped on the older suit's shoulder and then pointed at me.
I sighed. "Here we go again."
The older man walked towards me and stopped about a yard away. "Are you Kyle Zimmerman?"
As noted from before, he was about my uncle's age. Gray streaks poked through his black hair that was combed over. He had surprisingly tight skin for someone of that age. He was slightly shorter than me with a bit of a stomach on him.
I nodded but took note of the lack of care in his tone. "Yep. And you are?"
He sighed. "I am CIA Director Carson Bates. I'm going to have to ask you to hand over the crystals."
The other SUV finally arrived. The rear passenger door flung open before it was even in park.
I shook my head. "Not happening."
His expression grew cold. "You don't want to do this, kid."
A voice came from the newly arrived SUV. "CARSON! DON'T YOU FUCKIN' DARE!"
I glanced over and found my Uncle Paul running over. Sigurd was closely following him. I looked back at Director Bates and smirked. "I don't believe you had any leverage to begin with, but it's definitely gone now."
Carson scoffed. "Those crystals are the property of the United States Government."
My Uncle finally arrived. He was out of breath. "Ky, he can't legally take them."
I harumphed and crossed my arms. "He can't take them illegally either. I'd love to see him try though."
Carson sighed and looked at my Uncle. "Paul, this is bigger than either of us."
Paul nodded. "I agree, but those crystals would be in Beijing, Moscow, and who the fuck knows where else right not if it wasn't for us."
Carson gave in but he was clearly frustrated. "Fine. Let's just get this debrief done. My grandkids are in town."
Paul smiled. "Ah! How are those little guys."
Carson smirked. "Heh, they aren't so little anymore."
The two men started happily walking towards the SUV that Carson had come in.
I sighed. The duality of man was astounding.
-9:15 PM-
-Langley, Virginia-
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. We were currently in a conference room inside the CIA's headquarters.
For the past 10 minutes, my Uncle Paul had been wiping the floor with not just Carson, but also MI6 Director Sir David Chamberlain.
Sir David was not so knightly in a physical sense. He was slightly overweight, like Carson, and was quite aged. He had to be in his late 60's at the least. Otherwise, he was the epitome of an older wealthy British man.
I grew frustrated and slammed the table with my fist. The stopped arguing instantly. "What the fuck are we doing here?"
Sir David gritted his teeth. "Firstly, why is there a British national wrapped up in this?"
I nodded with a smile. "Ah. Now we are getting somewhere. Leighton is my padawan learner. Next question."
Carson cut in. "Who was the third party with the Chinese and Russians?"
I smiled even wider. "Oooh, what a fun question. That was Jared Sullivan, son of Eric Sullivan, CEO of Forest Group."
Carson furrowed his brow. I could feel his confusion. "The investment group?"
I nodded. "That's the one."
Paul shook his head. "I've been telling you for years, Carson. Forest is as dirty as they come."
Carson waved him off. "Fine. I'll put a task force on it."
Paul smiled. "Good. I'll have my people bring over what we have on them."
Sir David jumped back in. "What was this place you went to?"
I glanced over at Lyle, hoping he would help me out. Unfortunately, he was sitting there quietly with no intention of speaking. "Ugh, fine. I'll do everything. It was a 35,000 year old temple built by the Order of the Force. You can look at the pictures yourself. And yes, there is a lead which involves the Pyramids. Any other questions?"
After all this, Lyle finally decided to speak up. "Sir, I believe it would be beneficial to collaborate with them. We might run into less red tape when acting as a private entity."
Sir David sighed. "I'll have to discuss with the PM."
Carson nodded. "And I with the President. What happened to my agent?"
I smiled. "Big Russian guy snapped her leg in half." I nodded towards Leighton. Then, my padawan relieve him of his head."
I reached into my pocket and slid a picture across the table. "He was SVR."
Carson handed the picture to an aide that was standing behind him. "And the prisoner?"
I held my hands out towards the two intelligence directors. "That's for you to to figure out, and for me to find out. Capeesh?"
Carson rolled his eyes and looked at Paul with a deadpan expression. "That little shit really takes after you."
I cleared my throat. "You do know that I'm still here, right?"
Carson stood up and straightened his tie. "That was the point, kid. Now get out of here before DoD finds out I let you keep those crystals."
I nodded and stood up. "Pleasure doing business with you."