Chapter 43 of Tessa and The Stranger in the Plane

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Posted by Goodsport from adsl-216-102-199-185.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net on October 10, 1999 at 01:06:58:

: Chapter 43 [Eventual Encounters] (written by Indiana Jerico)

: Goodsport was reclining on the couch in the Phoenix Elite's VIP lounge. The book that Brett had found in the library in Poland was in his right hand. Goodsport yawned, brought down the book and massaged his temple for a few minutes.
: For the past ten hours, he had been reading the book, trying to find any clues as to the location of And·ril and Valinor that Tolkien might have unknowingly included. So far, he had come up with nothing. His mind had been swirling with images of the history of Elves and Dwarves, and the evolution of Middle-earth to the Earth as it was today.
: He let loose his mind for a little while and thought about what happened since they arrived here today. Indy, Meg and a couple of Micah's SWAT teams had flown to Chicago on a covert mission to save Tessa and the Ring. Jerico had gone on a lone wolf mission to save his partner in Switzerland. And he was here, trying to dig up clues on the location of Aragorn's Sword and Valinor in a book. He grinned to himself. Why do I get the feeling that I'm missing out on the action?
: He loosened his tie and lay down on the couch. I'm going to get a little sleep, he thought. Maybe my mind'll be more alert after I catch a few shut-eyes
: Darkness. Like an encompassing void filled with tangible nothingness. Then, a swirl of white strands. A vortex of something out of nothing. The vortex formed an image. The image formed a figure. And the figure was that of a wizened old man, garbed in white. The old man was wearing a pointed hat. His snow-white beard and his equally white bushy eyebrows formed a face both wise and powerful.
: Gandalf?
: "Goodsport, valiant Vanguard of ValinorÖ"
: In my dream? Why? Is this some sort of subconscious image?
: "No, Vanguard."
: ThenÖwhy in my dream? Why didn't you show when I was awake a little while ago?
: "My grip on your world is slowly weakening, Vanguard. If truth be told, this will be my last call and conversation to you. In the field of dreams, where I still hold power."
: Wha-what do you mean??? Gandalf??? What do you mean, 'last call'???
: "Time has diminished the strong bond between our world and yours. The Dark Lord had already found the One he seeks, Vanguard. And he already has his dark Eye set on him. Bring Aragorn to Valinor, where he will receive the knowledge needed to finally end the Dark Lord's existence. Bring him here, Vanguard. For the sake of your world, and mine."
: ButÖ. where is Valinor, Gandalf?
: "Remember that Valinor lies beyond the Sea that surrounds Middle-earth, Vanguard. The formation of your Earth is alien to me, so I cannot help you much. The Sea is our link, Vanguard. The Sea."
: We only need one more key, Gandalf. And·ril, Aragorn's Sword. Faramir's Ring and ThÈoden's Spear we already found.
: "No, Vanguard. The ring that you thought found is not Faramir's. I put it there, in the lady's pocket, to confound our enemy. Seek Faramir's Ring still, Goodsport. Never give up hope. It is the only weapon that stays still. Remember too, Goodsport, that not all allies are friends, and not all enemies are evil. Learn to use your heart in conjunction with your head, Vanguard, and you will succeed."
: ButÖ. my ring reacted to it, Gandalf! It showed where she would be going!
: "I have incanted magic on it, Vanguard, so as to imitate the real Ring of Faramir. Everything is alike, except the real thing the matters. The truth of it being one. Now I see that it has helped save her life, as well."
: Gandalf, I need more informationÖ..I need helpÖÖpleaseÖ..
: "Fare thee well, Vanguard. Until we meet in ValinorÖ."
: NoÖ! Gandalf! Don't go! Not yet! QuestionsÖ.questionsÖÖ

: - - -

: The darkness of the place was broken by the various torches placed on the pillars on either side of the large, medieval hall. The whole place was made of rough-hewn stones. On the other end of the large hall, a ten-step dais formed an altar. On the wall, on that end, was a huge sculpture of a red Eye - The Eye of the Dark Lord. Two massive torches were on either side of the sculpture.
: Facing the altar, on the top of the dais, was a large man wearing a skeletal animal mask. He was garbed in flowing robes, patterned with a kaleidoscope of dark colors. His hands were outstretched to the sculpture.
: Krede entered the hall and passed on the middle. He stopped when he reached the step of the dais and fell on his knee. Krede was wearing a hooded brown cloak.
: Finally, the man in the altar turned and looked at Krede. "Rise, Elder."
: Krede rose.
: "You have something important to tell me?"
: "Yes, Chosen," Krede said. "It is about the second key. The Ring of Faramir of Ithilien."
: The Chosen took off his skeletal mask. It revealed a bald man with a tattooed face, giving him a more menacing, almost devilish, look. "The Ring of Faramir?"
: "Yes, Chosen," Krede answered. "It is here." He took out a velvet box, with a glass top. Inside it was the ring he took from Tessa.
: The Chosen stepped down, his robes flowing although there was no wind. Krede offered the box with both hands, and bowed his head. The Chosen took the box.
: "Also, Chosen," Krede said. "I have found the One. The One our Dark Lord has chosen as the King of the Ringwraiths."
: "Who is he?" The Chosen asked.
: "An enemy of ours. He goes by the name of the Enemy of our Dark Lord in the Third Age. The King of Gondor, the Elessar, the heir of the Ring of Isilduer. Aragorn, son of Arathorn."
: "Where is he, now?" The Chosen asked.
: "IÖI still have to find out, Chosen," Krede said.
: "See that you do, Elder," The Chosen said. "Or our Dark Lord will cast you in the Mountain of Doom itself, to be unmade, as the One Ring was unmade."
: Krede bowed. "Yes, Chosen."
: The Chosen then opened the velvet box and took out the Ring. He felt it, looked at it, as if weighing it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then suddenly, he opened his eyes. And it was not friendly.
: "THIS IS NOT THE RING!!!"
: Krede looked up, surprised. "W-what?!"
: "This RingÖ.is incantedÖbut this is NOT the Ring of Faramir!!!" The Chosen growled. "This is not the key, Elder!"
: Krede looked at the ring in disbelief.
: "ButÖbut IÖ."
: The Chosen looked at Krede, his eyes burning and poring into his. Krede immediately fell down and humbled himself in front of him.
: "My apologies, Chosen One! My apologies!"
: "Find the Ring, Elder. Or our Dark Lord shall be displeased, and I do not think his patience is like mine."
: "Thank you, Chosen, oh thank you!"
: Krede stood up and backed away. When he was a few meters from the Chosen, he turned and headed for the door. All the while, his eyes were burning in anger.
: "Mitos!"

: - - -

: "The Fiddler here."
: "Yes?" Deirdre said. "What developments have there been?"
: "We are on the outskirts of Switzerland," The Fiddler said. "I think I know now where they are going. They are heading due southeast. There are only two major towns here. Davos, and St.-Moritz Both are situated in mountains. We are approaching Davos now."
: "Good," Deirdre said. "Just keep tailing them. Hold onÖ."
: Deirdre turned to Nobody, who was talking with Krede.
: "Sir, The Fiddler already has a bead on where the Lamberts and Micah's agent are going."
: "Very good," Nobody said. "Tell him to mobilize our forces in Switzerland."
: "Which agent is with the Lamberts?" Krede asked Deirdre.
: "The one they call Aragorn," Deirdre replied.
: Krede's pulse quickened. He turned to Nobody. "It would be a good prize indeed to capture them, my friend. They might prove useful."
: Nobody turned to Deirdre. "Tell the Fiddler to capture them at all costs. Alive."
: Deirdre nodded. She turned to the phone again. "Have our troops there in Switzerland mobilized to help you out."
: "I don't need their help!" Fiddler said.
: "The Boss' orders," Deirdre said simply. "And capture them alive."
: "Yeah, you already said that remember?" the Fiddler said.
: "This time it's official," Deirdre answered. She closed her cell phone and faced Nobody.
: "Have my private jet ready, Deirdre," Nobody said. "Krede and I will go to Switzerland and pay our friends a little visit. Krede here told me that Aragorn might be vital in finding the other keys. We can't afford to pass this chance up in capturing him. At the same time, it would be a crippling blow to Micah's Phoenix Elite to have one of his elite captured."
: "Yes sir," Deirdre said. "What about Tessa?"
: "I am tasking you to guard her," Nobody said. "We can't afford to lose her as well. I don't know if Micah already knows we have her. Just to be safe, guard her well."
: "Don't worry, sir," Deirdre said. "She'll be guarded well."

: - - -

: "Want to go with me, Shorty?" Goodsport asked.
: "Where to, chief?" Shorty asked.
: "To the Library of Congress," Goodsport said. "We'll see if we can dig up some important facts about what we're searching. Who knows, maybe we'd get lucky and find a book that'll help us sort out this mess."
: "Sure," Shorty said. "Beats doing nothing but playing games on their computers here."
: Goodsport took his coat, and he and Short Round went out of the room.

: - - -

: The Man with the Hat smiled warmly as he went out of his hotel. His suits were newly pressed and he felt like a new man. He suddenly realized how he sorely missed being a normal citizen for a while. He took in a deep breath and started walking.
: "I wonder if good ol' Joe still hangs out there?" He muttered to himself. "Ah, well. Might as well give the old place a visit."
: He reached out his hand and hailed a taxi. The taxi stopped in front of him and he stepped into the back.
: "The Library of Congress, please," The Man with the Hat said.
: The driver stepped on the accelerator, looked out for incoming traffic, and rode off.

: - - -

: Just as I thought, The Fiddler thought. St.-Moritz. Those jackasses actually have a studio here???
: He saw Brett step out of their car in front of a store. He was obviously asking for directions. The old man looked at the paper Brett showed him and pointed his finger upwards, to the mountains. Brett talked with him for a while. Then, he returned to the car and drove on.
: The Fiddler stepped out of his car and walked to where the old man was cleaning his store.
: "Good morning," the Fiddler said in German.
: The old man looked at him and greeted him as well.
: "Police. Where are those people going?" the Fiddler asked. He flashed an official looking badge and put it away before the old man could get a good look at it.
: "They were inquiring about that building in the mountains," the old man answered. "It can be traversed by car. Just follow this road, and when you've gone about a kilometer or so, take the side road that veers to the left. When you've gone about a hundred meters, you'll see a trail. You'll have to travel by foot after that. The trail isn't big enough for a car."
: "Thank you," the Fiddler said.
: The old man nodded as the Fiddler went to his car. He started the engine and followed the directions the man gave him.

: - - -

: "Bring me down!!!" Jerico shouted to the pilot, pointing downwards.
: The pilot of the helicopter nodded. He brought the chopper down and landed on a clearing.
: Jerico got out of the helicopter, his trenchcoat and hair blown away by the force of the rotors. He slapped the window two times and signaled "Thanks" to the pilot. The pilot nodded and started to lift off.
: Jerico ran towards the main road, which led to St.-Moritz. He saw a sign which said, "Sankt Moritz 100m".
: He started walking.

: - - -

: "Excuse me," Jerico said in perfect German. The old man who was asked directions by Brett and the Fiddler looked up.
: "Have you seen any new faces here, aside from me, for the lastÖuhmÖfive days or so?" Jerico said.
: "Oh, yes," the man replied. "Many tourists. Our place attracts tourists, you know."
: "How about this man?" Jerico said, producing a picture of Brett. "Or this?" He produced a picture of Aragorn. "Have you seen them?"
: The man looked at Aragorn, then at Brett. "Yes, I've seen this one! He was here less than an hour ago, asking for directions."
: Jerico's face showed excitement. "Yes! Uhm, could you tell me where they went?"
: The old man gave him the same directions he gave the Fiddler.
: "Thank you very much!" Jerico said. He went outside.
: The old man also went outside and looked at where Jerico went. He shook his head. That place is attracting tourists! he thought. He shook his head again and went to his shop.

: - - -

: The Fiddler hid on a boulder on the side of the rocky road, which led to a big, modern-looking house. The architecture was obviously new, like those one would expect studios in the United States would look like. The whole building was painted beige.
: The Fiddler took out his binoculars and followed Brett, James and Aragorn. Brett and James were obviously excited, like kids who were given new toys. Aragorn calmly followed them a few steps back.
: "I found the place," the Fiddler said
: "Good," Deirdre replied. "Boss Nobody is on his way there right now. Until then, hold your position."
: Suddenly, the Fiddler saw something.
: "WaitÖ! I see someone sneak into the building's perimeter. He's wearing blackÖ."
: "WhoÖ?" Deirdre asked.
: "I'll adjust my binocularsÖ." the Fiddler said. "It's that other agent! Indiana Jerico!!!"
: "This is better than we expected!" Deirdre exclaimed. "Now, two of Micah's best agents are ours! Update me, Fiddler. And don't let them get away!"

: - - -

: They stalked the roof of the building like cats in the night. There were six of them, all garbed in black, which made them virtually undetectable in the night. Everyone was wearing goggles on their heads that were both thermal visors and night vision goggles. Their movements were precise and calculated.
: The lead stopped on the ledge of the building. In front of them, on the other of the street was Nobody's building. He adjusted his scope and scanned the roof of the building on the other side.
: "Clear," Indy said.
: Another one of the agents ran to the ledge. By the curves, one could distinctly define that it was a female. She attached a claw-like contraption on the side of the concrete shed and pushed a button. The claws whirred and bore themselves on the concrete, offering a solid grip. She looked at the LCD on its side. It showed "1 ton".
: "Ready," Meg said. "Load one ton."
: "Fire when ready," Indy said.
: Meg adjusted the little screen on the side of the contraption and aimed it at a shed of the other building that housed the building's ventilation. She pushed a button. A silent "THWAP!" was heard which was followed by a distinctive "TCHINK" as a projectile carrying a wire imbedded itself on the concrete shed on the other side. A wire now connected the two buildings. Automatically, the contraption whirred as it pulled the line to the correct tautness.
: "Line ready," Meg said. "It'll hold."
: "Move!" Indy said. In clockwork fashion, their companions attached a pulley on the wire and they slid to the other side.
: "Ladies first," Indy said.
: "Chivalric," Meg said. She attached her pulley and she slid across the street like a spider sliding on a web. Indy soon followed.
: As soon as they were on the other side, they ran to the edge on the north side. Indy took out a machine, which looked like a high-tech bomb detonator. There was a long roll of wire attached on it. Indy placed it a few feet from the edge of the building and screwed it down to the roof.
: Meg and two others also took out theirs. They put their machines beside Indy's.
: The other two served as guards.
: "Adjust length thirty feet," Indy said. He pushed a button and a panel opened. He inputted '30' on the LCD. The others did so.
: "Adjust release thirty seconds after length is achieved," Indy said.
: The others complied.
: "Okay," Indy said. "Let's do it."
: They sat down and strapped their respective ankles together with specialized Velcro straps. Next, they took the wires on their machines. On each wire's end was a claw. They pushed a button and the claw opened wide. They placed it on the straps on their ankles and pushed another button. It snapped shut.
: They then stood up on the very edge of the building, tottering 400 feet off the ground. They raised their hands sideways and jumped like bungee jumpers.
: Meg felt the adrenaline rush through her nubile body as the great force of the wind kissed her face. For a while, she wished that the fall would never end.
: Twenty feetÖ.
: Twenty-fiveÖ.
: ThirtyÖand snap! Almost immediately, she placed suction cups on the glass window, stopping her inertia. She had to work fast. She only had thirty seconds until the machine would release the grip on her strap. She was hanging upside-down.
: She got out a square-shaped board with suction cups on each of the corners and placed it on the window in front of her. She pushed a button and almost immediately, a whirring blade made of diamond lined the edges of the board and started cutting through the glass in silence. After three seconds, she pulled back and the board with the glass in it went loose. She then attached the board on the claw, which held her straps. Then, without missing a beat, she took out a rod and pushed it through the large square hole. She pushed another button and the end of the rod snapped sideways, forming a 'T'. It shot sideways and attached itself on either wall. The entire process took less than thirty seconds. At exactly thirty seconds, the claw snapped open and Meg fell. The rod held her, however, and it was just a small matter to just climb into the hole and inside the building. She landed, catlike, on the floor of the building. Beside her was Indy and her other teammates.
: Indy motioned with his hand and they activated their thermal visions. There, in front of them, lasers showed themselves like threads of red silk. Indy signaled the others.
: Tessa's room is beyond the corner of this corridor, Meg read Indy's signal. She nodded. Now, it was a matter of disarming the laser alarms. The alarm panel was on the other side of the room, just before the corner.
: She took out his bag and pulled out a small flat remote-controlled robot. It looked more like a mini-skateboard than a robot, with a square body. A small multi-rotational camera was placed on its front.
: Meg maneuvered the robot, passing just inches below the lasers. She held her breath, concentrating on the path she'd taken, looking at the screen. Just a few more feet, she thought.
: Suddenly, voices were heard just beyond the right corner of the hall. Meg stopped the robot and looked at Indy in panic. Indy's jaw tightened, his mind wondering. They weren't supposed to pass this way in another thirty minutes!
: "Look, I knew I left it here!" a voice said.
: "Aw, c'mon Clark!" another voice answered. This is higher pitched than the first. "We already passed by here thirty minutes ago! You didn't leave it here! Maybe Bruce has it!"
: "Barry," Clark said. "You know I'd never let that bastard borrow my magazine! Last time I did, he tore out the centerfold!"
: "Christ, Clark!" Barry answered. "Just few minutes, okay?"
: "Okay okay," Clark said. Then footsteps drew nearer. From the light on the corner hall, Clark's shadow grew bigger and bigger. Indy and the others gripped their silenced H&K's.
: Finally, they saw the tip of his submachine gun show on the corner. Indy, Meg and the others raised their submachine guns, hands on the trigger, their breaths held.
: However, it stopped. "Damn it! Who put it in the trash can?!" Clark shouted.
: "Don't look at me!" Barry said. "Who cares? Just get it out and let's continue our rounds. Miss Deirdre's gonna kill us if she knew we deviated from our course."
: Clark cursed and walked away, His shadow became smaller and smaller until it was gone. When they were sure that the voices had gone, they let out their breaths.
: "That was close," Meg said. "C'mon, let's hurry and finish this up! We're a few minutes behind as it is."
: Meg continued to control the robot. Finally, it was below the panel. Meg pushed another button and a pole extended out of its body. It rose until it was level with the panel. Meg maneuvered the point of the pole until it found a circular lock. It connected.
: She got out a notebook and attached it to the base of the remote control. She flicked on the switch and the notebook came to life. Then, hacking into the panel, she accessed the mainframe and disabled all the lasers on their floor. She packed up the notebook and placed it into her bag.
: "Okay," Meg said. "We've got five minutes."
: They ran, weapons on ready. When they reached the corner. They flattened themselves on the wall on either side. Indy motioned the men in front of him. In clockwork-precision, they simultaneously faced each of the corner; Indy and Meg on the left where Tessa's room was, and their two companions on the right to stand guard.
: The two men who were standing guard on Tessa's door looked in surprise. They raised their submachine guns at Indy and Meg but they never did get the chance to fire them. With muffled "PMFT! PMFT!", Indy and Meg pumped three bullets on each of the guards.
: Meg knelt in front of the door and looked at the lock. Sure enough, as Michaelson said, it was electronic. Meg took out her notebook again and connected a cable with a disk on the lock's slot, and connected the other end to her notebook. In a few minutes, she hacked the opening codes of the lock. The LED of the panel turned green.
: Meg looked up at Indy and smiled. "Got it!"
: Her smile, however, was short-lived. Immediately after, the alarm blared. "INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!"
: "Damn it!" Meg cursed. "They must have installed a separate alarm system on this one! Not connected to the mainframe!"
: "We've gotta get her out and get the hell out of here!" Indy cried.
: Meg punched the panel and the door opened. There, on the bed sat a woman. Her knees were drawn up to her chest. She looked up at Meg and Indy in surprise.
: "Tessa?" Meg asked.
: "Yes, whoÖ" Tessa said.
: "No time for that!" Meg said. "We've gotta get out!"
: "Emergency evac! Emergency evac! Phoenix One!" Indy said to his microphone. "Contingency plan B Extraction needed!"
: "Copy Phoenix Two," a voice answered. "Chopper on the way!"
: "Let's get the hell outta here!" Meg cried.
: From the other end of the room, soldiers started pouring in. Indy let loose a few rounds. The lead soldiers fell down. On the other side, their two teammates were holding the fort.
: "Fall back!" Indy shouted amidst the roar of gunfire. "Into the corridor!!!"
: Meg and Tessa ran to corridor where they came from. Indy fired another round and followed them. Their two teammates started to follow two. However, one flew back, his body riddled with armor-piercing bullets.
: Meg started to run towards her fallen teammate but Indy held her back. "There's nothing you can do!"
: Meg looked at Indy, then at the dead teammate. And she nodded. They ran to the end of the corridor.
: At this point, a headlight flooded the whole corridor, and with it, the sound of a helicopter.
: "Phoenix Two," a voice said. "Extraction ready!"
: "Shoot the windows!" Indy cried to the microphone.
: "Affirmative!"
: Indy looked at Meg and Tessa and shouted, "Flat on the wall!!!!" At the same time, he followed his own advice. Their other teammate did so as well.
: On the other side, Tessa and Meg did what Indy shouted.
: On the other end of the corridor, the soldiers started coming.
: Suddenly, the deafening sound of a mini-gun shattered the windows, shredding the soldiers who poured in. For a full two-minutes, the shooting did not stop. And when it did, the end of the corridor was littered with bodies of shredded soldiers. The wall was full of bullet-holes.
: Indy jumped across the window and into the chopper. He got a hold of the landing bar and pulled himself up into the chopper. Then, he started to throw the rope ladder across to where Meg and Tessa and the remaining teammate were. There were still the occasional bursts of submachine guns, but those were merely futile attempts at consolation.

: -----


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