I already had this written when I created this world so here goes. I usually will only post a chapter or two at a time though.
Part 2: Paris
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Chapter 3: The Tarmac Encounter
John boarded the plane that waited on the underground tarmac the next morning. The plane started up and the tarmac was quickly raised. By the time it reached the surface the plane was already in the air. The plane was under the guise of a private airliner from America, bound for Paris. Why didn’t the CIA know about this? Had Marshall censored the information? John cleared his mind. He had to focus on the mission. His thoughts drifted towards that subject as the Eiffel Spire loomed over the horizon. Once the Eiffel Tower, the militarization of France had caused dictator Antonio DeChouvelin to order the tower be converted into a show of power. The newly renamed “Spire” was armed with anti-aircraft batteries, automated machine gun turrets, and specially trained snipers. Anything, man, tank , or aircraft within a one mile radius could be destroyed in about 5 seconds. As the tower grew bigger on the horizon, the pilot announced that they would be landing. John steeled himself for the task at hand.
As he stepped off the plane a man in a tight business suit strode out to meet him. ”Hello, Mr. Rivers, welcome to the country we call France. I’ve been sent out to welcome you to the country. As the American liaison to France, I’m sure I will be able to guide you through your stay here.”
Rivers nodded apologetically, “Thank you for your kind offer sir, but I am quite capable of guiding myself through the city.”
“But sir-” The liaison turned the color of a white sheet.
“It will be quite alright. I shall tke the blame from your superiors.” God- he was even starting to act like a conniving EAS agent now. He made a mental note to correct the personality flaw later.
“Very well, this way.” The man did not look particularly reassured, but moved toward the terminal none the less. As the great philosophers say; “Onward and upward.”
Chapter 4: The Spire Unleashed
It was around midnight. A dark figure stole along the base of the Eiffel Spire. The black night embraced him, and the warm air along the Seine riverfront shielded him from infrared scanners. But not for long. Where he was going, there was no way to even step through the door without unleashing the full might of the Spire. But this had to be done, for John’s mission was to implant a radiation chip in the French diplomatic building that would make them resistant to efforts by the Inequtus to take over the country. Simple enough, or so it seemed. What the EAS didn’t bother to tell him is that all government buildings were located at the foot of the Spire. In order to infiltrate the complex, he would be taking on 20 tons of artillery. So now, as John approached the entrance he used all the stealth and defense skills at his disposal to make sure he was safe. After a final sweep of the area around the door, he determined the area to be safe and he opened the door.
Nothing happened. Immediately John knew something was wrong. As he crept further in he heard something scuttle behind him. He spun round to confront the unknown force. It was all they needed. The ninjas sprung upon him. He tried to fight tem off, but there were too many. He pulled out his German made piece and managed to get a shot off before having it knocked out of his hand by an angry nun-chuck. He was done, finished. Then he heard the distinct crack of an M-16. Chaos reigned in the atrium. Ninjas dropped like flies. Finally all the ninjas lay dead. The unknown shooter jumped down from his roost in the rafters above. “Bobo,” he proclaimed. “Happy to save your life.”
“Umm…thanks,” he remarked John, still shaken by the encounter. “Who are you with?”
“I’m with the EAS. I thought you could use some help. Turns out I was right. Shall we then?”
As they stepped forward to complete the mission, the Spire opened fire. Windows shattered, and the mission was jeopardized once again.
Chapter 5: Duck, Cover, and Pursue
“Hit the deck!” Bobo shouted as shots reigned down from the Eiffel Spire. “Do you know the fire fake technique?”
“In theory. I learned it in training, but-“
“No time to discuss it, fool! Execute!”
“Ahh! I’m hit!” John cried out in mock pain. “No! Bobo!”
They heard the shooting stop, and someone cry out, “I see them! There both dead!”
Another voice shouted out of the darkness, “Great! Now we can go home!”
They waited another 10 minutes before rising. “That was a close one,” John said as he shook the rubble off himself.
Bobo also rose slowly. “Come on, complete the mission and then we’ll blow this joint.”
“Right.” John jogged to the back of the building and set the chip in the back of the diplomatic records book. The blue-green chip became clear on contact. As John arrived back in the atrium, Bobo began talking. “Burns wants us for debriefing in the Paris office. We’d better go.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
Mission complete, the two agents walked down the early morning streets of Paris.
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At first glance, the EAS Paris office is nothing more than an abandoned warehouse in Paris’ industrial district. The dirt and grime mask the true purpose, an entrance to what many EAS agents fondly refer to as the Paris underground. It is this entrance that John and Bobo approached at 3:00 A.M. Paris time. They reached a rotting box and Bobo spoke the password: mango-lemon sauce. A large trapdoor slid open in front of the box, revealing a labyrinth of dark tunnels beneath. John went first and slid down the tunnel. Bobo followed. The darkness was deeper than John had ever experienced. It shifted and flowed, all the while becoming darker and deeper. When he reached the bottom it was pitch dark. A blue light shot on as Bobo reached the bottom. “Identification please?” The mechanical voice drifted out of a speaker above him.
“John Rivers”
“Confirmed.” The light shifted to Bobo now. “Identification?”
“Bobonius Virna, EAS, third-class special-ops agent.”
“Confirmed. Please sit down.” A pair of chairs were illuminated in the darkness. John and Bobo took their seats. Then, all the lights in the room snapped on. Burns sat at the end of the table in front of the two agents.
“Ah, John and Bobonius, it is truly good to see you again. Now, please explain the little incident that is all over world headlines this morning.” His tone changed rapidly from welcoming to urgent.
“Well, I was infiltrating the French diplomatic complex as my mission stipulated. The complex, as you know is at the base of the Eiffel Spire, so I proceeded with caution. I ascertained that the door was safe to open, and entered. I heard activity behind me so I spun around to confront them, and that’s when I was ambushed by ninjas.”
Bobo continued. “I was in the rafters, stationed as back up for the agent on Mission 7. When Agent Rivers was overwhelmed by the ninjas I opened fire. They were soon neutralized. I then revealed myself to Agent Rivers. It was then that the Spire opened fire. We executed the fire fake technique and managed to fool the authorities. John then completed the mission and you contacted me.”
“Well, this is worse than I thought. The presence adds another layer to the plot. The presence of ninjas means that the Inequtus are involved. France, however, is under Marshall’s control. I must then conclude-”
“Wait just one second, who’s this Marshall person?” John was confused. Another enemy?
“We originally believed that the Inequtus were in control of the U.S. Now, our intelligence tells us that a man named Marshall threw the Inequtus out about a decade ago. His cells flourished in France and they migrated to America. When he took power, the Inequtus moved to Canada. Now Marshall has a band of goons running around the world trying to take out EAS agents around the world. They apparently have partnered with the Inequtus in order to destroy America’s last hope for Democracy. I am assigning you to stop them. There are reports of their activity in Berlin. Hound out anything you can on them, and pursue them. Do not let them slip away.” And with that he dismissed them. “Bobo, please hang back.”
John looked back quizzically, but left as he was told. Meanwhile, in the debriefing room, Burns whispered quickly with Bobo. “Are you sure you are capable of what you need to do?”
Bobo responded with a cold stare. “I will do what I must sir, I will do what I must.”
“Be sure of that.”
And with that, Bobo strode out of the room to embark on the next step of his adventure.
There were some plot kinks which I worked out in chapter 5, so excuse the length. Look for Part 3:Berlin Chapter 6: The Berlin Identity Coming Soon.