Captured for Interrogation

[bindingeagle]

"I am but a humble servant of my master, sent to eliminate a threat," he said. "Don't worry, we only replaced your copilot. I think the other guy pissed himself."

 

[celestialdragon]

"And who is your master?" Alexis snarled. "Forgive me, but I'm a little pissed off right now."

 

[bindingeagle]

"I'm dead either way, so I do not feel at liberty to tell you," he said.

 

[celestialdragon]

"You may be dead either way, but if you tell me, your death will be swift and painless. If you don't tell me, I'm going to draw it out for DAYS. And you will beg for mercy."

 

[bindingeagle]

"Let's just say he remembers your last stay in our prime accommodations very fondly," he said, grinning.

 

[celestialdragon]

Alexis swore and drew her pistol, aiming it at the copilot. "Nikolai, you may want to back away," she said firmly.

 

[bindingeagle]

Nikolai saw the change in her mood immediately and stepped back. "You sure you want to shoot him in a plane?"

 

[celestialdragon]

"I'm not shooting him in the plane," Alexis said. She grabbed the copilot and opened one of the side doors. She stood him in front of him, shot him in the back of the head, and shoved him out of the plane. She closed the plane and sat down, burying her head in her hands.

 

[bindingeagle]

"Well, shit," mused Nikolai. He saw her in mental anguish and sat down next to her, holding her close. "So who are we dealing with and what the hell are prime accommodations?"

 

[celestialdragon]

"Wu San Tel," Alexis whispered. "He's a black market dealer, very successful. And very. . . cruel. The 'prime accommodations' that the dead man referred to are actually his torture chambers."

 

[bindingeagle]

"I know that name, but vaguely," he said. "I had a contact in the police over here when the Kremlin tried to cut down on human trafficking."

 

[celestialdragon]

"I know that name very well. It's the reason I hate going to Beijing. . ." Alexis shivered and curled into Nikolai, remembering dark times. "The last time I went to Beijing, when I returned I was ordered to two months home, no exceptions. The Director wouldn't even let me come to my performance review. . ."

 

[bindingeagle]

"We'll have to nail him this time, then," he said firmly. "I'm not leaving until we do. Who are we meeting?"

 

[celestialdragon]

Alexis shook her head. "I can't say," she said.

 

[bindingeagle]

"We're meeting the guy in four hours. What's wrong with telling me?"

 

[celestialdragon]

"He doesn't like having his name thrown out there," Alexis said. "I respect that and I'm not going to say unless he wants me to."

 

[bindingeagle]

"I guess that is respectable," he said, dropping the subject. He looked out the window. "We're almost to land," he said.

 

[celestialdragon]

Alexis nodded. She nuzzled into Nikolai. "I'm scared," she admitted softly, almost trembling as she did.

 

[bindingeagle]

"So am I," he admitted, "But the urge to keep you safe is stronger."

 

[celestialdragon]

Alexis smiled and hugged him. "Same here," she said softly.

 

[bindingeagle]

The plane landed and Nikolai loaded the gear into their issued truck. 'Where is the meeting point?"

 

[celestialdragon]

"Follow me," Alexis said. She hailed a taxi and got herself and Nikolai in, then gave the address to the driver.

 

[bindingeagle]

Nikolai followed the cab through the packed streets and pulled up behind it when they stopped at a small, rustic traditional hotel. "OK, I like this," he said, unloading the equipment and heading inside ahead of Alexis.

 

[celestialdragon]

"We'll meet him in about an hour," Alexis said, just getting into the room. She took a deep breath. "Ahh I love the smell of pollution," she said with sarcasm.

 

[bindingeagle]

Nikolai unpacked for an hour and armed himself with a silenced pistol in his shoulder holster. A knock came at the door. He answered it and in surprise, said, "Panda? What are you doing here?"