by Captain Zammo
| Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 |
| Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 |
| Conclusion |
NOVA SCOTIA: In a large compound surrounded by barbed wire fencing, three men sat in a warm barracks. They were huddled over a maps: of Europe; of the United States and a highly secret one of the Camp Benjamin presidential lodge.
"This building will be where they host the conference. The Servonian and Danubian delegates will be housed here and here respectively," said Connally, tapping the locations for emphasis. "Now we need to put our men here, into the Servonian delegation."
Chambers looked at Samuels, then at Connally. "With this assualt, we have the opportnity to overthrow the government in Servonia, plunge the US into chaos as well and be there to pick up the pieces."
Samuels asked, "How are we going to get past security? Camp Benjamin is isolated, in Montana. And even though a lot of the governmental bigwigs will be there, so will the Secret Service and the Army. And there's always the threat of that flag draped bimbo, Banner, showing up."
Connally chuckled. "Banner isn't a threat, I know just how to stop her. As to the Secret Service and the military, we have men in place in both camps. No my friends, the assassination of President for life Miranovich will take place on time, as scheduled. The US and Danubia will be faced by war with the rest of Europe."
Chambers smiled, "And we will be there to claim the spoils--a ruined Europe, a ruined US--all at our feet."
Samuels stood up. "I'll assmble the rest of the strike team, then," he said.
WASHINGTON DC
Becca Hutchins sat at her desk running through the security vetting that had to be done before the big peace conference at Camp Benjamin. "This should have been done weeks ago," she muttered to herself. Still, the last minute checks had turned up two possible difficulties, and they were yanked from the detail.
Becca sat back in her chair pondering all the threats facing this conference. Danubia and Servonia had been at war a long time, and those kinds of hatreds didn't end quietly. Still, this conference would go a long way to establishing peaceful borders and ending the suffering.
"And that's a good thing," said Becca. When she finished vetting her own private security detail, she noted it was one person short.
"It seems Banner may have to pick up the slack on that one," she said, smiling. "Oh well, I always wanted to go to Montana. and this is too sticky to leave to anyone else."
Becca eased back into the seat of the 727. Despite being a highly paid, highly placed intelligence operative, she still flew coach and domestic carriers when possible. She reviewed her notes and chatted with Colonel Chambers from the Air Force.
Chambers was on his way to Butte, to the NORAD base there, where he was base commander. He was returning from some R and R in Canada, and had stopped in washington for a debriefing before returning to Montana.
"I love the fishing in Canada," he told Becca. "Two weeks in the wild with close friends and a guide. Of course after a while you have to come back. One gets tired of eating fish and you run out of beer." Chambers smiled and Becca found herself laughing at his small joke.
NORAD is still waiting for your inspection, Ms Hutchins," said the colonel, changing the subject. "Will you be able to visit on this trip?"
Becca nodded. "I have some free time today and tomorrow. The Summit doesn't start until Friday. So when we arrive, I am at your disposal."
The plane touched down in Butte, and Colonel Chambers escorted Becca to his waiting staff car. they drove to the base and Becca was shown to the guest quarters. "Make yourself at home." said Chambers. "I'd like to have dinner with you tonight though, say 7 pm?"
"That sounds wonderful," said Becca and she set her suitcase on the bed.
Chambers left and headed to his office. He picked up a secure line and dialed Conally. "Yes, Mr. Secretary. Rebecca Hutchins is here."
On the other end of the line Secretary of Defense Connally smiled grimly. "Can you complete the next part tonight? I want to be certain Banner is out of the way by tomorrow."
"I can, she's having dinner with me. After that, she'll be too tired to put up much of a fuss." Chambers laughed again.
**********************
Dinner that night was an elegant affair and Becca dressed for the occasion in a dark blue dress that set off her eyes. Colonel Chambers and his senior staff saluted her and they ate, drank and talked for a long time. Becca was cautious in her drinking. Still after two glasses of wine, she began to feel light headed and sleepy.
"Must've been more tired than I thought," she said, making her apologies to the Colonel and his officers. She stod up and stumbled to the door of her quarters, realizing she must have been drugged.
She reached for her suitcase and the universal antidote in her Banner supplies. She almost made it too, but the drugs finally overcame her and Becca sprawled lazily on the floor, unconscious. Four men in non-airforce uniforms carried the sleeping Becca and her suitcase out a secret door and into a dark van.
She slept fitfully, chased by forgotten dreams and villains. When she awoke, Becca found herself in the most uncomfortable position she could be in. Her arms were stretched wide and tied to support beams in an abandoned mine. Her legs and knees were bound tightly together and she was seated on the dusty ground.
Two men were installing something to a support pillar opposite Becca. She could barely see it in the gloomy lantern light, but it looked like a bomb. A third man approached.
"You're quite right Ms. Hutchins, it is a bomb. In fact, after Alex and John get finished wiring it, we'll arm it. Additionally, we have one of these. He stretched out his hand.
In his palm was a signalling device. Becca recognized it immediately. It was one she had given to some of her agents in the past when she felt that Banner might be needed. Only the people at the highest levels should have access to one.
"We'll place this here," he said, putting the device on the suitcase behind Becca. "And when your friend Banner shows up, the armed bomb will go off, killing you both." He stood up and smiled.
"I'm sorry to have to kill you Ms. Hutchins, after all you're a lovely woman. But then, you knew the job was dangerous when you took it."
The men finished their work and left, taking the lantern with them. Becca sat in the dark, trying hard to figure out the knots, with no way of telling if she was close or not.
Becca pulled on the tight ropes, burning marks into her skin. She listened in the darkness, but heard nothing. Apparently all the men had left her.
As she tried to get free, she thought about the clues she already had. Someone was going to sabotage the peace conference. It was a highly placed someone, with the access to very high security clearance.
"Could this go to the very top?" she wondered. "If so, neither Becca nor Banner should be seen at the conference. I want them to think they've succeeded."
She tugged more. Sweat broke out on her forehead
despite the cool of the silver mine. As she pulled once
more, her heel struck against a rock.
A shudder ran
through Becca's body, then she realized what was in her
shoes.
With a click of her heels, a long knife slid out the toes of her shoe. Wiggling, then flexing her gorgeous legs high over her head and to the left, Becca managed to cut one wrist free. She grabbed her shoe and cut the other hand free, then her legs. As she reached for the suitcase, she heard a strange pinging sound.
"Oh my God! The BOMB!!!" she shouted as she raced up the mineshaft. Becca slammed into a few walls along the way but eventually found the elevator shaft. She pressed the call button.
"Hurry, hurry..." she said as the car came down to her. At last it arrived. Becca got on board and started up the shaft. Behind and benath her the ground rumbled and shook. Becca shuddered again and thanked providence that she wasn't buried down there.
As she reached the top, she stopped. "They may still be watching. Hiding behind the doors of the elevator, Becca quickly changed from her dress and heels into the more comfortable red white and blue Banner costume.
She felt the surge of power that went with the change, knowing that the freedom and potential of 250,000,000Americans were within her.
She burst from the car and rolled along the ground to shelter, fully expecting a fusillade of bullets. Nothing.
Banner stood up and brushed her arms. "Apparently, they were expecting the bomb to finish me off," she said. "Their mistake."
She loped into the hills heading for Camp Benjamin.
MEANWHILE...
Under Secretary of Defense Connally and General Samuels were hidden away in a ghost town 20 miles from the mine. Along with them were 75 handpicked soldiers and mercenaries. They were addressing the troops.
"Gentlemen, in one day the summit meeting between Servonia and Danubia will take place. We are charged with stopping that summit, and assassinating both the President of the US and the President of Servonia. Additionally, we will be a strike force that intends to destroy the BOTH nations in one swoop, then we will rush in and seize control."
Samuels looked at Connally and nodded. Connally smiled an evil grin and said, "Even now, the first obstacle has been eliminated. Banner has been destroyed in a rescue attempt. Any other heroines will be swept away as easily. Let's show this nation what a small group of determined patriots can do!"
The cheering was intense.
CAMP BENJAMIN: DANUBIA/SERVONIA PEACE CONFERENCE DAY ONE.
"Good evening, I'm Lester Crabtree with tonight's news. The President opened the summit meeting with an informal welcoming banquet. Both sides appeared hopeful for the coming negotiations. Tensions were high however, as a Danubian delegate refused to be seated next to a Servonian negotiator, stating that the man had been part of a slaughter group."
(Cut to telescreen, Mathias Melbardis, Danubian delegate) "That man, he killed my family! He was there that day, I tell you."
(Cut to telescreen, Ygor Grigorivich, Servonian negotiator) "Pig! Like all your people, nothing but lying swine!"
"Security swiftly separated the men before a fight could break out. Back to you, Peter."
MONTANA ROCKY MOUNTAIN RANGE...
Banner moved swiftly and surely through the rocky terrain. Her power boost made her stronger and increased her stamina tenfold. The drugged wine appeared to have worked its way through her system as well.
She reached the perimeter of Camp Benjamin and watched from a hidden distance. She noticed both US soldiers and her own hand picked team working to patrol the grounds.
"Looks like Verinucchi and Kappel. They're solid, though I wish she was a better shot," thought Banner, slipping into her role as Becca Hutchins for a moment.
"But I'll bet I can slip past them." Four minutes later, Banner was on the grounds and the tight security had been breached. She slipped toward the room Becca Hutchins had been assigned.
"I need some clothes I sent on," she mused. Though I like the Stars and Stripes, there are times when a woman needs basic black." She slipped a black bodysuit over her costume and slipped out into the waning daylight, preparing to hide and listen.
Banner slipped quietly through the gathering gloom and made her way past the guards and patrols to the communications shed. "If there's anyplace so vulnerable for attack, it's there," she reasoned.
What she saw when she arrived chilled her blood.
No one was standing guard at the communications shed. Banner slipped down the small rise and peered through the open door.
"...leted and now we can move to Phase Two, securing the whole base." Banner recognized the voice of General Samuels. He certainly had relied on Becca Hutchins' intellegence on more than one occasion.
"And this time, there will be no one who can stop us," said a second voice. Connally? Unbelievable! How far up the chain did this go?
"When is the assault on POTUS and Wallflower?" asked Samuels.
"One Hour, thirty-five minutes. Just after the cocktails are served. Militia will burst through, killing Wallflower. In the ensuing "friendly fire", then POTUS will lay down his life for his country."
Banner bit her hand to keep from gasping out loud in surprise. These men had to be stopped! Ninety five minutes wasn't much time, but if she stopped the leaders here, maybe she could get a counter strike mounted.
She turned to begin her mission...
And found herself staring down the barrel of an Army .45 wielded by Colonel Chambers. He glared at Banner and said, "I thought you were dead!"
Banner slowly raised her hands and looked at Connally. "So it reaches as high as NORAD command and the Secretary's Office?" she thought.
Out loud she said, "Your little scheme didn't work. I managed to save Becca too. She's on her way with help."
"It will be too late," said Chambers. "Phase Two will be in effect in 20 minutes. Now turn around and put your hands on your head."
Banner turned and did as she was instructed. She heard Chambers stepping forward. He closed and was about to take her wrists when she whirled, taking him by surprise. The gun went flying into the dark. The two struggled briefly, then Banner landed a savage karate chop to Chamber's throat.
The Colonel gurgled, then slumped to the ground. Banner appropriated his keys and security pass, then secured the Colonel with his Belt and necktie. She turned back to the shed.
Connally and Samuels were gone. She had to stop the assassins before they got into place. But who could she trust?
She found one working radio in the shed. The saboteurs had done an excellent job. But this radio worked. She dialed in her agent's frequency.
"Hargrove, Clemmons? Come in Please. this is Deputy Director Hutchins. Do you read me?" Clemmons answered almost immediately.
"Verify by cosign ma'am"
"Hutchins, Code Alpha 4 Sigma, Gamma, Duke Blue Devils." She smiled as she gave the code.
"Go ahead ma'am. We're reading you clear to Saskatoon."
That meant they had not been compromised. Becca quickly filled them in-the Presidents of Servonia and the US were in jeopardy. They were to meet her special agent at the presidential compound. Military had been compromised. "I'll authorize use of force up to killing force if necessary" She hated saying those words, but knew that Clemmons and Hargrove would take whatever means necessary to avoid using deadly force.
"I just hope we're in time." she thought as she raced through the night.
The presidents were meeting in a quiet little Banquet room in the Camp Benjamin rec area. Outside was a view of the mountains that gave the state its name.
"Gentlemen, I drink to the peace and prosperity of our three nations," began the US President. At that moment, a young soldier stepped into the room and handed a communique to the President. He scanned it quickly, then said, "It appears I have a small domestic crisis arising. Would you gentlemen please wait for a moment?" He left the room.
The two leaders eyed each other warily, each taking the full measure of the other.
"You know Dmitri, this could be a ploy to get us to talk," said the President of Servonia.
"If so Ygor, it's working," laughed the dictator of Danubia.
The two men quickly came to some understanding of civility, then began negotiating both a cease fire and withdrawal of troops from the other's regions.
"So many men, so
many lives ruined," said Dmitri.
"And all because
of aggression both real and imagined."
At that moment the door slammed open. Ten men in black combat gear covered the two presidents with heavy assault rifles. Both leaders placed their hands into the air.
Secretary Connally stepped into the room. "You gentlemen need to see that peace in your region is bad for the US. We need a war, to distract the people of this country and to to bring me into power."
He gestured to the President of Servonia. "Sir, if you would stand against that wall please?"
"So I am to be shot like a dog?"
"Not if I have anything to say about it." Banner stepped into the room.
Connally was flabbergasted. "I don't know what happened to Chambers, but you're going to be very dead very soon."
A gun fired, prematurely. Banner dodged the bullet, then caught the gun with her hands. Concentrating, she bent the barrel over, ending the effectiveness of that gun.
"You men have been lied to," she said. "Secretary Connally wants to take over the country. Is this the decent thing? The honorable path?"
Very aware of the heavy atmosphere and the nine guns trained on her, Banner waited...
The air was heavy with fear and indecision. Banner watched as the nine armed soldiers continued pointing their guns at her. She drew a ragged breath, looking hard at Secretary Connally.
Slowly, one of the men in the black masks removed his hood and trained his gun at Connally. "Banner's right men. This is not the Army way. Secretary Connally, you're under arrest by the authority of the US Army."
The two delegates fell togather and resumed their discussion. As the soldiers took Connally into custody, Banner realized that the President was still in danger. Colonel Samuels was still unaccounted for as well.
She dashed into the hallway and turned right. Two Secret Service agents were laying on the floor. Their hands clenched their stomachs, as if something had poisoned them. The door to the President's office was open. Inside, Banner could see another agent laying on the floor. It was Mancetti, one her operatives. The bullet wound in his shoulder was serious but not fatal. Banner dressed it quickly, then looked into the inner office.
Samuels was there, hand around the President's wife's neck, and .45 pointed at her head.
"Stand down Banner, or I swear I'll kill her now."
Banner raised her hands. From behind, a soldier handcuffed her. A second one then tied her arms to her sides.
Samuels led Banner, the First Lady and his guards into the President's bedroom. The President was already tied to a chair, his secretary tied to the bed. Samuels motioned Banner to the closet and ordered Banner tied to the cross bar.
"Now who do we kill first?" muttered Samuels.
Banner struggled in the steel chains and handcuffs holding her to the crossbar. From her vantage point, she watched in horror as Colonel Samuels pointed his gun first at the President, the First Lady and then the President's secretary.
"This country has grown soft. We coddle other nations, pretending to honor their sovereignty, propping up their dictators and all they do is spit in our faces. We've been weakened by the idea of a World Unity. Bah! We need to look to ourselves first. Mr. President, your term is over."
Samuels put the pistol in front of the President's face. To his credit, the president accepted his fate stoically, without fear or begging.
>CLICK<
The hammer cocked.
"Say goodbye Mr. President."
"Did I tell you I hate guns?" Samuels whirled at the sound of Banner standing behind him. In one hand were the handcuffs. With the other, she bought down the closet rod on Samuels' head.
The Colonel dropped to the floor, stunned, his gun spinning out of his hand.
"Get out quickly," said Banner, rapidly untying the President and his secretary. The three of them got out as Banner ran interference past the guards. She was nearly out herself when she went sprawling on the floor.
"Not yet, you don't Banner!" roared Samuels.
"I may
be going down, but you'll be in hell before
me!"
His gun had somehow managed to find his hand again and was perilously close to Banner's head.
Banner swung her leg and kicked the gun free. With a savage wrist turn, she reduced the once confident Colonel to a blubbering mass.
Juxtaposing the Colonel between her and his guards, Banner asked, "Anyone else want to try? Or are you ready to give up?"
The guards dropped their guns as one.
Samuels and Conally were in custody. Chambers had somehow worked himself free and gotten away. Becca Hutchinson's security team was tracking him, but the Montana mountains were treacherous and honeycombed with possible hideaways.
"Don't worry, m'am we'll find him." Spinelli had assured her. Becca nodded, knowing they were that good.
The war between Danubia and Servonia ended. Both presidents were united in seeking similarities, and had in fact worked out an economic initiative that didn't include the US.
"I wish we could thank Banner," the president told Becca.
"She seems to disappear quickly after the job is done. But I'm sure she knows," said Becca. "But I know what you mean. Sometimes, I think she can do this job better than I can."
The President laughed. "Ms Hutchinson, NO ONE can do the job better than you. Thanks for your help."
The End