Seeing Red

[Subtleknifewielder]

Accepting his hospitality Sasha took a chair, "The Eastern Socialist Worker Directorate can provide the typical assortment of secondhand small arms, but explosives are something we have in abundance.

Our organization is currently in possession of a large quantity of high-yield Naval Mines, each with enough power to crack over twenty inches of armour – or bring down a building.

Tracing them back to either of us would be extremely difficult considering they were manufactured and deployed by the Amerikanisches Reich, deployed in Procinctia, and removed by the White Cross – the investigation alone is likely to cause an international incident."

Jesse raised his eyebrows. "I'm not even gonna ask how you got ahold of THOSE explosives. All right, you have yourselves some customers. But we can't make the transaction today. It's too close to the curfew time," he said, glancing at the clock, which read 9:45 PM, then standing and stretching.

"15 minutes is hardly enough time to do anything. Would you prefer to sleep on the bed or the couch? As guest, it's your choice. I'll take what's left."

[Subtleknifewielder]

Louiz, not expecting to be accosted any more, was simply minding his own business during his lunch break at the airport. He worked a part-time shift as security guard there, and was presently outside, enjoying the sunshine away from the crowds--though no travel outside the nation was permitted, internal traffic was still permitted.

[Generalissimo]

Jesse raised his eyebrows. "I'm not even gonna ask how you got ahold of THOSE explosives. All right, you have yourselves some customers. But we can't make the transaction today. It's too close to the curfew time," he said, glancing at the clock, which read 9:45 PM, then standing and stretching.

"15 minutes is hardly enough time to do anything. Would you prefer to sleep on the bed or the couch? As guest, it's your choice. I'll take what's left."

“I’ll take the couch,” Sasha smiled “I prefer to keep on eye on the front door, it’s not paranoia when they really are out to get us.” yawn “We’ll finish in the morning.” Edited May 27, 2009 by Generalissimo

[Subtleknifewielder]

"I'll take the couch," Sasha smiled "I prefer to keep on eye on the front door, it's not paranoia when they really are out to get us." yawn "We'll finish in the morning."

"Ok, fair enough," he acknowledged, suppressing a yawn of his own. he walked down the short hallway, entering one of the rooms, and came out with a blanket, a thick quilt. "Here, you'll need this. Nights can get pretty cold around here, no matter what season." He handed her the article in question. "Feel free to use one of the chair cushions for a pillow if you wish."

He returned to the bedroom without waiting for a reply of any kind, shutting the door. If sasha listened carefully, she would hear the sound of a lock sliding into place. The bedroom might not have had a view of the door, but it was secure in its own way.

They wouldn't speak again until the morning, most likely. the earliest they would be allowed to go outside anyway would be 6 o'clock.

[Markus Wilding]

Louiz, not expecting to be accosted any more, was simply minding his own business during his lunch break at the airport. He worked a part-time shift as security guard there, and was presently outside, enjoying the sunshine away from the crowds--though no travel outside the nation was permitted, internal traffic was still permitted.

Tom found him easily and sneaked up, tapped him on the head and said, "Ding-dong." Louiz turned and his ees bulged in horror. "Two things: A: stay where you are and 2: Don't try to make a scene, otherwise there might be a little...accident."

[Subtleknifewielder]

Tom found him easily and sneaked up, tapped him on the head and said, "Ding-dong." Louiz turned and his ees bulged in horror. "Two things: A: stay where you are and 2: Don't try to make a scene, otherwise there might be a little...accident."

Louiz nodded emphatically to show he understood. His vocal cords seemd unable to function for a moment, so that was the only way he could show his compliance.

-------------------------

If there was trouble for Tom, it would be from another source. His face was known, after all, since the agent that had escaped had reported to his superiors, and a general alert had gone out to local police, as well as those in nearby towns. Included in the report was the fact that this man was armed and dangerous.

The civilian population was by and large unaware, however, as no news broadcasts were made.

[Markus Wilding]

Tom knew it would be hard to properly interrorgate him here, so he had to get Louiz back to his usual interrorgation room. "If you can take the rest of today off, I suggest you do so. Now."

---

In the back of his mind, Tom knew that the agent probably had already reported to his superiors and now he was being watched. He needed to somehow change his look...which is hard when you stand out in a crowd. Standing at a relatively high 6 foot 3, with a noticable scar on his neck it would either take brainwashing or plastic surgery to hide his identity, either of which is too appealing.

[Subtleknifewielder]

Again, Louiz nodded, and went off under Tom's watchful eye to report to his superior that a family emergency had come up, and he needed to leave. he'd take a double shift later on to make up for it, if he had to. He briefly considered trying to gove a subtle hint about the real problem, but his supervisor was not a man to pick up on subtle hints--the man was rather blunt, and simply grunted and waved him away, his way of saying "Go on, if you must" without actually speaking.

--------

There were other options to could take to at least temproarily throw off his pursuers. Wigs, sunglasses, articles of clothing that bore hoods or were bulky enough to make him seem a little overweight. All these things could be obtained relatviely inexpensively. Of course, there wasn't much he could do to disguise his height, and a scarf to cover up the scar might be a little too obvious, but these could at best provide temporary disguises.

[Markus Wilding]

Tom smirked as he saw Louiz' manager wave him away. "Good job trying to give hi ma hint. Maybe next time it'll work. Get in the car." H motioned to the rental car Tom had used to get there. He began to drive. "So, tell me, where did you go after you delivered the nukes to Alice Springs?"

---

What else could he use? A fake moustache? No, most of the ones stores sold either had a huge nose and glasses or were black. And given his blond hair, that didn't really work out. Unless he could grow a moustache in five minutes, he was basically screwed if he couldn't find a good disguise. But, if he had a really good excuse to why he was wearing an overcoat, hood and sunglasses in this weather, then maybe he stood a chance! He had it all figured out now. It would be uncomfortable, but he had to do it. He would find a large overcoat, preferably with a hood, some sunglasses and a pair of large sweatpants. He knew there was a medical condition that made people feel chilly in warm weather, so why not make it look like he had a more extreme case of it? It was perfect, it was simple...it would be hot.

[Subtleknifewielder]

Tom smirked as he saw Louiz' manager wave him away. "Good job trying to give hi ma hint. Maybe next time it'll work. Get in the car." H motioned to the rental car Tom had used to get there. He began to drive. "So, tell me, where did you go after you delivered the nukes to Alice Springs?"

---

What else could he use? A fake moustache? No, most of the ones stores sold either had a huge nose and glasses or were black. And given his blond hair, that didn't really work out. Unless he could grow a moustache in five minutes, he was basically screwed if he couldn't find a good disguise. But, if he had a really good excuse to why he was wearing an overcoat, hood and sunglasses in this weather, then maybe he stood a chance! He had it all figured out now. It would be uncomfortable, but he had to do it. He would find a large overcoat, preferably with a hood, some sunglasses and a pair of large sweatpants. He knew there was a medical condition that made people feel chilly in warm weather, so why not make it look like he had a more extreme case of it? It was perfect, it was simple...it would be hot.

Indeed, it would be stifling. The days here were usually hot, and the nights cold. Kind of understandable when the area was, if not a desert, the next closest thing--outback. He might get a few strange looks, but that would be all. Citizens were used to all kinds of strange people, being as culturally diverse as they were.

This would be no comfort to poor Louiz. He hadn't even tried to tell his manager the real problem. But his captor probably wouldn't believe it even if he told the truth on that subject. He stammered out his answer, actually managing to restrict the stuttering to only happening three times.

"A-after I go through Alice Springs, I told you I went south, past Mintabie. Of course I usually stop th-there, even though it's ony a small mining community, but sometimes I just go straight through t-to the southern coast at Port Augusta."

[Markus Wilding]

Now he was getting somewhere. He now had a new location to visit: Port Augusta. He also needed to visit Mintabie. Right now he needed to make sure Louiz never told his boss what happened or what the "family emergency" really was. Tom really wished he didn't have to do this, but Louiz knew too much and he had his face. He could go to the police any time and tell them he thought he was a spy. He couldn't let him do that. He needed to die and preferably now. He just needed to find a spot where he could set his corpse on fire. Best way to hide his identitiy.

"Louiz. I hate to do this, but you know too much now." He takes out his knife, then says, "See you in hell, Louiz." By this time they had gotten away far enough from civilization. Tom orders Louiz out and then begins to get out himself.

[Subtleknifewielder]

"N-no, p-please. I w-won't tell! I w-won't t-tell!" he said, scrambling out of the vehicle. He began running away, tripping over a scraggly bush for a moment, but ignored the scratches and scrapes, managing to stay upright. He glanced back when he was about twenty yards from the vehicle--and saw a dust cloud heading their way, actually from off the road heading toward it.

It was too far for either Louiz or Tom to tell by any of their senses, but it was a military convoy, a routine patrol of the regions between cities.

[Markus Wilding]

"Blast." Tom quickly put the knife away and started walking after Louiz. It would be obvious to anyone that something was going on by Louiz's actions. "I know you won't tell because you'll be DEAD! Get over here!" Obviously Louiz didn't respond. Tom quickened his pace towards him. He needed an inconspicuos way to shut him up.

[Subtleknifewielder]

If Tom had been thinking a little more clearly, he would have realized one small thing. Telling somone you're going to kill them before telling them to come was not exactly conducive to getting their compliance. Louiz shook his head violently, turning around and continuing to run--only to trip over a rock and go sprawling. Five feet in front of him, he saw something that made his mouth go dry...a Tiger Snake. He would have run right over it if he hadn't tripped and fallen. As it was, he could tell he had startled it.

It wasn't quite ready to strike, but it was giving him a warning that if he didn't scram...he backed up and took off like a jackrabbit in another direction, away from both the snake and Tom.

OOC: if you're careful with the snake, there's your inconspicuous way to deal with him...

[Markus Wilding]

Tom quickly raced over to Louiz, who had started to catch his breath. He grabbed him by his shirt and started to drag him back towards the snake. But there was a problem: The military convoy was getting closer and they were sure to see him toss Louiz to the snake. Tom was getting tired of this. He needed to kill him and kill him soon. They had just reached the snake. Tom heaved Louiz at the very angry snake. He hoped the snake would bite, but if it didn't, then there was his knife. The convoy was closing in. If they suspected something, he couldn't take them on. They probably had better weapons than he did and they had numbers. "This just keeps getting better.."

[Subtleknifewielder]

Louiz barely had time to scream before he felt the bite sink into his chest. it gave him no comfort to realize he took the snake with him by crushing it to death, as he already began feeling the symptoms that came with a bite.

The convoy, despite Tom's estimates, only saw one man toss another in what appeared to be a fight. The sergeant in charge of the convoy stopped, but waved the rest of the vehicles on.

"What's going on here?" Despite the sergeant's questioning tone, she held no weapon in her hands, and simply had her arms folded across her chest. Her face held a neutral look.

Unseen behind the darkened windows of the truck, however, each of the troopers had weapons ready to fire at a moment's notice.

[Markus Wilding]

Crap. He needed a damn good excuse, and fast. "Well, he's afraid of snakes, and the snakes at local zoos don't help, so I thought that maybe putting him near a snake will help resolve his fears...sadly I accidnetally killed him. I didn't realize that the snakes around here were so dangerous." He hoped that the sergenat would buy it and that she would just go away and leave him.

[Subtleknifewielder]

Louiz was beyond beying able to contradict him, as these snake bites worked fast. The man wasn't quite dead yet, but in another minute, he would be, and not even the anti-toxin could save him now. The sergeant knew this, however much she wished she could help.

"You should have done your research. Around here you have good reason to fear snakes. On this continent, more are poisonous than not." She jutted her jaw out, thinking, trying to figure out if what she saw was all there was to it. Finally she sighed. "Are you willing to make an official statement on this?"

[Markus Wilding]

Tom sighed. He hoped it sounded like that of someone who just lost his friend. "I-I guess...Not much left to do for him is there? Damn, maybe I should have gotten one of those little garden snakes or something..."

[Subtleknifewielder]

His act was successful. The Sergeant saw nothing but a man who'd made a stupid mistake and lost a friend because of it.

"Tell you what," the sergeant said. "I'm not supposed to do this, but you just lost a friend. Here," she said, reaching into the pocket of her uniform and withdrawing a 50 pound note. "See that he gets a decent burial, all right?" She handed him the money, got back in the truck, and told the driver to get going. Soon they were just another dust cloud, racing to catch up with the rest of the convoy.

[Markus Wilding]

Well, Louiz was dead. The convoy was gone and all that could be heard was the sound of the wind as it rolled across the landscape. Tom didn't need to use his knife, the snake killed him for Tom. He rolled Louiz's body over and looked at the crushed rattlesnake. "Thanks. You saved me a lot of bullets." He got up, pocketed the 50, then looked back at Louiz. He could just leave him there, but at the same time the sergeant's words rang true in his head. "Good God, how did I get this job?" He picked Louiz's body up and takes him to the car, where he drives back to town then to a local funeral home, where he drops the body off. He then drives t ohis house and tells his familiy that he found him dead by the road, from a fatal snake bite. Nothing more he can do now, he needed to get to Minitabe.

[Subtleknifewielder]

The family was devastated, as could be expected, but they said nothing other than to express their gratitude for the information.

Now, on the road to Mintabie, he would still need to disguise himself. And he would be facing another problem if he tried to set out immediately--the 10 PM curfew. Violating that would be a sure-fire way to attract attention.

[Subtleknifewielder]

***Highly secret***

He blinked awake slowly, and shook his head to clear it. He tried stretching his sore muscles only to find he was firmly tied up. The next thing that registered was the dim lighting that barely illuminated the steady drip, drip, of the water from the ceiling.

But he barely had time to take this in before the door opened, letting in what seemed like blinding light to his pupils, which had by now adapted to the little light available.

"Ah, you're awake," the unclear figure said. "That is good." The voice was male, but that was all he could tell about the person. The light obscured all the other details, and even if he had been able to see properly, he would have seen that their face was masked.

Walking slowly and with purpose, the figure ended up directly in front of him. "Tell me...who is Subtleknifewielder?"

He only stared at his captor in disbelief, which earned him a sharp blow to the jaw. not enough to knock him out, but enough to give him a clear message of what would happen if he refused to co-operate.

"Again, I ask...who is the man behind the mask?"

Anderson set his jaw in a stubborn mask, refusing to open his mouth.

"Very well. I see we're going to have to get rough..."