Story-A-Day #298: Recon

RECON

Normally this was something he would do under the cloak of darkness. It was like an unwritten rule: if you're going to do recon, don't be seen. It made sense, but it was also illogical. Why do recon at a time where the things you need to see could end up as obscured by blackness as you yourself are?

That was why he had made this choice, why he was idly wandering this lot in the full light of day. He would return at night, from a distance, to seek out the telltale red glow of security cameras, but this casual, innocent walk-by was already a much needed success in the planning process.

He had started on a bench across the road where he spent an hour mapping out the rotation of the guards. They appeared like clockwork, an excellent sign. That level of efficiency usually led to apathy and carelessness. These guards would be more focussed on maintaining their routines and being in the right places at the right time; a good start to be sure.

Still, they moved like lions and were packing some serious heat. The crew would have to be ready for that, and ready for some potentially action hungry resistance.

The best discovery was the access point. At night he would have missed the small grate, nut by day, it was right there in the open.

Hr paused to light a cigarette under the shadow of the distant brick chimney. It almost looked like a moat along the front of the facility, an impenetrable gap. From where he stood though, where the end of the moat was marked with a simple fence, it was a way in.

Cigarette lit, he set off to report his findings to the crew. They would make their move in two night's time, in through the grate. When they exited with the item, they should be able to do so with minimal casualties.

Fortunately their earlier intel already mentioned that the prize was being stored on the lowest floors of this facility. They would know exactly where later this afternoon.

In through the grate under a shroud of darkness. It almost seemed too easy. An entry by darkness was always the best option, however, recon could go either way. His afternoon had just proved it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone. Please excuse auto corrected errors!

Story-A-Day #71: Mission Complete

MISSION COMPLETE

They walked along the cobbled path with purpose. They were men on a mission, six friends who had just pulled off the biggest job of their lives.

It was a muggy day, and at least half of them were still feeling the effects of too much scotch and over-sized cohibas from the night before, but they were focused. It had been a solid celebration, and duly earned.

Still buzzing from their success, they had started the day off at the beach with a bit of fun in the sun. They floated in the warm salty ocean for a bit, tossed a football back and forth, then finally retreated to the hot white beach where they lounged on the plastic recliners. They had earned the break.

When the sun reached its zenith, they retreated to the pool area for a few cervezas under the shade of the large grass umbrellas. After a quick lunch of cold cuts and fresh fruit in the main restaurant, they jumped in the pool and made their way over to the swim up bar. They spent the next couple hours chatting with a group of girls from Sweden. There were six of them as well, all blondes and all beautiful, tall and lean. Their pale Nordic flesh glowed hot pink in the afternoon sun.

Things could not have worked out any better for the guys. In fact, they seemed to be getting better with every passing moment. Around dinnertime, they made plans to meet up with the girls in the disco later that might and excused themselves. Back in their rooms, they showered, applied some aloe, and slipped into their evening attire.

As darkness settled over the resort, they made their way through the courtyard to the front gate of the resort. A large van sat idling out near the busy street and they all climbed in. The driver nodded and pulled out into the speeding traffic. Half an hour later, in an unfamiliar part of town, the van pulled over and the driver indicated an open door nearby. A soft yellow light spilled out into the street.

The six men climbed out of the van and walked towards the opening. This would either go very smoothly, or very wrong. They hoped it would be the former. They were greeted by a stocky man in a white cotton suit as the stepped into the doorway. A large automatic weapon was slung casually over his shoulder.

He motioned to a nearby table where a smaller, weasel of a man was sitting. One of the men stepped forward and placed a briefcase on the table and slid it across to the man. He picked up the case and examined the contents. A clock on the wall ticked loudly through the room, counting off the interminable seconds. Finally, an unnatural looking smile spread across the man’s face.

“You done good boys,” he mumbled. “Is too bad because I was kind of looking forward to killing you. You should probably be leaving our country soon. If I happened to find out you were still around, say in two days, I might not be so pleased.”

They nodded solemnly and quickly exited to the waiting van. The driver nodded at them and pulled away from the curb. A moment later, a loud explosion rocked the night. They turned and peered out the rear window of the van. A large fireball was slowly fading into the night sky above the charred husk of the building they had just left.

It would be another great night. There were six beautiful women waiting for them at the resort and they had officially completed their mission.

“Well done,” the driver finally offered. “The boss will be pleased.”