Setting Things Right...Part 2

It was very dark when I stepped out into the cold of the night. Clouds were very thick from yet another winter storm rolling through, but the snow had not yet started.

I allowed my lenses to adjust to the reduced light as I slipped from the sidewalk into the shadows of the driveway, moving between vehicles. I flicked my right wrist in order to let my collapsible baton drop into my palm. Another quick flick of the wrist and the baton extended with a satisfying ‘snick’.

Moving quickly over the salted pavement, I scanned the street for anyone walking. I could just make out the shape of the van on the far side of the street, to my left. I crossed the street quickly and made my way to the row of tall evergreens that lined that side of the street. I was able to use the cover of those trees to make my way to the corner where the van was sitting facing the co-op house and the SUV was sitting just around the bend, out of casual sight. The large tree that obscured vision of the SUV from the co-op was the perfect cover for me to observe both vehicles unnoticed.

No one could be seen inside the van, but then again it could easily hold several men in the back, out of sight because of the lack of windows. The SUV, however, was a different matter. Even through the tinted windows, I could make out 5 figures. Shortly after I began observing them, the doors openned and men started getting out. These guys were either government agents or mercenary goons for hire. They were wearing the black garb and harnesses of an assault team alright, loaded to bear with weapons. They began to gather near the back of the white van, their nightvision equipment on their heads, but not snapped down into place. They were getting ready for a briefing of some sort.

I shifted to get a better view of the gathering, carefull not to step on any twigs. I was at the advantage right now, didn’t need to spoil it until I found out who these guys were and what they were doing here. The back door of the van cracked open, one of the men inside leaned out to say something to the gathered assault team. I listened...

Van man: “Alright, you know the assignment, you have your briefing photos. We need the Indian alive if possible, take Clarksson dead or alive, the boss doesn’t care which, and if you value your lives at all, keep your stun guns handy. They are the only way to stop this Bones character from making meat of you.”

Team member: “Why the stunners for Bones? My magnum should be able to drop his ass.”

Van man: “Look dipshit, didn’t you read your briefing material? Bones isn’t a normal man, he’s some freak government experiment gone wrong, the bosses say he’s gone psycho and that’s why they hired us to capture him. The stunners will disrupt his motor functions, but won’t kill him. Once you got the place secured and Bones stunned, let us know and we’ll arrange transport of the captives and Bones.”

Team member: “What happens if the cops show up? This is a pretty quiet neighborhood.”

Van man: “Don’t worry about it, the bosses have taken care of that shit, you just do your job, and everyone else will take care theirs.”

That was enough for me, these guys weren’t feds, if they’d been ‘hired’ and they weren’t the locals, but they did seem to think they had local support for their activity. Very disturbing shit.

The van man was giving some other last minute instructions, still attracting all of their attention as they listened to him, ruining their own natural night sight by looking into the lighted interior of the van. I stepped out of the cover of the tree by the SUV and walked out quietly, but quickly until I came up behind the gathered assault team.

The van man’s eyes grew wide in fear as he noticed me, just as I dropped the nearest goon with a solid thwack across the back of his neck, dropping him like a stone.

Van man was able to manage a quick, “Son of a bitch...” as I dropped the next asshole with a quick flick of my wrist as he turned to face me, causing his nose to shatter and erupt into a fountain of blood and curses.

In such close quarters, and as unprepared as they were for action, they were unable to bring to bear their automatic weapons. The poor bastards never had much of a chance anyway, as a few quick flashes of my baton quickly shattered hands, kneecaps and noses. The last stalwart of the assault team was still fumbling with a holster to try to draw some unwieldy thing that might have been a ‘stunner’ when I shattered his forearm with the baton and kicked him hard enough in the ‘nads to give his children headaches. He crumpled to the ground whimpering in pain.

The van man sat there openmouthed as I finished off his assault team. He took too long to gather his wits though, just as he was trying to close the door, muttering, I grabbed the door and yanked it all the way open, spilling onto the whimpering body of one of his goons. A quick crack to the back of his head, careful not to crack the skull, and he was out as I stepped inside to deal with the other two.

These two were wearing the blue jumpsuits I had seen earlier and were scrambling to take off headphones and find weapons of some sort. I grabbed the first one, the skinny one, by the scruff of his neck with my left hand and smashed his face into the console he was trying to back away from. I lunged with my baton tip to hit the fat guy in the solar plexus as he was turning to face me, stun gun in hand. Without thinking, I snatched the skinny guy back just in time to take the barbs of the electrified stun, letting go of his body as it started twitching and jerking in response to the charge of the gun. A second, short swing of the baton smashed the gun and his fingers as I stepped over his still twitching buddy to grab him by the front of his jumpsuit. I lifted him easily with one hand, smashing back against the cabin wall. He was still squirming, crying in pain,

“Wait...don’t hurt me anymore!”

I brought my ugly mug closer to his wide eyes, “Why should I let you live asshole? You were going to disable me and kill or capture my friends. Give me one reason I shouldn’t fuck you up real bad!”

“Please, Mr Bones...I have a family...” he muttered.

“Who hired you?”

“I...don’t know, please...just let me go!”

“If you don’t give me something quick, I’ll move on to someone else.” I said, my voice very quiet and calm.

“It was some guy named Kampmann...said he was with the FBI.”

“Why would the FBI need to hire the likes of you?”

“I really don’t know Mister...he just contacted us earlier today, said it was a special rush job. He offered us...damn my fingers are broken...he offered us a big bonus to do it quick-like.”

“What kind of outfit are you guys?”

“Please man, just put me down ok? We’re bounty hunters, but this ain’t worth no damn bonuses!”

I grabbed a pair of handcuffs from the console he had been sitting at and handcuffed his good hand to a sturdy bar set in the ceiling, a solid punch to the face was enough to knock him out, he slumped down, hanging from the ceiling rail by one hand. I hopped out of the van and started piling the semi-conscious, wounded bounty hunters into the back of the van. All of them save the one guy in a white shirt that I had pulled from the van were too wounded to be of any danger, but I still pulled all of their stun guns from their holsters and grabbed their automatic weapons. He was still out cold, so I took the time to disable the weapons. I broke the trigger mechanism on the stunners and bent the barrels of the assault weapons before putting them in the van with the wounded men.

The guy in the white shirt was just coming awake when I had finished that. He still had a cordless headphone on his ears. I was just about to start interrogating him when I heard the faint crackle of a voice come out of his earpiece. “Team 1 in place. Assault to begin as planned. Out.”

As quickly as his eyes snapped open with the voice in his ears, they closed again as I broke his nose, putting him back to sleep. I threw him in on top of the heap of wounded men, ignoring the groans of pain emanating from the pile, and slammed the door shut.

I had to get back to the house!