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section7mfu2014-08-26 01:45 pm
Picfic Tuesday 2nd Anniversary Challenge : Sand, Sea and Spores
Napoleon slowly lowered his field glasses.
"Well, Illya? What do you think?"
Continuing to look through his binoculars which were higher powered than Napoleon's, Illya replied.
"They definitely have a commanding view of the area. If they have stationed their guards with even partial intelligence, getting past them unobserved will be difficult if not impossible."
A soft sigh came as the senior agent rubbed his forehead.
"That was my thought as well. Impossible or not, we have to get in there. If they have the spores there that we suspect they do and they release them into the wind currents here?"
The binoculars lowered and Illya looked over to his partner.
"If they choose the right weather conditions, the contamination could spread for miles. We cannot permit that."
"No argument there, partner mine. The question is, how do we stop them?"
Illya moved his gaze from the rise to the beach and then gave a faint smile.
"While the people coming to enjoy the beach give their chosen location camouflage, could we not use the appearance of sun-worshippers to hide ourselves as well?"
"That might just be crazy enough to work. Keep an eye on things. I'm going to contact Headquarters. Mark and April can bring what we need and help us out."
Raising his binoculars again, Illya took a good look at the waters of the area. He and April were both strong swimmers. If they divided into two teams . . . an idea came to him and he caught Napoleon's attention.
"Tell them to bring camera gear - the kind you see tourists lugging around everywhere."
Within two hours, the plans had been agreed on and put into action. The four agents emerged onto the beach in suitable attire for a day of sun and surf, setting up a large umbrella, blanket and picnic basket. Mark started wandering around with the camera, taking pictures of everything - birds, clouds, waves and anything else that caught his eye. Napoleon joined Mark's strolling, starting to point out things of interest to take shots of.
In the meantime, Illya and April would have looked like they were helping each other apply lotion, but in reality, what they were applying was a light coating of what some called 'Channel grease', a mixture of lanolin and petroleum jelly to help protect their skin in case they had to remain in the water for an extended period of time. As soon as they were prepared, they headed to the water, running and laughing like two lovers as they splashed into the water. They put on a show of playing in the water for several minutes before going quiet and starting a stealthy swim toward the reef area that jutted put into the water.
Inside the THRUSH installation, Eduardo Silva was frowning. One of the guards had pointed out the photographer and his friend as it became apparent that the two men intended to climb to the top of the outcropping to take pictures. This was, by necessity, a very small THRUSH station - ten men including himself, five guards and four scientists.
The optimal weather conditions for releasing the spores should occur within the next six to seven days by the forecast. If they approached the photographers, they might draw unwanted attention. Then again, if they allowed the men open access, there was always the possibility that one of them might see something. He decided that more control was always preferable and sent up three of the guards to take care of them.
Down below in the water, Illya's wristwatch vibrated for a moment, the signal from Napoleon that he and Mark were being confronted. Silently motioning to April, the two of them made their own approach while the installation's attention was divided. There were signs at the small cove that the installation's personnel made use of this area themselves and so the two agents made their way up the faint path to a camouflaged door. The lock wasn't a hard one and Illya was easing it open moments later. It was well-maintained and didn't make any noise.
With the advantage of surprise and only two guards remaining inside the installation, Illya and April quickly had the area under control. Once they had the scientists confined well away from the lab area containing the deadly spores, Illya began the process of destroying them through a careful multi-step process. After April sent the signal to Napoleon and Mark that the installation had fallen, she started to watch Illya work.
"Couldn't we just blow up the lab and be done with it?"
"Unfortunately, these spores are heat-resistant. Should we blow up this lab, we would be doing THRUSH's job for them - throwing the spores high into the atmosphere, spreading them far and wide. No, this requires a more precise touch."
"I can't imagine you leaving the laboratory whole."
"Oh, I will destroy the lab, but not until after I have made sure the spores are all dead first. But no explosions this time. I would not want to ruin the scenery here."
The beaches were empty in the grey light of pre-morning when the UNCLE cleanup crew arrived to take custody of the THRUSH personnel and clear out any remaining traces of the outpost. The four agents didn't remain for that work. They were already on their way to the airport and their next mission.
"Good thing the THRUSH facility there had showers. I'd hate to think of a long flight with sand in some of the places it had worked itself into."
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