Missions of the Retrieval Team - A Kilt By Any Other Name

[davedove]

Hmmmm.....if I've been shot in the last two stories and things are different in this world, I might just have a chance here.

Oh, I have plans for you.

Just noticed Dave's signature line. If I lose something valuable I know who to call and other ways to contact him.

I was wondering when someone would say something.

[davedove]

Commercial Break

Inside an apartment

We see a tall bearded man, who is wearing a kilt and a nice dress shirt, standing in the middle of the room.

He points a remote control towards a stereo. “Music,” he says as he presses a button. Soft, romantic music begins to play.

He turns and points the remote again. “Fireplace,” he says and presses again. A fire springs up in the fireplace.

Turning again, he presses another button. “Temperature.” We see a see the movement of a plant as the air starts to flow.

“Lights,” he says, as he presses a button and the lights dim.

“Champagne,” he says and points the remote. A small door opens and we see a bottle of chilled champagne sitting in a bucket.

The man turns towards the audience and holds up the remote. “Do you know what this is?” he asks. “This is the Freelander 2000 Universal Remote. With this I can control everything in my house with a simple touch of a button.”

He walks over to the champagne, picks up the bottle, and removes the cork.

“The Freelander 2000 comes in real handy. I don’t have to keep a bunch of different remotes around to get mixed up. And I can control everything no matter where I am in my home.”

“By having everything at my fingertips, I save so much time that I have plenty of time to read, listen to music …”

He picks up two tulip glasses and pours the champagne into them. Just then the doorbell rings.

“Or to entertain a special guest,” he says smiling.

He carries the glasses with him as he goes to answer the door. He opens the door and we see two beautiful women wearing form-fitting dresses standing there. They smile widely when they see him. He hands each of them a glass and turns back to the audience.

“Or guests,” he says and winks.

[KiltedSkeleton]

I'll take one of those. Does the remote come with her?

[davedove]

Scene 31

Secret Headquarters of the KLF

As the meeting broke up, I walked over to the man that David had identified for my team. “Michael, right?” I asked, extending my hand.

“Right,” he answered, shaking my hand. I examined his tattoos. Each of his arms was covered with tattoos. I also saw tattoos peeking out from the edges of his shirt. They all seemed to be of bees over a honeycomb.

“Impressive,” I said.

“Thanks,” he replied. “They’re symbolic.”

“Of what?”

“I was imprisoned because I couldn’t keep up with the fashion changes and the KLF rescued me. I swore my allegiance to them. I also decided that I would never fit into Ivana’s perfect image and that I would cover myself in tattoos to make sure of it. There’s no way that Ivana would ever let this many tattoos become part of her image; it’s too permanent.”

“But how is that symbolic?”

He pointed to the bees on one arm. “Each bee represents a person, one that I helped free from Ivana’s fashion tyranny. I chose bees to represent how we freed them from the hive mind of fashion obedience.”

I looked at his arms. “There are so many.”

“Too many,” he said. “For every one we have rescued, there are thousands more.”

“But you’re doing everything you can,” I protested.

“Maybe, but it just doesn’t feel like it’s enough. For every person we liberate, we lose two from our forces, and every month more and more people are imprisoned. We may win battles, like when you were rescued, but I fear we’re losing the war.”

“You’re not thinking of giving up?”

“No, I will keep fighting to the end, but I’m afraid it won’t be the end we’re fighting for.”

I looked around the room. Every face I saw was not the face of a soldier certain of victory. Every person I saw looked weary, exhausted from their efforts. Each looked like the last soldier of a lost cause; someone who knew he couldn’t win but was determined to fight to the end.

I had to find some way to give these people hope.

[Freedomlover]

Lose something valuable to you and don't know who can help?

Call the Retrieval Team at 1-***-GETRBAK and we'll get it back for you.

Of all the things I have ever lost I miss my mind the most. Can the Retrieval Team help?

[SexyButler]

I am out of the shower now, right?

[Birddog]

I am out of the shower now, right?

If your not, your gonna shrivel like a prune!

[michaelbeeman]

Oh my. Looks like I may get another bee before the story is finished.....

[davedove]

Scene 32

Secret Headquarters of the KLF

The teams all examined the different routes that the inside source had provided.

“The trick,” I explained, “Is to find where on the route is the most remote and least likely to have policemen posted nearby. We want to have the least resistance possible for our escape attempt.”

“For Route A,” Ms. Raven stated, “the bus and its escorts will pass through this valley here.” She pointed to the map. “If you’ll notice this small strip here, there are no side roads. The nearest intersections, where the police assistance is likely to be located, are at least twenty miles away. Even if the escorts get off a radio call, it will still take time for assistance to arrive.”

“But we will still need to get away,” I said. “A lack of side roads means fewer escape routes.”

“True,” she said. “That’s just a good location. There aren’t any perfect ones.”

“Fair enough, what about the other routes?”

“For Route B,” Mike responded, pointing to the map, “We will have to hit the bus somewhere in this area. Anywhere else is too heavily populated.”

“Okay, how about Route C?” I asked.

“Route C passes through this area,” answered Greg, circling an area with his finger. “There are several small towns in the area, but none with a population of over three hundred, so it’s not heavily settled. Plus, there are a number of small, country roads that run through it, so we have lots of options for escape.”

“Great, now where do we set our staging area?” I asked.

Julie looked at the map and pointed. “Here,” she said. “It is about equally distant to all the assault areas with reasonable roads. If we wait there, we can react to the instructions from Ms. Raven the quickest.”

“Good,” I said. “We have our assault areas. Ms. Raven, your team will stake out the prison with the directional unit. As soon as you determine which bus he is on, watch that bus until you can determine its route and let us know. The routes separate within a mile of the prison, so you should have that information quickly. Follow the bus and its escorts at a reasonable distance and be ready to serve as backup.” I looked around at the assembled group. “Any questions?”

No one spoke up.

“Good,” I said. “Everyone get your gear together and try to get a little rest. We leave as soon as it gets dark.”

[davedove]

Scene 33

Secret Headquarters of the KLF

I found Ms. Hawk and Ms. Raven in the KLF’s armory.

“They’re terribly short of arms and ammunition,” Ms. Hawk told me.

I nodded. “I’m afraid they may be fighting a losing battle,” I answered. “They probably have to steal most of their equipment. Since they are all wanted by the law, they can’t very well walk into the local discount store and pick up what they need.”

“What do you think they’re doing to David?” asked Ms. Raven.

“I don’t know, but it won’t be pleasant for him,” I told her. “The local sheriff only slapped me around a little, but he didn’t seem to have any inhibitions about doing that. I can only imagine what sorts of things this world’s FBI can do to someone who’s locked up in a high security prison.”

“I know of a lot of harsher methods they could use,” said Ms. Hawk. “David may resist for a little while, but he will soon tell them anything they want to hear.”

“Which is why we’ve got to get him now,” I said. “This will be our best chance to rescue him so we can get him home. So what kind of choices do we have here?” I asked.

“They have a large number of handguns, but they use a variety of calibers, what you would expect when they don’t have a regular source,” Ms. Hawk answered. “Additionally, several submachine guns and a few assault rifles. They do have enough ammo on hand for each of us to carry a full load.”

“Okay, grab what you want,” I told them. “Then go get some rest. It’s going to be a long night. I’ve got a couple of things to do, and then I’m going to do the same. I’ll see you this evening.”