{Look toward the tower,} Enoch said. Cain lifted his head and looked toward the Eiffel tower. He noticed an explosion as something hit the observation deck at the top of the tower.
{Yes. Your magic took that SUV and sent it flying away from you. If the SUV had not hit the top of the tower, it would still be in the air. Possibly coming down in or near the Grande Arche, some four miles distance,} Enoch said.
:Well shit, but fantastic,: said Cain. They all turned to look at Cain as he turned back from looking at the tower, and shrugged his shoulders.
"John should be here in three minutes. We need to be twenty yards beyond the monument," Toni shouted, urging everyone to move. They passed the site of the monument being rebuilt after fighting destroyed most of the glass walls in the year two thousand and thirty-one.
"I can hear the blades of a chopper," shouted one of Marcy's men. Cain knew that was not a good sign as their helicopter used whisper blades and was nearly silent in flight.
Chapter 23
Bethany Recovered
The sound of the helicopter's blades, the chuff, chuff, chuff, got louder as it approached its sound bouncing from the buildings and across the open space. Marcy was the first to spot the helicopter flying without lights, slightly above the buildings in the distance.
She noticed the reflection from the flames burning on top of the Eiffel tower on its windscreen. As she pointed, Enoch said to Cain, {Their bird is flying around forty metres high coming from the direction of Napoleon's tomb, between your one and two o'clock. The co-pilot keeps calling the other helicopter telling them where we are, that they need to haul arse and get here.}
[Your lift is over two minutes out, John had to fly it around the city's air defence grid. Somebody has activated the system, making his approach slower. Even with the active shielding on the helicopter, John is taking no chances. Enoch and I are trying to access their server,] Rahab told Toni. With the information Rahab gave her, Toni informed their party.
Looking to where Marcy still pointed, Toni could see the reflection Marcy had noticed, the burning top of the Eiffel Tower reflected off the helicopter's windscreen. The large helicopter was getting closer every second. Four bright flashes lit the night sky as the helicopter fired four of its missiles. Each one exploded as they ran into a force field of air, one hundred metres in front of the helicopter.
Toni thought a whirlwind could hamper the helicopter getting close. She held her left hand out, palm up and envisioned a rapidly spinning cone of wind. Toni threw the fist sized spinning cone into the air, once flying free she fed more of her mana into the spell form. As she fed her mana into the spell, her hand-sized cone grew until it was the size of a large double-decker bus, standing on its nose.
[Your helicopter ride has flown past the Eiffel tower, nearly one minute out,] with her mind on the spell, Toni did not reply to Rahab's message. The cone of wind continued to grow as it and the helicopter neared.
Toni felt blood run down over her top lip as she suffered a nosebleed, she began to shake as she pushed as much of her mana into the spell as she could manage. The pilot of the attacking helicopter suddenly realised things were wrong, as he tried to fight the wind and the rotors lost their lift.
The pilot was unable to control the helicopter as it felt like someone snatched control out of his hands and the NH90 spun out-of-control. The wind tipped the helicopter vertical on it's nose as it spun faster and faster inside the cyclone. The howling wind buffeted the helicopter, it bounced between the wall of the cyclone, forcing the helicopter down toward the ground.
As it was flung out of the cyclone the helicopter crashed nose first on Avenue de Tourville, it erupted into a ball of flames and flying parts as it's weapons load exploded on impact, killing the two man crew and six passengers. The only part recognisable after the explosion was the main rotor hub. The explosion separated the hub and it cartwheeled down the avenue decapitating the monument to Marshal Gallieni before it was embedded in the garden wall of Musée Rodin.
The explosion of the NH90 briefly lit the night sky as Cain's special operations AW101 arrived, bring with it a cloud of dust. It's downdraught forced Cain and the others to look away, else their skin would have looked like someone had sandblasted them.
The AW101 rear ramp was already open as the wheels touched the ground. The dust cloud flew across the road an past the onlookers from the military barracks. As the dust passed Cain and his people they dashed toward the loading bay; Enoch controlled the floating POD, and pushed it ahead of the people. Fifteen seconds later, the helicopter lifted from the ground, the ramp closed as people found empty seats. The ongoing explosions from the two crashed and destroyed NH90's covered the noise of their exit, John flew low and they passed to the right of the Eiffel tower.
The SUV which was still burning on top of the tower picked that moment to explode, shooting parts of Gustave Eiffel's masterpiece, crashing into the Seine, missing their helicopter. John comfortably watched all on his pilots rig back in the safe house, he turned his right hand and the helicopter turned to the left as they cleared the tower, flying low over the Seine.
Toni looked out of the side windows and did a double take as they passed a small Statue of Liberty, while travelling at one hundred and fifty mph. She pointed and Cain said, "Yes, the USA gave it to Paris in eighteen eighty-nine; I think as a friendship gift." John's voice came over everyone's headphones.
"We will follow the Seine until we reach Sartrouville, from there we will be past the active air defence grid. We will be back in London in one hour and twenty minutes, barring things outside of my control." A strident sound of warning came from the cockpit, lights flashed as the sound continued.
{[The helicopter has detected a radar lock from the air defence system. A pair of missiles have been launched toward us, but not at us,]} Enoch and Rahab said in unison.
Two missiles from the air defence system streaked across the night sky, toward their target. An explosion of light lit the inside of the AW101.
{[The missiles hit a news channel air drone, which was live streaming the burning wrecks of the two NH90s. The EC government will have to answer for destroying a non threatening drone,]} Enoch and Rahab said. Johns voice came over the party coms.
"From watching the real-time footage from your body vid-cams and the city's CCTV vid-feed system, I don't think Jason wanted to take Bethany hostage. He did not want to use her as a bargaining piece, to stop you from your task and opposing him.
"He was, or should I say, he instructed his people to go for the kill. From running the police reports on the base EI, Jason's men killed thirty-nine people outright. There are sixteen critically injured and four suffering life-changing injuries. The receptionist and two guards you subdued in the hospital are OK, the regular police found them as you left them.
"You have destroyed two helicopters, with crews totalling five people; one carried six the other twelve mercenaries and the last helicopter destroyed several cars parked on the road and beheaded Marshal Gallieni. You immobilised or destroyed six SUVs, killing twenty-six occupants. Also, don't forget the one exo-suited solider and the mercenary who tried to kill Bethany with a ligature.
"There have been no collateral casualties from your actions, buildings though are a different matter. You destroyed part of Gustave's tower, broke the monument to Gallieni and ruined the hospital's education vehicle.
"On the plus side, Marcy and her team are now firmly in your employment. They will be your active response force when you return to Forsaken. The benefits of using the special Nanogel and the growth of your individual talents is frankly astounding.
"You have each used your in-game magic, out in the real world and you all appear to be bulletproof, though we will need more testing to see how much your body can stop. We will carry out further testing when you have the time outside of Forsaken, or when you find time to return once you have completed the game."
John's voice ended, people sat either looking at the POD, while Toni, Da
phne and Cain sat holding hands. Marcy and her men looked at the Forsaken gamers. :I knew Cain was hard and deadly before but his women are equally so and they haven't had our training. I bet one of my team will call them the Forsaken team, once they POD up and play the game. My men have heard of Cain and some of his exploits had people speak of him in awe. If those same people could see him now, they would worship him as a god-like figure, along with his two Valkyrie women.: Marcy looked out of the window as her thoughts stilled.
Everyone relaxed as they flew above the Seine, relaxed but ready to take action should they come under fire. Cain was counting down while he looked at his HUD map until they passed the outer range of Paris' air defence grid. Cain sat between Toni and Daphne; he held their hands as they rested their heads on his shoulders.
They continued talking as the helicopter passed the coast of France, then entered the UK air space.
John kept the helicopter as low as possible, avoiding built-up areas as he flew low following the A21 toward London. Wanting to avoid the larger built-up areas a direct flight would take; John swung the AW101 around to the bottom right of London, carefully following the old M25.
They approached the Thames at Dartford, where John turned left and followed the river for six miles before he made a right turn up Ingrebourne River. It was ten past four in the morning as they landed at destination, ramp down and they manhandled Bethany's POD and their equipment out in under a minute. With their helicopter's ramp closed as it took to the air and disappeared into the pre light of dawn.
Cain decided to take Marcy and all her team to the safe house. He realised it would give them a working template, a template on what to create for themselves. Loading the POD into a large box type vehicle, stored at the site, Cain drove them toward the Rotherhithe tunnel and the safe house.
Marcy and her team were in the vehicle's rear they could not tell where they were, while Toni and Daphne rode shotgun in the front with Cain. They relaxed as Cain drove through London, Bethany was safe, she would soon be in her new POD. Twenty-six minutes later, Cain stopped the vehicle near the lifts in the underground garage.
Toni let Marcy and her team of men out the rear of the vehicle, they exited and looked around. To their eyes they were in a large underground parking structure, to which one of Marcy’s men commented, "Nice safe house, a concrete parking structure." His comment earned him a shoulder thump from Marcy. "Are you trying to say our new employer is a skin flint!" her men released as they laughed at Marcy's joke. Daphne led the men over to the small door in the side wall. Opening the door, she showed them the handgun shooting range, while Cain took Marcy through the lift access protocol.
They unloaded Bethany in her POD and headed to the lift. Once upstairs, Cain pushed Bethany through the main room and on to where he would carry out the operation, installing the new NL+A. Returning a few minutes later he noticed Marcy and her men were still standing and gawking.
"Again, all of you quit acting like a bowl of goldfish. You would think you've never seen a special operations control centre," Cain said. Marcy and her team still stood taking everything in after being shown the control centre.
Daphne, Toni and Cain tenderly removed Bethany from her POD, Toni and Daphne gave her a blanket wash. Cain swapped out the old NL for the NL+A, with John's help. They placed her body in her new temporary home—the enhanced POD.
They closed the lid and watched as the Nanogel rapidly filled and covered the naked form of Bethany. With the POD full of Nanogel and Bethany connected to Forsaken, they headed back into the relaxation area. They spent the next hour planning what Marcy and her team could do. Cain set up a bank account for her and her team. Seeding it with two billion credits.
Marcy looked at the online account Cain created for her to use, and realised she was a billionaire. Well because of Cain's largess, she was rolling in Cain's money. It was there that Marcy realised Cain was the leader she would follow for the rest of her life, working at protecting and saving those less fortunate.
She knew where the other players were, now was the time to make plans in case Jason, her old person of interest, found where they lived or had their PODs. After the effort he expended in trying to kill Bethany, she would expect him to do the same to Sophie and Lesley. Marcy knew she would make it her mission to stop him. Permanently.
Ogre Troubles
Cain knew they could make plenty of plans, but until Jason made a move on Lesley or Sophie there was little he could do. The harsh reality was the game did not provide many opportunities to slip away back to real time and life.
Toni watched Cain, as he went over the plans they made, she had a good idea on what he was thinking and wished she could help. Like Cain, she knew leaving the game was difficult, especially in the 337 BC zone.
:Once we are off the island perhaps, we can find the time to come back and retrieve Sophie or Lesley, before Jason finds them. We need to be more vigilant in game, to stop either of their deaths,: Toni thought.
"So, Marcy, if we are correct in our planning and assumptions. We need to retrieve Sophie and Lesley, before Jason puts us in a similar bind like with Bethany. Now we have a dry team ready to move, we may get the chance to be proactive rather than reactive. John will provide you with all the gadgets and equipment you need. We have safe houses in several locations, you can use one as your new base.
"John told me he is working on a hybrid-body-cum EI which we can leave in the player's POD. It will mimic what the player does here in the POD room. We can leave John's new creations in place of Lesley and Sophie. If Jason finds their locations, he only finds the hybrid EI, which will self-destruct when John sends a signal. I leave you to decide what to do with them, but please take care of my wives," Cain said. Laughing at the absurdity of that last comment. :Wives, who would have thought it? I only hope Toni is OK with staying with me in real time?:
Toni, Daphne and Cain, stripped down at the side of PODs. Daphne walked to Cain for a final hug and kiss. She exchanged kisses with Toni then returned climbing into her POD, fastened the face mask to her head and attached her NI link. John closed the lid on her POD and watched the Nanogel begin to fill the insides.
Cain gave Toni a long hug and kissed her gently but passionately. He whispered saying, "I just wish we could stay out of the game, but with all those players that need saving, how could we leave. We cannot not let Jason ruin so many lives. I love you Toni, see you in a few moments." Releasing each other they climbed into their PODs, putting on the face masks before attaching their NI links, while John closed the POD lids and began the load
process.
^C^ See you both in a short while, xx - xx. ^
^T^ Likewise lovers, xx. ^
^D^ This takes some time getting used to. Love you too XX. ^
Cain felt the Nanogel cover his body, raising up his chest and reached his neck as he drifted to sleep. Shaking his head, Cain looked around as he began to get his bearings. He noticed Toni and Daphne were sitting on either side of him, likewise on the ground and propped against the side of a covered wagon. A sun sheet provided cover held on two poles, fastened securely to the top of the wagon.
Bethany came into view as she squatted in front of him, threw her arms around him and gave him a huge kiss. She repeated the hug and kiss with Daphne and Toni as they woke.
"Thank you so much. I can't tell you now how much this means to me. I will reward you tonight," she said winking at them then rushed off, shouting for Lesley and Sophie.
It took each of them five minutes before they had full control over their bodies; it was as though they had spent the night getting hammered. Once they were back in control, they stood and went to find the other wives.
The sound and sights of a building site filled all their senses. There were piles of stripped trees, all a uniform size and length. There were three saw pits, throwing sawdust into the air as they split the trees into planks, while freshly-cut planks were being stacked to dry.
There were crews of Amazons erecting building frames for new buildings, crews repairing old buildings and crews erecting a palisade. It surprised Toni how much work they had managed, how far they had come in making the fortifications. She knew it was less than four days; they had only been nine hours in the real world.
Toni would have shouted seeing Lesley in the distance, but Lesley spotted her first then ran toward her. Lesley soon crossed the distance, she literally jumped into Toni's arms and was all over her. Laughing, crying, kissing and hugging.
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