Chapter 121: The Real Black Badger
Slurp, slurp!
Kevin gulped down a large bowl of soup with gusto, sighing contentedly, "Man, this smells incredible! Got any more rattlesnake left?"
"Sorry, that's all she wrote. Rattlesnake stew is definitely one of the most delicious meals on the planet, especially for a stand-up comic like you."
Ron, channeling his inner video game rogue, had knocked out the airport security guard and then raided the maintenance shed. He'd actually found a camping stove and some basic seasonings.
After Hobbs got the plane airborne and leveled off at cruising altitude, Ron spent over two hours simmering up a pot of rattlesnake stew to fuel all three of them.
"It's all your fault, Hobbs! You ate way too much!" Kevin pointed accusingly at his old classmate. "You practically inhaled half that snake by yourself!"
"Hey, not my fault. It's been forever since I've had this. Back during our training at Parris Island, Ron used to whip this up for us. Back then we had Barney, Christmas, Yin Yang, Gunner... wonder what those crazy bastards are up to now," Hobbs said nostalgically while piloting the aircraft.
"Can't speak for the others, but Barney..." Ron's face lit up with amusement. "Just saw that old dog a while back, going by the name 'Rocky,' boxing with a bunch of young hotshots.
Damn, talk about picking on kids. You should've seen how badly he schooled those fighters. Worst part is, he was playing the old-timer card, making those poor suckers think they actually had a shot."
"Sounds like he's keeping busy in retirement."
As dusk fell, the plane finally made a successful emergency landing in a field outside Boston. Ron carjacked a random sedan and drove them to the coordinates specified for the meet:
Boston Common.
"I don't get it. If these coordinates are right, we're already here," Kevin said, looking around the empty park.
Hobbs checked his watch. "The deal doesn't go down for another thirty minutes, so we're running a bit early."
"That doesn't add up!" Kevin protested. "Why would a trade like this happen in the middle of a public park? Why take that kind of heat? It doesn't make any sense, man!"
"Congratulations, grasshopper, you've found the flaw," Ron clapped sarcastically.
Kevin's sharp thinking earned him genuine respect, as did Hobbs's lousy acting - deliberately playing dumb to guide his buddy along.
"Wait!" Kevin scanned the area, then snapped his fingers. "The deal isn't happening up here! It's going down underground. Look over there - there's a parking garage!"
Following Kevin's pointing finger, they spotted an underground parking structure. Ron shot Hobbs a look. "Well, after all that hand-holding, your little protégé finally cracked the code. Can we get this show on the road now?"
"Sharp eyes, Jet," Hobbs said with satisfaction, then started laying out the plan. "You stay topside and keep watch. We'll head down together. I'll pose as Black Badger, and Ron, you wait for your moment to strike."
"No problem, but since you left me hanging out to dry for most of today, I gotta officially inform you that my rates just went up! When we hand this package over to the Company, I want two-thirds of the take."
"Hey, that's highway robbery. This was clearly my op," Hobbs shot back indignantly.
"Your own damn fault. You know I could've just walked away or turned you back over to those federal boys." Ron's tone brooked no argument. "Isn't getting your name cleared worth that much?"
"Fine."
"Hey! Hey! Hey! You can't just ditch me!" Feeling left out, Kevin shouted in protest. "I have to come with you guys. You know what happens if you leave me here? Somebody's gonna end up dead, and that somebody's gonna be me."
"No way..."
"Then bring him along," Hobbs started to say, but Ron cut him off. He casually pulled out a Glock and handed it over. "But let me tell you something - tagging along with us isn't exactly a cakewalk. You ready to kill or be killed at a moment's notice?"
"Gulp" Kevin swallowed hard, hesitated for a beat, then finally took the pistol Ron offered.
"Attaboy." Ron gave Hobbs a thumbs-up and naturally took point.
"That plan you had was amateur hour. No need for us to show our faces. Now everything goes according to my playbook." Ron dragged two large duffel bags from the car.
"These bags contain rocket launchers I had a guy procure for me. I swapped out the standard payload for a mix of pepper spray and tear gas powder, so remember to put on those gas masks in your packs."
"Hobbs and I will each cover one garage exit. Soon as we spot anyone making the exchange, we box them in. Once we've confirmed their identities, we snap some photos for evidence, then we light them up. Any questions?"
"Yeah," Kevin said, raising his hand like he was back in school. "What exactly am I supposed to do?"
"Stick to Hobbs like glue, and try not to get your ass shot off." Ron flashed a predatory grin that made Kevin shrink back in terror.
...
Ten minutes later, a convoy rolled into the underground garage through Hobbs's entrance.
"Five vehicles total, maybe fifteen to twenty guys, parked in Section C." Kevin, crouched behind a minivan, nervously reported to Ron through his earpiece. "Should we move now?"
"Easy there, sport," Hobbs patted his back reassuringly. "Those are just the buyers. The seller hasn't shown yet. Our objective is to recover that encryption key from the seller and clear my name. You get that surveillance device planted?"
"It's in place. Damn it! I may be from the hood, but I've never even fired a gun! And now I'm supposed to waste somebody for the first time with this thing..."
Kevin kept muttering complaints, but Hobbs's comforting hand suddenly went rigid.
He'd spotted someone who should've been six feet under: Phil. His partner who'd supposedly died on that mission was standing right there, alive and breathing.
"What's your status over there? I can see the seller just arrived," Ron's voice crackled through Hobbs's earpiece.
Hobbs growled in disbelief: "Ron, you're not gonna believe this - Black Badger is Phil! I thought that son of a bitch was dead!"
"He's CIA?"
"Roger that."
"Can't say I'm shocked. He's definitely not the first Company man to go rogue. They might've had some glory days back when they were facing down the KGB, but now it's just a retirement home full of corruption and drug running. No doubt this bastard flipped because he wasn't getting a big enough cut of the action."
Hobbs steadied himself and put his eye back to the launcher's sight: "So what's the play now?"
"Obviously... light 'em up!"
Before he'd even finished the sentence, Ron was already squeezing the trigger.
(End of chapter)
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