The Auction

The Auction - A Hannah Todd Story

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental. This work is copyrighted by the author. All characters involved in sexual activity are eighteen years of age or older at the time of portrayal.

This is the continuing adventures of Hannah Todd. I would strongly recommend you read at least some of "The Bridge" and "Badass," which provide the backstory for most of the characters in this story. And if you've been reading me, thank you for your continued support. Your comments are priceless, so please leave your wisdom so I might improve my product.

The Auction - Part Eight

Everybody was there at the Greenhouse when I showed up for this most pivotal meeting. That included Rhee and her team and the two new lieutenants from the assault squad. Duane would run the meeting, but, as usual, I spoke first.

"Alright, everyone," Dom boomed. "The Queen Bee wants a word. Everyone shut up."

Nobody messes with Domingo, so a hush fell over the Greenhouse.

"Welcome, one and all. Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I want to start by saying that this may be the most dangerous mission we've ever undertaken. So, if you want to take a pass on this one, I wouldn't blame you and will not hold it against you."

A grumble fell over the crowd, but our guests on the monitor said nothing. "Hush," Dom said.

"You are all aware of the trafficking ring we've taken down in Southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey. It was ambitious and had a broad-ranging effect. Hundreds of enslaved and trafficked women and girls were freed due toyourefforts and the sacrificeswemade as an organization. We lost some good men, and that may happen again this time around. We are taking this in an entirely different direction, as we go after the auction house these gals are routed through. By taking out the auction house, we cut off the traffickers from a place to offer their wares. It's like shutting down a superhighway of the enslaved."

I paused momentarily and looked around at the men and women around me. Dedicated agents who take their work very seriously. As serious as the looks on their faces.

"This will be the most perilous mission we have ever attempted. Some of you will be inside the venue, and some will be outside ready to strike. Once again, we will be joined by the Spanner Organization, so you can rest assured that we will be working with some of the top professionals, both physically and technologically, available in their fields. I expect that we will be bringing hundreds of years of military and law enforcement experience with us. But make no mistake, you in this room will be leading the charge. It will be you who bring us victory."

"Hoorah!" The room exploded as everyone acknowledged in the time-honored tradition of those who have served. They were ready to fight, and ready to confront a force that had no idea what they would be up against.

"Alright," Duane said. "The plan is still in the formative stages, which is why you have been brought together tonight. Your input, as always, is most important in implementing a plan that will give us the greatest success with the least amount of loss. In essence, we are going to have agents in the warehouse where an auction of young women will be taking place. These poor things, like those we have already rescued, have been beaten down and broken. The main objective is to free these girls from the venue and decimate the organization holding them captive."

"Hoorah!," rang out from the crowd.

"We'll be training at Miss Todd's property in southern Chester County, along with members of the Spanner crew so that we are familiar with each other and to get a feel for the mission. There is a downside, though. We don't know where the venue is located yet, but we do know when the auction will take place. I want everyone available the week of June twenty-sixth for last-minute maneuvers and to do the mission which will take place on June twenty-eighth. Next Monday, the twelfth, I want this crew, the assault squad and Miss Spanner's crew along with techs to meet at that property so that we can talk further and work together to form a cohesive unit that will strike at the heart of these bad guys. The following week, we will perform additional maneuvers, bringing us together as a fighting unit. There will be over fifty of us so we will be using no ammo during maneuvers so we don't kill each other. Are there any questions?"

"Yeah," Hoagie said. "I've got a question. Tell us, stem to stern, how these auctions are carried out. I'd like to know what I'm up against. I understand I will be going in, and I'd like to know what that entails."

"Well, Hoagie. As far as we know, the girls are either bussed in or brought in by car and locked up in a portion of the warehouse. A separate portion of the warehouse is where the auction takes place. Each girl is marched into that room, auctioned off and then placed in a separate chamber where she is collared, tagged and waits for her new owner to pay for her and collect her. We believe shipping containers will be used to segregate the sold girls from the yet to be sold. As most of the bidders will be purchasing multiple girls, they will be held in a coffle for each of their new owners. This is the intel we have received from prisoners we have taken who have participated in these auctions. Are you with me so far?"

"I'm with you, boss. When do we strike?" Hoagie asked.

"I'd like to strike before too many coffles are formed. With a lot of girls chained together it will make it difficult to transport out of there. I think we should strike early in the auction; between the time of the viewing and the start of the auction."

"The viewing?"

"It's an approximately two-hour period where bidders get to look over the merchandise, if you will. I figure the time when the auction is called to begin will be the time to strike. That's when there will be the most movement and the guards will be most distracted. That's when we want to turn their technology on them and eliminate as many of the armed guards as possible. Our people inside will know what to do, but they will be unarmed for a time."

"Unarmed? For a time?"

"Yes. Once we turn their tech against them, with the help of Miss Spanner's people, we will be able to disarm some of them and obtain their weapons. About then is when our people on the outside will make their move and flood the place with our armed operatives through any garage doors. It's tentative, but that's the plan so far."

"I understand I'm going to be working the inside as well," Romy said. "What kind of technology will I be up against inside the venue?"

"There will be ASRs, cyberdogs and drones, both inside and outside the warehouse. Things will start hopping when Miss Spanner's techs turn the drones against their own people. I expect Eagle and hawk drones both inside and out. But nothing bigger like the Condors and nothing smaller like the sparrows or wasps."

Rhee spoke up from the monitor to address the question.

"My people have extensive experience in hacking and taking over control of drones and robots. Those of you who took part in previous operations have seen us at work, and we are very effective. For this operation, I will have a team of operators taking control and either dropping the drones from the sky or turning them on their handlers."

"Thank you, Rhee," Duane said. "This is crucial to the success of our mission."

"Like I was asking, Duane," Romy asked. "What do I do while these drones are shooting the place up?"

"Well, young lady, until the assault squad hits the place, you hit the deck. Then you grab the weapons from a dead bodyguard and use them to take out more of the enemy bodyguards. Those dudes won't know what hit them, but you will. You'll be on the comm-link, and you'll know what's coming and when. Understood?"

"Perfectly. Sounds like a plan to me."

"Why can't we bring weapons in ourselves. Does this mean our bodyguards will be unarmed?" Ninja asked. "I can't imagine walking around with a half a million in gold bars without an armed escort."

"That's the rules. Bodyguards are allowed but no weapons. Everyone will be going through body scanners and be patted down if necessary. Only their guards will be armed."

"I don't like the sound of that."

"Please, Ninja. The minute the shit hits the fan I'm sure you will have someone's gun in hand. You are a fuckin' walking weapon after all."

"This is not gonna be easy."

"Miss Todd told you that in the beginning. She also offered you leave from the mission. If you choose not to join the in nobody will hold it against you. It's your call."

"Not me. I'm not walking away. I've got a reputation to protect."

That is when the chorus of 'me toos' came out of the crowd. Everyone was in.

"The bottom line is, if we can take out the bodyguards and lock the bidders and the girls in the warehouse, law enforcement can do the rest. Just like they've been doing regarding our latest operation. Boy, will they hate us."

"They should love us for doing their job for them," Manny Innocencio, the new lieutenant from the assault squad said.

"Still a wise ass, Manny?" I said.

"I'm honored you remember, ma'am."

"I never forget a man with a sense of humor."

The group went crazy with laughter, and Duane brought the meeting to an end, promising to meet with them at the southern Chester County property on Monday.

After the crowd disbursed, I called Rhee on her supercell.

"Well, I thought that went pretty well."

'Yeah, my boys are on board and take this operation as a real challenge. They are already talking about taking hold of a swarm of Eagles to attack the outside guards. That should allow the troops to flood the venue and take out the inside guards. This should be an interesting operation, and I wonder what we will be wearing. We should conform so that we recognize each other."

"I expect they will be wearing black, so I think Ranger green cammos are the order of the day. And lots of body armor. The bullets will be flying in all directions."

"I concur. I'll make sure we have lots of the stuff in stock and will distribute it to each of my people the week before the operation."

"We keep lots of that stuff in stock, so it won't be a hardship for us. I will distribute accordingly. I will also be getting a bunch of bright orange beanie caps so that my inside people will be easily identified. Don't want them getting shot up in the mix by friendly fire."

"Good call, Hannah. You folks think of everything."

"We have to. We play to win because we have no other choice."

"I hear you, sister. Who is going to be leading this mission?"

"Well, Hoagie and Ninja will be leading inside the venue, and the outside troops will be split into three cadres. One led by Arnold, one by our lieutenants, and the overall force will be led by Duane along with our A-team."

"Sounds like a winning combination. How many snipers will you be using?"

"Our usual two, Caroline and Herman. They are the best shots and should be enough to take out any outside guards."

"How about my Kevin, Hannah? He isourbest shot, and it couldn't hurt to have one more expert on the firing line."

"Kevin sounds great. He was invaluable during the Dunbar operation. Bring him on Monday. I already know he's a fit."

"But a quick fit. He usually likes to do this on his own, but this operation will require us to know each other. He'll probably want to show up and find his place at the venue as soon as we know the location."

"My snipers will be in place as soon as I can get them there."

"Keep me in touch as far as any new intel is concerned. I want Kevin there as soon as possible too, but I also want to know about any new wrinkles that may occur."

"Yeah, I do have a concern as one of my wasps at Teetotaler's home is running out of steam and I want to preserve the other for the night before the operation so I'm assured it will be ready when I need it. No use having two dead drones sitting there when I need at least one."

"Then why don't you send another wasp or two. Up-to-date intel is going to be most important to this mission."

"Brilliant. Why didn't I think of that? I think I'll send a couple of the boys down there and lay two more wasps in hiding inside Teetotaler's office. It appears he has many bookshelves with books stacked so high that he needs a ladder to retrieve the ones on the uppermost shelves. I'm gonna do it, Rhee. Thanks again."

"How are things working out with agent Russo?"

"Oh, she'll be there when I need her. She's my total bitch and she knows it. If she's a good girl, I'm gonna turn her into a hero. The F.B.I. agent that saved the day."

"You do you, Hannah Todd. You are certainly kinder than you give yourself credit for."

"It's nice that somebody sees that. Speaking of which, will I see you on Monday?"

"Oh, I'll be there. I'd like to see my troops and how they commingle with yours as much as you do."

"See ya then. Love you."

"Love you back."

*CLICK*

I could feel the plan coming together and was feeling mighty good about it, but Monday would tell the tale. Right now, though, it would be time to send a couple more of those wasp drones down to Teetotaler's place so my intel could be kept up to the minute. Fortunately for me, Alec hadn't left yet, and I grabbed hold of him.

"Alec, I need you to do a mission for me. I want you to grab someone and go down to Maryland and place two more wasps in Teetotaler's office. The first drone is running out of juice and I want to just bury it behind a book. I'll have Herb light up the second drone so we can listen in on any pertinent conversations. But I'm going to need a fresh one there for the big reveal on the twenty-seventh. Two more drones sitting idle, awaiting a fresh start will get us to the finish line. I also want you and another to be prepared to take off for the venue, when it is revealed, so that we can place a drone there as well. I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but..."

"Oh no, Miss Todd. You are right on track. Can I grab Anthony again and we can lay two fresh wasps down in Teetotaler's office just like the first two? It's nice to see you are keeping ahead of things. Not that you don't always."

"Thanks, Alec. Anthony is perfect. He's working the house today, just get him replaced with a member of the squad and you two be on your way. Just let me know when the deed is done."

"Of course. We'll keep you advised every step of the way."

-----------------------------------------------------

Holly was up with the babies, changing them and doing the fun things mothers get to do with their children. I asked her if she would have drinks with me on the sun porch. I wanted to talk about the divorce.

"Sure. I have news to share with you anyway. I've heard from Kwame, and it sounds good."

So, we focused on getting the babies into bed and checked on the big ones who were fast asleep. The two of us adjourned to the kitchen, where I pulled a bottle of Pinot Noir out of the cabinet and opened it up and poured us each a glass. It's Holly's favorite, so I didn't even ask. Just carried the two glasses onto the sun porch and met her there.

"Hann, Kwame tells me we are just about there. However, there is a six-month waiting period, even for uncontested divorces, so we won't be official until sometime in December."

"Great. A December wedding sounds great to me."

"Wedding?"

"Sure. You know that Duane asked me to marry him, and I won't be officially engaged until the divorce is final. So it's going to be the shortest engagement on record. I'm even going to try to convince Davante and Harley to wait until then for an official ceremony. They want to go in front of a JP soon, just to get the marriage on record. I'd love to see the two brothers married together on the same day. Twins should do things like that."

"Then why not just wait until December? Why the Justice of the Peace?"

"I-I-I..."

"She's pregnant, isn't she?"

"Holly Bernstein, you..."

"Can read you like a cheap novel, Hannah Todd. Don't worry, I won't tell. How far along is she? She ought to be going into her third trimester by December. Should be very interesting."

"Oh, Holly, please..."

"Relax. It will be pretty obvious soon enough. Another Royce baby. I can't wait."

"And your plans, Holly? You're still a fertile Myrtle. How are you and Chuck getting around that? Condoms?"

"That and the old-fashioned rhythm method when we want to just throw caution to the wind."

"And marriage?"

"Been there, done that. Right now, we are just keeping it casual. No need to rush things, although he is probably the perfect man. He loves children, and he gets along with Celeste famously. He's a big fan and a wholehearted supporter of her endeavors."

"And how does he feel about being beholden to such a powerful young woman?"

"He's an alpha. He handles it just fine. As far as I'm concerned, he can always be on top."

"Yeah, I feel that way about Duane. I love being in his clutches."

"Touche'."

"Alright, you tell Kwame Jones that I'm ready when he is to get this marriage terminated. Although I feel like I already miss you, Holl."

"Yeah, me too. We've come a long way from The Bridge."

"Yes, we have. By the way, great job at the tournament. You pulled off a spectacular win for the health center and The Bridge. Missy was very pleased."

"I don't know. All anyone wanted to talk about was your new hairdo. Very sexy, Hann. How does Duane feel about it?"

"Spunky! He let me know it from the minute he first saw it. You were there, you should remember."

"Yep. Good for you and good for him."

"Holl, do you have anything going the week of the twenty-sixth?"

"No. Chuck will be out west that week, so it will be a lonely one for me. What's up?"

"I've got some pressing business that week and I hope you will hold the fort without me."

"Oh? going away?"

"Not sure yet, got to keep it fluid for now."

"Well, you do you. I'll keep the home fires burning. I have some corporate stuff on the calendar, but nothing I can't put off if I have to."

"No, I don't expect it will interfere with business at all. Just need to keep my options open."

"I'll either clear the decks or bring it home to do."

"Not the office either. You're better off conducting business at the Navy Yard. I'll be using the office a lot that week."

"Oh? Another one of your missions?"

"Sort of. It's important, Holl. It's..."

"Then I too will be fluid. Don't worry about me. Just keep yourself out of trouble and keep yourself safe."

"That I will, my dear. That I will."

---------------------------------------------------

Duane was ready for me when I left Holly. He was in the hot tub looking oh so delicious. Yes, we wound up in the tub together, and yes, we did that thing afterwards. How could I resist. Pillow talk was exquisite.

"Duane, I just talked to Holly about the divorce."

"I'm all ears."

"The bad news is that there is a waiting period of six months."

"And the good news?"

"Kwame and Linnie have all their ducks in a row to go ahead, and I am hoping to have the shortest engagement on record."

"I like the sound of that."

"And there's something else."

"I don't know if I like the sound of that."

"Oh no, hopefully it's good news, if you cooperate and help me out with it."

The Auction Ch. 08

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