The Search for Scorpio

The Search for Scorpio

The Search for Scorpio

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 adventure of Hannah Todd. I would strongly recommend you read at least some of "The Bridge," "Badass," "The Auction," "Simon," "Doyle," "Todd's Odds," and, "The Agents," 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 writing and your reading experience.

The Search for Scorpio - Part Two

I had every intention of sleeping in before our big meeting, but was awakened by Herb at seven-thirty. He said there was action coming from the wasp drone in Scorpio's office. Duane and I didn't even stop to pee and ran straight into The Closet.

"We cannot only hear them now, but we can see what's going on. We've got the little drone stationed perfectly to view what is happening. And ten minutes ago a young woman walked into the office and sat on the chair. She turned the monitor on, and a face, hidden in shadows, appeared on the screen. The person on the screen wished her good morning and asked how recruiting was going."

"And...?"

"Well, they are putting ads up on the Soldier of Fortune website and two others with the same goals of recruiting ex-military, ex-law enforcement and active mercenaries. We're pending clarification of the names of the other two sites."

"Good work, Herb. Here comes Danny. He's early today."

"He knows how important this next mission will be. He takes it very personally."

"Good. This time around, we all should. It's us they're after this time."

"Any changes?" Danny asked.

"Yep. They're recruiting."

"Oooh. Can I go?"

"No, Dan, you're too valuable in the command center. I'm gonna need you here, but I want you to attend the meeting today. We are all in this together."

"Yes, ma'am. Whatever you need."

"Who is not on the team but is qualified to run The Closet while we are meeting?"

"Whit's the best man for that job, and he's on perimeter duty today, so he's here."

"Good. Get Whitford up here before ten so he can keep an eye on things. Shouldn't be more than an hour."

"Will do, ma'am."

It was still very early, and I needed my coffee. So, Duane and I went downstairs where Bertha was holding court with Domingo, Alec and Rapper Malone. My early arrivals.

"Rapper." I said. "I didn't expect you at this meeting. You should be home rehabbing. What are you doing here?"

"I'm fine, Miss Todd. I'm not a hundred percent, but I'm certainly fit to attend a meeting and contribute if I can."

"Good man. How are the ribs?"

"Still tender, but I'm getting around okay."

"Is Gloria leaving you alone?"

"Hardly. She can't seem to do enough for me. She's very attentive. It's driving Gert up the wall."

"That's my Glorius. She can be a handful. Why not send Gert home for now?"

"I'd really like to keep her under the same protections the Tuttlehills are enjoying right now. Until this next adventure is completed successfully, I'd just as soon keep her around."

"Your call, Rapper. How are things settling down over there after the invasion?"

"Very well. All the glass has been cleaned up, and windows and doors have been restored and upgraded."

"Good. I'm glad she is taking our advice and upgrading the glass in the house."

Herman and Peggy showed up, just as the kids were coming down for breakfast, dressed for school. Bertha kicked us adults out of the kitchen and fed the kids pancakes and off to school they went.

After coffee and some pancakes of our own, Duane and I went upstairs to clean up and get ready for the onslaught of our best operators in the Greenhouse.

Herman spotted something out of the corner of his eye, right outside the kitchen window. He whispered something into Domingo's ear and the big man went running to the Greenhouse.

When he returned, he was carrying Georgia's big butterfly net. As he approached, Herman gave a look at the kitchen window and Dom swept the net along the outside of the window and caught what looked like a bumblebee drone. Not one of ours.

I immediately called Rhee Spanner and pled for immediate assistance. If there was one, there was probably more. Rhee was sending Gizmo out with his van, and we would see him in two hours. That would give us enough time before our meeting to at least sweep the Greenhouse for additional bugs and drones.

Herman took the little bumblebee drone and stuck it in one of Bertha's Mason jars. "That's one," he said.

In the meantime, team members were showing up in ones and twos and as soon as they arrived were put to the task of searching for additional drones; wasps and bumblebees. Coffee in hand, the men and women moved through my house being observant of every nook and cranny where a mini-drone could hide. Until Gizmo arrived, we'd found nothing other than the initial bumblebee drone.

I called up to Danny and Herb who were coordinating with Harry Whitford, who would ride the Closet while Dan and Herb were in the meeting with the team.

"Guys. How is drone activity up in the air? Anything look suspicious?"

"Hard to say, Miss Todd. There have been some unusual flyovers, but nothing is lingering on or around the property."

"Gizmo should be here soon, and he will be scanning for mini-drone activity in and around the house. We're starting with the Greenhouse. I want it swept before our meeting. No use tipping our hand."

"Caroline is up in the tower and she hasn't reported anything suspicious. You should ask her at the meeting."

"You can bet I will. See you boys in an hour."

Gizmo showed up a little past nine and went right to work in the Greenhouse. If there is any kind of signal going out or coming in, he will be able to pick it up with his scanners.

They found nothing in the Greenhouse to cause us concern, but when they left to do the house, Giz caught sight of a wasp drone flying low and following my team into the Greenhouse. He pointed to it, and Domingo, who still had the butterfly net, swung the net around and captured it.

Gizmo took it and put it into a Faraday bag and kept on with his search.

We all started heading to the now clean Greenhouse, and kept a guard at the door to watch for any other small drones entering our secure space.

The hour hit ten, and the team was fully assembled in the Greenhouse. Hoagie asked me as he walked in, last, if this was another big mission we were planning.

"Yes, Hoagie. Maybe our biggest. Certainly, one of our most important."

Duane, as usual, started the meeting with a quick speech before handing the meeting over to me.

"Alright troops. We've got another mission, and it's an important one. Miss Todd will fill you in on the details. Hannah."

"Gang, we've got a real challenge on our hands. We're going to protect a very important client right now, and that client is us. We are the target of an outfit or person named Scorpio. Now, if anyone knows anything about said Scorpio, please speak up now. We are just learning about this guy's goals, and the Tuttlehill home invasion was a real eye-opener for all of us."

"The same guys we just laid waste to are coming after us?" Hoagie asked.

"That's right, Hoagie. Our most current intel tells us that their force has been diminished, as you know, so that buys us a little time to get revved up and ready for these bad guys. There is also another break in the action. They are recruiting, so we may be able to get someone into this guy's compound and, hopefully, into his confidence."

"I'm happy to go."

"Sorry, Hoag, you wouldn't be my first choice on this particular mission. I'm thinking Anthony and maybe Ninja and Archer signing up with this guy and see who sticks. We've already got leads as to where to sign up. But thanks for volunteering. There will be other jobs you are more suited to, but all jobs will be hard and probably as dangerous."

Avi raised his hand, and I pointed to him.

"Tell me, Miss Todd, what do we know about the compound. Or, should I say, what don't we know. I can speak to the two new prisoners and see if they can flesh out what the compound looks like inside and out. I didn't really take that line of questioning when I last interrogated them. I'm sure they will be happy to see me when I show up and they will give me anything you want."

"We'll talk about that separately, Avi. I have some ideas about a second bite of that particular apple."

"Ready when you are, boss."

"As we speak, there is no set plan, but your ideas, as always, are welcome. Either here at this meeting or another time, alone."

"What's their troop strength as things stand right now?" Caroline asked.

"Right now, they have just north of fifty operators active in their compound or as part of their ready reserve."

Herman spoke up at hearing that. "Fifty plus ain't so bad. Do you think we should hit them before they grow in numbers? Do we know how many more they are trying to recruit?"

"I think they are trying to get as close to one hundred operators as they can before making any further moves. That's what gives us time. But in this job market who knows how long it will take them to gather their quota. It depends on how many out of work mercenaries there are out there."

"Well, after the wars in the thirties and forties there are lots of vets floating around out there. And, I expect, many are in need of a job. That hasn't changed for thirty years."

"Anthony, how do you feel about reprising your role as Tony Machiafava from Jersey?"

"Fine with me. My profile is all set up and still good from the Peacock raid. As long as nobody from that raid is looking for work with Scorpio, I should be fine. If not. Well, I can handle myself."

"That's for sure. Let's see if we can get you an interview first. The sooner I can get you into that compound, the better off we will all be."

"What do we know about this compound, anyway?" asked Ronnie. "Is it something we can fly into?"

"We may have to, Ron. The compound has a big old front gate, and it is surrounded by heavy electrified fencing."

"Is it big enough to land the big chopper?"

"From the way it looks on the maps I've seen, it looks like we can land a fleet between the main house and the outbuildings. You and Juicy might be working at the same time with two different helicopters. I want some human intelligence before making any decisions like that, though."

"Hannah," Duane said. "What kind of timeline do you have in mind?"

"Soon. But not so soon that we muck everything up. Maybe a week or two, depending on how our spies work out. We do have a drone in what I am calling the Castle, and it's feeding us good intel, but I definitely want more before proceeding."

"But what do we know now?" Rapper brought up.

"Well," I said. "We have badly damaged their drone operation; we have relieved them of almost a third of their troops, and we have pissed off the principal player to no end. I had the opportunity to eavesdrop on a conversation he was having, and boy, was he boiling."

"Yeah. Sounds like we really pissed him off," said Archer. "We really disrespected the hell out of him. How many did we get?"

"Thirty-three in all, dead, wounded and captured."

"Won't that just put a dent into his crew?"

"It certainly has, and it's up to us to take advantage of the time that will buy us to prepare to wipe this guy out."

Herman looked around at the troops and then looked straight at me. "What do we know about this guy, Hannah? Have you been able to follow the data on him to any great degree?"

"Not really. It's still too early in the game. We don't know who this guy is...yet. We don't have a visual on him either. He conducts business from a compound in the Pottstown area, but we don't believe he is staying there. I think he is working from a remote location and just pulling the strings in Pottstown."

Avi spoke up again. "I'd like to take another bite at those two at the safe house. I think I can get more from them now that they've had to stew in their juices for a while."

"Let's do that after the meeting today, Av. We can kick it up a notch, too."

"Music to my ears," he said.

"In the meantime, Anthony, Archer and Ninja, report here tomorrow and we will start to get you three hooked up with a new employer. Temporarily, of course."

"Yes, ma'am," came from all three.

"Alright, any other questions?"

"Just one," Herman said. "Do we have a plan and am I leading the charge again?"

"No plan yet, Herm. We're still in the intel gathering aspect and once we get what we need we'll meet and put one together. All of us."

"Hoorah," rang out from the group.

"Alright, I have lots to do. Let's break this party up and everyone go forth and do your jobs until I call upon you for this new mission. Keep an eye out for a group text."

Everyone gave each other congratulatory slaps on the back, as if they had won something, and headed out to their post of the day. Avi, Anthony, Ninja and Archer stayed behind with me.

"You three," I said, pointing to everyone but Avi, "See Herb. He has the information on where Scorpio is signing up potential mercenaries to get them up to full strength. Stagger your appointments. Anthony first, because his profile has already been established. You other two contact Rhee Spanner and have her establish an identity for you. Learn your new I.D. inside out and then apply for the jobs a day or two after Anthony. I don't want any associations between the three of you established in the minds of Scorpio or his lieutenants. Don't acknowledge each other, don't even look at each other unless the opportunity presents itself."

"Yes, ma'am." And the three of them marched off with Herb to huddle in The Closet.

"Avi. Duane and Ronnie are heading downtown. I want you and Caroline to come with Dom and I to the farm so we can visit your two new friends."

Avi raised his wrist to his mouth. "Call Les McKelly."

"McKelly."

"Les, it's Avi. I'm going to be up here for the day with Miss Todd. Can you handle things down there today?"

"Dammit, Avi, are you ever going to be around? Can't you see that..."

"Cool it, Les." I said. "You can handle another day without Mr. Gold. I just got you a great new operator to make up for it. By the way, howisRusso doing?"

"Like you said. She's a rock star. She jumped right in and she's ready to hit the streets as soon as we get Harley back in the office."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'll have Avi back to you tomorrow. How's business?"

"Business is booming. We rescued four new girls this week. And the leads just keep on coming."

"Nature of the business, Les. You didn't even mention Lizzie."

"She's a lost cause. If she's not at Acquisitions, she's up there with you. Like right now."

"Right now I need her for bigger things, Les. I can't talk about it right now, but know that I need her badly. She'll be back in the Navy Yard before you know it."

"Promises, promises."

"That's all I can give you right now. Gotta go, Les."

*Click*

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

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

Early September, and it hasn't rained since July. Another beautiful sunny day and the water tables are lower than ever. On the upside, our solar batteries have never been more charged, and we have even been selling electricity back to the electric company. The downside is that the grass everywhere was browning and the trees were starting to shed leave early.

Thank goodness for air conditioned vehicles, I thought as we wended our way taking our circuitous route to the farm. Caroline was driving and Dom rode shotgun, as usual. Avi and I were in the back chatting when a drone, a pigeon drone, crashed on the road on the passenger front side of the car.

Before the drone crashed, harmlessly, we looked back after hearing a loud rat-tat-tat from the car behind us, the one that follows me just in case. The car I call the clown car, because they look like crazy people trying to follow us, the lead car, to our destination.

"What the fuck was that?" I asked nobody in particular. Dom got on his supercell and called the follow car to see what's up."

"Jesse, what's up? Did you see that drone? Did you guys shoot it down?"

"We did, Dom. It's been following you since we left the house. It was just getting too close and I made a judgment call. I hope I didn't screw it up."

"No, Jesse." I called from the back of the Navigator. "You did just fine. I bet I know where it came from."

"I think we were thinking the same thing, Miss Todd. Don't need those birds following us to the SHU."

"Anything else up there we should be worried about?"

"We don't see anything, but they may have a hawk flying higher up so we don't spot them. Although I would think they wouldn't need to send two drones to do the job of one. Especially now that their force is depleted. Do you think we should cut the mission short?"

"No, but let's take a short detour. Let's go to the firing range, kill an hour and throw them off our scent. I could use a tune up of my skills. I didn't hardly get a chance to fire my gun, even with the action at the Tuttlehills. C'mon, Caroline, let's go."

So, Caroline drove us to the firing range and we each shot off a few boxes of bullets. It was good to see my skills had not diminished too much. Caroline put on a display that would make Annie Oakley blush. She's that good a shot.

When we finished, we jumped into the cars and off we went. The firing range is far from the drone super highway and there were no drones flying overhead at the range. So, we took another circuitous route to the farm to visit our latest guests.

Avi grilled Willie Thomas about how he had found his job with the Scorpio organization. He copped to finding a Soldier of Fortune site on the dark web, which he said was favored by the organization for hiring hit men and mercenaries. Lucius Payne confirmed the site and said that only a year ago was when he joined the organization and expected they still recruited from the same site.

When asked if the Todd home was under surveillance, they both admitted that it was and that it was scheduled to be hit in the near future. Well, Scorpio would have to hire and train enough replacements to do the job, and that would take time. Payne said that they take each job one at a time so that there is no mistake about where they are hitting and what they are after. Thomas said that the last four jobs were all kidnappings and all successful. Scorpio had raked in millions and everyone got big bonuses. This time the target was me.

Unlike many of the prisoners in my ranch/prison, these guys were not chipped. We always check all prisoners for tracking devices, on or in the person. These two had none. I expect Scorpio did not chip any of his foot soldiers. Good to know.

The last piece of information Avi dragged out of these guys was where the interview would take place for employment with Scorpio. Both said that they had interviewed on-site in Pottstown, after an initial interview at a restaurant. Just a quick lunch meet and greet so that the representative of the prospective employer could size up a new potential employee.

The ride home was quiet. I was very much in my head. Thinking about the mission and thinking about Anthony who would be our first spy, if he passes muster. We have time, but I still feel the pressure of being the target of my enemy's next operation. We had defeated him before, but now he would be coming at us with a fresh crop of foot soldiers. And probably new and improved electronic devices such as drones and ASRs. But what really spooked me is that they are already watching me and my troops and I fear that they are one step ahead of me. And I don't like that. Not one little bit.