The Realm of Krotas.



Tuesday December 3rd 2069, Threshold headquarters. Langley Virginia. 1600 hrs.
They are all sitting in conference #1. Field agent and Alpha Team leader Samantha Bliss patiently listens while the two young men stand before her and the director of field operations. Arnold Winthrop and his deputy director William Strong. They have been rambling on about the steps that have been taken to decipher the map found in the cylinder . Other matters however have taken a greater importance in this meeting, and as the young men shuffle out the door they are replaced with another operative carrying a manila envelope. He hands it to Arnold Winthrop and turns to leave. He rises to face Samantha Bliss.
“Agent Bliss, we have it on good authority that one of the stones that you spoke of may be in possession of one of the Red generals, and he is at the southeast corner of Cape Nazareth in a place the reds have been calling Mordes Keep.”
He opens the envelope and takes out several photographs and lays them out on the table for her to inspect. She leans forward to look at them.
“One of our field operatives took these pictures from a distance of one mile, from him, these were taken on a beach head near the Cape, five days ago they are grainy images at best but we have been told that his name is Krotas, he wears the stone around his neck on a chain, our intel tells us that he is now in Mordes Keep and will remain there for several weeks.”
She eyes him suspiciously.
“And just how did we come by this information?”
“All we can tell you is that a second Red detainee from another facility, was close to Krotas, They told us that an attempt on Krotas’s life was made recently, and he hides in the Keep now because he is very fearful of assassination.”
She smiles and rolls her eyes at the prospect.
“And we go in and cap the General and swipe the stone that is no doubt procured under heavy guard.”
He nods to the affirmative and passes her the picture of Krotas.
“We have come to terms with a special operative that will show you how to get into the Keep undetected, they can take you right to Krotas without so much as a hitch.”
Her curiosity now aroused she draws a slow deep breath. As she watches the Director of Field operations motion to the guard to open the door.
And soon their young guest Priss enters the room with two armed guards at her side, she sits down beside Samantha Bliss who has a look of complete shock on her face.
“Agent.. Your team will Muster in the assignment room at 1900 hrs. You will leave first thing in the morning, and Operative Priss is going with you.”

Priss Revealed.




She sits listening to Priss explain the situation to her, she seems more confident and somewhat less innocent now, as she explains in painstaking detail about the routines of Krotas’s guardsmen. How they alternate Watch details, when they change shifts when they come, when they go, she knows the grounds, inside and out and she explains to Samantha and Klinger that she has been in and out of the keep several times, and she has traveled the route that they will be taking more than once. Suddenly things have become clear to Samantha Bliss, Priss is sounding less like an innocent little bed wench and more like a highly trained and skilled assassin, it has occurred to her, that Thresholds impeccable intelligence capabilities had learned of Priss’s existence some time ago. It has occurred to Samantha Bliss, that she and Team Alpha were sent into the Cape to retrieve someone that they themselves had sent there to begin with. Much has occurred to Samantha Bliss in the last twenty five minutes. It was not the first time that sweet Miss Priss was a guest of Threshold, and she was perhaps even more dangerous than any member of Team Alpha ever thought of being. Priss was Thresholds Mata Hari, and Samantha and her entire team had bought the act.
“So do you want to tell me Priss? Or am I going to have to continue guessing about how you became involved with Threshold?”
Priss smiles that smile and studies her and Klinger.
“Please Samantha. You mustn’t be angry with me, every thing that I told you on the boat that day was true, Ambala the Bitch and all, I was Krotas’s bed wench one and a half years ago, and I did run away, but they never caught me the first time, because I ran to Threshold, I told them everything that I knew about the inner workings of the red army, so we struck up a deal and they and sent me back to the Cape where I allowed myself to be captured again, I got close to Krotas again but when I tried to wax his sorry red ass, one of his guards got in the way and took my shot intended for him. I escaped and was captured again for real, they beat me and I escaped again, they caught me at the brim and started to take me back to the cape for execution, that’s when you showed up.”
Samantha Bliss studies her for a time.
“So.. You want to tell me why your picture was in that cylinder? Was that for real?”
“That particular outpost had my picture because I am a traitor, they want me disposed of, you finding the cylinder during the Jessica Bradley rescue was completely coincidental, I’m guessing that’s why Threshold sent you to get me, because they knew that the reds were looking for me, I’m a traitor to them Samantha.”
“And you had already told Threshold what you knew about the four stones?”
“Yes”
“So the only importance of the cylinder was the map that we accidentally found?”
“There are several maps that lead to the holy place Samantha, you found one of them.”
“Get some rest, if your going with us we leave tomorrow morning.”
Samantha watches her rise to leave the room, and looks over at Klinger,he returns the glance with a bit of confusion attached to it. Something tugged at her that there was more at work here that a field operative was privy to.. There was more to learn behind the scenes.

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