Voynich Shift - Season One (COMPLETED)

Leonis, 1:1, 2:14 - Roach Hotel - To Hell With The CIA, Call An Exterminator

April 29th, 1953 7:00 PM  

The brakes on Reggie's CIA-issued black, 1949 Ford squealed as he brought the machine to a stop beneath a street light. He, Rudolf, and Karen were less than a half mile from the address on the card. "You brought it, right?"

"Oh yeah, it's in the trunk. I just hope the damn thing's going to work this far away. I haven't had a chance to test it at more than a couple hundred yards," Karen said from the passenger side of the front bench seat. She had been riding with her arm hanging out of the open window. When the car came to a stop she turned and looked behind her at Rudolph. He was snoozing on the back seat with his hat over his face. "Oh man, look at that lazy shit, Reg!"

Reggie glanced up into the rearview mirror and laughed. "You married him!"

Leaning over the back of the front seat, Karen bopped Rudolf on his hat-covered forehead. "Get up!"

Rudolph sat up in surprise and banged his head on the roof of the car. "Ow!"

Karen laughed, watching her husband rub his head with a hand. "That's what you get!"

Reggie couldn't help himself and joined in the laughter.

"I detest both of you!" Fentz said and returned his hat to his head.

Flicking the remainder of a cigarette into the street, Reggie coughed. "Well, stay angry, bud. It'll help keep you sharp in there, whatever there is. Technically, I don't know what we're sailing in to; I just know that anything Steffen is involved in can't be good for anyone's health."

"Yeah, yeah...." Rudolf said with a yawn. "And so is going without sleep."

"That's because you are a slug," Karen said and expelled the magazine from her 9mm to count the bullets.

"I love you, too."

Karen and Rudolph both laughed aloud.

"You're funny when you're pissed, Rudy," Reggie said. "But it's time to get serious. Are you guys ready?"

The woman nodded in affirmation. "Testing, one, two..." she said and adjusted the throat mic around her neck.

Reggie gave her a thumb up. "Rudy?"

Rudolph tapped on the tiny, micro-earpiece in his ear. "Test, test."

"Gotcha both. One two."

"Loud and clear." Karen opened the car door and stepped out. She placed the 9mm in the small of her back and walked around to the rear of the car. "Keys!"

Reggie removed the metallic objects from the ignition and tossed them out the window back toward Karen.

"Thanks!" Karen caught the keyring mid-air and bent over to open the trunk. She extracted a large black case from its dark interior and then slammed the lid shut.

"You good?" Reggie asked as Karen returned the keys to him.

"As gold," she replied with a grin and patted him on the shoulder. She walked around the car and wrapped her knuckles on Rudolph's window, indicating he should roll it down. "What, you don't love me anymore? Come here and give me a kiss, grouchy," Karen said and leaned inside the car.

Rudolph grabbed Karen by the collar of her Kevlar vest and pulled her to him through the window. "Karen, you know I don't like this."

"You jokers need an extra set of eyes on you and I'm the only one you can really trust. You said it yourself, did you not?"