The Ultimate Rescue

Chapter XIX

---

Music: Meteor from Gradius V

You need me again? Ugh... oh wait, it's for another Mrs. Smith scene? Hell yeah. I can work with that.

*clears throat*

The past six hours have been pretty boring for Mrs. Smith. All she's done is stare at her computer and occasionally glance at her phone, waiting for any news on the search for Mackenzie. Mort has been walking in and out of the room, and he's been watching over her shoulder for over two hours by now.

Finally, Mrs. Smith decides she's had enough of Mort's presence. He's serving as too much of a distraction to her, even though he's trying his best to be quiet and not a disturbance. His breathing is just too much for her with how much stress she's under.

"Mort, why are you still here?" she asks, a bit too aggressively. "Don't you understand that it's because of you that I have to deal with this in the first place?!"

"You haven't given me anywhere else to go," he shrugs.

Mrs. Smith moans, then gets out a sheet of paper and writes an address on it. "This is where we're setting up camp," she tells him, handing him the paper. "Tell Herbert to fly you back there. I'll let the demons know to accomodate for you."

Mort takes the paper, stunned by what Mrs. Smith is doing to him. "You're kicking me out? C'mon, it was an honest mistake."

"Well, your services are no longer needed or wanted. Now get out." She flashes her yellow glow as a threatening gesture, and Mort gets the message and runs out of the room as fast as he can. Mrs. Smith grumbles some naughty words to herself and buries her head in her arms. Mackenzie being out there with an unknown location is one of the worst possible scenarios she could be in right now. If she reunites with the rest of her friends, there's no hope for her plans going forward. And with the way her luck has been, that's already happened by now.

When Mrs. Smith hears the sound of helicopter blades spinning outside, she picks up her phone and calls one of her army's lieutenants. "Lieutenant Colonel?" she asks (yes, Colonel is his name. Don't ask) once he picks up.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"You'll have a guest arriving within due time. How's the new base coming along?"

A few seconds pass before Lieutenant Colonel replies. "The demons have been working hard on it all day, and I'd say we're about 80% done. Construction should be finished by nightfall, if not sooner." Mrs. Smith can hear the sounds of hammers pounding, instructions being given, and whirring machinery being used in the background.

"Perfect. Make sure there's a room available for my nimrod brother-in-law, Mort. He was supposed to be guarding Mackenzie, but he let her escape, so I'm letting him go." Just explaining this to him gives her an urge to find Mort and strangle him senseless. Lieutenant Colonel can probably tell how irritated she is at him, despite how much she's trying to seem calm and relaxed. She speaks with the slightest hints of annoyance in her tone.

"That can't be good. You've got people searching for her?"

"Yes, but we've got nothing so far.."

"How long ago did she escape?"

"At least six hours ago." Mrs. Smith doesn't know for sure how long it's been, since Mackenzie left without her noticing.