The White Feather- A story of infinite worlds

Meeting the General

Okay people, it’s time for a small talk. I know that this story has become slow paced since the last few chapters. But it was only because I wanted you all to have a better understanding of the protagonists and how they were struggling on their first mission. Better insight is crucial for you to fell more connected to this story. And you have my word that after this chapter, you won’t be able to take your eyes off the pages. (Figuratively speaking only, I’m not actually gonna glue your eyes to this book)

“Hi there, Mrs. Rabada. You look smoking hot today!” Tony said, looking at Olivia. She was standing in front of the mirror, getting ready to be an attraction for many eyes. We can’t imagine what magnitude of pressure that must be.

“I am not sure if it is appropriate to say this, but I like the sound of that.” Olivia said without turning back. Tony couldn’t see, but I bet she was smiling.

Oh yes, in case you're wondering, Olivia has stopped ignoring Tony. Turns out, he was a tough nut to c***k. Most of the times, he didn’t even notice that she was not answering him. And other times, when she just straight up ignored him, he just thought that her mood was off or something and it would be best if he left her alone. So by playing hard to get, she was actually losing him rather than making him suffer.

“I’ll be out in five minutes.” Olivia said, lifting the eye liner from the table.

“Okay, then I will gather the others and call the car in five minutes.” Tony said and retraced his steps.

“You have no clue about girls, do you Tony?” Olivia said, turning back.

“Huh?” Tony said. He was caught off guard, and was stunned partly by Olivia’s question and partly by her beauty.

“Yes Mr. Rabada, you are absolutely clueless about girls.” Olivia said and walked up to him. He knew he was in for a little lecture on dating.

“If a girl says that she will be out in five minutes, it means at least half an hour. So hold your horses and fill your lungs with some smoke while you wait. It's gonna take me quite some time to get the makeup right.” She said, adjusting his tie and combing his hair with her hands.

“You are right, I have no idea how to talk to girls. But on the bright side, I have a teammate who can teach me.” Tony said, placing his hands on Olivia’s back and pulling her towards him.

Gotta say man, Tony had to have had balls made of steel to pull a stunt like that. Olivia was as surprised as you and me, but she didn’t resist. After all, she had been waiting for a moment like this for a long time now.

“What do you think you are doing?” Olivia said, pretending she was angry and trying to get out of Tony’s clutches. But Tony wasn’t that foolish. He knew now that she was just testing him.

So he didn’t say anything, he just continued looking into her eyes. And after some time, Olivia knew it was pointless to resist.

“What if someone comes in? It’s way too risky right now.” Olivia said in a worried tone.

“That’s half the fun, Mrs. Rabada.” Anthony said and smiled.

"We can meet tonight and continue this. But right now, we both have work to do." Olivia said with a look of helplessness in her eyes.

"Who knows we will return safely today? This moment is all we've got. Let's not waste time in words." Tony said and closed his eyes.

He leaned in closer and stopped right before their lips touched. He knew that if Olivia covered the rest of the way, she wanted this as much as him. And just as he was starting to have second thoughts, he felt Olivia’s wet lips touching his own. And then it went on like a symphony, smooth and classy.

They separated after five short minutes, and there was lipstick all over Tony’s face. He looked like a clown, so Olivia told him to go wash it off.

“Come on guys, we roll in five.” Tony yelled at Gabriel and Emma after about twenty minutes.

They were standing outside the hotel after five minutes. The jeep they rented was already parked in front of the hotel, and they got in without wasting a second.

“How much time will it take to get to the base?” Tony asked Gabriel, looking at his watch.

“About One hour, in good traffic conditions. Why are you so impatient? We'll pull this off like a piece of cake. Take it easy, bruh.” Gabriel said, trying to run the jeep as fast as it could.

“Take it easy? We don’t even know if our people are alive out there. And we have already wasted much of our precious time. We have resources, and we have a plan to get them out. But we don’t have the f*****g time to get it done before it is too late. So I’m sorry if I am cranky and not ‘taking it easy’.” Tony said and looked away to hide his anger.

“Jeez, what’s gotten into him suddenly?” Emma asked Olivia from the back seat, keeping her voice low in order to avoid any thrashing from her leader.

“He’s always hyperactive whenever we are going on a mission. And you know he gets angry whenever we talk about our abducted agents. It just makes him realize that he has heavy responsibility on his shoulders. You are under a different level of stress when you are told that people's lives depend on you.” Olivia clarified.

“Call Jamal, tell him we are about to reach the gate now.” Tony said and looked out of the front seat window.

The people were looking at them like they had seen aliens. It was very uncommon and extremely dangerous for Americans to navigate these streets during the day. Even at night, the risk of getting caught and executed instantly was high. Many of them waved their hands and told them to get off the streets, and all of them were sure that this group of four c***k heads had a death wish.

A rampage of bullets on the ground just in front of the car made Gabriel kick the brakes as fast as he could. When the car finally stopped, the gunfire ceased and a whole battalion of soldiers came out running from behind the barricades and pointed their AK-47s at the jeep. The agents were at least two hundred meters away from the entry gate of the base, and they had to face a checking.

A soldier cried out something in Arabic, waving his rifle and telling the Americans to get the f**k out of the damn car. And the agents gladly obliged. After all, they had no choice.

After a while of vigorous checking, document checking and some loud cursing, the soldiers finally let the agents take the car forward. It goes without saying that the soldiers hated the sight of Americans, soldier or no soldier. On one hand, there was the American base where everyone made sure to treat them respectfully or else there were consequences. And then there was this base, where they could be as obligatory as possible, and still receive abuses in return. But the hate was understandable, so the agents decided to f**k it.

They were stopped once again at the main gate. The guards radioed their friends at the previous checkpost, and the tension increased when they didn’t respond for some time. But the response finally came through, and they lowered the guns.

And for the last time, they were stopped outside the headquarters. There was a strict anti-American policy enforced here, and getting inside the building required the highest level of clearance.

“But we have an acquaintance here!” Gabriel said as he tried to get past the guards. He thought he could make an impact on them if he used a high pitched voice. But the guard wasn’t a negotiator. He lifted his gun’s butt and struck it right into Gabriel’s forehead, sending him straight down.

The situation was about to be converted into a fist fight, but Jamal intervened at the last moment.

“They are with me!” He shouted from the first floor corridor.

The guards immediately subsided like nothing had happened and let them through. Tony was angry, and so was Gabriel. But they prioritized the mission over getting revenge. After all, they had worked hard to get where they were.

“Are you people ready to meet the general?” Jamal asked outside the general’s office.

“Yes we are, and this better not be a trick to fool us.” Tony said in an almost threatening tone.

“Careful there, you don’t want to threaten a Khalq’s army office in the heart of his territory.” Jamal said and smiled. He seemed way more comfortable talking to the agents, and this made Tony suspicious.

Jamal smiled and went into the door. After some time, he came out and raised his eyebrows, signaling them to go inside.

This was the long awaited moment, the place they had been planning to reach for so many days now. They just hoped that the general could give them what they wanted.