Part 14: Ghost Recon – Lite Brite Edition

– Ghost Recon – Lite Brite Edition

Last time, after a tense meeting with Harmonica, Thorn agreed to meet Max at the stakeout of Birdsong’s apartment. He’s set up a meeting with his informant, and it’s time to finally get some answers.



So it’s off to the stakeout, where surely things will go smoothly…



Oh. Max is dead, joining Lange and Parker. It’s not healthy to work with Thorn. Nothing to do really but poke around and look for clues.











The camera might hold some clues. Evidently Max was using it to keep tabs on Birdsong.





God Almighty, what sadistic son of a bitch did this?!

I’ll dispatch a clean-up team. Stay on task.

That camera must hold some clues.





The footage shows Birdsong pacing on his balcony.



Some goons jump him.



So that’s our bad guy. Let’s see if image analysis can clean it up.







Mix and Match face recognition isn’t available here, but this guy looks really familiar. Maybe Pearson’s files will refresh our memory.







So this is Kneecaps. And the address is in Pearson’s Ops Log. No problem.







Time to report in.











Good work finding Kneecaps. I’ll dispatch an assault team ASAP. I want this guy.









So this is how it works. A special forces team has assembled outside Kneecaps’ apartment. Thorn will be cozily sitting in a van, directing the op by satellite. The idea is to get in and get out with Birdsong.











Pipe down, that’s enough! You sound like a bunch of Squeals.

Now, your display gives you a top-down view of this building, with a little help from a GPS satellite. Each of us is equipped. Send us a command, we work a special angle. I’ve got fiber-optic viewing. My tool makes an opening, I spy a room from any adjacent wall or door. Sgt. Schiff carries some potent charges to clear a path through a wall. Aguila slices landlines, Washington handles the grenades.

I’m running point, Schiff rear security. But you can change the order of movement.

Now listen, Thorn, we’re counting on you to get us through this without hostile contact. And remember, this is a shadow op. Let’s avoid the local authorities. Some of us want to see our families again.

5..4..3..2..1..Execute..Execute..Execute!

Here we go. Motion scans show movement on the first and second floors.





Corp. Aguilar heads to the basement to cut the landlines. If Thorn skips this step, the civilians are likely to call the police.



Thorn, I’ve got the phone relays, just say the word.



Landlines are neutralized. This will buy us some time.

Next, all four move to the second floor.





Sgt. Schiff blows a hole in the south wall of the north-easternmost room, and Sgt. Washington throws a stun grenade.





Lt. Henderson leads the charge through the doorway into Birdsong’s cell.

Friendly is secure, repeat: friendly is secure. Executing exfiltration at this time, over.

And that’s how a shadow op is done. We could have sent our troops through many more room, exposing them to hostile fire, and barging in on civilians. There are some humorous encounters, with the team barging in on musicians practicing their instruments, and even amorous couples. And it’s possible to kill Birdsong with a stun grenade.



I had no idea they could do such horror. Everyone was my enemy, you threatened me. They acted as my friends. I told them about Max. I never thought they’d kill her!

They tortured me, forced me to reveal information about our warheads. Procat already stole a bomb. They’re mercenaries, people with no conscience. They plan to auction Russia’s nuclear arsenal, bomb by bomb. This has been hell. Everyone has betrayed me, I betrayed everyone. I’m so sorry. Now you must stop these people!

So Birdsong is back in friendly hands. But he wasn’t able to meet with his contact, and he doesn’t really have any new information about the assassination. Another dead end.





I found another communication from the mole. It’s a pair of messages – one from Fred Vorbel. The other’s from Anon0629 – an anonymous remailer in Finland. And whoever they are, they sure know how to stay faceless on the net. Anyway, I tried decoding them – no go. Nothing else has paid off yet, so if you have any ideas on the source, run it through the Cypher tool.





Just to be sure, we’ll run them through using the books we have. Holt could have been mistaken. Or he could be the mole.





Nothing. Let’s see if there are any updates to the EBMC.











Let’s try that new book.





Our mole is named Maxwell.





And the mole will meet Mirage in 3 days.





Thorn, I’m impressed. I think you’ve got our mole in a pickle. They used to call me the Scout. I might have to pass the baton. But don’t get cocky just yet. The longitude and latitude you decrypted from the mole message – Tunisia. Remote Tunisia. Near an old training ground for leftist guerillas. A real pleasure zone. Watch your ass in there.



Next time on Spycraft – The Great Game

It’s off to Tunisia to confront the mole and Mirage!

I’m no cartographer, but those coordinates look a little deep to me: