strides of the group of cars and bikes. There were seven vehicles in all, and one particular bike on the outer edge beckoned to her. It would do nicely.
Ziva cautiously picked her way across a more open area, careful to avoid detection by a few nearby officers who had their backs turned. A large stack of empty storage containers hid her from view as she knelt down among the cars and began to formulate a plan.
None of the vehicles had their ignition keys in them, a smart move on the part of these agents. Finding any keys in the camp – all the while avoiding being caught – would be close to impossible. Hotwiring was always an option, but it would take time Ziva wasn’t sure she had. For the time being, however, it was the best choice she had. She began to fiddle with the control panel on the bike she had chosen.
Not ten seconds after she’d started, Ziva ducked down behind the machine to avoid being seen by an agent who had suddenly appeared on the edge of the camp. He was wearing a full riding suit and had a matching helmet tucked up under one arm. A key dangled from his other hand.
“I’ll check in when I get there,” he hollered back into the camp. He shook his head as if he were glad to be getting away and mounted the bike on the other side of the car beside Ziva’s.
She saw the opportunity and made her move. Staying low, she crept around the bike and car and came up behind the unsuspecting agent as he started his bike’s engine. She came within a meter of him while he leaned over and took up the helmet from where it had been balancing on the handlebars. With her footsteps drowned out by the hum of the engine, she leaped onto the seat behind him and hooked her elbow around his throat just as he was sliding the helmet over his head.
The young officer was too stunned to do anything other than flail his arms at her and claw at the helmet visor that had fallen down over his face. By the time he had mustered up any form of reaction, Ziva could already feel the sleeper hold taking effect. She tightened her grip, gradually cutting off the blood supply to his brain. Slowly the agent quit fighting and slumped back against her, unconscious.
She slid off the seat, moved the body back, then jumped onto the front with his limp form leaning against her back. Yanking the steering column around, she took the bike into a sharp turn, spraying mud over the vehicles around her with the repulsors. She steered the bike into the forest and away from the camp, keeping the officer’s body between herself and any agents who happened to look up at the departing vehicle. By the time anyone realized the man and his bike weren’t coming back, she would be long gone.
-17-
Abandoned Relay Station
Outskirts of Haphor, Haphez
Two hours later, Ziva stepped off the hoverbike outside an old relay station no longer in use. The building sat at the base of a tall comm tower; both structures were positioned on top of a hill that rose up between a small river and a road connecting Haphor to some outlying towns. The route was seldom used anymore due to the more powerful relay stations that had been built further away from the city.
Thick foliage concealed the area well, but from where she stood now Ziva had a decent view of the road below and could also see several different air traffic lanes from a distance. She looked down the other side of the hill to the little river. It rushed along at the bottom of a crevice it had worn over the years, with steep banks rising up on either side. The edges of the bed were lined with boulders and pebbles of all sizes that had been washed smooth by the water that rushed faithfully toward Haphor and the Tranyi River. It would provide the perfect means of escape if the need arose.
Ziva now donned the riding suit the young agent had been wearing. It fit well, though it was a bit baggy. That was fine, she concluded, as it would allow her to remain androgynous and faceless in just about any setting. The
Ziva cautiously picked her way across a more open area, careful to avoid detection by a few nearby officers who had their backs turned. A large stack of empty storage containers hid her from view as she knelt down among the cars and began to formulate a plan.
None of the vehicles had their ignition keys in them, a smart move on the part of these agents. Finding any keys in the camp – all the while avoiding being caught – would be close to impossible. Hotwiring was always an option, but it would take time Ziva wasn’t sure she had. For the time being, however, it was the best choice she had. She began to fiddle with the control panel on the bike she had chosen.
Not ten seconds after she’d started, Ziva ducked down behind the machine to avoid being seen by an agent who had suddenly appeared on the edge of the camp. He was wearing a full riding suit and had a matching helmet tucked up under one arm. A key dangled from his other hand.
“I’ll check in when I get there,” he hollered back into the camp. He shook his head as if he were glad to be getting away and mounted the bike on the other side of the car beside Ziva’s.
She saw the opportunity and made her move. Staying low, she crept around the bike and car and came up behind the unsuspecting agent as he started his bike’s engine. She came within a meter of him while he leaned over and took up the helmet from where it had been balancing on the handlebars. With her footsteps drowned out by the hum of the engine, she leaped onto the seat behind him and hooked her elbow around his throat just as he was sliding the helmet over his head.
The young officer was too stunned to do anything other than flail his arms at her and claw at the helmet visor that had fallen down over his face. By the time he had mustered up any form of reaction, Ziva could already feel the sleeper hold taking effect. She tightened her grip, gradually cutting off the blood supply to his brain. Slowly the agent quit fighting and slumped back against her, unconscious.
She slid off the seat, moved the body back, then jumped onto the front with his limp form leaning against her back. Yanking the steering column around, she took the bike into a sharp turn, spraying mud over the vehicles around her with the repulsors. She steered the bike into the forest and away from the camp, keeping the officer’s body between herself and any agents who happened to look up at the departing vehicle. By the time anyone realized the man and his bike weren’t coming back, she would be long gone.
-17-
Abandoned Relay Station
Outskirts of Haphor, Haphez
Two hours later, Ziva stepped off the hoverbike outside an old relay station no longer in use. The building sat at the base of a tall comm tower; both structures were positioned on top of a hill that rose up between a small river and a road connecting Haphor to some outlying towns. The route was seldom used anymore due to the more powerful relay stations that had been built further away from the city.
Thick foliage concealed the area well, but from where she stood now Ziva had a decent view of the road below and could also see several different air traffic lanes from a distance. She looked down the other side of the hill to the little river. It rushed along at the bottom of a crevice it had worn over the years, with steep banks rising up on either side. The edges of the bed were lined with boulders and pebbles of all sizes that had been washed smooth by the water that rushed faithfully toward Haphor and the Tranyi River. It would provide the perfect means of escape if the need arose.
Ziva now donned the riding suit the young agent had been wearing. It fit well, though it was a bit baggy. That was fine, she concluded, as it would allow her to remain androgynous and faceless in just about any setting. The
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