The Assailants Influence

Agent Grail stood with his back against the outside wall of the warehouse along with the rest of his team as he gripped his pistol. He breathed in short shallow breaths and wiped the sweat of his forehead with his gloved hand. 

“First sting operation huh newbie?” said agent Sanders to Grail who was next to him.

“Yes,” Agent Jack Grail said with a trembling whim.

“Don’t worry these things happen quickly. After the word from the captain we raid the warehouse and the crooks surrender; piece of cake.”

“I just wish he would say it already, this waiting is a killer,” the nervous SWAT team member said as he rolled his eyes and took a deep breath.’

Suddenly, the command was announced from the captain. “Move in!”

Grail and his team stormed into the warehouse entrance.

“Put your hands in the air and get on your knees!” the captain yelled.

A group of men in suits huddled around a mettle table with black suitcases on them pulled out firearms and began shooting. The mix of hand guns and sub-machine riffles riddled the air with sporadic small explosions.  Agent Sanders was shot in in his chest armor and was pushed back onto a wooden crate as he felt a mild sting on his left upper torso.

Agent grail returned fire to the one who assaulted Sanders with an M-45. The crook grasped his stomach and stumbled back as he cried out in pain and dropped his weapon.  Then the criminals picked up the cases and made a sloppy retreat. They dispersed around rows of stacked crates as the SWAT team cornered them through the only back exit.

Agent Sanders spoke to the team on the other side of the exit with his radio. “They are on their way out! Get ready!”

Just as the men in suits ran out the exit door into the daylight, the other team pointed their weapons at the criminals.”

“Freeze!” said a SWAT team member.

With that, the assailants dropped the cases and raised their arms. All of them were cuffed and put into police cars. 

Grail rushed to Sanders who was rubbing his chest. “This body armor may have saved my life but man it stings!”

“Good, you’re okay. One question though, why did we use rubber bullets?” Grail asked.

“We require them alive. We need information on the location of the mob boss himself, Claydon Fox.”         

“I’m certain the interrogation will begin ASAP. Come on; let’s go back to the station”

The two SWAT members made their way to the station only to find out the one interrogated broke like an egg. 

The captain walked into the office where Grail and Sanders were drinking coffee.

“We know the location of the next transaction where Fox is supposed to be. It will be tomorrow aboard the Western train route at 7am. You two will go undercover as mob members rigged with listening bugs. When you have recorded enough incriminating evidence, we will instruct the train conductor to stop and we will be ready to apprehend them. Understood?”

Sanders nodded but Grail feared with disbelief at the role he was to play. “Me!”

“That’s right. Think of it as a crash course. Now go home and get some rest”

It was already 9:30pm and Grail and Sanders went home. Jack had trouble sleeping that night with thoughts of something going wrong. As soon as 6am hit, Grail rush to his blue sedan and drove to the station. There he and Sanders guised themselves in black suits and were orated before the operation would begin.

The captain addressed all the staff with a stern, clear voice. “Listen up. This sting might be very short or very long and probably the most important one up until this point. The key to the operation hinges on you two.” He said eyeing them both.”

When the mobsters were seen boarding the train, Grail and Sanders slipped in among them. Once inside the illustrious train, some sat at a table while others stood by.

A seated plump man spoke up with an Italian accent. “Okay Bob, show me the merchandise before we seal the deal.

“Of course Fox,” said a man in glasses sitting across from him.

Fox spoke up again. “These weapons are just the upgrade I need for my empire.”

When Grail heard Fox’s words, a flag went up in his mind. We’ve got him! He thought. Seconds and then minutes went by with no halting of the train. What is taking them?

Then Fox said something that drove a knife of fear into his diaphragm. “Hold up boys, I smell a rat. There is an eavesdropper in our midst.” He stood up and walked amongst his underlings until he stopped right in front of agent Grail. “Hey Pally, what‘s your name?”

Then he heard something that he least expected. It was from his partner Sanders. “Go ahead Grail, tell Mr. Fox about yourself.”

Jack Grail was in disbelief. “Why Sanders? What have you done!”

  “Don’t mind me, I just disabled the listening devices and happened to make quite an amount of money with this deal. As for you…” 

Two large men took Jack Grail to the door and opened it. He saw the trees whizzing by as he was brought to the edge. Sanders smiled coyly as he spoke the last word his victim would ever hear.”

“So long partner.” Then Jack Grail was pushed out of the speeding train.”

Then he sickeningly sung the words to a song that he thought was perfect: “Hit the road, Jack, and don't you come back no more!”

 

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