It All Started With Magnets

.30.

Hudson

Luke adjusted his ballistic vest and mentally cursed several dozen times. He had no idea why they were on their way to this potentially deadly situation and why he had agreed to it.

Unknown source? Check.

Meeting alone? Check.

Middle of nowhere? Check.

Unable to know and register all variables of a rapidly evolving situation? Check.

Checking every single one of those boxes on a mission would have him pulling the plug and yet they were hovering over a logging road in the fucking rockies going to pick up an American scientist Matthews apparently knew from Nasa.

Unknown source potentially compromised by a potentially hostile foreign government? Fucking check.

"Okay. I'm going to lower us down to the road now." Matthews called it out from her place in the cockpit.

Luke wanted to tell her to take them back to the compound but instead he found himself pulling up his mask, making sure it was resting properly on his face. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." He hissed it out. It wasn't even the blatant bribery. Yah he wanted to learn to fly the ship but for some stupid reason, every time that woman opened her mouth and said something about doing good and being kind and making friends, he wanted to cave in. Which was bad, really really bad. He couldn't be doing that when she was relying on him to keep her safe. He had to be the one to make the tough choices on how to keep her safe, not want to buckle underneath her apparent need to be a good person. There was a damn good reason he called her Aun. Fucking Tau.

"Alright. We have touch down. When you open the hatch, I'll lower the shields and as soon as you're out, they go right back up, just like you said." She was trying to be reassuring, he could tell she was, but all it was doing was driving up his agitation. He had told her that if anything happened, that she was to immediately leave, even if it meant leaving him behind because her safety was paramount. She hadn't really wanted to agree to it but just like Commander Hollister did, he made her say it.

The only, only, saving grace was he was the one going out to get the scientist. She was staying in the ship, the shields were staying up, and she had the ability to bug out in an instant. That was the only reassurance he had. He adjusted his grip on his C8 carbine, narrowing his eyes as he hit the hatch button. The hatch slid open and the walkway extended. He waited, his heart thumping hard in his chest.

"Shields down." She called it out and he quickly stepped through the opening. "Shields back up." He could faintly hear her but he ignored it. He had his C8 already up and he was scanning the dark area, looking for the subject he was supposed to retrieve.

A figure in a blue jacket, standing in the middle of the road, had his hands up in the air. "I'm Armaan Mahal." He called it out. "I'm going to take off my jacket like Roxie said I needed too." Luke kept his carbine trained on the man as he dropped one hand and slowly unzipped his jacket and then shook the one sleeve off. He was wearing only a t-shirt underneath but Luke watched for any extra bulkiness that would denote a bomb vest or a wire. The free arm went up and the other went down as the jacket fell to the ground. "I'm going to turn around now." He did as he said and when his back was to Luke he moved.

"On your knees!" Luke barked it out and the man jolted but did as requested and Luke moved quickly. He was over there and putting the man in handcuffs nearly instantly. He quickly patted him down, lifting up his shirt to make sure there was nothing there that the scientist could use to hurt Matthews. "You hurt her. In any way. I'm going to drop you so fucking fast you won't even feel it. I will kill you and I have full permission and support from my superiors. Do you understand me?" He hissed it out and the man nodded quickly.