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                “I do appreciate the money that you and your associates have invested in this operation, but it IS an operation. It’s a military operation. And you don’t know d!ck about that.”

                                Vic Deakins, Broken Arrow

                “This is team one. All teams, sound in,” Alex said into his earpiece.

                Across the street from the casino on the dock, Sarah sat at the café.  Dressed in a red evening gown, she held her hand by her ear as if she had a headache.  Sitting at the table next to her, Eliot pretended to study a digital chess set.  “Team two, ready.”

                Down the wharf, along the curve of the waterfront, Isaiah lay prone on the top of a rooftop, a long rifle extending from his shoulder over the side of the building.  Lying next to him, Irene laid as well, holding binoculars by her black-painted face.  “Team three, ready.”

                Almost a kilometer from the casino, Adam and Emma sat on a bench looking out over the nighttime water.  Adam held a bouquet of flowers, smiling widely as Emma glanced about nervously.  “Team four, ready.”

                Inside the casino, Jason sat at a poker table, his index finger tapping against his lips. The other four players watched him as he studied the chips before him.  He took a moment to glance at his cards, then pushed two red chips into the center of the table.

                Behind him, at the bar, Til leaned on one hand, keeping a constant eye on Jason.  “Team five, ready.”

                “Very well,” came Assif’s voice.  Standing in the meeting room, his eyes were locked on the screen as it displayed a dozen different screens.  He glanced back at Lisa as she sat at the closest corner of the table, then turned back to the screen.  “Commence the operation.”

                Alex stood up from Jin as the hacker sat at the front console of the security station.  Alex turned around to see a man in a brown business suit staring unhappily at him.  “<We’re beginning the operation, Mr. LeBihan. >”

                “<Oh, please, >” he said with sarcastic graciousness.

                The evening wore on.  The city came to life with an electric glow, creating a gentle atmosphere in the air.  The light reflected from the sky, making the clouds rose-colored while the water lapped generously against the piers, affectionately massaging the boats and docks.  Along the streets of the city and the docks of the wharf, the glow of the street lamps was accompanied by a gentle, flowery music that filled every corner of the city, giving inspiring life to the night.

                “Activity’s pretty normal on the street,” Sarah whispered to herself, keeping an eye on the people as they strolled down the nighttime path.  The glow of the city lights reflected off the water, giving the night a comfortable illuminated glow.  She glanced back at Eliot.  “Anything?”

                He shook his head subtly, watching the chessboard as it displayed the local streets and the traffic passing along them.

                “How’s our boy doing?” asked Alex’s voice through Til’s earpiece.

                “Jason’s up by about a thousand,” Til answered.

                “Not Jason, MacLean,” Alex reprimanded.

                “Oh,” Til said.  Standing in his black suit, he glanced further into the back of the casino where the man sat alone, nursing a simple drink.  “He’s fine.  He’s still alone.”

                “We’ve got somebody matching the description,” came Isaiah’s voice over the network.

                Next to him, Irene perked up, looking through the binoculars.  She panned around the casino until she spotted a young man with a bushy beard and a green shirt on underneath a tanned leather jacket.  He walked casually, but carried a plastic shopping bag with him.  He marveled at the city lights, smiling grandly.

                Across the street, Eliot perked up, watching as the man approached the casino.  “What makes him stand out?”

                “He looks like a tourist,” Sarah said, pretending to read over the menu.  “A tourist wouldn’t know about this place.”

                The guy stepped up to the door and knocked, glancing around with a nervous look.  In the security center, Alex leaned over Jin’s shoulder, watching the cameras.  The closest security camera took a quick black and white photo and blew it up for all to see.  “Looks like him,” Alex said.  He looked back at LeBihan.  “<Is he a regular? >”  The gangster just shook his head, indifferent.

                Alex turned back to Jin.  “Let him in,” he said.  “Alright guys,” he said into the earpiece. “We’re on.”

                The man slipped into the casino with a huge grin.  Marveling with delight at the establishment, he headed over to the bar and sat down at the free seat by Til.  “Hey-hey!” he called to the bartender.  “Um…” He paused.  “<May I have a…cup of…wine? >” he asked in terrible French.

                The bartender stared at him, then nodded.  “I speak English,” he suggested with an annoyed tone.  “What kind of wine?”

                “Oh, um,” the man said.  “Red.”

The bartender stared at him.

The young man smiled weakly, then glanced around, looking to Til.  “Hey, can you recommend a brand or something?”

“I will get you something tasty,” the bartender said, shaking his head as he turned away.  The young man looked at Til and smiled nervously.  Til didn’t even bother to return the look.

                “Are you sure this is the guy?” Jin asked to Alex.

                “Don’t be fooled,” Assif said to Lisa, watching through the piped digital image of the bar.  “He meets what little description MacLean could supply us with.”

“Is that enough?” Lisa asked.

“This may well be just an act,” Assif maintained confidently.

                Sitting on the wharf, Adam looked at Emma and smiled.  “I really did get these flowers for you,” he said sweetly.

                She paused for a beat before she smiled at him.  “They’re, they’re lovely,” she said, brushing her hair behind her ear and turning away. “Jason,” she whispered inside of her own mind, “Adam’s really trying to hit on me.”

                Inside the casino, Jason smirked to himself.  “You’ll pardon me if I’m amused by that,” he said internally as he counted the value of his cards.  He glanced at the other bets on the table, then pushed his cards in, folding out.  “Besides, I’m surrounded by gun-toting maniacs which are probably going to try and kill me in just a few minutes.”

                “But that guy came in alone,” Emma said telepathically.

                “Emma, I’ll wager a third of the people already in here are with MacLean’s employer,” Jason said across the distance to her.  “This is gonna turn ugly, no matter what Alex and Sarah insist.”

                “Oh wow,” Emma said aloud.  Adam piqued up at her words.  She smiled defensively to him, then turned away again.

                The young man bit at the taste of the wine, licking his lips.  He looked at Til.  “It’s not bad,” he squeaked.  Til glanced at him, then ignored him.  The young man nodded, then looked around the casino.  “I think I want to try my luck,” he announced to himself.  With his glass in one hand and the bag in the other, he stood up and began to wander into the casino.

                As soon as he was a few steps away, Til casually scratched his ear, hitting his earpiece.  “Target is up.”  Til glanced up at the mirror over the bar, watching as the man followed an elaborate path through the casino, mingling with the scantily clad waitresses and servers.  But in time, his movements began to take him towards the corner where MacLean sat.

                Til glanced around the casino quickly, noting the large collection of eyes that followed the young man.  “Alex,” Til spoke up, “there may be a few more people in here to be worried about than we thought about.”

                In the security central, Alex watched as the majority of the casino did their best to hide their interest in the young man.  “Alright teams,” Alex said.  “Get ready to…”

                “We have a new target.”

                Alex looked up, confused.  “Isaiah?”

                “New target,” Isaiah said quickly, staring through the powerful scope of his rifle.  Next to him, Irene perked up, surprised.  She began to scan the wharf with her binoculars.  “I didn’t even see him until he was right on top of the casino.”

                Irene’s jaw dropped.  “Where’d he come from?”

                Sarah and Eliot both looked up from their distractions, unable to see anyone near the casino.  “Where is he?” Eliot asked.

                Down the wharf, Adam and Emma both turned, glancing down the street.  No one was visible.  “I don’t see anyone,” Emma reported.

                “Jin,” Alex said, leaning closely over him.  “Can we get a perspective of the street?”

                “Too late,” Isaiah said.  “He’s at the door.”

                On the screen, a muscular young man with a lithe, dancer’s body stepped into the view of the camera.  In crystal-clear black and white, he looked up without worry or tension on his face, his chinstrap beard giving him a timeless expression.

                Alex’s eyes froze on the man.

                “Isaiah,” came Sarah’s voice over the network.  “Say again. Is there someone at the door?  We can’t see anyone.”

                “There’s someone at the door,” Jin confirmed.  He looked up at Alex.  “What do we do?”

                Alex glanced at the screens inside the casino, watching as the young man approached MacLean.  He looked back at the figure at the door.  His heart began to pound.  “There’s something…” he whispered, staring at the newcomer.  “Emma,” he called.  “Do you detect any magic?”

                “No,” she said.  “None at all.”

                Alex took another breath, studying the man in the trench coat.

                “Alex,” came Assif’s voice.  “He’s armed.”

                “He’s what?” Alex said.

                “His trench coat is pulling slightly to one side,” came the chief’s voice.

                Alex studied the picture on the screen for a moment longer.  “That’s not a gun,” he puzzled, looking more and more troubled.

                “<Are you going to let him in or make him wait out there all night? >” LeBihan demanded, coming up behind Alex.

                Alex stared for a moment longer, then put his hand on Jin’s shoulder.  “Can you turn one of the other cameras to see him?”

                “Yeah,” Jin said.  “But why?”

                “I want a different view,” Alex said.  He looked as a different camera view turned slowly, its color image contrasting sharply with the predominately black and white cameras.  As the new picture came into view, it showed the well-developed athlete dressed in all black beneath his trench coat save for his powerful red shirt.

                Alex’s jaw dropped.

                Lisa watched as horror swept across Assif’s face.  The dark-skinned man stared fearfully up at the image that was fed back through to the screen.  “Assif?” she asked, standing.  “What is it?”

                Alex yanked his earpiece down off his ear, holding it to his mouth.  “Abort!” he shouted.  “Abort! I repeat: Abort!”

                “Abort?!” Isaiah exclaimed, looking up.

                “Abort?” Sarah shouted, half-standing from her seat.  “Are you out of your damn mind? Why?”

                Alex’s heart froze in his chest.  “We have an Arthur,” he breathed.

                Silence spread over the network.

                “We have an Arthur,” Alex repeated, his voice tense with an edge of fear, “we have an Arthur and a possible Mordred contingency.”

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