Fic: Opting Out
Fic: Opting Out
Author: LMX
Fandom: Leverage
Pairing: Gen
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: None
Warnings: None
Notes: For the leverageland TV Tropes challenge, where on my second randomise (sorry purists!) I got 'Opt Out, though I may have inadvertanty strayed into Changed my mind, kid territory. Sorry, I suck at following prompts properly.
Notes2: Incidentally, I know a lot of this would never happen in a real airport. Seriously, really pushing the bounds of believability with this one. They would have been stopped WAY before this point.
Minion: Um, I've been turned into a cow. Can I go home?
Boss: You're excused. Anyone else?
Other Minions: No, we're good.'>
-
"So... well... Let's go steal a multi-national drugs cartel." Nate smiled uneasily at the row of dumb-struck looks he was getting, but was held up in his usual exit-stage-left by Eliot shaking his head in a slightly more purposeful than this-is-freaking-crazy way.
"I can't go to Colombia, Nate. I'm out of this one."
"Excuse me?" Nate asked, tone sharply demanding.
"I can't go to Colombia," Eliot repeated firmly.
"Eliot..." Sophie's voice wavered a little as she glanced between Nate and their hitter. "There's no way the team's going to Colombia with *this* plan and without *you*."
"You're going to need to be there to hit people," Parker added, her own eyes wide and nervous. "Lots of people. People with guns."
"People trying to shoot Nate in the face," Hardison added for her.
"Exactly." Parker nodded, possibly not even recognising her own quote.
"Yeah," Eliot rubbed at the back of his neck uneasily. "Problem is I've been to Colombia before, more'n once. Last I heard they had my face up on passport control as 'shoot on sight'. If I get off an aeroplane there... well, they're gonna shoot me."
"Right." Nate visibly reset. "So Eliot is sitting this one out. Anyone else have any issues?"
Parker raised a tentative hand. "What happens when someone tries to shoot you in the face?"
-
Someone was pointing a gun in Nate's face. The team were in agreement that this was not overly unexpected given that they were here without Eliot, and even with Eliot's voice in their earbuds telling them exactly who they should and shouldn't be talking to, and which areas to avoid and how to mention drugs without getting shot or arrested on the spot... well, this had happened.
"Really, Mr. Ford." The chiding drugs lord had a rich rolling accent that sounded like something out of a movie, but his gun was starkly real. "You've made this much easier for me. Now, instead of delivering the packages myself, I can send you and your friends back to America and save my little company some risk in the process. And once the material is delivered on the other side... maybe I'll have my friends shoot you for good measure."
"Why would we do that?" Nate asked, visibly searching for another way out of this.
"I'll send some of my men with you to keep you in line, don't worry. They quite enjoy spending some time in America, and if they don't have to carry the drugs it means I don't have to pay them so much." They were given a broad and perfectly-white smile.
"Nate," Eliot's voice sounded desperately distant on the comms. "Just do what he says, I'll be here at the airport when you get here. I can take them."
"You've just told us you're going to kill us anyway, why would we hand over the goods and not just go to the Police?"
"I think I'm going to keep your English duchess here," his eyes glinted as he pulled Sophie away from the others. "If my drugs don't arrive, I'll kill her. If they do... maybe I'll keep her. How about that, Mr. Ford? Are those better terms?"
Sophie was all but recoiling from the rough grip on her arm, and there was the sound of things breaking down the comms. Nate swallowed hard.
"Nate, I'm on my way. Just... make sure you all get to the airport together, alright?"
"They'll shoot you!" Parker hissed back, everyone's attention suddenly on her.
"Yes, little thief. We will."
-
They were hustled into the airport with the generic suitcases they'd been handed, surrounded by their guards in civilian clothes, all carrying luggage of their own like there was nothing suspicious going on here at all. The drug baron kept hold of Sophie's arm, keeping her separate from the others and dissuading them from making any rash moves like drawing the attention of the guards.
They made a subdued bunch as they were escorted through the check-in desks and watched the bags full of drugs being taken behind the scenes. They were being kept far enough apart that they couldn't even begin to construct a plan to get out of this, but when it became obvious they were about to leave Sophie behind in the terminal Nate turned and prepared himself for some kind of stall until he could see a better way out of this.
He was saved the effort by a series of percussive blasts that shook the building to its foundations, leaving passengers and staff alike searching for a safe place to be. All four of them took advantage of the explosions - three huge aircraft visibly on fire out by the cluster of aircraft hangers - to disarm the guards and in Sophie's case drive an elegant stiletto heel through the drug lord's foot, followed by a sharp knee to the groin.
They distanced themselves from the huddle immediately, sprinting for the nearest exits as their guards recovered themselves and set up pursuit. Just as they reached the exit, the doors burst open in front of them and Eliot charged through - already bloody and wearing a bullet proof vest - and tackled the guards who were catching up.
"Nate, there's a private jet..." Eliot started, before he was tackled by another guard. "We need flight clearance!" he finished breathlessly as the guard hit the ground hard.
"On it!"
-
"So..." Nate sat back against the plush seats of the private jet, watching Eliot struggle out of the kevlar vest. "Sitting out of this one, huh."
Eliot shrugged helplessly, and any further debate was disrupted when Sophie found the brick of cocaine Parker had hidden in her handbag.
Author: LMX
Fandom: Leverage
Pairing: Gen
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: None
Warnings: None
Notes: For the leverageland TV Tropes challenge, where on my second randomise (sorry purists!) I got 'Opt Out, though I may have inadvertanty strayed into Changed my mind, kid territory. Sorry, I suck at following prompts properly.
Notes2: Incidentally, I know a lot of this would never happen in a real airport. Seriously, really pushing the bounds of believability with this one. They would have been stopped WAY before this point.
Minion: Um, I've been turned into a cow. Can I go home?
Boss: You're excused. Anyone else?
Other Minions: No, we're good.'>
-
"So... well... Let's go steal a multi-national drugs cartel." Nate smiled uneasily at the row of dumb-struck looks he was getting, but was held up in his usual exit-stage-left by Eliot shaking his head in a slightly more purposeful than this-is-freaking-crazy way.
"I can't go to Colombia, Nate. I'm out of this one."
"Excuse me?" Nate asked, tone sharply demanding.
"I can't go to Colombia," Eliot repeated firmly.
"Eliot..." Sophie's voice wavered a little as she glanced between Nate and their hitter. "There's no way the team's going to Colombia with *this* plan and without *you*."
"You're going to need to be there to hit people," Parker added, her own eyes wide and nervous. "Lots of people. People with guns."
"People trying to shoot Nate in the face," Hardison added for her.
"Exactly." Parker nodded, possibly not even recognising her own quote.
"Yeah," Eliot rubbed at the back of his neck uneasily. "Problem is I've been to Colombia before, more'n once. Last I heard they had my face up on passport control as 'shoot on sight'. If I get off an aeroplane there... well, they're gonna shoot me."
"Right." Nate visibly reset. "So Eliot is sitting this one out. Anyone else have any issues?"
Parker raised a tentative hand. "What happens when someone tries to shoot you in the face?"
-
Someone was pointing a gun in Nate's face. The team were in agreement that this was not overly unexpected given that they were here without Eliot, and even with Eliot's voice in their earbuds telling them exactly who they should and shouldn't be talking to, and which areas to avoid and how to mention drugs without getting shot or arrested on the spot... well, this had happened.
"Really, Mr. Ford." The chiding drugs lord had a rich rolling accent that sounded like something out of a movie, but his gun was starkly real. "You've made this much easier for me. Now, instead of delivering the packages myself, I can send you and your friends back to America and save my little company some risk in the process. And once the material is delivered on the other side... maybe I'll have my friends shoot you for good measure."
"Why would we do that?" Nate asked, visibly searching for another way out of this.
"I'll send some of my men with you to keep you in line, don't worry. They quite enjoy spending some time in America, and if they don't have to carry the drugs it means I don't have to pay them so much." They were given a broad and perfectly-white smile.
"Nate," Eliot's voice sounded desperately distant on the comms. "Just do what he says, I'll be here at the airport when you get here. I can take them."
"You've just told us you're going to kill us anyway, why would we hand over the goods and not just go to the Police?"
"I think I'm going to keep your English duchess here," his eyes glinted as he pulled Sophie away from the others. "If my drugs don't arrive, I'll kill her. If they do... maybe I'll keep her. How about that, Mr. Ford? Are those better terms?"
Sophie was all but recoiling from the rough grip on her arm, and there was the sound of things breaking down the comms. Nate swallowed hard.
"Nate, I'm on my way. Just... make sure you all get to the airport together, alright?"
"They'll shoot you!" Parker hissed back, everyone's attention suddenly on her.
"Yes, little thief. We will."
-
They were hustled into the airport with the generic suitcases they'd been handed, surrounded by their guards in civilian clothes, all carrying luggage of their own like there was nothing suspicious going on here at all. The drug baron kept hold of Sophie's arm, keeping her separate from the others and dissuading them from making any rash moves like drawing the attention of the guards.
They made a subdued bunch as they were escorted through the check-in desks and watched the bags full of drugs being taken behind the scenes. They were being kept far enough apart that they couldn't even begin to construct a plan to get out of this, but when it became obvious they were about to leave Sophie behind in the terminal Nate turned and prepared himself for some kind of stall until he could see a better way out of this.
He was saved the effort by a series of percussive blasts that shook the building to its foundations, leaving passengers and staff alike searching for a safe place to be. All four of them took advantage of the explosions - three huge aircraft visibly on fire out by the cluster of aircraft hangers - to disarm the guards and in Sophie's case drive an elegant stiletto heel through the drug lord's foot, followed by a sharp knee to the groin.
They distanced themselves from the huddle immediately, sprinting for the nearest exits as their guards recovered themselves and set up pursuit. Just as they reached the exit, the doors burst open in front of them and Eliot charged through - already bloody and wearing a bullet proof vest - and tackled the guards who were catching up.
"Nate, there's a private jet..." Eliot started, before he was tackled by another guard. "We need flight clearance!" he finished breathlessly as the guard hit the ground hard.
"On it!"
-
"So..." Nate sat back against the plush seats of the private jet, watching Eliot struggle out of the kevlar vest. "Sitting out of this one, huh."
Eliot shrugged helplessly, and any further debate was disrupted when Sophie found the brick of cocaine Parker had hidden in her handbag.