Episode III - Like a Pigeon Among Cats

Standing before the foreign man, Jacob knew he was in for a fight. He also knew that he was the one man for this fight.
“Stand aside” He told Will and Jason.
“Jacob,” his earpiece buzzed, “You turned off your targeting computer. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing Taylor,” Jacob replied, “I’m alright” he added as he mentally prepared himself for the one on one fight.

With Will and Jason fading back, Jacob and the foreign man sized each other up. Jacob lunged, trying to take him by surprise, and launched a kick, but the foreigner was fast, and blocked with his wrist. Regaining balance, Jacob waited for the counter attack. The foreigner closed in, tried to give Jacob a left but was blocked. Then a right, another block. Then a kick in the crotch, and Jacob was laid low to the floor.



“Kill him!” Jacob yelled, suddenly pre-pubescent.

Jason and Will moved in, tag-teaming the now outnumbered foreign man, but he was good. Almost too good. Breaking away from them, he ran towards the door, but Jacob had regained poise, if not his deep voice, and cut him off. Bested, the foreigner quickly swallowed a cyanide pill.

“Well damn, here we three Americans are with a dead foreigner in Monaco, this will look real good with the press.” Jacob said.
“I’ll take a blood sample, he might have been using performance enhancing drugs,” said Will.
“Good idea,” Jacob replied. “Taylor, did you catch that?”
“Yeah,” his earpiece buzzed, “I’ll be able to get results back to you by this afternoon.”

Impressed that he had managed to get in a fight, a bike chase, a boat chase, a foot chase, and destroy a good portion of a local casino all before noon, Jacob searched the dead man.

“Here’s his phone.” Jacob said, looking up.
“Is it HTC?” Will asked.
“No, so we know he’s not with Columbia. But,” he added, looking through the phone, “he looks to have made and received several calls from Bourg-Saint-Maurice.”
“Yes, where the Tour was just yesterday,” Jason added. “Whoever is behind this must have been following the Tour around.”
“Well then that’s what we’ll have to do,” Jacob said. “Gentlemen, pack your bags, we’re going to Le-Grand-Bornand.”

Arriving in Le-Grand-Bornand, Jacob, Will, Jason and Taylor were met with the frenzy that is the Tour de France. People everywhere at the finish. People dressed up in ridiculous attire, people wearing disturbingly revealing attire, it was all here.

Figuring that the best people to ask would be the reporters, but only knowing English, the four approached the Versus booth, which was occupied by Craig Hummer and Bob Roll at the time.

“Gentleman!” Bob exclaimed, “How nice to see three pro’s and a Texas Cat 4 here at the Tour, how ya guys been?”
“Keep it down Bob, we’re undercover.”
“Must be hard being an under cover pro cyclist at the Tour de France.”
“Yes,” replied Jacob, “but we’ve created some smoke and mirrors to distract the nosy. The whole Contador-Armstrong feud, we invented that to keep eyes away from us, and from the disappearance of Horner.”
“Ah,” Bob replied, “so there has been a response, good.”
“Yes,” Taylor added, “can you help us out?”
“Well, I don’t know anything” Craig Hummer replied, “but perhaps you could…ask Bobke!”

Everyone laughed. Just then Paul and Phil came in. Repeating the same question, these weathered commentators did have something to add.

“Well just between you and me,” Phil began, “something has seemed completely and utterly out of place here. There’s been a mysterious vehicle following the Tour around. No fans come out from it, it’s not a press or team vehicle, and one soon begins to wonder where exactly it belongs.”
“That’s exactly right Phil,” Paul started, “this mysterious vehicle seems like it might be the key to finding your compatriot. If I were you, that’s where I’d begin.”
“Now, to make things more interesting,” Craig added, “if they’re right, they’ll get five points added our little Versus competition here, if they’re wrong though, Bobke and I will get them. A little competition across the pond if you will.”
“Yeah, sure, whatever.” Jacob said, biding them thanks and farewell.

Breaking out their little monoculars, they scanned the area for any suspicious-looking vehicle, but there was none in sight.

“Alright, let’s split up,” Jacob decided, “Will, you come with me. Taylor and Jason, you two stick together. Let’s synchronize our watches.”
“I’m not wearing a watch,” Will objected.
A look down and Jacob realized that he too was not wearing a watch.
“Curious. Well, let’s put in our four-way earpieces that look like Bluetooth gadgets.”

Suiting up, they left.

Jacob and Will looked around for quite some time, but couldn’t see anything. Nor could Jacob find a vendor selling one of those Skoda Yetis given to the best young rider. He’d have to remember to ask Andy Schleck for one. Just then though, voices came through his ear-piece.
“Jacob and Will, this is Taylor, we’ve found the vehicle and we’re in a stealth-like pursuit, it looks to be leaving town, we’ll follow innocently on some bikes we stole.”
“Alright, we’ll do the same.”

And they peddled away.

“Will, Jacob, this is Jason. We’ve followed them to an old barn and will observe what goes on, will let you know, over.”

Moving as quick as they could, Jacob and Will put their team time trial experience to good use.

“Jacob, Will, this is Taylor, they might have spotted us.”
“Keep a cool head in there rookie,” Jacob advised.

“Horner is here though.”
“Make sure they don’t move him.”
“10-4.”

Jacob and Will were TTT’ing ever closer, but it was not fast enough.

“Alright,” Jason’s voice sounded across the countryside, “we’ve been found, we’re trying to escape now, we could use extraction if you’ve got a tandem lying around. Oh nuts, we’re trapped.”

Silence. And then.

“Crap! Ninjas!”

WILL JACOB AND WILL ARRIVE IN TIME?? AND WHO ARE THESE NINJAS?? STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT!!

Episode IV: Redemption