Eggsy and his team of three leapt from the helicopter hovering over the abandoned airfield.
Thud, thud, thud.
Their armored suits absorbed the impact as they landed in a half-crouch, forming a triangle around Edward Bailey, who stood 15 meters away, visibly stunned.
"Edward Bailey, hand over the red mercury," Eggsy commanded.
As the three Kingsman agents straightened up, their luminous armor gleaming in the night, Edward stared at them, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Has the world moved on this much while I was locked away?" he muttered, dazed.
To Edward, who had been isolated for 31 years, the sight of three functional, battle-ready armored suits was nothing short of science fiction.
Eggsy stepped closer, stopping two meters from Edward. "Edward Bailey, as a Kingsman agent, I command you to surrender the red mercury nuke and comply immediately."
Edward's gaze lingered on the suits, admiration flickering in his eyes. With a smirk, he quipped, "No reading me my rights?"
"We're not the police, Mr. Bailey," Eggsy replied smugly. "We're a special agency."
"Fair enough," Edward said, nodding. A flicker of regret crossed his face as he muttered to himself. He regretted not risking an air drop for the red mercury while still aboard the transport plane; this confrontation could have been avoided.
"Alright, alright," Edward conceded, crouching down with the nuke. However, as the Kingsman agents eased slightly, he opened the case and quickly began entering the activation code.
"Beep, beep," the device chirped. An old digital screen lit up, initiating a countdown: 59:59.
"Take him down!" Harry Hart's voice crackled through their earpieces. "He's trying to detonate the nuke!"
Bang!
A single gunshot echoed.
Edward's body crumpled to the ground, a look of disbelief etched on his face. His thoughts lingered even as life slipped away: Why didn't it explode?
Eggsy and Laura glanced nervously at Wesley, who had fired the shot. Following Wesley's line of sight, they saw the countdown on the device ticking down from 59 minutes.
"Well, at least it didn't blow immediately," Eggsy muttered, wiping his brow. "But how do we deal with it now?"
Laura looked toward the nearby transport plane. "We could fly it up as high as possible. When the timer's close, we parachute out and let it detonate midair."
"Not a bad plan," Eggsy nodded. "I've heard this type of nuke doesn't leave any radiation."
Eggsy hurried to the plane to check for parachutes. Scanning the interior with his suit's sensors, Sunday informed him, "Military-grade parachutes located. However, with the weight of your suits, I recommend parachuting over the ocean."
"Got it," Eggsy replied, relieved. Injuries were manageable with Kingsman's self-healing tech. Death wasn't on the table.
Returning to the others, Eggsy overheard Laura's worried voice. "Guys, come look at this. There's something off about this nuke."
"What's wrong?"
Eggsy and Wesley rushed to Laura's side as she explained, "The components inside are suspiciously modern. Either this nuke is fake, or it's been heavily modified."
Eggsy and Wesley activated their scanners, carefully examining the device.
Before they could process the implications, the distinct hum of helicopter blades filled the air. Looking up, they spotted three armed helicopters approaching.
The choppers hovered above, lowering a team of heavily armed soldiers via ropes.
The soldiers quickly surrounded the Kingsman agents but refrained from raising their weapons, instead eyeing their suits with a mix of awe and envy.
Hand resting on their weapons, Eggsy, Laura, and Wesley maintained a tense silence.
After a brief pause, a general with a star on his uniform descended from one of the helicopters and approached them.
"Step aside," he ordered firmly.
"Sorry, mate, we don't take orders from you," Eggsy shot back without hesitation.
Clearly aware of who the Kingsman agents were and understanding that conventional weapons were useless against their armor, the general sighed. "At least let my team examine the device to ensure it won't accidentally detonate."
"No," Eggsy replied. "Not until I confirm your identities. The last thing we need is someone triggering the red mercury on purpose."
From the helicopter above, Harry Hart's voice intervened. "Eggsy, stand down. The boss just confirmed their credentials. Let them take over."
"Got it," Eggsy said reluctantly, stepping aside.
Two soldiers carrying large equipment cases rushed forward and began scanning the nuke.
Minutes later, one of them called out, "Sir, there's an issue with the detonation mechanism."
"What kind of issue?" the general demanded.
The soldier hesitated. "I recommend moving the device to the aircraft for further examination or disarming it midair. This way, even if it detonates, it won't cause mass casualties."
"Good idea," Harry's voice interjected again. "And should the worst happen, your men can parachute to safety."
The general paused, nodded, and ordered two technicians and two pilots onto the transport plane.
The group watched as the aircraft took off, escorted by fighter jets deployed to ensure its safe passage.
With the situation temporarily resolved, the Kingsman agents boarded their own helicopter and returned to headquarters.
Back in Moscow, Ethan watched as Church's frustrated tirade turned into a tense silence. For over ten minutes, Church stood by the bridge, staring into the water, clearly listening to updates.
Finally, Ethan asked, "Well? What's happening?"
Church turned to him, exhaling deeply as Sunday informed him the transport plane had taken off. "The nuke's countdown is running, but the British military is flying it high into the air to disarm it or let it detonate far from any populated areas."
"And Edward Bailey?" Ethan pressed.
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