Dragon Two-Zero (Fury's Fire Book 1)

by William McCaskey

  Metal clattered on graphcrete as the ladder smacked against the building, and Reaver grabbed the sides quickly to silence the seemingly deafening noise. With the bottom rung just off the street, Reaver gripped a few steps higher and pulled down, almost hanging from the ladder to create tension and ease the climb for his Marines.

  Bull was the first to ascend the ladder, and as he reached the halfway point, Harlequin made his way up. Harlequin was about three-quarters of the way up when Bull crested the roof and rolled over the edge, and Alice could begin her climb. Harlequin was clear of the ladder and Alice halfway up the building when Space Case started up. Watching Space climb, Reaver could barely see the muzzle of Harlequin’s rifle peeking over the roof’s edge; he would have to remind his sniper that while he appreciated the cover and security, you didn’t give away your position. With Space Case off the ladder, Reaver could release the tension, and ready for his ascent up the building.

  Ensuring that his rifle was, Reaver reached up as high as he could on the ladder and took a firm grip. Bracing his feet against the wall, with his body forming a vague L-shape, Reaver walked himself up the wall, making sure to keep constant tension on the ladder before he reached for a higher rung. By the time he reached the top and grabbed Bull’s offered wrist, his shoulders burned, and the still not fully healed core of his body yelled at him for walking a building while carrying a combat load. Bull’s thick fingers wrapped around his wrist, and the big Recon’s strength assisted Reaver the rest of the way over the edge of the roof. While Titan drew the ladder up and returned it to the pouch hanging from the left rear of his combat vest, Reaver rolled his shoulders out and enjoyed the warmth the exertion had created.

  Alice took point, leading her squadmates on silent feet across the rooftop. Stretched out before her she could see a veritable ‘high’ road laid out by the demolition and destruction caused by the enemy forces. At some points, she slowed down after clearing a bridge because Bull or Titan, while agile for their size, needed more time to cross the span between buildings. She smiled to herself, taking a slight amount of personal pleasure in the ease with which she accomplished some tasks while the bigger Marines struggled.

  The Renks had dropped the buildings in such a way as to prevent a large-scale force from being able to push into this sector with a full assault. Doing it her way, Alice would have added in some nasty surprises to wait for any armored columns that tried to force through the rubble blocked streets; and with everything going pear-shaped on this rock she wouldn’t have been surprised if the Renks had done exactly that. She did find humor in the irony, as she balance-walked across the remains of a building’s spire spanning a chasm created by cratering charges, that the Renks had unknowingly created a backdoor for a small-scale strike force to get into the sector and do their work before the Renks realized they were there. Experience told her that the Renks would need to be cleared out of Craxus eventually, but that wasn’t her concern right now. Tonight was about getting a fellow warrior home, just like she’d want her comrades to do for her.

  Over an hour and a half later, Space Case signaled a halt. Reaver moved forward to check what had pulled his point man up short. While the other members of the squad remained as low as possible to avoid highlighting themselves with visible movement against the backdrop of Craxxus’ starlit night sky, Reaver shifted toward Space’s position in smooth slow movements, thankful that the raised edge of the roof gave him about three-quarters of a meter to move behind.

  As he passed his Marines, Reaver took stock of their status. He could see the rolling of joints where the continuous movement and constant awareness to stay low had taken its toll. And on each of them, dark splotches stained where they had wiped hands clean of the blood of enemy sentries and patrols. Fortune had smiled on them tonight; none had been injured, and no alarms had been raised so far.

  Sliding into the wall beside Space, Reaver removed his helmet and snuck his body upward, tilting his head to the side so he could get a view over the wall without showing the entire top of his head. Space had brought them to a vantage point overlooking the area they had determined to be the prime spot for the Renks to be keeping the Army Lieutenant. Dropping his body back to the rooftop and returning his helmet to its position atop his head, Reaver got his squad’s attention and signaled for them to take up defensive positions around the roof; he needed a minute to put a plan together. They had burned darkness getting here, and they needed Lady Luck to stick with them just a little bit longer. If they didn’t find the Lieutenant soon, they would continue the sweep during daylight hours, exponentially increasing their risk of discovery.

  Reaver pulled the overhead image hardcopies from their pouch and examined each one again. The rooftop Dragon Two had claimed overlooked a grouping of four interconnected buildings that formed the center of the outward expanding rings of demolition and devastation. From the intelligence briefs on the city, before the drop, and in further discussions in the communications shack, this part of the city had been instrumental in the administering of not only the city but also the surrounding province. The Provincial COO’s residence, really a compound, had been seized by the Renks and there were strong indicators that the Renks were using it as a headquarters facility. Choosing to do so would meet with the Renks’ mission statement of breaking down the images of the bourgeoisie to raise the proletariat from the position of servitude and spread the wealth to all. For that reason alone, Reaver made the chief operating officer's residence their primary objective; always trust a socialist to look for a political message rather than a tactical edge.

  Reaver hated working on half-heard information and hunches, but such was reality. You didn't always get the best intel or the best conditions; you made the mission work with what you had, and you prayed Murphy wouldn't come along and whisper 'BOHICA' in your ear while you were trying to work.

  The compound consisted of a cluster of four buildings with walkways and sky-bridges on the second and fourth levels between buildings connecting the residency, the northernmost building and furthest from the squad, with the staff housing and operational control buildings housing the offices of the corporate leadership. The southern and western buildings appeared to have been gutted by a fire, with many of the windows blown out and holes torn from the structure. That the frames still stood at all was a wonder, with an excellent chance neither of those buildings were being used for anything by Renk forces.

  Reaver signaled for Harlequin and Alice to find vantage points on the roof to set up their nests; afterward, he pulled his field glass from its pouch and slid his visor up into his helmet. He trained the dual lenses on the roof of the northernmost building, the COO’s residency. The low-light filters on the glasses gave him a clear view of the enemy soldiers and their patrol routes atop the roof.

  Alice’s voice came through soft in Reaver’s ears. “Flash and flame, eastern building. Probably a lighter. I can see a couple of cherries floating without the scope. I’m dialed in.”

  Harlequin’s voice was next to be heard. “Scope and gun are matched and ready. No masks that I can see, what’s the deal with that?”

  “Masks mean rank and file, drones and clones. Renks have been trying for damn near a century to clone a brain but never figured out exactly how to make it work, so they plug a computer chip into the head and program it for tasks. Fucks up the clone’s face pretty bad, so they make everyone wear a mask to avoid scaring the hell out of the conscripts. No mask means officer, political enforcer, or Council’s Blade.” Reaver answered, his voice so quiet as to be only his mouth moving but still loud enough for the mics within his collar to pick up.

  “Well, none of these guys have got masks on. They’ve got their eyes out, and they look like they know their shit. I’d say Blades.” Harlequin responded, and Reaver double-clicked his push-to-talk button to acknowledge the message. The night had just turned interesting.

  The ruins of the southernmost building of the cluster obscured the view of the residence building. F
or the snipers to have overwatch on both buildings, the Marines would have to work their way around the eastern edge of the sector through even more twists and turns, eating up more of their timeline. Reaver examined the eastern building again, five stories and plenty of rooms to hide in. What he wouldn't give for a dog team at a time like this. The northern building would be four stories, fewer rooms but more open spaces inside. They would have to leapfrog building to building, searching as they went. Dogs would have made it faster.

  Reaver took a deep breath, then depressed the PTT switch on his rifle, and laid out the orders for his squad. “Snipers will provide overwatch and clear the staff residency roof while the assault team crosses the open area. Assault team will find a way to the roof. As soon as that route is secure, sniper team will cross the square, and we’ll set up shop on the roof. Once Alice and Quinn are set overlooking the square and the COO’s residence, the assault team will begin a top-down sweep of the building. If we don’t find the package, then we use the sky-bridge on the fourth floor of the staff building to cross to the top floor of the residency and we repeat the process. Any questions?” Reaver released the mic-switch and waited.

  Silence was his answer. After thirty seconds and no questions raised, Reaver gathered the assault team made up of himself, Bull, Titan, and Space Case and led them to the eastern edge of the roof. Titan hung his scaling ladder over the side of the building and down into the alleyway. With Harlequin and Alice secure in their respective positions, the members of the assault team lowered themselves down the ladder and into the alleyway below. Reaver waited to give the signal to his snipers until after he ensured that all members of his team were ready to go. Rounds were about to start going downrange, and he knew Murphy was waiting for his chance to fuck something up.

  With the assault team stacked, Bull in the lead and Reaver behind him, Space Case fell in behind Reaver and Titan would pull up the rear. Reaver triggered the transmit button on his rifle, his voice above a whisper. “Weapons free." Releasing the transmit button, he tapped Bull on the shoulder. The big man led the way out of the alleyway and into the open square. The four Marines moved fast, staying low and using what cover they could find to break up their silhouettes.

  It was a testament to the design of the rifles used by the squad's snipers that none of their shots were heard and no alarm was raised as Harlequin and Alice both brought their targets down within moments of one another and before the assault team had reached the objective building. The main entrance to the building was on the eastern side; a secondary entrance faced the west into a large courtyard edged at the cardinal points by the other buildings making up the administrative complex. A lone metal door on the south side of the building was the entrance Bull made for; while it left the team exposed to the open area they had just crossed, entering here would keep them from passing any doors or windows through which those inside could spot them. As the Marines drew closer, Space Case was already pulling his lockpick tool from its pouch.

  For the Marines, only two ways opened doors: dynamic and violent, preferably using explosive charges to take the doors and frames with them, or silently, using tools which the Marines affably referred to as “keys to the city.” Inserting the thin end of the lock picking tool into a keyhole and then squeezing the trigger would activate an electromagnet and send pulses through the locking mechanism, first analyzing the type of lock and then bypassing it; thus far the Recon Marines had yet to find a lock the 'key' wasn't able to bypass; it just took time.

  The door, frame and all, fit seamlessly into the wall, with an indent in the actual door to serve as a pull handle. With Bull and Titan on either side of the frame and facing away to pull security, Reaver positioned his body on the left side of the door and faced inward, on the chance someone exited, they would have an overwatch; As Space set to work, sliding the probe into the keyhole, Reaver radioed the two snipers to ready themselves to move. A pair of double-clicks signaled their affirmation, and Reaver turned his attention back to the door.

  The device in Space's hand clicked loud enough for Reaver to hear, and every few seconds a blue spark danced across the surface of the door around the keyhole. A small trail of smoke rose from the keyhole, and the clicking in the device grew more frequent, eventually to the point the noise being given off sounded like a miniaturized reciprocating saw working within the lock. Suddenly, the clicking ceased, and Space Case gave a tug on the handle; the door swung open soundlessly.

  Reaver tapped his mic-switch. “We're in. Clearing to the roof." With a tap to Bull behind him, Reaver slid into the darkened interior of the building knowing that the assistant squad leader was following him. The night vision mechanics to their visors made the interior seem fully lit, and Reaver found himself at the bottom of a stairwell that a nearby sign indicated provided access to the roof. Pausing for just a moment, sending a prayer of thanks heavenward that their first door had been roof access, Reaver clicked his transmit button. “Move." Harlequin and Alice would be crossing the square and hustling to the door; Bull and Space Case would meet them, and they would follow Titan and Reaver's path to the roof.

  The open shaft stairwell would echo sound well though, with the steps a form of poured graphcrete proven against all but the worst of Mother Nature’s wrath and the ravages of time, but they wouldn't creak like wood. Tightening the slings to hold their rifles secure against their chests, Reaver and Titan drew their pistols. Silence was their ally. The longer they had without the enemy becoming aware of them, the better off they would be.

  The two Marines began their ascent, Reaver leading the way. Each footstep was methodical, heel to toe, and the Marines’ weight centered over their core. They took care as they passed the doors at each floor to slide below the small window set high in the center of each door. Their passage on the next set of stairs would be hidden by the stairs themselves given the doors' positioning at the top of each flight, rather than centered on the landing. Five flights of floors passed quickly as they moved with a purpose. A sixth set of stairs lead to the opening where a door had once barred the way to the roof; the door hung from its hinges, twisted and malformed. The charred frame told the story of the shaped charge that had done the damage. It made Reaver and Titan's exit onto the roof easier; they didn't have to pick a lock.

  Reaver knew that the rest of his squad would be on their way up, so he set Titan to watch the doorway, while he made a quick sweep of the roof. He was a quarter of the way around in his circuit of the roof when he found the first body, the back of the corpse's head removed by the force of the sniper's round. A swift search confirmed his suspicions. The left shoulder patch wasn't the standard sickle and hammer of the Renks’ conscript forces; it was the crossed sword and axe of the Blades. From the lack of commotion, the snipers had made clean shots on all their targets. Reaver found the fourth and final body as he completed his sweep of the roof; the right side of the Renk’s head had mushroomed out and what was left had cracked against the edge of the roof, leaving a snail trail of blood and shards of bone from the edge to the base of the roof wall.

  By the time Reaver returned to the access door, the remainder of the squad had arrived on the roof and moved away from the open doorway. In his sweep of the roof, he had taken a few moments to study their secondary objective. The top of the residence possessed a slanted roof preventing posting of sentries there which would give the Recon Marines an advantage as their snipers would hold the high ground and be able to maintain overwatch on two entryways and the entire length of the south side of the residence that faced into the shared courtyard. For now, Alice and Harlequin would post themselves on the eastern and western edges of the roof to maintain as much of a full umbrella of coverage as they could. Meanwhile, the assault teams would split into teams of two and leapfrog floors. Not the best way to search a building; Reaver would have preferred the use of at least a platoon, with a squad assigned to each floor to sweep them simultaneously, but you made do with what you had. The four Marines made their way b
ack down the stairwell; Reaver left Bull and Space Case to clear the top floor while he and Titan moved down to the fourth.

  They were rounding the corner of the mid-floor landing and readying to descend to the fourth-floor door when Bull's voice sounded in their earbuds. “Door's unlocked, entering fifth floor." Reaver double-clicked his response; the less time they spent on the radio meant the more their ears could be focused on the interior of the building.

  The door to the fourth floor was similarly unlocked, and Titan held it open far enough for Reaver to slide through, who then braced the door with his offhand so Titan could worm past the opening and then guide the door shut quietly behind them. The air stank of unwashed bodies, while under the smell hovered the residual scent of charred wood carried on the whisper of a breeze. Aside from the whisper, no sound. Also, no lights, standard or even emergency, illuminated the long hallway, creating a stretch of pitch blackness. The weight of the darkness would have been oppressive but for slivers of light leaking through open doorways here and there. The Marines' visors gave them full-light vision of the entire space; the hallway ran the length of the building where a spacious landing sat in the exact center of the building, with wide winding staircases leading to the floors above and below. There were only two doors on either side of the hallway, the nearest one on the right side still intact but hanging off the door frame by its top two hinges.

  The door opposite was undamaged and shut, so Reaver motioned Titan in the direction of the open door. The two Marines began a slow, steady walk toward it, keeping their feet flat, the weight and pressure from the soles of their feet even across the floor, leading with neither the ball nor the heel of their foot; this would reduce the stress placed on the floor and lower the risk of a creaking floorboard.