by Jim Roberts
Orchid deactivated the sword and set it down on the table where the techs were offloading pieces of the new armor. “The Doctor and his team designed it to be extra effective against drone technology.”
Krieger whistled, “Very nice! When you meet God, I bet you could cut him with that thing.”
After everyone had collected themselves from the demonstration, Orchid asked, “So where’s Joe? And Jade? I haven’t seen either of them in ages.”
Krieger and Headcase looked at each other nervously. Orchid’s face grew concerned. “Well, I guess you should just start at the beginning—”
Just as the Asian warrior finished her question, a loud siren blared across the R&D lab. The red tinted emergency lights on the walls of the R&D lab began to swirl. Instantly, everyone was on alert.
A canned voice sounded over the base intercom, “All stations, we have intruders in the Command building. Repeat, intruders in the Command building!”
“B’lyad!” Krieger swore.
Rourke jumped to his feet. “Everyone outside, now!”
The Peacemakers charged for the R&D entrance. The Command building was a quick thirty-second jog from there. Krieger unholstered his Beretta 9mm sidearm as he ran behind the SEAL. If they were under attack, the Code disc and General Walsh had to be protected.
As he ran, Krieger noticed Orchid hanging back. When he stopped to ask what she was doing, the Japanese sniper shooed him away.
“Go, I’ll meet you there!”
Nodding his understanding, the big Russian bolted out the door and toward the Cottage Command center, weapon in hand. As the four-story building came into view, Krieger saw several flashes of light from the top floor windows, followed by muted sounds of gunfire.
“Hurry!” Krieger shouted as he ran, “We need to get to the General!”
INSIDE THE Command facility, six Peacemaker security guardsmen had taken point on the fourth-floor main hallway. The silent trembler alarms had sounded when the intruders had opened the rooftop hatch leading down into the air conditioning ducts running through the entirety of the building. The first security team sent to check the floor hadn’t reported back. The sound of firearms being discharged had alerted everyone now. With the elevators on emergency lockdown, the only way for the intruders to make their way downstairs was to move through the main hallway.
All non-security personnel had been evacuated either outside or into the bunker below. The British Doctor and General Walsh were locked safely inside his office; a fully fortified room capable of withstanding a C4 blast.
The Peacemaker security troops knelt down, three by three on either side of the corridor—keeping their eyes firmly on the end of the fluorescent-lit hall. Each man was armed with FN SCAR-L 5.56mm assault rifles, modular special ops weapons that were the current standard of all Peacemaker forces. The security men sighted these rifles along the hall, ready for whatever it was that had made the big mistake of breaking into the Cottage HQ.
Nothing.
The men held the weapons tight, not flinching.
—then, the lights went out.
The power right across the fourth floor went down completely, throwing everything into utter blackness.
The security soldiers were blind. As their eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, they managed to spot a lone figure darting toward them.
“Fire!” shouted the lead Peacemaker. The hallway immediately lit up into a fury of light and flashes as the men attempted to gun down the black-clad enemy. It closed the distance between them in a near instant, dodging the incoming gunfire by bouncing off the wall like a jumping spider.
Then, the intruder collided with the first man. A fast one-two striking combo knocked the soldier to the ground, out like a light. Scurrying across the hall to the next man, it laid him out with a simple forearm to the face. The remaining guardsmen were forced to hold fire, lest they hit their buddies in front. The intruder used their weakness against them, knocking the numb body of the unconscious Peacemaker toward them. The men fumbled their attempt to reestablish a bead on this powerful enemy, giving the intruder all the time in the world to make a jumping leap off the wall and clobber the next two men with a double jump kick. Both soldiers hit the ground, senseless.
The last two men realized they were in serious jeopardy. They fired at the nightmare intruder, desperately trying to catch their enemy with at least a single bullet.
No such luck.
The intruder nimbly twisted along the floor and came up with a leaping kick to the chin that knocked one of the men on his back. The last conscious Peacemaker swung his rifle around in an arch, attempting to catch the attacker in close proximity. His attempt was blocked with a powerful hand jab that caused the gun to fumble from his hands. A follow through punch knocked the man to the ground to join his friends.
At that moment, the lights came back on.
The intruder cursed.
The emergency backup generator must have been activated.
It was to be expected, as the main power—which had been easily taken out with a small amount of semtex placed on the fuse panel—would have some sort of backup not connected to the main grid. The intruder took the moment to check the holographic PDA attached to its wrist. Using advanced intrusion technology, the device sent a sonar signal through each floor of the compound. Its range was limited but if the piece of technology the intruder was looking for was here, its internal transponder would provide an active echo, showing its location on the screen.
Noises coming from the floor below told the intruder time was tight. As the sonar pinged throughout the building, showing a clear readout of the first four floors of the Cottage complex, it eventually hit a counter signal, registering as a blue pulse on the PDA.
That’s it.
The Code.
Footsteps from the stairwell ahead told the intruder it was time to leave. Against the wall, six feet ahead was a grate leading into the air conditioning tunnel that weaved through the old building. Rushing over to the it, the intruder removed a small device the size and shape of a pen. Pressing a switch, a blue welding flame burst out. With a few quick cuts, the grate broke loose. With some difficulty, the intruder pulled its frame through the hole, replaced the vent and disappeared into the AC system.
The black-clad intruder shuffled down—floor after floor—through the AC. Reaching the bottom, it padded toward the nearest vent. Peering through cautiously, the trespasser saw multiple Peacemakers—heavily armed—charging upstairs. A Russian-accented voice was yelling above the chaos.
“The General is secured. Everyone upstairs now! Shoot the intruders if you must, but try to take them alive!”
As the voices disappeared upstairs, the black-clad trespasser knocked open the grate with a sharp punch. Sliding back out, it checked the area.
Coast is clean.
The location of the Code was emitting from a room at the northernmost end of the floor. The intruder set off, jogging toward its destination.
KRIEGER RACED up the stairwell, followed closely by Headcase, Rourke, and about two dozen security Peacemaker personnel—fully armed with body armor and SCAR-L rifles. No chances were being taken. They would hunt the infiltrators down.
—And make the bastards sorry for ruining my bedtime, thought Krieger as he clutched his Beretta with both hands.
After they reached each floor of the four-storey complex, a six-man team would split off and sweep the area for the enemy. Krieger had made sure to leave two fully armored riot personnel in charge of the General’s office on the first floor. The office acted as a panic room, so there was little to no chance anyone was getting through there.
As they reached the top floor, Rourke took point—armed with a SCAR rifle he’d been given by one of the security men. Checking his corners, the former SEAL cautiously led the way through the offices on the top of the complex. There, the team discovered the defeated group of security troops lying in the corridor.
The security team leader, holding his aching
head in his hands, told Rourke it was a single enemy responsible for this—a dark figure equipped with a powered stealth suit.
While Rourke and the team of sweepers got to work helping the beaten-up security men to their feet, Krieger checked the area.
There’s no way the infiltrator could have got past us.
Amidst the acrid stink of gunpowder, the Russian noticed another metallic smell in the air. It reminded him of the odor of welding smoke. He searched the corridor for a moment before noticing the scorch marks on the AC vent some half-dozen feet away from the attack scene.
“He’s in the AC ducts!” Krieger shouted, “Relay that to other teams now!” From the initial security walkthrough of the building when they’d moved in, Krieger remembered the AC spiraled directly down into the building. It was not connected to the bunker below, as that utilized its own separate air system.
Krieger realized what was happening.
“He’s heading down. Everybody, back downstairs, now!”
THE PROWLER had reached the end of the first-floor corridor where directly around the corner was the target room. Peering around for a look-see, the intruder spied two heavily armed Peacemaker soldiers, dressed in riot gear. Reaching into a pouch on its belt, the stealthy trespasser pulled forth a small object the shape of an egg. Lobbing it around the corner, the intruder shielded its goggles. There was a brief yell of warning, then a deafening bang and a blinding flash of light.
With the distraction made, the intruder rushed around the corner and performed a leaping jump kick that caught the first soldier on the side of his helmet—slamming him against the wall and into unconsciousness. The final soldier feebly attempted to raise his rifle, but received a brutal kick to the solar plexus, dropping him beside his partner.
It took twenty precious seconds to move the men away from the door so they wouldn’t be hurt from what came next. The intruder removed a small aerosol can from its belt and began to spray a foamy substance around the perimeter of the door. The plas-tex chemical was capable of focusing an explosive force far greater than C4 within a very compacted area while limiting any risk to bystanders, but more importantly in this case, to the Code.
Once the gel had solidified, the intruder jabbed a small wire electrode into the goop. Standing to the side and preparing another flashbang in its free hand, the stealth intruder pressed the detonator. The focused explosion rattled the wall, blasting through the steel. The door fell forward, landing in a broken heap.
So far, so good.
Wasting no time, the intruder tossed in the flashbang. As before, the device burst loud and bright, momentarily blinding the room’s inhabitants.
But before the intruder could enter the office, the sound of something rushing up behind it made the dark warrior spin around.
Running full out through the hall toward the intruder was a cyber armor-wearing soldier. Dressed head to toe in matte silver combat armor, the new arrival was armed for bear and fully prepared to greet the intruder with sheer violence.
The suit was instantly recognizable to the prowler.
Whisper armor.
Drawing forth the twin-blade wakizashi swords from the sheaths on its back, the intruder met its opponent full on. The silver attacker had no visible weapon, save for two gauntleted fists. The intruder slashed wildly at its enemy. With surprising grace, the attacks were nimbly parried by the heavy gauntlets—the swords sparking as they clanged against the high-tensile metal.
The two enemies dodged and weaved for several seconds. The intruder slashed out multiple times, desperate to score a hit on any exposed section of the silver attacker. But try as it could, nothing pierced the defense of this armored Peacemaker. A quick lunge from the intruder was met with a powerful blow to its midsection, momentarily stunning the black-clad fighter.
It was apparent that the Whisper suit this soldier wore was far above the strength and efficiency of the intruder’s own armor. After a series of further attacks were likewise rebuffed, the intruder had enough. Spinning around—with the idea to bolt toward the main entrance—the intruder was quickly grabbed and thrown to the ground in a vicious judo-throw that broke apart the tiled floor.
A scream of anger came from the intruder.
The voice was female.
The Whisper suit-wearing Peacemaker spoke, her own voice synthetically rendered, “Please don’t tell me you’ve forgotten me after all this time...Agrippina.”
“Damn you!” The Olympus assassin howled in rage. Agrippina performed a kip-up and thrust out with a brutal kick to her enemy’s head. The blow was so violent, the silver warrior couldn’t block in time and took the strike full on, forcing her to slam against the corridor wall, breaking apart the drywall.
Agrippina was done with this fight. The Code was all she needed. With her enemy momentarily dazed, she rushed back toward the General’s office to claim her prize—
—and was met with a bolt of electricity that threw her back with such force, it embedded her body into the wall behind her.
Agrippina’s limbs seized violently as currents of electricity pulsed through her body, disabling the suit’s functions. After ten seconds of sheer agony, the current stopped and she lay still. Right before she blacked out, the old war dog, General Walsh walked up to stand before her, brandishing a large rifle she didn’t recognize. She was vaguely aware of the sounds of running footsteps off to the side somewhere, no doubt the other Peacemaker fools ready to beat her face in.
The General smiled.
“Well…Agrippina. Welcome to the Cottage.”
Chapter 5
Revelation
The Cottage, Command Building, October 2nd
“So…what do we do with her now?”
Krieger asked the question as the techs finished attaching manacles to Agrippina’s arms and legs. The Olympus assassin was on her knees, arms spread-eagle as they were held out by titanium threaded cords attached to the brig’s walls. She’d been stripped of the black combat suit and now wore only her black underwear and t-shirt—the only garments she had under the suit. Her alabaster white legs—artificially reconstructed after their amputation from her fall in Kazinistan—were also manacled tight to posts in the cell floor. Her long jet black hair fell around her face, obscuring her green and synthetic red eyes from the onlookers.
General Walsh leaned on his cane as he stood a few meters in front of the Olympus killer. He was flanked by Brick, Doctor Cairncross, and Krieger. The doctor held Agrippina’s powered suit draped over one arm. Rourke, Headcase, and Packrat stood back near the brig entrance, watching the scene with intent expressions. Four additional Peacemaker security personnel armed with FN SCAR rifles had their weapons trained on Agrippina, waiting for any excuse to end the life of the devious woman now in their captivity.
“Sorry about the electroshock rifle,” Walsh said, glibly, “New design I’d been meaning to test for a while. I keep it by my desk in case of door-to-door salesmen.”
There were some scattered chuckles from the Peacemakers.
The Olympus harpy leaned over and spat a mouthful of blood onto the cement floor of the brig.
“So, Agrippina—tell us why you broke in.” General Walsh asked, his mustache bristling.
At first, the assassin didn’t answer. Agrippina simply stared down at the floor, playing the silent game.
“Answer the General!” Krieger barked.
Agrippina lifted her head to look at her captors. A sly grin spread across her face.
“I came for the Code.”
Walsh nodded. “That much is obvious. Why? And how did you discover this location?”
The assassin’s eyes narrowed. To Krieger, it looked like she was looking for a way out. The Russian knelt down to be eye level with Agrippina.
“Don’t get any fool ideas, lady. There’s no one coming for you. You should just talk so we can all get some sleep.”
When she replied, Agrippina’s voice was laced with venom. “The Code is no longer safe with your Uni
t, General.”
Walsh raised an eyebrow, “Why do you say that?”
“Because I found this location on my own. It won’t be long before Olympus finds it and comes to take back what’s theirs.”
Walsh’s eyes narrowed, “Are you trying to tell me you aren’t working for Olympus?”
“Not right now, no.”
Doctor Cairncross took a turn in the questioning, having finished his study of the black body armor.
“This suit is a nano-fibre rynohyde weave.” He lifted the suit to his nose and sniffed, “There’s a trace of chemical residue—I’m guessing from a microwave dampening chemical coating.”
Agrippina raised an eyebrow and asked, “Who’s the brainiac?”
Walsh disregarded the question and said, “I hope you didn’t fail to notice that we’re in the heart of the United States military hub her, lady. I think the Code is perfectly safe—”
“Trust me,” Agrippina interrupted, “if I found this place, they will too. For what they’re planning, Olympus won’t stop until they get that disc back.”
Walsh leaned forward on his cane. “And what is it they’re planning?”
Agrippina glowered angrily. “Where is Joe Braddock? Why isn’t he here?”
The question caught everyone in the room by surprise.
“Why are you interested in Braddock?” Walsh asked, cautiously. The tension in the room was rising by the second.
“Is he here?”
“Tell me why you want to talk to Joe,” Walsh repeated.
“Because who I do work for has information for him and him alone.”
Walsh sighed, straightening himself as he spoke. “Perhaps you should start at the beginning. Fill us in on why Joe is so important to you.”
Agrippina rose slowly to her feet. The guards on either side of her raised their weapons in alarm. General Walsh held out a hand to placate them.
“For the past year, ever since my…betrayal by Olympus, I’ve been working alongside a group of mercenaries—men and women dedicated to fighting the PMC wherever they go. Maybe you’ve heard of them. They call themselves the Vagabonds.”
