“Hold your fire! They’re on our side,” he said. “We need to deal with that machine-gun on the roof, so they can make it to us.”
* * *
“Who’s firing?” John asked.
“It’s the guys on the roof,” Roland said. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure what they should be shooting at, so I told them to take a shot at anything they thought they could hit.”
John closed his eyes, tightening his grip on the radio. The inmates had no training whatsoever, even though that was the reason Faust had them transferred.
Facing well-equipped and experienced defense contractors would be challenging enough even with forces prepared to deal with the assault. Still, it was all they had, and it was still better than squaring up with Hawke’s team with only four combat-ready warriors.
“Someone needs to get up there and give them some guidance,” John said. “We can’t have them wasting ammo shooting at fleeing choppers.”
“I’m on my way now,” Roland said.
“Do the rest of you remember the plan?”
“You mean besides holding them off until the cavalry rides in to save the day?” Chance asked.
“We defend the south and east entry points,” Millie said. “Don’t let Hawke and his team flood the base in any significant numbers.”
“That’s right. Keep them pinned down behind cover. Make this assault too expensive for them, and we’ll make it out alive,” John said.
“The guards are fleeing the base,” Chance said. “They’re running toward the mercs that just landed.”
John walked up to one of the windows. “Maybe this will work to our advantage. Maybe they’ll confuse them for us and—”
Two weapons in the distance lit up in the darkness as one of the guards fell. The rest dropped, covering their heads with their hands. The shooting stopped as the scene went silent. John looked across the field.
If these INSEC mercs are just as jumpy, maybe we’ve got a shot at this, he thought.
More muzzle flashes popped in the darkness. John crouched behind the wall but kept his eyes on the battlefield. None of the security forces dared to move, but the enemy fire wasn’t aimed at them anymore.
“We’re taking fire,” Roland said.
The machine-gun on the roof started roaring again as bullets chewed up the ground in wide undisciplined arcs, far short of the enemy. Two flashes, aiming higher than the other weapons, pulsed in the distance.
Seconds later, an explosion rocked the building, cracking one of the windows. Another one rattled the ceiling tiles. Just as John realized what had happened, Roland called in over the radio again.
“They’ve got grenade launchers!”
CHAPTER
39
“Keep your fire concentrated on the cell blocks!” Hawke shouted. Several of the soldiers under his command came out from behind their respective cover and started their offensive. The rest advanced, some adding to the attack as they moved.
The gunner on the roof swiveled the weapon around and returned fire. The shooter swung the barrel back and forth, not taking the bullet drop into account as he aimed. The bullets thudded along the dirt and grass, kicking up a debris cloud well short of their position.
“Rhino, I need that machine-gun out of action,” Hawke said. “Remember, Kingston is in the main building, so keep your shots clear of there.”
Obie Gray nodded with a grunt and took two plodding steps forward, shouldering his M32 launcher. A pair of hollow thumps pushed through the popping rifle fire as two high explosive projectiles arced through the air.
The first impacted on the face of the cell blocks, shattering most of the windows on the building’s front surface. The second grenade hit somewhere closer to the center of the rooftop. The shooting stopped for an instant, but a moment later, the muzzle flash lit up again.
This time it was a different result as the bullets sparked off of a nearby crane. More rounds impacted near Rhino and Hawke. One of the contractors screamed as a projectile shattered his shin bone.
“Take cover!” the Captain shouted.
Someone else had taken control of the machine-gun, someone with training behind the weapon. Before Hawke could tell his team to concentrate their fire on the roof, a dozen rifles in the shattered windows pulsed in the darkness. The rounds weren’t as accurate as the machine-gun, but they struck close enough to prevent the team from moving forward quickly.
* * *
Roland peered up over the M240. He pointed to the inmate injured in the grenade blast.
“Get him downstairs, now.”
He hoisted the weapon up and tapped the ammo case with his boot. “We need to move,” he said. “Grab that ammunition and follow me.”
Roland kept his body low as he ran to the far corner, giving him a better angle to watch the forces moving up from the east. It cut off his view of the southern face, but right now the grenadier raining explosives down from the front had to take priority.
The weapon’s bipod rattled as it hit the roof. Dust puffed out as the ammunition crate slammed next to it. Roland lay prone behind the machine-gun, taking in a view of the battlefield through the iron sights. He rested his free hand along the top of the stock and rested his cheek on his knuckles pulling the machine-gun tight to his shoulder.
With controlled five and six round bursts, Roland concentrated his fire at the INSEC soldiers pressing forward. Instead of sweeping the bursts in wild, inaccurate patterns, he held the weapon steady each time he squeezed the trigger, knowing the recoil would spread his shots out.
His first salvo dropped one of the advancing enemies. The inmates on the roof got the message loud and clear, using short bursts aimed at the shadowy figures creeping up on the base.
Two more mercenaries fell before Roland spotted four consecutive puffs, aimed higher than the other enemy weapons.
“Grenades!” he shouted, rolling away from the machine-gun and covering his head with his hands. The other men braced for the incoming explosives moments before the concussive blasts rocked the building. Each violent explosion felt like a punch to the chest, rattling Roland’s eardrums.
* * *
Bits of plaster and glass rattled as the air shook from the explosions. John helped one of the inmates back to his feet as he surveyed the damage. No one had been killed in the blast, but several were shaken up.
“Get to the windows,” he said. “Stay back and use the darkness for cover.”
With the assault rifles acquired from the base’s armory, they had enough guns to equip everyone, but John knew they were outmatched. He took a knee at the window in the center of the building, facing the east.
With the rest of the men in position, John nodded and pulled his M4, chambered in .300 Blackout tight against his shoulder, flicking the fire selector to semiautomatic. He pressed the trigger twice, each time taking aim in the direction of the man with the grenade launcher.
The other inmates followed suit and fired on the invaders. The rifles spit rounds in an arrhythmic beat, like popcorn in a microwave. The muzzle flashes would give away their positions, but John hoped the volume of fire would work to their advantage.
When the INSEC mercenaries answered back, he knew that he had been wrong in his assessment. The wall of soldiers advanced in waves, each time dropping behind cover and peppering the cell blocks with suppressing fire.
He fired, hitting one of the invaders in the distance. Several of the men with John ducked behind the walls, covering their heads. None of these men had been in a situation like this before. Bringing his rifle up again, John shouted for the men to return fire. His weapon thunked several times as another of the attackers fell to the dirt in mid-rush.
“Push them back!” John shouted as he pressed the trigger again, scoring a hit on a third mercenary.
A bullet struck one of the inmates. He leaned back then rocked forward, falling through what was left of one of the windows as he tumbled three stories to the ground below.
Eyes wa
ndering down to follow the man’s body, John saw the effect that Hawke’s men had on the security team fleeing the building. A few continued forward to safety, but the majority turned and fired, their morale bolstered by the private army encroaching from two sides.
* * *
“We’ve got trouble,” Chance said. “The CARR Group’s security forces are turning back around. They’ve decided to fight again.”
“I can see that,” John said. “Hawke is the bigger threat, still.”
“If those security guards rush back in, we’re in trouble,” Chance said.
Millie looked at the half dozen inmates behind her. None of them seemed mentally prepared for what she needed to do.
“I’ll take care of it,” she said.
“Wait, what is that supposed to mean?” Chance asked.
“Don’t do anything foolish,” John said.
Millie ignored their calls and turned to the men in cell block A. “I’m heading out there. You need to hold this position.”
“What?” The man’s eyes were saucers in the low light. “Hold it how?”
“There’s only one door leading in here,” she said. “Put a man there, at the bottom of the stairs. Two more here at the door. It will give you a clear line of sight down the hall.”
“And then what?” the inmate asked.
“Shoot anything that comes through that door.” Her eyes were deadly serious a she looked at each man, making sure they understood her.
“What if it’s you coming back?”
“If you see me coming through that door, then I deserve to get shot.”
* * *
The building shook again. An acoustic ceiling tile fell and cracked in half at Chance’s feet.
“Are they hitting us with missile launchers?” Ty asked.
“Grenades,” Chance said, staring down at the video feed.
He watched as Captain Hawke led his team up, advancing halfway toward the base when Roland and John directed the inmates with them to focus their fire and drive the mercenaries back.
“I need to get out there,” Chance said.
“What? No, you need to stay here,” Ty said. “What if they get in the base? Am I supposed to fight them off by myself?”
“John, how’s it looking out there?” Chance asked. “Do you need some support?”
“We were able to stop their advance,” John said. “It might be enough until our support arrives.”
“What’s the matter, Detective? Are you afraid your friends won’t be able to hold Captain Hawke back?” Faust smirked. Even with his hands bound, the man’s smug expression showed his confidence.
“Don’t make me regret keeping you alive, Kingston,” Chance said.
Do we have enough strength to fight INSEC off? he thought.
* * *
Captain Hawke knelt next to an excavator as bullets scored deep gouges into the hard-packed dirt at his feet. That machine-gun is going to shred us like cabbage.
Rhino’s last volley of grenades only bought them enough time to advance another few meters before the enemy resumed their suppressing fire. Hawke raised up enough to get a look at the base. He counted dozens of muzzle flashes popping up all along the southern face, concentrated mostly around the cell blocks.
Another man shouted, clutching his neck as he fell. Hawke put his back to the construction vehicle, feeling the vibrations from the bullets pinging off its steel skin. He pulled a tablet from a pouch and switched channels to address only his strike team.
“The enemy’s fire is coming mostly from the cell blocks, facing our primary force. Burst, you and Flash take a team around the east,” Hawke said. “As soon as you are in position, push toward the base hard and fast. Overwhelm them.”
“What about the machine-guns?” Burst asked.
“They’ve only got one,” Hawke replied. “It’s facing us now, so there will be a massive blind spot with only a few rifles to contend with.”
“Yes, Captain,” Burst said.
“Roger,” Flash said.
“Rhino, as soon as they infiltrate, we’ll use the chaos to press our attack,” Hawke said, staring at the blue dot in the middle of the map on his tablet. “We advance to the main structure, where Faust is.”
“Won’t they see us coming?” Rhino asked.
“The bulk of our forces will remain out here. Once Stone and his team are dealing with our people in the cell blocks, they won’t notice us breaking off and getting inside,” Hawke said.
CHAPTER
40
Millie slid through the small crack in the doorway, letting it ease closed behind her. She tugged at the brim of the hat she took from one of the guards, keeping it low enough to mask her features in shadows.
Swimming through a pool of darkness, she ran from cover to cover, keeping her body crouched as she moved. Millie knelt at the edge of a low berm near the training grounds, tracing a mental path through the men and women shooting back at John and Roland.
She melted back into the darkness and circled behind the first guard. Millie let her rifle hang and threaded an arm around his neck, under his chin. She stomped down on his knee, folding him backward and pulling his gun to the side as they fell. The weapon spit its remaining rounds into another guard, clicking as the magazine ran out of ammo.
She completed the choke, locking her other arm around his head until his body went limp. Rolling him to the side, she plucked a flash-bang off of his belt and rose to a crouch, tossing it at another group. The bright pulse lit up their position and disoriented them enough for several of the inmates above to finish them off.
Now she faced a different problem. The other guards were aware of something happening down here with them. Millie took cover, keeping her safe from the barrage from her friends in the building. A pair of guards looked over at her, weapons drifting in her direction.
She looked them in the eye, seeing the confusion and fear. Capitalizing on their hesitation, she swept the muzzle of her weapon to the front and cut them down with several bursts. The rest of the guards fell behind cover, or scrambled, running to join Hawke.
She dropped the spent magazine, reaching for another when someone fired from behind. Bullets whistled by her head as a round cut through her jacket, scoring a grazing hit below her ribs.
Gritting her teeth, Millie dropped to a knee and drew her pistol. The suppressed M&P thunked several times in her hand as a figure in the distance rolled forward behind a crate of stacked lumber.
She pressed a hand to her side and ran around a forklift as more rounds chased her. Millie slipped the sidearm into its holster and reloaded her rifle.
This new enemy wasn’t one of the security guards she had just run off. Millie peered around with one eye, trying to get a view of her opponent. Another round slammed into her cover, followed a split-second later by the weapon’s report.
Millie turned and crouched, ready for the looming threat.
“You want to play?” she whispered. “Game on.”
* * *
The battle raged in the distance, bursts of fire on both sides adding to the exchange. Marci Burst Driver circled toward the southern face of the Wolf’s Den base. Such a stupid name, she thought, leading her team through the shadows, moving behind the stacks of construction materials until they reached the outdoor training grounds.
The low berms and reinforced walls would provide the necessary cover to close the distance, and even fight, if necessary. She signaled to her second, Tanika Flash Sloane. Sloane nodded and advanced, two soldiers trailing close behind.
Each group moved forward as the other covered. When they were close enough to see figures on the roof, Burst ordered the team to prepare their attack, planning to reach the building in one surge, using suppressing fire to keep the defenders pinned.
Flash held up a hand, giving Marci pause.
“What is it?” she asked.
Flash looked through her weapon’s scope toward the CARR Group personnel. “Someone is attacking the
guards out front.”
Burst brought her carbine’s scope up to her eye, watching as a lone figure tangled with the security forces. “Who is that?” she whispered.
“I don’t know,” Flash said. “But I’ll take care of her.”
With a nod and a pat on the shoulder, Marci gave her the go ahead. Flash kept her body low and dashed into the darkness. Burst turned to the rest of her team and gave them the signal to start the rush.
Three of the men in her command tossed smoke grenades out into the open. Three more took aim at the defenders on the roof. Burst raised the muzzle of her carbine and pressed the trigger. Her weapon spit three rounds out in a tight group, scoring a hit as a man fell over the edge, screaming as his body plummeted.
Her team opened fire, chewing up the concrete near the top of the structure, forcing the base’s defenders back. Using the cover fire to mask their movements, Burst led the team ahead.
She sprinted across the open ground, plunging into the clouds of bluish smoke. Emerging on the other side she took a knee with several other soldiers and brought their weapons up. As soon as their rifles barked, the rest of the team advanced.
Reaching the door, Burst paused. Their rush worked far better than she hoped, even without Flash lending her support. This would be a much simpler matter than expected.
* * *
“Get back,” John yelled.
He dove and pulled one of the men clear as another pair of explosions tore away at what was left of the windows and walls, hurling chunks of concrete and wood inward. A fiery pain tore across his lower back. John pressed a hand there and saw the blood from a shrapnel wound.
The Hard Core Page 17
